Sanctification by Faith Alone

Sanctification is the fruit of justification; it is the byproduct, not the end.

I think it was Warfield who said that the only victorious Christian life that has ever been lived was that of the Lord Jesus Christ. I agree with that assessment, and with that in mind, why do we still have a great majority of the visible church fighting in an intramural wrestling match, if you will, to gain various crowns which represent the fulfillment of promises that God has actually made to ALL believers; to every member of His elect body?

Many (at least American believers) have been sold a poor bill of goods which includes the idea that once we are saved we must then maintain God's favor toward us by obedience to His commands. This flies right in the face of grace and works itself out in at least two ways:

1. When we sin we lose our justification and we must repent and be saved once again.
2. We remain saved when we sin but our disobedience is actually punished in eternity by loss of possible "rewards" .

The first option, in my estimation, is barely Christian at all. I do insist though that there are Christians who hold this view and defend it theologically (not just traditionally) but it is also important to recognise the far reaching implications of such a theology. It goes back to one's understanding of what happens at regeneration/conversion/the new birth; the reformed view states that at that event, an individual is "counted righteous"--he is justified in the eyes of God because of Christ's accomplishments. If this view is correct, then how strange it would seem to have God justify an individual on account of what God did on the cross only to have that individual later "unjustify" himself by breaking God's Law?

The second opinion, although much more palatable to the Christian tongue, is strangely misguided about the faithfulness of God to keep His promises to His people and about just what promises were fulfilled in the cross; further, this opinion accentuates the desire for eternal rewards besides God Himself--I believe that when the desire for these rewards outweigh our desire for God Himself, it is idolatry.

Conclusions:

At the moment of our justification we are counted righteous before God. Beside our sanctification, also procured by faith, what more could one really want? It is God's faithful distribution of His benefits to us that fuels our sanctification even after He has graciously justified us. It is not the fear of the potential loss of our crowns or of our salvation that should drive us to obedience but rather, it is the reiteration of the gospel that should drive us to delight in Christ; Christ raised for us, our newness in Him; sin no longer has dominion over you, therefore your obedience only makes sense. The gospel creates faith, and the sacraments of communion and baptism present the gospel tactily for the strengthening of our faith--the faith through which we were once justified and through which we are continually being sanctified.

The Law could never save us, and obedience to the Law is also never the road to sanctification, but the destination...the road of sanctification is also the gospel road.

The Law could not justify me and it also cannot sanctify me.