Justification Sanctification 01

The infographic provides a rich visual analogy that parallels our physical birth and development with our spiritual birth and maturity. It contrasts being born once—physically—with being born twice—spiritually—and then tracks the necessary maturity process that follows each birth.

Born Once — Physical Life (Genesis 2:7 & Luke 2:40)
Genesis 2:7 says that God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul. That was a one-time event. You don’t need to be born multiple times to become human. Once born, however, there is an expectation of growth. Luke 2:40 tells us that Jesus, as a human, “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom.” This is maturity—the process of becoming what you already are.

So, the moment of birth grants all the capacity for growth, but development is still necessary. A newborn has a complete human nature, yet that nature must be trained, stretched, and matured. The baby doesn’t become more human; they simply grow into the fullness of human maturity.

Born Twice — Spiritual Life (John 3:7 & Ephesians 4:22–24)
Likewise, John 3:7 records Jesus telling Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” This is the spiritual rebirth—the moment of justification, adoption, and regeneration. In that instant, a person is declared righteous, brought into God’s family, and made alive spiritually. Again, this is a one-time event. Like physical birth, spiritual birth imparts all the spiritual DNA necessary for godly living.

But now comes the second movement: sanctification—the ongoing process of transformation. Ephesians 4:22–24 calls believers to “put off the old self,” “be renewed in the spirit of your minds,” and “put on the new self.” This is progressive sanctification. The old man is dead, but remnants of his habits remain. The Christian, already justified, now cooperates with the Spirit to grow up into Christ, putting on what is already theirs in Christ.

This analogy is incredibly helpful, especially when discipling children or young believers. It guards against two errors: trying to mature without life (legalism) and thinking that justification alone is the end goal (license). You’re born once, but you must grow. You’re born again, but you must mature into Christlikeness.

Case Study: Mable — Orthodoxy in the Head, Legalism in the Heart

Mable is a well-read believer. She understands soteriology with clarity. She can explain the order of salvation, affirm penal substitution, and distinguish between justification and sanctification with theological precision. But despite her head knowledge, Mable’s practical theology—the way she lives—betrays a subtle, gnawing doubt: “Is God pleased with me today?”

In conversation, it becomes clear: Mable often starts her day with a sense of guilt if she hasn’t prayed long enough or if her devotions were distracted. She worries that suffering might be divine punishment. She’s anxious when she fails. Her inner dialogue is performance-based: “If I do well, God is near. If I fail, He is distant.”

Digging deeper, she shares her upbringing: an authoritarian father who showed affection only when she excelled. Correction came swiftly, but affirmation was rare. Over time, Mable developed a deeply entrenched fear of disapproval—fear of man, as Scripture calls it. After conversion, she mapped this broken template onto God. Though she believes in grace intellectually, her instincts still expect performance-driven acceptance.

Helping Mable — Reorienting Her Identity

To help Mable, we must realign her practice (orthopraxy) with her belief (orthodoxy). She doesn’t need more information; she needs to apply what she already knows by faith.

1. Start With the Foundation: Begin with justification. Remind her that God’s acceptance is not earned but imputed through Christ. Use Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God…” That peace is not tenuous—it is permanent.
2. Expose the Construct: Help Mable name and confront the fear of man that has shaped her understanding of authority. Gently walk her through how her past still governs her present. Not to blame, but to identify where her thoughts must be renewed.
3. Renew Her Mind with Gospel Truth: Use “put off–renew–put on” language from Ephesians 4:22–24. Show her how to put off the lie: “God only loves me when I perform.” Renew her thoughts with truth: “There is therefore now no condemnation…” Then help her put on worship-driven obedience rather than fear-driven performance.
4. Practice Relational Trust: Encourage her to relate to God as a Father who disciplines in love (Hebrews 12), not as a critical taskmaster. Guide her to spend time in prayer not as a duty but as a relational delight.

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Peace,
Rick