”What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me…

”What an unhappy man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is taking me to death?Thanks be to God, who does this through our Lord Jesus Christ!”(Romans 8:24-25)

WHAT IS SANCTIFICATION?
We have just learn that justification by faith alone, which is at the heart—but is not the totality of—the gospel Paul preached. Indeed, we are delivered not only from the guilt
and penalty of sin in justification, but also sin’s dominion, presence, and power in sanctification, which entails becoming “slaves to righteousness” (Rom. 6:19). Thus, we
move from the standing of justification by imputed righteousness to the renewed life of sanctification by transformational righteousness.
QUOTATION
Those to whom His righteousness is imputed do thereupon become inherently righteous,
through inherent grace communicated to them from Him by the Spirit. “For if by one
man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17). How
did death reign by Adam’s offense? Not only in point of guilt, whereby his posterity were bound over to destruction, but also in point of their being dead to all good, dead in trespasses and sins. Therefore, the receivers of the gift of righteousness must thereby be
brought to reign in life—not only legally in justification, but also morally in sanctification, begun here and perfected hereafter.
—Thomas Boston
A. The Christian’s mind in sanctification (Rom. 12:2)
1. We need to know that, united to Christ, we are dead to sin.
a. We are dead to sin through our union with Christ who died for sin
(Rom. 6:5).
b. Those who are dead to sin can no longer live in it (Rom. 6:2).
c. He overcame the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14).
d. Our old man in Adam has been crucified (Rom. 6:6).
e. We are no longer enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:6).
2. We need to know that, united to Christ, we have been raised to life.
a. We are raised to life through our union with Christ in His resurrection
(Rom. 6:5).
b. We will one day possess resurrection bodies (1 Cor. 15:51–54).
c. We share in the resurrection now with victory over death (Eph. 2:5–6;
Col. 3:1–4).
d. We are now alive to God in Christ Jesus (6:8, 11, 13).
e. We have been brought into all the resources of grace to live for Jesus
(Rom. 6:11, 13).
B. The Christian’s mandates for sanctification
1. We must view ourselves as slaves to Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:16, 18, 21–22).
a. Holiness does not come automatically.
b. We must actively say no to self and yes to our new Master.
c. We possess the freedom to submit to our Master.
2. We must submit to Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:13, 16–17, 19).
a. We can no longer bow before our former master.
b. We must bow before our new master from the heart and according to the
Word.
C. Lessons on these resources for sanctification
1. Justification always comes with sanctification.
a. We are not declared righteous on the basis of our sanctification but
because of what Christ has done.
b. Justification is distinct yet inseparable from sanctification.
c. Every person justified will also be sanctified.
2. The Christian life comes entirely out of union with Christ.
a. We are declared righteous in union with Christ.
b. We are renewed inwardly in union with Christ.