Perfected Forever

For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.  

Hebrews 10:14 

How is it that Christ has perfected His redeemed and yet they are ‘being sanctified?’ The difference lies between justification and sanctification. When Christ hung upon the cross, God ‘made Him to be in sin for us.’ He imputed our sin to Christ. He has also imputed Christ’s righteousness to us. ‘Justification is an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.’ In this, Christ has perfected forever His redeemed. God accepts us as being as righteous as Christ Himself because He has imputed Christ’s righteousness to us. We are also being sanctified. Sanctification is a work of God’s free grace whereby He renews us in the whole person after the image of Christ, and enables us to die, more and more unto sin, and to live unto righteousness. Eventually, when we see Christ, our sanctification will be equal to our justification. ‘We shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is.’ God accepts us as perfected and is also sanctifying us. 

Our Great and Gracious God, 
we rejoice that You have given unto us a whole salvation. 
We praise You that You will conform us 
completely to the Image of Christ.   

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning