Justification, Sanctification, Glorification

Justification

At the moment of Salvation there's an immediate change that takes place in the life of the believer. There is a legal status change that has taken place by which the believer is now in right standing with God and therefore justified. Instantaneously they are seen as righteous because the righteousness of Christ has now been imputed to them. No one can be justified by that law, and by that, I mean the keeping of the law (Rom 2:13). We are justified by grace (Rom 3:24) through faith (Rom 3:28) in the blood of Christ (Rom 5:9). In Galatians 2:16 Paul makes it abundantly clear by emphatically writing, “we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

Sanctification

Sanctification, as referenced in the section dealing with the work of the Holy Spirit, begins immediately after the believer has been justified. The Spirit now begins a work of purifying and transforming the believer into the image of Christ preparing them for their final heavenly home. It is the Spirit who fulfills what Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6 saying, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” 

Glorification

The final stage of our Salvation is our glorification. This again is something that happens immediately in the blink of an eye (1 Cor 15:52). For those who have gone ahead of us, this will be the moment in which they are resurrected and their bodies transformed. For those that are still on Earth at the time of Christ's return, their bodies will also be transformed at that time. This new body is indestructible and will never taste death again (1 Cor 15:42). This new body will be free from the power and presence of sin. We will together be with Christ in glory (Col 3:4). Our new bodies will be like the glorified body of Christ (Phil 3:21).