JC Ryle Verses John Calvin on the Separation of Justification and Sanctification
“Christ cannot be torn into parts, so these two which we perceive in him together and conjointly are inseparable—namely, righteousness and sanctification. Whomever, therefore, God receives into grace, on them he at the same time bestows the spirit of adoption [Romans 8:15], by whose power he remakes them to his own image. . . Yet Scripture, even though it joins them, still lists them separately in order that God’s manifold grace may better appear to us.” — John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), Bk. 3, chap. 11, sec. 6).
“But the plain truth is, that men will persist in confounding two things that differ–that is, justification and sanctification. In justification the word to address to man is believe–only believe; in sanctification the word must be ‘watch, pray, and fight.’ What God has divided let us not mingle and confuse” (JC Ryle, Holiness: Introduction).
He who supposes that Jesus Christ only lived and died and rose again in order to provide
justification and forgiveness of sins for His people, has yet much to learn. Whether he knows it or
not, he is dishonouring our blessed Lord, and making Him only a half Saviour. The Lord Jesus has
undertaken everything that His people’s souls require; not only to deliver them from the guilt of
their sins by His atoning death, but from the dominion of their sins, by placing in their hearts the
Holy Spirit; not only to justify them, but also to sanctify them. He is, thus, not only their
“righteousness,” but their “sanctification.” (1 Cor. i. 30.)
Sanctification, then, is the invariable result of that vital union with Christ which true faith
gives to a Christian.—“He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.”
(John xv. 5.) The branch which bears no fruit is no living branch of the vine. The union with Christ
which produces no effect on heart and life is a mere formal union, which is worthless before God.
Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots J. C. Ryle
Roy,
All of your verbiage and using of Ryle’s quote out of context sounds good, but now reconcile this with the FACT that Calvin believed that Christ’s righteousness is an alien righteousness that REMAINS outside of us in sanctification. Though he used the “Christ in us” lingo, he also continually stated the former and the whole total depravity of the saints thing. We don’t really perform any works in sanctification–it’s an appropriation of Christ’s works from the spirit realm. Nevertheless, reconcile Calvin’s view of alien righteousness that remains outside of us IN SANCTIFICATION or shut your big fat mouth.
Roy,
Ryle’s quotes are in context of Justification, and the fact that sin is present even when we do good in sanctification. That doesn’t mean he believed in the fusion of justification and sanctification like Calvin did. In regard to you being “indebted” to me for the Calvin quotes you speak of, The ministry mailing address is PO Box 583, Xenia, OH 45385. How much money will you send me for each Calvin quote?
Roy,
That’s not the issue. Calvin believed that we are sanctification by contemplating justification. He also clearly believed in sanctification by faith alone contra JC Ryle.