Hey everyone
Just quickly skimmed through your replies. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can answer them each individually. And you’ll also have to forgive me, I’m incredibly sleep deprived and stressed (mostly due to college and spiritual worrying) so I have to (unfortunately) say that I’m a tiny bit confused by the comments. So many of you guys stress justification being a declaration of salvation and being saved by Jesus’s sacrifice and that it’s a response to the gift freely given, and then I see the same people talk about justification being us actually beoming righteous, living righteous, living a sin-free life (which, I’m not sure if any of you guys feel this way too…I believe is impossible…:/).
I’m genuinely just really confused. It seems like Paul seems to stress justification as being an instant thing that happens when one believes the Gospel of Jesus. It doesn’t make sense to me that it is us actually living a sinless life. There were so many people, for example in Corinth, who were doing wildly immoral things, and yet Paul writes to them that they are saved and forgiven and justified, so to me that seems to be separate from sanctification. I absolutely agree that the salvation by God is not simply “legal”. But, maybe this is because I come from a Protestant upbringing, having this “legal” aspect “cleared up” is incredibly relieving and brings me great peace and hope…
Either way, like I said, I’m incredibly sleep deprived so you will all have to forgive me if my message makes no sense.
Many blessings on you all,
Leandra