JUSTIFICATION and SANCTIFICATION

TWO PERFECT THINGS THAT ARE SEPARATE. YET INSEPARABLE.

It is important not to confuse Justification and Regeneration. The being counted righteous by Faith and the fruit of Holiness by the Spirit of God working in us both to will and to do. Two perfect things Justification and Sanctification, when confounded as one and the same thing become one that is corrupt.

When we define justification as meaning, "A perfect right standing before God on the basis of the whole life lived because of the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit," this is to make two things that are perfect one. And as one Calvin says this is to corrupt the gospel.

Calvin writes on NOT confusing JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION:
Book III, Chapter 11, Para 6

Osiander on coming to Scripture corrupts every passage which he quotes. Thus when Paul says, "to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness," he expounds justifying as making just. With the same rashness he perverts the whole of the fourth chapter to the Romans. He hesitates not to give a similar gloss to the passage which I lately quoted, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." Here it is plain that guilt and acquittal simply are considered, and that the Apostle's meaning depends on the antithesis. Therefore his futility is detected both in his argument and his quotations for support from Scripture. He is not a whit sounder in discussing the term righteousness, when it is said, that faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousness after he had embraced Christ (who is the righteousness of God and God himself) and was distinguished by excellent virtues. Hence it appears that two things which are perfect are viciously converted by him into one which is corrupt. For the righteousness which is there mentioned pertains not to the whole course of life; or rather, the Spirit testifies, that though Abraham greatly excelled in virtue, and by long perseverance in it had made so much progress, the only way in which he pleased God was by receiving the grace which was offered by the promise, in faith. From this it follows, that, as Paul justly maintains, there is no room for works in justification.