19. Christians are Persons Pardoned, Justified, Sanctified, Adopted, and Saved

While adjusting the most important terms and phrases in the Christian system to allow for a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of it, it is helpful that we also consider other descriptions of the genuine Christian. The five terms at the beginning of this chapter all indicate his state; and do not include any attributes of his character.

These descriptions are simply different aspects of a new state compared to an old one; or they represent the gospel as affecting a person's position in the universe in all the ways sin affected him. Was he guilty, condemned, unholy, alienated, and lost in Adam the first? When in Adam the second, he is in the opposite state—he is pardoned where he was guilty, justified where he was condemned, sanctified where he was unholy, adopted where he was alienated, and saved where he was lost. Sin, then, condemns, pollutes, alienates, and destroys its subjects. Grace justifies, sanctifies, adopts, and saves its subjects in relation to these points. Pardon relates to guilt; justification, to condemnation; sanctification, to pollution; adoption, to alienation; and salvation, to destruction. Those outside of Christ are, in their sins, condemned, unholy, alienated, and lost; while those in Christ are pardoned, justified, sanctified, adopted into the family of God, and saved.

In former dispensations, and in the present, two things are unchanging regarding the preparation for a change of state, while the act by which that change is formally completed is not necessarily unchanging. Thus, regarding actual transgression, faith and repentance, in all dispensations of religion, were necessary for forgiveness, justification, sanctification, adoption, and salvation. In short, God cannot forgive an unrepentant and unbelieving transgressor. But whether this or that act shall complete a change of state, as it relates to man's relationship to the moral universe—whether that act shall be circumcision, animal sacrifice, baptism, confession, prayer, etc.—is not necessarily unchanging, either by divine or human nature. It has changed; but faith in God's appointments and repentance for past transgressions are now, always were, and always will be, necessary for forgiveness.

The reason for this is that faith and repentance change the state of a person's heart toward God; and if there were no universe beyond God and the sinner, all further acts regarding it would be unnecessary. But regarding the condition of sinners in the universe, and their views, affections, relationships, and way of life, more than faith and repentance, or a change of views and feelings, is necessary for actual, sensible, and formal pardon, justification, sanctification, adoption, and the salvation of the soul from sin. Hence came the ordinances of baptism, confession, prayer, fasting, and intercession.

It is wise and kind on Heaven's part to ordain such acts, or to establish such ordinances, that will assure ourselves and others of our new relationships; and to base our enjoyment of God's favor and love not merely on faith and repentance, or any other mental operation, but on certain clear, overt acts such as baptism, confession, prayer, etc., which affect ourselves and others much more than they possibly can affect God himself; being the fruit of our faith, or perhaps, rather, the perfecting of our faith in God's promises.