es of the understanding are
opened in increasing knowledge--practically, so that 'Christ dwells in
the heart by faith,' and it is no longer the bare human self which
lives, but Christ which lives in the renewed man, with a continual
display of moral power.

The first justification or acceptance is therefore a preliminary step:
it is acceptance for admission into the divine household, or city of
God, or life in Christ. It is a means to an end, and that end the
fellowship of Christ, and continually developing assimilation to Him.
Does this mean, then, that justification and sanctification are
processes following the one on the other, of which the former is over
before the latter begins? Such a statement must be repudiated so far
as its latter clause is concerned. You cannot thus logically sever a
vital process. They are two parts of one vital process; and the man
who is not on the way to being made like Christ (however far off it he
may be at the moment) is by that very fact shown to be not in a state
of justification or acceptance with God. At any stage of spiritual
life there must be movement in order to make forgiveness {31} possible.
Grant this however and it becomes true that justification, as meaning
acquittal, is a preliminary to sanctification, that is, the being made
like Christ. The having our 'heart set at liberty' is a preliminary to
'running the way of God's commandments.' But even so we must recognize
that St. Paul never exactly uses this language. When he describes the
stages of God's dealings with the soul he passes from justification to
glorification, or (final) deliverance from sin and wrath[31]. Or, on
one occasion, he mentions sanctification before justification[32].

This is in part accounted for by the fact that the word translated
'sanctify' or 'sanctification' means rather 'consecrate' (as to
priesthood) or 'consecration.' And though this consecration involves
'sanctity' (in our sense) because of the character of God to whom we
are dedicated, yet it may precede it; and we are in fact consecrated
and hallowed at the moment when we are accepted into the 'priestly
body' and anointed with the divine unction[33]. This exact meaning of
the term sanctification in part accounts for St. Paul not speaking of
sanctification and justification as successive stages of the spiritual
life. When he {32} is speaking about justification he is answering the
question, What is the attitude of the human soul