You Are Sanctified, You Are Justified

 Justification & Sanctification

And such some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified,
but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6, 11

Protestants of the classical reformed persuasion mistakenly think Catholics have the wrong idea of what it means to be declared just or righteous by God, having differentiated the Biblical concept of sanctification from justification. They see the person who is declared justified by God as merely being synthetically just, but not inherently made righteous by the power of divine grace that is infused into the human soul through the work of the Holy Spirit; justification, for them, does not constitute a genuine renewal of being and supernatural transformation of the soul that affects interior holiness within the believer. Thus, following the logic of this Protestant conviction, God declares a person just or righteous even when they are sinful, or in a state of sin, only because of their profession of faith in the redemptive merits of Christ (sola Christo) whose personal righteousness is instrumentally imputed to them because of their faith (sola fide).

In this branch of Protestantism, the divine perfection that meets God’s standards can never be attained by us in this life but only in the life of glory that is to come once we have been released from the bonds of the flesh with its warring members. When God declares a person to be righteous or just, therefore, He considers the believer as such only by having come into a right relationship with Him. Justification involves a change of relationship with God, not an ontological change or genuine spiritual renewal in the person. Only by being covered with the extrinsic or alien righteousness of Christ by faith in him can believers be declared justified. Intrinsic righteousness of our own by the sanctifying grace of God through the activity of the Holy Spirit has no bearing in their justification, which is strictly forensic.

However, St. Paul uses the terms justification and sanctification interchangeably, indicating a symbiosis between the two (Heb 13:12; Rom 5:9; 2 Thess 2:13; 1 Cor 6:11). We can better understand how justification and sanctification relate to each other in the Apostle’s theology by examining the metaphysics of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. He postulated that all created things exist on the principle of four causes: efficient, material, formal, and final. Our concern lies with formal causality since the Council of Trent defined sanctification as “the single formal cause (causa formalis) of justification” in the instrumental application of our redemption: “… the single formal cause is the justice of God, not that by which He Himself is just, but that by which He makes us just, that, namely, with which we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind” (Decree on Justification: Chapter 7).

The formal cause of all things consists of the elements of a conception or thing conceived to be what it is or the idea of a formative principle in cooperation with physical matter. In other words, each thing is composed not only of matter but of form. The form is the principle of determination that accounts for something being what it is (an oak tree or justification). The substantial form of something accounts for its belonging to the species or category to which it belongs.

Justification (a concept or state) could not substantially be what it is or is supposed to be according to God’s design without its principle of determination, namely sanctity. However, neither justification nor sanctification could acquire their forms unless they were determined by the principle of efficient causality, which puts something into effect by the means of an agency for a distinct purpose. In this case, the material cause is grace bestowed by God, the efficient Cause in the forms of both Divine favor and Divine persuasion through the activity of the Holy Spirit, who justifies us by His sanctifying grace (formal cause). Justification and sanctification are the results of the one Divine initiative, and so they function inter-dependently like two sides of a single coin: redemption. Thus, neither state can fruitfully exist on its own in the entire Divine plan of redemption (final cause).

Unless we are justified by first receiving the initial grace of forgiveness, our sanctification through regeneration is irrelevant. And unless we are sanctified, we cannot be justified before God when he personally judges the state of our souls. Anyway, in philosophical jargon, the final cause of something is its end or purpose. Justification is a process whose purpose is to free us from all guilt in our relationship with God and whose end is our predestination for glory. Without its principal determinant – the essence of sanctity – the process of justification could not accomplish its purpose and achieve its end. Unless our righteousness (not Christ’s alien righteousness) surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:20).

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you
used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of
the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are
disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the
cravings of our flesh, and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest
we were deserving by nature of wrath. But because of his great love for
us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2, 1-4

In Catholic theology, justification is declarative and forensic in some sense or to some degree to the extent God has decreed to really make us righteous in His sight by the means of His efficacious grace and the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit produced for us strictly by Christ’s redeeming merits. In other words, we are reconciled to God through the initial grace of forgiveness and justification by no natural merit of our own (Eph 2:8-9). Our renewal in spirit ultimately rests upon the redemption Christ achieved for all humanity strictly by his just merits in his passion and atoning death on the Cross. Christ alone has merited the gift of our salvation in strict justice by Divine decree. Indeed, the entire human race has fallen from a perfect friendship with God. By nature, we are “children of wrath,” being descendants of Adam and Eve (Eph 2:3-5). Neither our natural faculties and capacities nor the law can save us from divine justice since we are prone to fall from God’s grace at some point in our lives because of the effects of original sin.

Only God can take the first step in reconciling us to Him and delivering us from our miserable state of sin and death. And so, God sent His Son to free the world from bondage by paying a ransom for us with his blood and making atonement on our behalf (1 Tim 2:5-6). Yet by his passion and death on the Cross, Christ became the principle of grace and human merit that allows us to actively participate in his merits and, thereby, our redemption through self-denial and spiritual sacrifice, which involves putting to death the deeds of the flesh and doing good works in charity (agape) and grace by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. What God has willed should be brought to fruition with our cooperation and collaboration (subjective redemption). The elect has the privilege to help determine the final destiny of their souls with the help of God’s saving grace in concurrence with what God has decreed and our free will, but only because of Christ’s objective redemption of humanity (Rom 6:6-23).

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the
flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit… If Christ is in you, though the body is
dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of
Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So
then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13
for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are
putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God… 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit
that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
Romans 8, 1-17

In Romans 3:28, St. Paul says, “For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” What Paul means is that we aren’t justified by observing the external ceremonies of the Old Covenant, such as circumcision, kosher, and ritual washings, after having made contact with unclean things.  St. James would add that good works done in charity and grace are necessary for our salvation since it is by our faith in Christ and devotion to him that we are made just or righteous by fulfilling the spirit of the moral law. Having faith in Christ is primary since it is by having faith in him that we receive the Holy Spirit, who justifies us by making us able to do with a renewed interior disposition what is pleasing and just and fulfill the moral requirements of God’s commandments summed up in the law of Christ given to us in the Gospels.

Once we have been made just by grace through faith in Christ, we must follow the Spirit and live holy lives. The Holy Spirit enables us to live our lives pleasing to God, but not without our cooperation and steadfastness in faith. St. Paul makes it clear in Romans 8:1-17 that the “just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” provided we “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” We are given the chance to choose eternal life with God or eternal separation from God, “for if [we] walk according to the flesh, [we] will die (the second death), but if by the Spirit [we] put to death the deeds of the body, [we] will live.” The apostle adds in V.16 that it’s the Spirit Himself who is bearing witness to our spirit and that we are children of God. We who choose to live by the flesh and disobey God are hostile to Him, while we who choose to live by the Spirit are sons and daughters of our heavenly Father, “and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified in Him.” We must overcome our selfish desires regardless of how difficult they might be if we hope to be reckoned as just and worthy of inheriting our eternal reward in Heaven.

Therefore, as we have borne the image of the earthly,
let us bear also the image of the heavenly.
1 Corinthians 15, 49

So, we are justified by faith and not external works of the Old Dispensation because it is through faith in Christ and our love for Him that we receive the Holy Spirit who enters our lives and enables and empowers us to do what is just in God’s sight. We shall be judged for the works that the Spirit has enabled us to do by giving us the strength to put the deeds of the body to death. Faith in Christ grants us the Holy Spirit to work in our lives so that we fulfill the moral law of Christ (love of God and neighbor) and be truly pleasing to God and judged worthy of being with Him eternally.

St. Paul tells us that we must cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit and make holiness perfect in the fear of God (2 Cor 7:1). The state of holiness must do with our internal being, originating from God, who is the giver of sanctifying grace by the activity of the Holy Spirit. This holiness isn’t merely a fabrication or a synthetic justification because of the stain of original sin and its effects on our human nature. Concupiscence constantly plagues us, but it isn’t a sin. The truth is that, despite our sinful inclinations, Christ himself is in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord’s indwelling brings about an internal transformation that renders us just and pleasing to God, provided that we do not receive His grace in vain (2 Cor 3:15). God is hard at work in us, and He is so powerful that He can actually transform us by re-creating us and renewing our nature through His Holy Spirit (Phil 2:13).

God is not distant and making impersonal, external declarations about us like a judge in a courtroom towards a defendant who needs to be bailed out by someone who can pay his debt for him without asking for anything in return. The view that God merely declares us righteous by covering us up with Christ’s external righteousness while pretending not to notice our inherent unrighteousness denigrates the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who continues the work of the resurrected Christ for our justification by infusing His sanctifying grace into our souls and thereby changing our interior being notwithstanding the bumps along the road to heaven because of our wounded nature. The gist of Romans 5:19 is that there isn’t just a change of relational status between God and us but an objective transformation of our human nature, however gradual the process may be. God does not just declare us righteous but makes us righteous by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. God said, “Let there be light,” and there was real light (Gen 1:3). What God declares to exist is a tangible and objective reality.

Thus, “if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 Jn 1:7). Jesus did not come into the world only to make atonement for sin but also to produce the sanctifying grace it takes for us to live holy lives and be righteous as he is righteous in his sacred humanity by applying his righteousness in our lives daily in cooperation with his saving grace and in collaboration with the Holy Spirit (1 Jn 3:7). We are called to actively participate in the removal of guilt and forgiveness of our sins so as to be just in God’s sight. This is what God has declared should be if we hope to be saved in and through the merits of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who alone and initially has made all this possible for us.

Early Sacred Tradition

“So likewise men, if they do truly progress by faith towards better things, and
receive the Spirit of God, and bring forth the fruit thereof, shall be spiritual, as
being planted in the paradise of God. But if they cast out the Spirit, and remain in their
former condition, desirous of being of the flesh rather than of the Spirit, then it is very justly
said with regard to men of this stamp, ‘That flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of
God… …For when men sleep, the enemy sows the material of tares; and for this cause did
the Lord command His disciples to be on the watch. And again, those persons who are not
bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, and are, as it were, covered over and lost among
brambles, if they use diligence, and receive the word of God as a graft, arrive at the pristine
nature of man–that which was created after the image and likeness of God.”
St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5:10,1
(A.D. 180-190)

“You are mistaken, and are deceived, whosoever you are, that think yourself
rich in this world. Listen to the voice of your Lord in the Apocalypse, rebuking
men of your stamp with righteous reproaches: ‘Thou sayest,’ says He, ‘I am rich,
and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I counsel thee to
buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear in
thee; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.’ You, therefore,
who are rich and wealthy, buy for yourself of Christ gold tried by fire; that you
may be pure gold, with your filth burnt out as if by fire, if you are purged by
almsgiving and righteous works. Buy for yourself white raiment, that you who
had been naked according to Adam, and were before frightful and unseemly,
may be clothed with the white garment of Christ. And you who are a wealthy
and rich matron in Christ’s Church, anoint your eyes, not with the collyrium of
the devil, but with Christ’s eye-salve, that you may be able to attain to see God,
by deserving well of God, both by good works and character.”
St. Cyprian, On Works and Alms,14
(A.D. 254)

“He from the essence of the Father, nor is the Son again Son
according to essence, but in consequence of virtue,
as we who are called sons by grace.”
St. Athanasius, Defense of the Nicene Creed, 22
(A.D. 351)

“You see indeed, then, how the strength of the Lord is cooperative in human
endeavors, so that no one can build without the Lord, no one can preserve
without the Lord, no one build without the Lord, no one can preserve without
the Lord, no one can undertake anything without the Lord.”
St. Ambrose, Commentary on Luke, 2:84
(A.D. 389)

” ‘To declare His righteousness.’ What is declaring of righteousness? Like
declaring of His riches, not only for Him to be rich Himself, but also to make
others rich, or of life, not only that He is Himself living, but also that He makes
the dead to live; and of His power, not only that He is Himself powerful, but also
that He makes the feeble powerful. So also is the declaring of His righteousness
not only that He is Himself righteous, but that He doth also make them that are
filled with the putrefying sores ‘asapentas’ of sin suddenly righteous.”
St. John Chrysostom, Romans, Homily Vll: 24, 25
(A.D. 391)

“All His saints, also, imitate Christ in the pursuit of righteousness; whence the
same apostle, whom we have already quoted, says: ‘Be ye imitators of me, as I am
also of Christ.’ But besides this imitation, His grace works within us our
illumination and justification, by that operation concerning which the same
preacher of His [name] says: ‘Neither is he that planteth anything, nor he that
watereth, but God that giveth the increase.’ For by this grace He engrafts into His
body even baptized infants, who certainly have not yet become able to imitate
any one. As therefore He, in whom all are made alive, besides offering Himself as
an example of righteousness to those who imitate Him, gives also to those who
believe on Him the hidden grace of His Spirit, which He secretly infuses even into infants…”
St. Augustine, On the merits and forgiveness of sins, 1:9
(A.D. 412)

For I tell you, that unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes
and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5, 20

Pax vobiscum

You Have Been Saved

 Salvation

Even though we were dead because of our sins,
he gave us life when he raised Jesus from the dead.
It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved.
Ephesians 2, 5

St. Paul understood salvation as encompassing three aspects of time: past, present, and future. In the original Greek, the phrase “By grace you have been saved” is translated as χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι (chariti este sesōsmenoi). The term χάριτί, meaning “grace,” derives from the word chairo, which conveys the sense of “graciousness, of manner or act.” The phrase ἐστε, which translates to “have been,” is a present indicative active verb in the second person plural form. This indicates an ongoing existence resulting from a past event. In this context, being “saved” is expressed by the term σεσῳσμένοι. The present indicative active verb implies not just existence but more specifically, “You are saved.” The perfect participle σεσῳσμένοι literally means “saved, delivered, or shielded.” Therefore, those who are saved or delivered through God’s act of grace continue to exist in this state as a consequence of a past event, ensuring that their salvation cannot be undone.

Paul discusses the ongoing significance of past events in the context of our salvation, highlighting the importance of being freed from guilt and having our sins forgiven. Christ's act of redemption for the world is not a one-time event but continues to have relevance today. The grace of justification and forgiveness, which only our Lord has earned for humanity, is a lasting result of his passion, death, and resurrection. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God has reconciled the world to Himself (Rom 5:10-11).

Baptism is the moment when we actively receive the grace of justification and forgiveness, leading to our inner renewal. This grace is solely earned for us by Christ, based on strict justice, and not by any merits of our own (2 Tim 1:9; Titus 3:5). Our journey of faith begins with this ongoing and dynamic process of justification and sanctification. Through the redeeming merits of Jesus Christ, we are transformed from being children of Adam to being reborn in the Spirit. This transformation is not a one-time event that guarantees our salvation for all time; rather, it marks the start of a continuous process of growing in holiness and striving for spiritual perfection, even as we may experience occasional falls from grace and engage in acts of contrition after our baptism (2 Cor 7:1).

For we are the aroma of Christ to God
among those who are being saved
and among those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2, 15

By reading the phrase "those who are being saved" in English, one might get the impression that St. Paul is referring to a community of believers who are currently in the process of being saved but have not yet achieved salvation. This interpretation suggests that salvation is a sequence of ongoing actions over time rather than a state that is acquired and continually developed through a singular event. It’s important not to confuse the ancient Greek present tense with the modern English present continuous tense. The present tense verb in New Testament Greek does not necessarily imply a continuous or ongoing action (like saving someone from drowning) that is momentarily unfolding within a limited time frame until it concludes (known as Aktionsart). As previously mentioned, the grace of justification and forgiveness that our Lord has uniquely earned for humanity is the permanent outcome of His passion, death, and resurrection. Christ paid the ransom for sin once and for all, reconciling humanity to God in a definitive moment in the past, which has a complete and lasting effect.

Therefore, the verb that Paul uses (“being saved”) is in the present tense. In koine Greek, we have σωζομένοις (sōzomenois). The apostle is addressing those who are “saved or rescued and safeguarded.” Still, when reading the NT in the original Greek, we must consider the author’s vantage point on the action or on “being saved” (aspect). Greek verb tenses indicate the subjective portrayal of that action or state by the writer, which is called aspect. The aspectual tense mark of a Greek verb helps us see what the subjective portrayal of the action is but not without the aid of the analogy of Scripture. Let’s proceed to see what Paul is saying to those who ‘are saved’ and how their salvation might not be without any qualifications or conditions.

By doing so, we will discover that Christ has formally saved us all in a collective sense, but instrumentally, our salvation is still something we must “work out” for ourselves and finally attain in a distributive sense. We read in the King James Bible: “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12). In other words, we must cooperate with our Lord in saving ourselves from drowning (subjective redemption) with his principal help now that he has taken charge of our eternal destiny by his single self-sacrifice (objective redemption).

In the present tense, Paul envisions the ongoing process of becoming holy and righteous, contrasting this with the habitual state of sin experienced by those who are “perishing” (the present participle: ἀπολλυμένοις or apollymenois, meaning “are destroyed” or “do destroy”) due to their obstinacy. Their commitment made during baptism signifies the beginning of a lifelong journey of justification and sanctification. As the Corinthians receive the grace of justification and forgiveness through their baptism, they have the opportunity to earn more grace and a deeper level of sanctification and charity as a reward for their friendship with God. This growth allows them to more closely reflect the image of God in their lives, aided by the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Sanctification is the essence or fundamental cause of justification. To be just before God, we must be made inherently holy and righteous. We cannot be the "aroma of Christ" or reflect Christ-like qualities as members of His mystical Body unless our righteousness is genuinely ours, obtained through the infusion of sanctifying grace into our souls (2 Cor 13:15). This process requires our active collaboration with the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, we are responsible for and deserving of the eternal reward or punishment we receive. Christ does not save each of us personally solely through His work on the cross; rather, He makes it possible for us to be saved by the grace that He alone has earned through His redeeming merits.

To be just in God’s sight is to be intrinsically holy by the power of the Spirit who dwells in our souls. Thus, if we commit a mortal sin (i.e., the act of adultery or bearing false witness against our neighbor), we risk forfeiting the salvation Christ gained for us since our souls would no longer be in the state of sanctifying grace until we confess our sins and make an act of contrition and do penance preferably through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. For this reason, we must repent of our post-baptismal sins and do penance to be fully restored to friendship with God. “We must look to ourselves that we lose not the things which we have wrought (a meritorious increase in grace or bearing fruit) but that we receive a full reward” (1 Jn 2:8). John underscores the importance of cooperating with divine grace to ensure the instrumental application of our own salvation and its attainment by persevering in grace to the end, now that our Lord and Savior has made this possible for everyone by his passion, death, and resurrection.

Certainly, Paul did not view justification as a static, one-time event in the lives of Christians that occurred in the past, completed by their baptism through faith in Christ. For him, it was an ongoing process that required human collaboration with God's work through the Holy Spirit. This process involves constructive transformations of the soul and daily renewal (see 2 Corinthians 3:18; 4:16; Ephesians 4:22-24; Philippians 2:13). Our salvation is something we must diligently "work out in fear and trembling," as we risk falling from grace and reverting to our former sinful ways, which could jeopardize our salvation. We should feel no fear of eternal condemnation if all we needed to do was simply place our faith in Christ's redeeming merits and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. While the grace of justification and forgiveness is indeed a gift, it is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1).

It is essential for all baptized members of the Body of Christ to persevere in their faith until their last day. Jesus himself warns us that we must endure to the end if we hope to be saved, given that He alone has provided us with the gift of salvation (Mt 10:22; 24:13; Mk 13:13). We must not allow ourselves to be lost or to undermine what Christ has achieved for us, as those who are perishing do.

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is;
time is running out. Wake up for our salvation is nearer now than
when we first believed. The night is past and the day is at hand. Let
us therefore cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.
Romans 13, 11

In his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul addresses the concept of salvation as a future attainment that is drawing closer from the moment his followers first embraced their faith in Christ. Salvation, therefore, represents an ongoing hope for them in their journey of faith. It is not something they have fully attained in their personal lives, nor is it something that, regardless of their actions, they can never lose. The apostle emphasizes the importance of continually applying the truths of the Gospel in their daily lives to ensure they ultimately receive the hope they are anticipating. It seems that some members of the Roman church have returned to their pre-baptismal sinful habits, behaving unworthily as disciples of Christ despite their claims of faith.

Paul is urging those who have strayed from their faith to return to their renewed way of life and to remain steadfast in grace before it’s too late. Their personal judgment may come at any unexpected moment, so it’s essential for them to “wake up” and stop deceiving themselves. This way, they won’t be caught off guard and risk losing the salvation they hope for. There would be no need for Paul to encourage the Roman Christians if they were already assured of their salvation upon their initial profession of faith in Christ (1 Cor 6:9-11).

When Paul tells them to “put on the armor of light,” he means that they should continue to persevere in grace so that they can be considered righteous and saved at the time of their death. The apostle understood that one’s salvation is not guaranteed but rather a hope, despite the fact that all descendants of Adam have been formally redeemed (1 Cor 4:4). How we conduct our lives plays a crucial role in the personal application of the salvation that Christ secured for us on the Cross in accordance with strict justice.

Early Sacred Tradition

“And pray ye without ceasing in behalf of other men;
for there is hope of the repentance, that they may attain to God.
For ‘cannot he that falls arise again, and he may attain to God.’”
St. Ignatius of Antioch, To the Ephesians, 10
( A.D. 110)

“But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will,
and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from
all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness;
‘not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing,’ or blow for blow, or cursing for
cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: ‘Judge not, that
ye be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye
may obtain mercy; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again; and once more, “Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’”
St. Polycarp, To the Philippians, 2
(A.D. 135)

“And as many of them, he added, as have repented, shall have their dwelling in
the tower. And those of them who have been slower in repenting shall dwell
within the walls. And as many as do not repent at all, but abide in their deeds,
shall utterly perish…Yet they also, being naturally good, on hearing my
commandments, purified themselves, and soon repented. Their dwelling,
accordingly, was in the tower. But if anyone relapses into strife, he will be cast
out of the tower, and will lose his life.”
Hermas, The Shephard, 3:8:7
(A.D. 155)

“We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments,
and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of
each man’s actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen by fate, neither is
anything at all in our own power…But this we assert is inevitable fate, that they
who choose the good have worthy rewards, and those who choose the opposite
have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds,
which cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy
of reward or praise did he not of himself choose the good, but were created for
this end; nor, if he were evil, would he be worthy of punishment, not being evil of
himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made.”
St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 6
(A.D. 155)

“‘And other sheep there are also,’ saith the Lord, ‘which are not of this fold ‘
deemed worthy of another fold and mansion, in proportion to their faith. ‘But
My sheep hear My voice,’ understanding gnostically the commandments. And
this is to be taken in a magnanimous and worthy acceptation, along with also
the recompense and accompaniment of works. So that when we hear, ‘Thy faith
hath saved thee, we do not understand Him to say absolutely that those who
have believed in any way whatever shall be saved, unless also works follow. But
it was to the Jews alone that He spoke this utterance, who kept the law and lived
blamelessly, who wanted only faith in the Lord. No one, then, can be a believer
and at the same time be licentious; but though he quit the flesh, he must put off
the passions, so as to be capable of reaching his own mansion.”
St. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, 6:14
(A.D. 202)

“Whoever dies in his sins, even if he profess to believe in Christ, does not truly
believe in Him, and even if that which exists without works be called faith, such
faith is dead in itself, as we read in the Epistle bearing the name of James.”
Origen, Commentary on John, 19:6
(A.D. 232)

“He, in administering the righteous judgment of the Father to all, assigns to each
what is righteous according to his works….the justification will be seen in the
awarding to each that which is just; since to those who have done well shall be
assigned righteously eternal bliss, and to the lovers of iniquity shall be given
eternal punishment. And the fire which is un-quenchable and without end
awaits these latter, and a certain fiery worm which dieth not…But the righteous
will remember only the righteous deeds by which they reached the heavenly
kingdom, in which there is neither sleep, nor pain, nor corruption”
St. Hippolytus, Against Plato, 3
(ante A.D. 235)

“For both to prophesy and to cast out devils, and to do great acts upon the earth
is certainly a sublime and an admirable thing; but one does not attain the
kingdom of heaven although he is found in all these things, unless he walks in
the observance of the right and just way. The Lord denounces, and says, ‘Many
shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and
in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name done many wonderful works
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity.’ There is need of righteousness, that one may deserve well of God
the Judge; we must obey His precepts and warnings, that our merits may
receive their reward.”
St. Cyprian, On the Unity of the Church, 16
(A.D. 251)

“Say not, none seeth me; think not, that there is no witness of the deed. Human
witness oftentimes there is not; but He who fashioned us, an unerring witness,
abides faithful in heaven, and beholds what thou doest. And the stains of sin also
remain in the body; for as when a wound has gone deep into the body, even if
there has been a healing, the scar remains, so sin wounds soul and body, and the
marks of its scars remain in all; and they are removed only from those who
receive the washing of Baptism. The past wounds therefore of soul and body God
heals by Baptism; against future ones let us one and all jointly guard ourselves,
that we may keep this vestment of the body pure, and may not for practicing
fornication and sensual indulgence or any other sin for a short season, lose the
salvation of heaven, but may inherit the eternal kingdom of God; of which may
God, of His own grace, deem all of you worthy.”
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 18:19,20
(A.D. 350)

“But he that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved.”
Matthew 24,13

Pax vobiscum

You Must Be Born Again

 Baptism & Born Again

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing
upon thine offspring.
Isaiah 44, 3

[H]e saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness,
but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and
renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through
Jesus Christ our Savior.
Titus 3, 5-6

Since ancient times, Catholics have rightly understood that the expression “born again” refers to water baptism. What Catholics mean by being born again is the interior transformation that is achieved upon being baptized in water and the Holy Spirit. It means much more than affirming Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior who died for our sins and consciously deciding to accept Christ in our hearts and be his disciple. Being born again means much more than believing in who Jesus is and what he has accomplished for those who do believe in him. The expression is the mental equivalent of “regeneration.”

Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us “holy and without blemish,” just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is “holy and without blemish.” Nevertheless, the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of the Christian life. This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us. -Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1426

Regeneration (being “born again”) is the transformation from death to life that occurs in our souls when we first come to God and are justified through the sacrament. He washes us clean of our sins and gives us a new nature, breaking the power of sin over us so that we will no longer be its slaves but its enemies, who must combat it as part of the Christian life and our baptismal commitment (cf. Rom. 6:1–22; Eph. 6:11–17).

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…
Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3, 3- 5

In the conversation that Jesus is having with Nicodemus, our Lord says to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). The Greek phrase often translated as “born again” (γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν or gennatha anothen in the English transliteration) also occurs in V.7 in which Jesus says, “Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The Greek word anothen sometimes can be translated “again,” but in the New Testament, it most often means “from above” or “from heaven.” In the King James Version, which I am using, the only two times it is translated “again” are in John 3:3 and 3:7. Every other time it is given a different rendering. However, we have our mental equivalent in Vv.5-6, in which Jesus says, ““Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Now, in V.3, our Lord declares that one must be “born again” to enter the kingdom of God, while in V.5, he reiterates more clearly that one must be “born of water and spirit” to enter the kingdom of God. Thus, the expression “born again” refers to the Sacrament of Baptism in water and Spirit, which is salvific. One who is born or reborn “of Spirit” is born “from above” or “from heaven.” Jesus does say on another occasion, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mk 16:16). One cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless they are saved, and this requires not only belief in Jesus but also the sacrament of initiation that washes away the stain of original sin and marks a new life in the Spirit.

St. Paul describes the Sacrament of Baptism as a “washing of regeneration” that is “poured out on us” regarding water baptism. The original Greek verb for “washing” is loutron (λουτρόν), which generally refers to a ritual washing of purification (Titus 3:5-6). Paul also wrote, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:3–4). Baptism unites us with Christ’s death and resurrection so that we might die to sin and receive new life.

In Colossians 2:11–13, he tells us, “In [Christ] you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision [of] Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God.” These NT passages evoke the words Jesus spoke to Nicodemus: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Being born again is a movement from being a child of Adam to a child of God.

Soon after Paul had converted, he was told, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). The “washing away” refers to water baptism. Ananias’ phrase “wash away” comes from the Greek word apolouo (ἀπολούω). Apolouo means an actual cleansing that removes sin. It is not a symbolic covering up of sin. Paul’s faith in Jesus wasn’t enough to save him. He also had to be baptized to have his sins forgiven or “blotted out” and to receive the Holy Spirit who justifies us in our collaboration with Him. So, baptism is necessary for our salvation and isn’t merely a symbolic ritual that serves as a testimony of faith.  In fact, Paul says we are “washed, sanctified, and justified” in the name of the Lord Jesus about water baptism. The “washing” of baptism gives birth to sanctification and justification, which proves baptism is not just symbolic (1 Cor 6:11).

In Acts 2:38, Peter tells us, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). We must not only repent but also be baptized for the forgiveness of sin so that we receive the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit for a new life with God. Simply believing in Jesus and accepting him as our personal Lord and Savior won’t regenerate us. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). Jesus suffered and died to expiate sin, but he also merited for us the dispensation of divine grace. We aren’t saved by faith alone.

Indeed, many passages in the Old Testament foreshadow the regenerative power of baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. For instance, Naaman took seven dips in the Jordan and, as a result, his flesh was restored like a child’s (2 Kings 5:14). Being born again is a restorative experience of the heart and mind of the human soul through the power of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah prophesies that the time is coming when the Lord pours out His water and His Spirit, which refers to the institution of the Sacrament of Baptism by Christ our Lord. Water and Spirit are always joined in the Scriptures. We are cleansed and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, who moves through the water. Ezekiel (36:25-27) concurs that the Lord will sprinkle us with water to cleanse us from our sin and give us a new heart of flesh and spirit. We must be born again or from above if we hope to be saved.

Early Sacred Tradition

“For Christ also said, ‘Except ye be born again, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.’ Now, that it is impossible for those who have once been born to enter into
their mothers’ wombs, is manifest to all. And how those who have sinned and repent
shall escape their sins, is declared by Esaias the prophet, as I wrote above; he thus
speaks: ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from your souls; learn
to do well…And though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white like wool; and though
they be as crimson, I will make them white as snow…And for this [rite] we have learned from
the apostles this reason. Since at our birth we were born without our own knowledge or
choice, by our parents coming together, and were brought up in bad habits and wicked
training; in order that we may not remain the children of necessity and of ignorance, but may
become the children of choice and knowledge, and may obtain in the water the remission of
sins formerly committed, there is pronounced over him who chooses to be born again, and
has repented of his sins, the name of God the Father and Lord of the universe; he who
leads to the layer the person that is to be washed calling him by this name alone And this
washing is called illumination because those who learn these things are illuminated in their
understandings. And in the name of Jesus Christ, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
and in the name of the Holy Ghost, who through the prophets foretold all things about
Jesus, he who is illuminated is washed.”
St. Justin Martyr, First Apology, 61
(A.D. 155)

“ ‘And dipped himself,’ says [the Scripture], ‘seven times in Jordan.’ It was not for
nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being
baptized, but it served as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean,
by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord, from our old transgressions;
being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, even as the Lord has declared: ‘Except a
man be born again through water and the Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.’”
St. Irenaeus, Fragment, 34
(A.D. 190)

“But give me now your best attention, I pray you, for I wish to go back to the
fountain of life, and to view the fountain that gushes with healing. The Father of
immortality sent the immortal Son and Word into the world, who came to man in order to
wash him with water and the Spirit; and He, begetting us again to incorruption of soul and
body, breathed into us the breath (spirit) of life, and endued us with an incorruptible
panoply. If, therefore, man has become immortal, he will also be God. And if he is made God
by water and the Holy Spirit after the regeneration of the layer he is found to be also joint
heir with Christ after the resurrection from the dead. Wherefore I preach to this effect:
Come, all ye kindreds of the nations, to the immortality of the baptism.”
St. Hippolytus, Discourse on the Holy Theophany, 8
(A.D. 217)

“[W]hen they come to us and to the Church which is one, ought to be baptized, for the
reason that it is a small matter to ‘lay hands on them that they may receive the Holy Ghost,’
unless they receive also the baptism of the Church. For then finally, can they be fully
sanctified, and be the sons of God, if they be born of each sacrament; since it is written,
‘Except a man be born again of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God.’…[O]nly baptism of the Holy Church, by divine regeneration, for the kingdom of
God, may be born of both sacraments, because it is written, ‘Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’”
St. Cyprian of Carthage, To Stephen, 71:72
(A.D. 253)

“We are circumcised not with a fleshly circumcision but with the circumcision of
Christ, that is, we are born again into a new man; for, being buried with Him in His
baptism, we must die to the old man, because the regeneration of baptism has the
force of resurrection.”
St. Hilary of Poitiers, Trinity, 9:9
(A.D. 359)

“And with reason; for as we are all from earth and die in Adam, so being regenerated
from above of water and Spirit, in the Christ we are all quickened.”
St. Athanasius, Discourse Against the Arians, III:33
(A.D. 360)

“[T]he birth by water and the Spirit, Himself led the way in this birth, drawing
down upon the water, by His own baptism, the Holy Spirit; so that in all things He
became the first-born of those who are spiritually born again, and gave the name of
brethren to those who partook in a birth like to His own by water and the Spirit.”
St. Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, 2:8
(A.D. 382)

“The Word recognizes three Births for us; namely, the natural birth,
that of Baptism, and that of the Resurrection…”
St. Gregory of Nazianzen, Oration on Holy Baptism, I
(A.D. 388)

“Therefore, read that the three witnesses in baptism, the water, the blood, and the
Spirit, are one, for if you take away one of these, the Sacrament of Baptism does not
exist. For what is water without the cross of Christ? A common element, without any
sacramental effect. Nor, again, is there the Sacrament of Regeneration without water: ‘For
except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.’”
St. Ambrose, On the Mysteries, 4:20
(A.D. 391)

“It is this one Spirit who makes it possible for an infant to be regenerated through the
agency of another’s will when that infant is brought to Baptism; and it is through this one
Spirit that the infant so presented is reborn…’Unless a man be born again of water and the
Holy Spirit.’ The water, therefore, manifesting exteriorly the sacrament of grace, and the
Spirit effecting interiorly the benefit of grace, both regenerate in one Christ that man who
was in one Adam.”
St. Augustine, To Boniface, Epistle 98:2
(A.D. 408)

Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
John 3, 5

Pax vobiscum