Justification means our declared righteousness before God, made possible by Christ’s death and resurrection for us. Sanctification means our gradual, growing righteousness, made possible by the Spirit’s work in us.
For 28 years, I had the privilege of serving with a group of godly elders. A strong bond in Christ was forged with each of them as we partnered in the gospel together. I recall that about 3 years into my ministry I was asking, ‘What are elders called to do? What should be on our agenda when we meet?’ I’ve learned many churches ask the same questions. At that point our elders dug into Scripture to have a better understanding of our calling. I found our meetings were often inundated with agenda items that seemed to be more operational...
