From Lost to Found: Understanding Salvation, Justification, and Sanctification

In our journey of faith, understanding the essential beliefs that define Christianity helps us stand firm in a world that constantly imposes its own values. When we’re unclear about what we believe, we easily adopt the world’s values instead of God’s truth.

The Theology Flowchart: How God Transforms Us

Our spiritual journey follows a clear path that begins with God’s grace. The human response to this grace was sin, but God didn’t leave us there. Instead, God responded with salvation – the experience of being found by God when we feel lost and alone.

It’s important to notice who does the work in salvation. We don’t find God; God finds us. When we feel lost and alone, God comes and claims us.

But the journey doesn’t end with salvation. It continues through justification and ultimately to sanctification.

The Battle Between Two Natures

In Galatians 5:16-26, Paul explains the ongoing struggle between our corrupt nature and our spiritual nature:

“Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants. What your corrupt nature wants is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants… they are opposed to each other.”

Paul then contrasts the obvious effects of the corrupt nature (illicit sex, idolatry, hatred, jealousy, etc.) with the fruit of the spiritual nature: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

This passage illustrates the journey from our sinful nature to our spiritual nature – from salvation through justification to sanctification.

What Does It Mean to Be Lost and Found?

Luke 15 contains three powerful stories about lostness: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son (the prodigal son). In the first two stories, someone representing God actively searches for what was lost. But what about the lost son? Who goes to find him?

The lost son represents the epitome of sin – alienation from God through our willful act of turning from God as the center of life and putting ourselves at the center. The son demanded his inheritance (essentially wishing his father dead), left home, and squandered everything on wild living.

The Moment of Salvation: “When He Came to Himself”

After hitting rock bottom – feeding pigs and longing to eat their slop – Scripture says, “when he came to himself.” This seemingly small phrase reveals something profound. This wasn’t just an internal human awakening; it was a spiritual awareness, the moment when God found him.

That was his moment of salvation – when God saw him right where he was, in his lowest state. From that point, he began the journey of restoration, deciding to return home and confess his sin.

What Is Justification? Being Made Right with God

Justification means being in a right relationship with God – being “lined up” with God, like justified margins in a document where everything is properly aligned.

Three key concepts help us understand justification:

1. Incarnation – God becoming flesh in Jesus to reach out to humanity
2. Repentance – Our response to God, which means “to turn toward God and change the way we think and act”
3. Atonement – The meeting point where God’s reaching out (incarnation) and our reaching out (repentance) come together through the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus’ death and resurrection

The Guaranteed Promise of Forgiveness

When we repent, forgiveness is guaranteed. As 1 John 1:7-9 promises, “If we confess our sin, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The process of repentance involves:

• Confessing our sin (God already knows, but wants to hear it from us)
• Accepting forgiveness (which is guaranteed) “IF we confess … God WILL forgive.”
• Changing our behavior (turning toward God and changing how we think and act)

Moving Toward Sanctification: Being Made Holy

Once we’re justified – lined up with God – we begin the process of sanctification, being made holy. John Wesley described this as “going on to perfection.” Though we may never achieve complete perfection in this life, that should never keep us from striving for it.

Sanctification is living out the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The Key to Christian Community: Receiving the Repentant

One crucial lesson from the prodigal son story is that “the repentant must be received with open arms.” The father immediately embraced his returning son, though the older brother struggled to do the same.

We’ve all lived in some sort of sin and needed forgiveness. We all want to be received with open arms when we repent. This is the model for us as the church – to welcome those who turn back to God.

Our Role in God’s Restoration Story

In the prodigal son story, there are two unnamed servants who play important roles:

1. The servant who brought the robe, ring, and sandals when the father commanded – doing the father’s bidding to welcome the returning son
2. The servant who had to tell the angry older brother that his wayward sibling had returned and a celebration was underway

These servants represent our roles as Christians. Sometimes we’re called to do God’s bidding in welcoming those who return. Other times, we must announce to judgmental “older brothers” that someone has come home and it’s time to celebrate.

As Luke 15:7 reminds us, “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one person who turns to God and changes the way he thinks and acts than over 99 people who already have turned to God and have his approval.”

Life Application

This week, consider where you are in the theology flowchart. Have you experienced God’s salvation – being found by God when you were lost? Have you been justified – turning toward God in repentance and being made right with Him? Are you in the process of sanctification – growing in holiness and developing the fruit of the Spirit?

Also reflect on how you respond to those who are returning to God:

• Do you welcome the repentant with open arms like the father?
• Do you judge like the older brother?
• Are you willing to serve like the unnamed servants, either by helping welcome those who return or by announcing the good news of their return to others?

Remember, we all have been lost in some way, and we all need God’s grace to be found, justified, and sanctified. How might God be calling you to extend that same grace to others this week?

Sermon video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFsm2Hr0l3k

[Blog post created by Sermon Shots from original sermon content preached by Rev. Kent F. Jackson on September 28, 2025.]