From Generously Reformed, Chapter 6 – Reformed Theology and the Church’s Mission: Faith, Justice, and the Gospel.
Some theologians have worried that “justification by faith” rather than “works” would displace the importance of a fruitful life of good works, a life of loving God and neighbor. However, holding on to the notion of the double grace of justification and sanctification, Reformed theology can overcome this tension. In the words of Calvin, “We are justified not without works yet not through works, since in our sharing in Christ, which justifies us, sanctification is just as much included as righteousness.” In receiving the proclamation of the gospel, we never receive one gift (forgiveness of sins) detached from the other (new life in the Spirit). They are, in other words, a double grace inseparably received in union with Christ by the Spirit. “Christ justifies no one whom he does not at the same time sanctify. These benefits are joined together by an everlasting and indissoluble bond.” Understanding the gospel as union with God in Christ and through the Spirit means that we can hold together the gifts of justification and sanctification. So what implications does the Reformed understanding of double grace have for the Christian life?
After speaking of how salvation comes through faith in Christ, the apostle Paul asks, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Rom. 10:14–15). The church is sent to joyfully make the good news of God in Christ known to the world, both in word and in deed. As we saw in chapter 4, the Canons of Dort state, “It is the promise of the gospel that whoever believes in Christ crucified shall not perish but have eternal life. This promise, together with the command to repent and believe, ought to be announced and declared without differentiation or discrimination to all nations and people.” Indeed, although a myth persists in some circles that the Reformed tradition has little interest in the evangelist aspect of global mission, the significant place of Reformed Christians in the history of mission tells a different story.
At the same time, as ambassadors of Christ’s reconciliation, we are called not only to announce the good news but also to live out this reconciliation as we participate in God’s powerful work of uniting all of creation, across the walls of difference and indifference, through Christ and the Spirit (Eph. 2:14). This reconciliation demands attending to unjust structures and systems that keep people in the world separated not only from God but also from one another and from the rest of creation. The life of growing in loving communion with God and with our neighbors is central to the gospel. The Christian life is a life of pursuing love of God and neighbor, the sum of the law that Christ gives us (Matt. 22:36–40; Mark 12:28–34; and Luke 10:25–28). Displaying God’s love in the world through building hospitals, advocating for the welfare of vulnerable people in our communities, and caring for creation is not mere decoration for the gospel. It is important work. But even more than that: Insofar as working for justice is an aspect of our sanctification, it is core to the gospel of salvation. Justice in all its forms is a fruit of the Spirit’s gift of new life.
As a result, both the proclamation of the gospel through evangelism and concrete works of justice and love are integral to living gospel lives. Through sharing the good news of Christ with those who don’t know him and caring for and loving our neighbor, we demonstrate that we are living into our adopted identity as children of the God who seeks to restore communion with us and the whole of creation. Calvin was emphatic about this, moving directly from our calling to love God and neighbor to the necessity of a Christian commitment to justice and equity, not simply within the church but to all persons, who are our neighbors. Today we may expand Calvin’s words to include not only our human neighbors but also our other creaturely neighbors who, living under the conditions of the curse, groan as they await the renewal of the heavens and the earth (Rom. 8:22).
In sum, there is no gospel without sanctification and justification. Therefore, there is no church mission that doesn’t entail both the evangelistic witness of the forgiveness of our sins in Christ and the cultivation of justice in our souls and in the cities in which we live. Both are gospel gifts not to be separated or prioritized one over the other. The true gospel to which Christians are called to witness entails not only our justification by grace through faith but also our sanctification by grace through faith.
Content taken from Generously Reformed by J. Todd Billings, Suzanne McDonald and Alberto La Rosa Rojas, ©2026. Used by permission of Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
His scholarship explores theology, migration, and the Christian longing for home, bringing Reformed theology into conversation with contemporary questions of displacement, belonging, and public life.
One Response
Thanks for the message of double grace. The old hymn Rock of Ages had a similar line: “Be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.” I believe that both justification and sanctification are tied to the cross. Jesus died as a substitute to take our place on the cross (he died so we did not have to) and he died as our representative on the cross (he died so that we would die with him). The first leads to justification, the second to sanctification.