Justification and sanctification as the horizontal and vertical bars of the cross
One of the most solemn instructions Jesus gave was: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) This instruction wasn’t given only to special people, nor expressed as something that would only rarely or intermittently apply, but as something for any believer, all of the time. One reason readers limit the scope and application of this instruction from the Lord is that they do not understand what it means to take up his cross and follow him.
The cross provides a two-dimensional metaphor for discipleship through alignment with God: justification and sanctification. Justification—the complete reconciliation of your character to how you believe God to be—is represented by the horizontal bar of the cross. Sanctification—the degree of your similitude to God—is represented by the vertical bar of the cross. In terms of the Lord’s instruction, justification answers the question of whether you have taken up his cross or not, and sanctification answers the question of how accurate your understanding of God’s character has become.
As you live what you understand about God, you will learn more about him. Living what you understand about God is akin to being stretched across and fixed to the horizontal bar of the cross. Learning more about God is akin to being raised higher on the cross, coinciding with a widening of the horizontal bar to which you must live up to in order to repeat the cycle. You move “up” the cross as you learn more about Jesus while remaining reconciled to all you know about him.
Several words are used ambiguously in the scriptures to refer to the horizontal and vertical bars of the cross, including staff, bar, rod, scepter, tree, arrow, and bow. The meanings and uses of each figure are overlapping. For example, the shepherd’s staff can be used both as a tool to lean upon vertically, or a tool for goading sheep horizontally. For clarity, each scriptural reference usually includes enough context to identify the horizontal and vertical components.
For example, when Balaam prophesies that “there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,”1 “come” gives the “star out of Jacob” away as the horizontal component, as it is the same Hebrew verb used to describe shooting an arrow, and the scepter rising gives it away as the vertical component.
One of the most famous psalms is another example of the cross imagery:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)
In addition to meaning what it does in English, the word translated here as “comfort” also means “to cause to repent.” The rod “comforts” horizontally as you are chastened for your known shortcomings until and unless you improve beyond them, while the staff “comforts” vertically in at least two ways: First, by reminding you how far you’ve come, and second, by revealing how you could be even better.
Justification as the horizontal bar
The horizontal bar represents your understanding of what is best. It is your model of the character of Christ. It consists of what an ideal person would think, feel, and do in every situation, according to your present understanding. It is the standard to which you are held accountable.
The bar of justification can be thought of as akin to a finish line, in the sense that your relationship with God begins a new phase as soon as you reconcile to what you know about him, albeit that finish line is itself the start of the path of learning more about him. As you learn more about God, remaining justified requires you to immediately reconcile yourself to anything you learn, as depicted in Lehi’s vision of the tree of life,2 where pilgrims had to maintain a grip on an iron railing as they walked along it.
Sanctification as the vertical bar
The Lord was literally lifted up on the cross at the end of his life, but everything until that point was a figurative fulfillment of the same as he progressively grew more like the Father. As you continue to learn about and live like the Lord, you will also be “lifted up.”3
The “lifting up” of Jesus included his demonstration of the goodness of God at greater resolution and visibility than ever available before.4 The challenges that Jesus faced, the lessons he learned, the teachings he shared, and the miracles he performed all demonstrated the goodness of God beyond the limits of what could be known without them. The Lord’s entire life5 was a demonstration of the goodness of God to a greater extent than it could have been shown in any other way,6 culminating with crucifixion7 and resurrection.8
Every person is on a path where they are either growing toward or falling away from God, and each person’s trajectory and pace is unique to them, with each of these variables determined by the heed and diligence exercised by the individual.9 At all times, in all things,10 each person is exposed to demonstrations of the character of Christ, and according to their response, blessed for their faithfulness and shown more about him, or punished for their unbelief and shown less about him.
Special concentrations of God’s character are available in his servants who, like shepherds, wield staffs both as indications of what they have to offer and as the tool by which it is received. Moses gave literal examples of both purposes of a vertical staff. Moses demonstrated the authority of God as he performed miracles with a staff empowered for that purpose11 and helped the people lift their focus to Christ by raising a serpent on the end of a staff.12 Other shepherds fulfill these purposes symbolically, through showing the content and effects of greater similitude to Christ in how they are. The staff of the shepherd indicates his role and provides his power. The similitude of the servant to Jesus indicates his role and provides his power.
Those who seek, perceive, and live greater portions of the Lord’s character are “lifted up” after him, becoming more and more like him in the process. As you become more like him, you will demonstrate more of his character and goodness to the world.13
When you don’t obey, God will shorten your staff and remove your bar
God holds you accountable for what you understand about him. As you think, feel, or act differently than you believe he would in your place, you will lose some of your understanding about him.14 Disobedience causes you to reduce the width of the horizontal bar and the height of your vertical bar.15 The decay of your understanding about God protects you from the moral responsibility of knowing as much about him as you did before, but removes you from the blessings that would be yours for living more like him,16 but won’t preserve you from the temporal penalties of having a lesser understanding.17 Descent down the cross also brings with it an increased difficulty in regaining your prior position, as your ability to recognize, value, and receive more will diminish along with your understanding of God.
The pattern is inverted when the cross theme is applied to the wicked. The wicked have their own understanding of how reality works, and they expect to get gain through following their wicked ways. But just as living righteously leads to growth, living wickedly leads to decay. Consider this description:
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. (Psalm 37)
Here, the sword is the vertical component, and the bow is the horizontal. Though the psalm applies literally, the figurative application is much broader and perhaps more important. The moral code of the wicked will lead to the diminution of their power and cause their own harm.
The judgment bar has horizontal and vertical components: The plummet and the line
The scriptural symbols of the plummet and the line are closely related to the symbolism of the cross. The plummet is a weight attached to a line used by builders to measure vertical lines. The line is a tool to measure whether a surface is horizontal. Each tool projects the ideal, against which the actual progress can be measured.
In the scriptures, the line is justice,18 or the measure of how closely you match your understanding of the ideal, and the plummet is righteousness, or how much you know about God while continuing to live like him.
For the Lord to stretch the line and the plummet19 over a person, group, or nation is for him to hold them accountable to what they ought to think about him given their opportunities to learn about and obey him.
The two trees in Eden, justification, and sanctification
In the beginning, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, a place free from any knowledge that would exceed their willingness and ability to remain reconciled to God. In their aligned state, they were able to freely interact with God face to face without feeling any guilt, in spite of the fact that they were flawed (as revealed by their nakedness) and that they were capable of sin in environments with more knowledge (as revealed by their imminent fall). Satan exposed them to a greater increment of knowledge, Eve succumbed to his enticements, and Adam succumbed to her enticements, causing both Adam and Eve to be exiled from the presence of God. They received and obeyed commandments from God,20 reconciling themselves to him, culminating in Adam regaining the presence of God prior to his death.21
Adam and Eve provided us with an example of the pattern to which all of us are exposed. They:
- Were aligned with God, enjoying his presence at the level of knowledge they had access to.
- Were exposed to greater knowledge.
- Chose to rebel against God, leaving their state of alignment with him.
- Realigned themselves with God through forsaking past sins and remaining faithful as additional knowledge was given to them.
Access to the Tree of Life comes through justification.22 When you reconcile yourself to how you understand God to be, you are redeemed from the fall and gain access to his presence.23 Access to the Tree of Knowledge enables sanctification. A justified individual cannot become more like God than they already are without access to additional knowledge. The goal of mortal life is to regain access to the Tree of Life while retaining greater exposure to the Tree of Knowledge. In greater detail, the goal of mortal life is to become eternally reconciled to God with greater knowledge than was possessed prior to this life, which is the only way for the individual to become more like God than they were before, which is the only way for the individual to have more eternal joy than they had before.
The bars of the ark
The ark of the covenant was a stylized box that contained, among other things, the tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments. The lid of the box featured two angels whose wings joined each other, called the meeting place of God or, alternatively, the mercy seat. The design given to Moses specified rings on the side of the ark into which long staves were slid in order for priests to bear the ark on their shoulders as they traveled around the desert.24 While Israel remained encamped, the bars were removed from the box, a veil was drawn over the Holy of Holies where it abode, and the glory of the Lord abode on the ark. When removed, the bars of the ark were long enough that they protruded slightly into the adjacent room, called the holy place. They could be seen by the priests who ministered in the holy place, but not the public, who could not enter. When the glory of God withdrew from the ark, Israel took down the tabernacle and carried it and the ark until they reached their new destination.25
The bars of the ark are symbolic of your present understanding of the commandments of God. They are given to you through the priests who carry them. As you live them completely, God’s glory rests upon you.
Rods as instruments of governance and justice
In the present day, learning more about and living more like God is seen as an optional pastime suitable only for religious zealots. Modern life features so much prosperity detached from merit that people can convincingly adopt the belief that God’s law is merely moral, with implications that only matter after you die, if at all.26
Those who do believe in God’s justice tend to limit it to the punishment of the wicked.27 God’s judgment is the restoration of what is deserved, resulting in the blessing of those who have fully lived up to their understanding of how God is in life,28 to the degree they learned about and lived like him.
Whenever God’s judgment is imposed, you will be held accountable for the choices you have made, subject to the limits of your knowledge and understanding.29 The standard you will be judged against includes everything you could have learned if you have sought for and listened to the servants God sends to demonstrate more about himself.30
God’s justice is sometimes obfuscated and often delayed during mortality to facilitate the conditions necessary to grow and exercise faith. The payment of God’s justice is guaranteed at the judgment bar, but can be paid partially or in full during life, whether at the personal, group, or national level.
The establishment of the kingdom of God always comes with the enforcement of God’s law to a greater extent than we see today. There are multiple scriptural references that foretell a time to come when the Lord will govern the earth “with a rod of iron.” These references describe a time when the world will be held to a higher law, with consequences for greater good or greater evil poured out more directly than we presently experience.31
The time will come, and is shortly at hand, when a significant difference will exist between those who have searched out and lived up to God’s example and those who have not.32 It is imperative that you do not delay making all necessary changes so that the rendering of God’s justice will result in your blessing, and not your punishment.
Footnotes
- 1. See Numbers 24:17. ↩
- 2. And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. (1 Nephi 8:19) ↩
- 3. Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you— that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me. And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—And for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the Father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works. And it shall come to pass, that whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father at that day when I shall stand to judge the world. And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father....Verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and ye know the things that ye must do in my church; for the works which ye have seen me do that shall ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do; Therefore, if ye do these things blessed are ye, for ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (3 Nephi 27:13-17, 21-22) ↩
- 4. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3) ↩
- 5. “And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the time cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall treasure up the things which ye have seen and heard, and show it to no man.” (Ether 3:21) Glorifying God means to more fully reveal his goodness to others. The Lord’s name refers to his character. ↩
- 6. And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world....And the Lord said unto Enoch: Look, and he looked and beheld the Son of Man lifted up on the cross, after the manner of men. (Moses 7:47, 55) Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (John 8:28) ↩
- 7. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. (John 12:27-28) ↩
- 8. I have shown your goodness by living as you would here in every situation I have faced, and have completed the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, allow me to again experience the glory that I had in your presence before this world existed by becoming exactly as you then were. Provide me with the remaining experiences to show the final remaining portion of how you are. (John 17:4-5, Author’s Reflection) ↩
- 9. Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come. (D&C 130:18-19) ↩
- 10. And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me. (Moses 6:63) ↩
- 11. And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. (Exodus 4:1-5) ↩
- 12. Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal. (Helaman 8:14-15) ↩
- 13. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16) ↩
- 14. And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. (D&C 93:39) ↩
- 15. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away... (John 15:2) ↩
- 16. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1) ↩
- 17. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.(John 15:6) ↩
- 18. Justice and judgment are words used interchangeably by scripture translators, even though they have significantly different meanings in English. ↩
- 19. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. (2 Kings 21:13) Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. (Isaiah 28:17) For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:10) ↩
- 20. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord. (Moses 5:5) ↩
- 21. Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever. (D&C 107:53-55) ↩
- 22. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22:14) ↩
- 23. And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak? And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. (Ether 3:11-13) ↩
- 24. And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 15:15) ↩
- 25. Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. (Exodus 40:34-37) ↩
- 26. Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (2 Nephi 28:7-8) ↩
- 27. Finally, I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen. (Jacob 6:13) And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you? (Alma 5:22) ↩
- 28. Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent. And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved? (Mosiah 16:10-13) ↩
- 29. Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him. For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel. But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state! (2 Nephi 9:25-27) ↩
- 30. And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust? (Moroni 10:27) For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen. (2 Nephi 33:15) ↩
- 31. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. (Psalms 2:6-9) And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (Revelation 2:26-27) And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. (Revelation 12:5) And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords. (Revelation 19:13-16) ↩
- 32. Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3:14-18) ↩