Standing refers to the believer’s position in Christ. He is a child of God, John 1:12; justified by faith, Rom. 5:1; has access to God, Rom. 5:2; is an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ, Rom. 8: 17; is the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Cor. 6:19; is baptized into the body of Christ, 1 Cor. 12:13. He is blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, Eph. 1:3; accepted in the beloved, Eph. 1:6; sealed with the Holy Spirit, Eph. 1:13; born unto an inheritance reserved for him in heaven, 1 Pet 1:3, 4. All of these things and many more are acts of God which accompany salvation, and are lot changed by human frailty or sin.
State is a theological term which describes a believer’s actual spiritual condition, which may fall short of what is enjoined in Scripture. Believers in Corinth were saints, as to their standing, being called unto the fellowship of Christ, 1 Cor. 1:1-9. Nevertheless, their state was characterized by divisions, carnality, and sin, 1 Cor. 1:11; 3:1; 5:1, 2.
The believer’s standing in Christ is perfect and unchanging. His state may change for the better or the worse. The purpose of Christian growth is to bring the Christian’s state into conformity with his standing, 2 Pet 3:18.
William Evans, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, (Chicago: Bible Institute Colportage Assoc., 1912), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 316-317.