Christian perfection
Christian perfection is the name given to the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection; it is a theological concept that exists within many
Understandings of the doctrine of Christian Perfection vary widely between Christian traditions, though these denominational interpretations find basis in Jesus' words recorded in
The
Other denominations, such as the
Terminology
The terms "perfect" and "perfection" are drawn from the Greek teleios and teleiōsis, respectively. The root word, telos, means an "end" or "goal". In recent translations, teleios and teleiōsis are often rendered as "mature" and "maturity", respectively, so as not to imply an absolute perfection of no defects. But the words "mature" and "maturity" do not capture the full meaning of "end" or "goal". (Even these recent translations use the word "perfect" when not referring to people, as in James 1:17.[9]) In the Christian tradition, teleiōsis has also referred to personal wholeness or health, an unswerving commitment to the goal.[10]
Church Fathers and Medieval Theologians
The roots of the doctrine of Christian perfection lie in the writings of some early
Irenaeus wrote about the spiritual transformation that occurred in the believer as the
Gregory of Nyssa defined human perfection as "constant growth in the good". For Gregory, this was brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit and the self-discipline of the Christian.[17] Macarius of Egypt taught that all sin could be washed away and that a person could be made perfect in the "span of an hour" while stressing the fact that entire sanctification had a two-fold nature, as "an act and a process".[13] Pseudo-Macarius taught that inner sin was rooted out of the pure in heart, but he also warned against the hidden potential for sin in everyone so that no one should ever say, "Because I am in grace, I am thoroughly freed from sin."[18]
By the 4th century, the pursuit of the life of perfection was identified with asceticism, especially monasticism and withdrawal from the world.[19] In the 12th century, Bernard of Clairvaux developed the idea of the ladder of love in his treatise, On the Love of God. This ladder had four rungs or degrees. The first and lowest degree was love of self for self. The second degree was love of God for what he gives. The third degree was love of God for his own sake; it would not be difficult, according to Bernard, for those who truly loved God to keep his commandments. The fourth degree was love of self only for God's sake; it was believed that this degree of perfection in love was only rarely achieved before death.[20]
Thomas Aquinas wrote of three possible levels of perfection.[21] The first, absolute perfection, is where God is loved as much as he can be loved; only God himself can be this perfect. The second level, where love for God fills a person constantly, is possible after death but not in life.[22] The lowest level of perfection was thought to be possible to achieve while living. Theologian Thomas Noble described Aquinas' view of this level of perfection as follows:
All Christians have the grace of
caritas infused into them at baptism and this love for God excludes all mortal sins. Such sins are not impossible, and, if committed, require the grace of penance, but Christians do not live committing flagrant acts of intentional sin contrary to their love for God. That is incompatible with the state of grace. But those who are no longer beginners, but making progress in the life of perfection, come to the point where everything contrary to being wholly in love with God is excluded: they love God with all their hearts.[23]
According to the standard formulation of the process of Christian perfection, as formulated by
- Katharsis or purification;
- Theoriaor illumination, also called "natural" or "acquired contemplation;"
- Union or Theosis; also called "infused" or "higher contemplation"; indwelling in God; vision of God; deification; union with God
Daniel L. Burnett, a professor at Wesley Biblical Seminary, writes that:[28]
Views compatible with the Wesleyan understanding of entire sanctification were carried forward in later times by men like the medieval Catholic priest
Thomas Munzer, the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius, the German Pietist Phillip Jacob Spener, the Quaker founder George Fox, the Anglican bishop Jeremy Taylor, and the English devotional writer William Law. Many of these influences fed into [John] Wesley's heritage and laid the foundation for the development of his thought. In fact, the concept of entire sanctification is so pervasive throughout church history that it can accurately be said that virtually all the major traditions—Orthodox, Catholic, Reformed, and Anglican—played some part in shaping Wesley's passion for holiness.[28]
Roman Catholic teaching
According to the teaching of the
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christian perfection is a spiritual union with God that is attainable in this life. It is not absolute perfection as it exists alongside human misery, rebellious passions, and
The more charity a person possesses, the greater the perfection of the soul. A person who is perfect in so far as being free from mortal sin obtains salvation and can be called just, holy, and perfect. A person who is perfect insofar as also being free from venial sin and all affections which separate a person from God is in a state of active service and love of God. This is the perfect fulfillment of the law—loving God and loving other people.[29]
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christian perfection is something all should pursue in light of Jesus' injunction in Matthew 5:48.
Eastern Orthodox teaching
The
Byzantine Orthodox hagiographer and hymnodist St Symeon the Metaphrast (10th c.) declared:[30]
Those who deny the possibility of perfection inflict the greatest damage on the soul in three ways. First, they manifestly disbelieve the inspired Scriptures. Then, because they do not make the greatest and fullest goal of Christianity their own, and so do not aspire to attain it, they can have no longing and diligence, no hunger and thirst for righteousness (cf Matt. 5:6); on the contrary, content with outward show and behavior and with minor accomplishments of this kind, they abandon that blessed expectation together with the pursuit of perfection and of the total purification of the passions. Third, thinking they have reached the goal when they have acquired a few virtues, and not pressing on to the true goal, not only are they incapable of having any humility, poverty and contrition of heart but, justifying themselves on the grounds that they have already arrived, they make no efforts to progress and grow day by day. People who think it is impossible to attain through the Spirit the 'new creation' of the pure heart (cf 2 Cor. 5:17) are rightly and explicitly likened by the apostle to those who, because of their unbelief, were found unworthy of entering the promised land and whose bodies on that account 'were left lying in the desert' (Heb. 3:17).[30]
Anabaptist teaching
… Anabaptists put special stress on the power of faith to produce good works and a more moral life. … they are guided by the concluding injunction of the Sermon on the Mount: "You shall be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." They strive for perfection; they view their church as the visible body of Christ, which must be, and can be, a "spotless congregation." As one of their greatest early leaders, Menno Simmons, said: "The reborn willfully here sin no more."[31]
In particular, the Apostolic Christian Church is "distinguished by its emphasis on entire sanctification".[32]
Wesleyan teaching
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John Wesley
In traditional
According to Noble, Wesley transformed Christian perfection as found in church tradition by interpreting it through a Protestant lens that understood
"The term "sinless perfection" was one which Wesley never used because of its ambiguity."[37] John William Fletcher, an early Methodist divine who John Wesley chose to lead the Methodist movement if he died, clarified the Wesleyan doctrine by stating "that the doctrine of an evangelically sinless perfection is truly Scriptural."[38][39] And "I say evangelically sinless, because, without the word evangelically, the phrase "sinless perfection" gives an occasion of cavilling to those who seek it."[40] Methodists are able to hold this doctrine based upon Wesley's definition of actual sin:
"Nothing is sin, strictly speaking, but a voluntary transgression of a known law of God. Therefore, every voluntary breach of the law of love is sin; and nothing else, if we speak properly. To strain the matter farther is only to make way for Calvinism. There may be ten thousand wandering thoughts, and forgetful intervals, without any breach of love, though not without transgressing the Adamic law. But Calvinists would fain confound these together. Let love fill your heart, and it is enough!"[41]
Involuntary transgressions (such as those arising from ignorance, error, and evil tempers), according to Wesley, were not properly called sins.[42] Therefore, regenerated Christians would continue to be guilty of involuntary transgressions and would need to practice regular confession. Furthermore, Christians continued to face temptation, and Wesley acknowledged that it was possible for a regenerated Christian to commit voluntary sin (if, in the words of Noble, the Christian ceased "actively trusting in God through Christ and living in the divine presence"), which would also necessitate confession of sin.[43]
The power over sin received at regeneration was just the lowest stage of Christian perfection according to Wesley. Based on 1 John 2, Wesley proposed three stages in the Christian life: little children, young men, and finally fathers.[44] Young men were defined as those who had experienced victory over temptation and evil thoughts. Fathers were defined as mature Christians who were filled with the love of God.[45]
Wesley believed this last stage of Christian maturity was made possible by what he called entire sanctification (a phrase derived from
Wesley's concept of Christian perfection had both gradual and instantaneous elements. In his 1765 sermon "The Scripture Way of Salvation", Wesley emphasized the instantaneous side, stating, "Do you believe we are sanctified by faith? Be true, then, to your principle and look for this blessing just as you are, neither better nor worse; as a poor sinner that has still nothing to pay, nothing to plead but 'Christ died'. And if you look for it as you are, then expect it now."[52]
In "Thoughts on Christian Perfection" (1759), Wesley stressed the gradual aspect of perfection, writing that it was to be received "in a zealous keeping of all the commandments; in watchfulness and painfulness; in denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily; as well as in earnest prayer and fasting and a close attendance on all the ordinances of God ...it is true we receive it by simple faith; but God does not, will not, give that faith unless we seek it with all diligence in the way which he hath ordained."[42] In addition, Wesley also believed that Christian perfection, once received, might be forfeited.[52]
John Wesley taught outward holiness as an expression of "inward transformation" and theologians in the Wesleyan Methodist tradition have noted that the observance of standards of dress and behaviour should follow the New Birth as an act of obedience to God.[53][54]
Mainline Methodism
Calling it "the grand depositum" of the Methodist faith, Wesley specifically taught that the propagation of the doctrine of entire sanctification to the rest of
In contemporary Methodist Churches, Christian perfection remains official doctrine and both its gradual and instantaneous aspects are recognized.[59] A Catechism for the Use of the People Called Methodists teaches:[59]
Through the Holy Spirit God has given us His love so that we may love Him in return with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves. This is a gift offered to all Christians, and by responding we affirm that there is no limit to what the grace of God is able to do in a human life. By giving us the Holy Spirit, God assures us of His love for us and enables us to love as He, in Christ, loves us. When God's love is perfected in us, we so represent Christ to our neighbours that they see Him in us without hindrance from us. Perfect love, as Christian perfect[dubious ] is often called, is the result of, and can only be maintained by, complete dependence on Jesus Christ. It is given either gradually or at one moment...[59]
Candidates for ordination are asked the following question, "Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?"[60] In the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the distinctive Wesleyan teachings are summed up in the phrase "All need to be saved; all can be saved; all can know they are saved; all can be saved to the uttermost" (the word "uttermost" referring to Christian perfection).[61]
The Confession of Faith, one of the Doctrinal Standards of the United Methodist Church, teaches that entire sanctification may be bestowed upon the believer gradually or instantaneously:
We believe sanctification is the work of God's grace through the Word and the Spirit, by which those who have been born again are cleansed from sin in their thoughts, words and acts, and are enabled to live in accordance with God's will, and to strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain by being delivered from the power of sin, by loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, and by loving one's neighbor as one's self. Through faith in Jesus Christ this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously, and should be sought earnestly by every child of God.
We believe this experience does not deliver us from the infirmities, ignorance, and mistakes common to man, nor from the possibilities of further sin. The Christian must continue on guard against spiritual pride and seek to gain victory over every temptation to sin. He must respond wholly to the will of God so that sin will lose its power over him; and the world, the flesh, and the devil are put under his feet. Thus he rules over these enemies with watchfulness through the power of the Holy Spirit.[4]
James Heidinger II, former president of the
The Global Methodist Church enshrines the doctrine of entire sanctification in its official catechism, teaching that "Entire sanctification is a state of perfect love, righteousness, and true holiness which every regenerate believer may obtain."[66] It teaches that Christian perfection may be "received in this life either gradually or instantaneously" and that it should be "sought earnestly by every child of God." In order to maintain this state of holiness, the believer must "respond wholly to the will of God so that sin will lose its power over us; and the world, the flesh, and the devil are put under our feet."[66]
For John Wesley, the preaching of Christian perfection was crucial to the spiritual health of a Methodist church: he taught that "Where Christian perfection is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and consequently little addition to the society, and little life in the members of it."[67] As such, he urged ministers: "Till you press the believers to expect full salvation [entire sanctification] now, you must not look for any revival."[67]
Holiness movement
In the 19th century, there were Methodists who sought to revitalize the doctrine of Christian perfection or holiness, which had, in the words of religion scholar
An early promoter of holiness was American Methodist Phoebe Palmer. Through her evangelism and writings, Palmer articulated an "altar theology" that outlined a "shorter way" to entire sanctification, achieved through placing oneself on a metaphorical altar by sacrificing worldly desires. As long as the Christian placed themselves on the altar and had faith that it was God's will to accomplish sanctification, the Christian could be assured that God would sanctify them. In the words of historian Jeffrey Williams, "Palmer made sanctification an instantaneous act accomplished through the exercise of faith."[70] Many holiness denominations require pastors to profess that they have already experienced entire sanctification.[71] This emphasis on the instantaneous nature of Christian perfection rather than its gradual side is a defining feature of the Wesleyan-holiness movement.[72] The Discipline of the Bible Methodist Connection of Churches thus teaches that:[73]
"We believe that entire sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit by which the child of God is cleansed from inherited depravity and empowered for more effective service through faith in Jesus Christ. It is subsequent to regeneration and is accomplished in a moment of time when the believer presents himself a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. The Spirit-filled believer is thus enabled to love God with an undivided heart."[74]
A second defining emphasis of the Holiness movement is the complete destruction and eradication of the sinful nature. H. Orton Wiley, the premier Holiness systematic theologian, quotes R. T. Williams explaining:
"It is folly to try to pass as a believer in holiness and at the same time question its doctrine of eradication. There cannot be such a thing as holiness in its final analysis without the eradication of sin. Holiness and suppression are incompatible terms. "The old man" and counteraction make a pale and sickly kind of holiness doctrine. It is holiness and eradication or holiness not at all."[75]
Another key aspect of the Holiness movement is their close adherence to Wesley's definition of sin. Wesley stated in a letter:
"Nothing is sin, strictly speaking, but a voluntary transgression of a known law of God. Therefore, every voluntary breach of the law of love is sin; and nothing else, if we speak properly. To strain the matter farther is only to make way for Calvinism. There may be ten thousand wandering thoughts, and forgetful intervals, without any breach of love, though not without transgressing the Adamic law. But Calvinists would fain confound these together. Let love fill your heart, and it is enough!"[76]
With this understanding of sin, clergy aligned with the holiness movement teach the possibility of complete freedom from all sin, both inward and outward, as expressed by John Fletcher's statement "He who is possessed of love, is free from all sin."[77]
Holiness Pentecostalism
Holiness Pentecostal denominations, also known as Wesleyan Pentecostals or Methodistic Pentecostals are
Quaker teaching
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HE that hath brought Man into Imperfection is the Devil, and his work who led from God; for Man was Perfect before he fell, for all God's Works are Perfect; So Christ that destroyes the Devil and his works, makes man Perfect again, destroying him that made him Imperfect, which the Law could not do; so by his Blood doth he cleanse from all Sin; And by one offering, hath he Perfected for ever them that are Sanctified; And they that do not Believe in the Light which comes from Christ, by which they might see the Offering, and receive the Blood, are in the unbelief concerning this. And the Apostles that were in the Light, Christ Jesus, (which destroyes the Devil and his works) spoke Wisdom among them that were Perfect, though they could not among those that were Carnal; And their Work was for the perfecting of the Saints, for that cause had they their Ministry given to them until they all came to the Knowledge of the Son of God, which doth destroy the Devil and his works, And which ends the Prophets, first Covenant, Types, Figures, Shadowes; And until they all came to the Unity of the Faith which purified their hearts, which gave them Victory over that which separated [sic] from God, In which they had access to God, by which Faith they pleased him, by which they were Justified; And so until they came unto a Perfect Man, unto the Measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ; and so the Apostle said, Christ in you we Preach the hope of Glory, warning every man, that we might present every Man Perfect in Christ Jesus.[6]
The early Quakers, following Fox, taught that as a result of the New Birth through the power of the Holy Spirit, man could be free from actual sinning if he continued to rely on the inward light and "focus on the cross of Christ as the center of faith".[86] George Fox emphasized "personal responsibility for faith and emancipation from sin" in his teaching on perfectionism.[86] For the Christian, "perfectionism and freedom from sin were possible in this world".[85]
This traditional Quaker teaching continues to be emphasized by Conservative Friends, such as the Ohio Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and Holiness Friends, such as the Central Yearly Meeting of Friends.[5][87]
Keswickian teaching
Criticism
There are Protestant denominations that reject the possibility of Christian perfection. Lutherans, citing letters by
Our
salvation is complete and is simply received by faith. Good works are the fruit of that faith. Good works show that we are saved, but have no part in saving us. Becoming more and more God-like in this life is the result of being saved. If we are saved by becoming more and more God-like, our salvation is in doubt because our being God-like is never perfect in this life. The troubled conscience will find little comfort in an incomplete process of theosis, but will find much comfort in God's declaration of full and free forgiveness.[98]
While Presbyterians believe that Christians do "grow in God's grace" or holiness as they become conformed to the image of Christ, they reject the notion that perfection is attainable. In their view, sin will continue to affect one's motives and actions. This means that perfection is only attainable in glorification after death.[99]
See also
- Arminianism
- Brotherly love
- Imparted righteousness
- Impeccability
- Perfection of Christ
- Realized eschatology
- Sanctification
- Synergism
- Theosis
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b Spirago, Francis (1899). The Catechism Explained. Benziger Brothers. p. 508.
1. God requires of all the just that they should aspire to Christian perfection. God desires the sinner to be converted, the just to strive after perfection. The duty of aspiring after perfection is included in the precept of charity, for it requires us to love God with all our strength. And what else does that mean but continual advancement in the path of virtue? "He that is just let him be justified still, and he that is holy let him be sanctified still" (Apoc. xxii. 11). Our Lord lays this injunction upon us: "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. v. 48). The will of God is none other than our sanctification. He who does not aim at the attainment of Christian perfection, is in danger of losing his soul. The vessel that does not stem the stream will drift downwards. Where there is no progression there is retrogression; no man can stand still on the path of virtue." As soon," says St. Augustine," as thou art content with thyself, and thinkest thou hast done enough, thou art lost." We should aim at the highest degree of sanctity, imitating the trader, who is wont to ask the highest possible price for his wares.
- ^ a b c Jannakos, Paul (2 October 2009). "Is Human Perfection Possible?". Pravmir. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ "Living a holy life". methodist.org.uk. Methodist Church of Great Britain. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
John Wesley taught about 'Christian perfection.' He believed that a mature Christian could reach a state where the love of God reigns supreme in our heart.
- ^ a b
ISBN 978-1-4267-6124-9.
- ^ a b "An Evangelical Christian asks questions about sinlessness and perfection". Stillwater Monthly Meeting of Ohio Yearly Meeting of Friends. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
We are not justified by works. But good works follow necessarily as an indicator that we have accepted a relationship with Him through the application of our free will. If opening the door on which Jesus knocks is to be considered a work, then we are justified by works to that extent. But if we look at it as an obligation which we force on God--that is, if we believe that our good works are the agent of our salvation--then we miss the mark. The key is that God offers us the opportunity to become a genuine traveler in His company. Over time, if we do not resist it, the Light makes changes in us that bring us more and more into accordance with God's plans for us--we become more and more like what He wanted us to be. Over time, we sin less and less, as we become more and more in tune with His will. How clean a state of sinlessness is enough is not up to us--that decision belongs to Jesus. And providentially for us, Jesus is a merciful and compassionate judge. Quakers believe that we are called to be perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect. We are called to live a life as free of sin as we can. We believe that if God wants to bring a Christian to a state of sinless perfection, then He has that right and that power. We do not limit the power of the Holy Spirit in that matter.
- ^ a b c d George Fox (1661). "Some Principles of the Quakers". Robert Wilson.
- Loveland: Loveland Protestant Reformed Church. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
The last step in the order of salvation is "glorification," that is, the receiving of God's elect into heavenly glory. In our glorification God finishes the work of salvation that He began with regeneration. He not only delivers His people from all their suffering and from death, but delivers them too from all their sins.
- ^ Eddy, Mary Baker (1890). "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 426". Boston: F.J.F. Eddy.
- ^ "James 1:17 – Good and Perfect Gifts". Bible Hub. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- ^ Noble 2013, pp. 22–23.
- ^ Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapter 39).
- ISBN 978-1-62189-980-8.
The doctrine of entire sanctification has been present from the very beginnings of the Christian faith. Since the focus of the first few centuries was on the battle against Christological heresies, a systematic doctrine of sanctification did not emerge during that period. Its roots, however, were clearly present in such Early Church Fathers as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. By the fourth century the highly regarded writings of Gregory of Nyssa and Macarius the Egyptian...advocated understandings of entire sanctification that sound very Wesleyan.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Paul L. (June 2018). "Did Holiness Begin with John Wesley?". The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist. 80 (6): 4–5.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 47.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 49.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 50.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 52.
- ^ Noble 2013, pp. 54–55.
- ^ Cunliffe-Jones 1978, p. 136.
- ^ Noble 2013, pp. 63–64.
- ^ "SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: The state of perfection in general (Secunda Secundae Partis, Q. 184)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 65.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 66.
- ^ "purgative, illuminative, and unitive ways". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
- ^ a b Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1938/1939), The Three Ages of the Interior Life, chapter Christian Perfection.
- ^ "Arthur Devine, "State or Way" in Catholic Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
- ^ "Augustin Poulain, "Contemplation", in The Catholic Encyclopedia 1908". Archived from the original on 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2011-11-24.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-62189-980-8.
- ^ a b c d Devine 1911.
- ^ a b Hayward, C.J.S. "St Symeon Metaphrastis: Paraphrase of the Homilies of St Makarios of Egypt: II: Prayer". Orthodox Church Fathers. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b c Ira Chernus. "Chapter 1: The Anabaptists". University of Colorado Boulder. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ Jones, Charles Edwin (1974). A Guide to the Study of The Holiness Movement. p. 213.
- ^ Cunliffe-Jones 1978, pp. 454–55.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 73.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 80.
- ^ Noble 2013, pp. 81, 84.
- ^ H. Orton Wiley, Christian Theology, vol. 2 (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1940–1952), p. 499.
- ^ John William Fletcher, The Works of the Reverend John Fletcher, vol. 2 (New York: B. Waugh and T. Mason, 1833), p. 601.
- ISBN 978-3-7447-1890-5.
- ^ John William Fletcher, The Works of the Reverend John Fletcher, vol. 2 (New York: B. Waugh and T. Mason, 1833), p. 495.
- ^ Wesley, John (1872). The Works of John Wesley (Third Edition, Vol. 12, p. 394). London, England: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room.
- ^ a b Cunliffe-Jones 1978, p. 455.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 82.
- ^ Wesley, John, Sermon 40: "Christian Perfection". Archived 2016-04-25 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 84.
- ^ a b Noble 2013, p. 86.
- ISBN 978-0-687-22923-9.
He believed in Christian perfection as a second work of grace because of the testimony of others.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 87.
- ^ Wesley, John (1872). The Works of John Wesley (Third Edition, Vol. 5, p. 203). London, England: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room.
- ^ Noble 2013, p. 90–91.
- ^ Wesley, John (1872). The Works of John Wesley (Third Edition, Vol. 12, p. 207). London, England: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room.
- ^ a b Cunliffe-Jones 1978, p. 456.
- ^ Thornton, Wallace Jr. (2008). Behavioral Standards, Embourgeoisement, and the Formation of the Conservative Holiness Movement. Wesleyan Theological Society. pp. 187–193.
- ^ Headley, Anthony J. (4 October 2013). "Getting It Right: Christian Perfection and Wesley's Purposeful List". Seedbed. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-5326-3050-7.
- ^ Gibson, James. "Wesleyan Heritage Series: Entire Sanctification". South Georgia Confessing Association. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
- ^ a b Bebbington 1989, p. 153.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-63087-832-0.
In addition to these separate denominational groupings, one needs to give attention to the large pockets of the Holiness movement that have remained within the United Methodist Church. The most influential of these would be the circles dominated by Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (both in Wilmore, Kentucky), but one could speak of other colleges, innumerable local campmeetings, the vestiges of various local Holiness associations, independent Holiness oriented missionary societies and the like that have had great impact within United Methodism. A similar pattern would exist in England with the role of Cliff College within Methodism in that context.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85852-182-4. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Campbell 1999, p. 62.
- ^ Wainwright 1999, p. 374.
- ^ a b Heidinger 2013.
- ^ Macquiban 2006, p. 19.
- ^ Maddox 2006, p. 183.
- ^ Watson, Kevin M. (29 May 2013). "Christian Perfection: The Reason for Methodism". United Methodist Insight. p. 4. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ a b Catechism for the Global Methodist Church. Global Methodist Church. 2022. p. 11.
- ^ a b Brown, Allan (1 November 2011). "Key Passages That Teach the Concept of Entire Sanctification". God's Bible School and College. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
John Wesley observed in his Methodist Societies that wherever entire sanctification was not regularly preached and strongly urged upon Christians, believers grew cold and dead. In 1776, when he was 73 years of age, he wrote this to a friend: "Where Christian perfection [entire sanctification] is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and consequently little addition to the society, and little life in the members of it. Speak and spare not. Let not regard for any man induce you to betray the truth of God. Till you press the believers to expect full salvation [entire sanctification] now, you must not look for any revival." (Works, Vol. 6, p. 761).
- ^ Balmer 2002, pp. 339–40.
- ISBN 978-0-7619-8956-1.
- ^ Williams 2010, p. 150.
- ^ a b Campbell 1996, p. 237.
- ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005.
- ^ "Core Values". Bible Methodist Connection of Churches. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ "DISCIPLINE OF THE BIBLE METHODIST CONNECTION OF CHURCHES" (PDF). www.biblemethodist.org. 2018.
- ^ H. Orton Wiley, Christian Theology, vol. 2 (Kansas City, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1940–1952), p. 475.
- ^ John Wesley, The Works of John Wesley, Third Edition., vol. 12 (London, England: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room, 1872), p. 394.
- ^ John William Fletcher, The Works of the Reverend John Fletcher, vol. 2 (New York: B. Waugh and T. Mason, 1833), p. 223.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4185-8753-6.
Most of the first generation of Pentecostals were from this holiness stream that had its roots in Methodism. ... When the Pentecostal movement began, these "Holiness Pentecostals" simply added the baptism in the Holy Spirit with tongues as "initial evidence" of a "third blessing" that brought power for witnessing to those who had already been sanctified. With the news tongues experience, sanctification was seen as a prerequisite "cleansing" that qualified the seeker to experience the "third blessing" of baptism in the Holy Spirit. An early prophetic utterance stated ominously that "My Spirit will not dwell in an unclean temple." Seekers were encouraged to abandon all the roots of bitterness and original sin so that nothing would block their reception of the Spirit. In fact, it was told that Seymour would not admit seekers to enter the upper room to seek the baptism until he was satisfied that their sanctification experience had been certified downstairs. The historic Azusa Street testimony was "I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost."
- S2CID 149417223.
- ISBN 978-1-4422-4432-0.
- ^ James Leo Garrett, Systematic Theology, Volume 2, Second Edition, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2014, p. 395; "Those branches of the Pentecostal movement in the United States which arose from the Holiness movement have retained the Wesleyan doctrine of entire sanctification and made baptism in or with the Spirit to be the third essential experience (e.g., Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee, Pentecostal Holiness Church, and Church of God in Christ)."
- ISBN 978-0-521-53280-8.
Those who resisted Durham's teaching and remained in the 'three-stage' camp were Seymour, Crawford and Parham, and Bishops Charles H. Mason, A. J. Tomlinson and J. H. King, respectively leaders of the Church of God in Christ, the Church of God (Cleveland) and the Pentecostal Holiness Church. Tomlinson and King each issued tirades against the 'finished work' doctrine in their periodicals, but by 1914 some 60 percent of all North American Pentecostals had embraced Durham's position. ... The 'Finished Work' controversy was only the first of many subsequent divisions in North American Pentecostalism. Not only did Pentecostal churches split over the question of sanctification as a distinct experience, but a more fundamental and acrimonious split erupted in 1916 over the doctrine of the Trinity. ... The 'New Issue' was a schism in the ranks of the 'Finished Work' Pentecostals that began as a teaching that the correct formula for baptism is 'in the name of Jesus' and developed into a dispute about the Trinity. It confirmed for Holiness Pentecostals that they should have no further fellowship with the 'Finished Work' Pentecostals, who were in 'heresy'.
- ^ Scott, Rebekah (5 January 2006). "Murrysville Bible school produces teachers, preachers, prophets and apostles". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-87436-865-9.
The Finished Work Pentecostals believed that conversion and sanctification were a single act of grace. The Assemblies of God, created in 1914, became the first Finished Work denomination.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-85072-089-8.
On the other hand, Fox believed that perfectionism and freedom from sin were possible in this world.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8010-2075-9.
- ^ "About Us". Central Yearly Meeting of Friends. 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- ^ Naselli, Andy. "Models of Sanctification". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-4982-8522-3.
Much of the Keswickian influence came through A.B. Simpson's Christian and Missionary Alliance, itself an ecumenical missionary movement
- ^ ISBN 978-1-63087-125-3.
It is the other christological strand, that of the indwelling Christ, that is the heart of the distinctive sanctification theology of A. B. Simpson. A Presbyterian who ultimately founded the Christian and Missionary Alliance, Simpson operates within a Keswick framework while also drawing upon Wesleyan ideals. Like Wesley, Simpson described sin as in the motive or intent of the heart most especially lack of love for God and neighbour. While he agrees with Keswick that we can't ever be freed from this sinful nature in this life, he insisted, as Van De Walle puts it, "the power of the resurrected Christ would more than enable the believer to consider the sin nature a vanquished foe and to behave as though it were.
- ISBN 978-90-04-36786-9.
... the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) ... accepted the Keswickian teaching over the Wesleyan-Holiness belief.
- ISBN 978-0-310-87335-8.
A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), influenced by A.J. Gordon and W.E. Boardman, adopted a Keswickian understanding of sanctification.
- ^ Bernie A. Van De Walle, The Heart of the Gospel: A. B. Simpson, the Fourfold Gospel, and Late Nineteenth-Century Evangelical Theology, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2009, p. 93: "Despite similarities, Simpson's sanctification doctrine included its own distinctives, not duplicating either Keswick or Holiness soteriology", p. 94 : "Richard Gilbertson, like McGraw, distinguishes between Simpson's view of sanctification and those of Keswick and Wesleyanism: There have been frequent attempts to categorize Simpson and the C&MA. Often the assertion is made that Simpson held to a Keswick-type view of sanctification. More precisely, Simpson should be seen as having been influenced by Boardman's Higher Christian Life, a book which also impacted the Keswick movement. Other than an 1885 invitation to speak at one of their conferences, Simpson had little formal contact with the British Keswick movement.", p. 99: "Nevertheless, Simpson still held to a progressive understanding of sanctification, whereas Palmer believed that sanctification is received in some kind of terminal and complete form."
- ^ Gordon T. Smith, Conversion and Sanctification in the Christian & Missionary Alliance Archived 2020-01-09 at the Wayback Machine, awf.world, Brazil, 1992 : "He differed in some notable ways from the teachings of his contemporaries: he rejected the perfectionism of the Wesleyan-methodists; he did not accept the suppressionism of the Keswick movement." And "In these respects, the C&MA is distinct from the Keswick movement. The Alliance heritage is more life and work affirming. Our actions in the world do make a difference and are meaningful."
- ^ "The Radical Holiness Movement and The Christian and Missionary Alliance: Twins, perhaps, but not Identical". Bernie A. Van De Walle. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-63087-573-2.
D. D. Bundy notes that A. B. Simpson (1843–1919)—Presbyterian founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance—who never accepted the Wesleyan doctrine of eradication of sin, accepted the Keswickian understanding of sanctification.
- ^ "WELS vs Assembly of God". WELS Topical Q&A. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. Retrieved 29 Jan 2015.
- ^ "Justification / Salvation". WELS Topical Q&A. Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Archived from the original on 2009-09-27. Retrieved 29 Jan 2015.
- ^ McKim 2003, pp. 88–89.
Bibliography
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- Campbell, Ted A. (1996). Christian Confessions: A Historical Introduction. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-25650-0.
- Campbell, Ted A. (1999), Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials, Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, ISBN 978-0-687-03475-8.
- Cross, F. L.; Livingstone, E. A., eds. (2005). "Holiness Movement". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3.
- Cunliffe-Jones, Hubert (1978), A History of Christian Doctrine, T&T Clark, ISBN 978-0-567-04393-1.
- Devine, Arthur (1911). "Christian and Religious Perfection". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- Eddy, Mary Baker (1875), Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Boston, Massachusetts: F.J.F. Eddy
- ISBN 978-0-89555-758-2.
- Heidinger, James V. II (June 18, 2013), "John Wesley and United Methodist Renewal", Good News, archived from the original on 2016-08-21, retrieved June 18, 2016.
- Macquiban, Timothy S. A. (2006), "Dialogue with the Wesleys: Remembering Origins", in Marsh, Clive (ed.), Methodist Theology Today, London, England: Continuum, pp. 17–28, ISBN 978-0-8264-8104-7.
- Maddox, Randy L. (2006), "'Letter from America': A United Methodist Perspective", in Marsh, Clive (ed.), Methodist Theology Today, London, England: Continuum, pp. 179–84, ISBN 978-0-8264-8104-7.
- McKim, Donald K. (2003). Presbyterian Questions, Presbyterian Answers: Exploring Christian Faith. Louisville, Kentucky: Geneva Press. ISBN 978-0-664-23478-2.
- Noble, T. A. (2013), Holy Trinity: Holy People: The Theology of Christian Perfecting, Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, ISBN 978-1-62032-720-3.
- Wainwright, Geoffrey (1999). "Methodism". In McGrath, Alister E. (ed.). The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought. Blackwell Publishers.
- Williams, Jeffrey (2010), Religion and Violence in Early American Methodism: Taking the Kingdom by Force, Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, ISBN 978-0-253-35444-0.
Further reading
Catholic
- Bernard of Clairvaux. On Loving God.
- Deharbe, Joseph (1912). . A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion. Translated by Rev. John Fander. Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss.
- Rodríguez, Alfonso (1861). . James Duffy.
Methodist
- Curnick, E. T. (1885). A Catechism on Christian Perfection. Boston, Massachusetts: McDonald & Gill.
- Boardman, L. S. (1995). Scriptural Death Route Holiness. Des Moines, Iowa: Old Paths Tract Society.
- Brengle, Samuel L. (2016). Helps to Holiness. Wesleyan Publishing House.
- Stephen S. White. (1954) Five Cardinal Elements in the Doctrine of Entire Sanctification.
- Culbertson, Howard; Hahn, Roger; Nelson, Dean (1994). "How entire is Entire Sanctification?". Southern Nazarene University.
- Brown, Allan (2012). "How to be Entirely Sanctified". God's Bible School and College.
- Brown, Allan (1 November 2011). "Key Passages That Teach the Concept of Entire Sanctification". God's Bible School and College.
- Kaufman, Paul L. (2021). From the Classroom to the Heart. Nicholasville, Kentucky: Schmul Publishing Company.
- Wesley, John (1872) [1777]. A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.
- Arnett, William M. "The Role of the Holy Spirit in Entire Sanctification in the Writings of John Wesley". Asbury Theological Seminary.
- Darrell Stetler II, "Holiness Means Having An Undivided Heart", (2021), from NewStart Discipleship.
- Arthur, William (1900) [1856]. The Tongue of Fire, or, the True Power of Christianity. London, England: Harper and Brothers Publishers.
Lutheran
- Courey, D. J. (2015). What Has Wittenberg to Do with Azusa?: Luther's Theology of the Cross and Pentecostal Triumphalism. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-567-65631-5.