Reflection Paper
Indiana Wesleyan University
Chris J. Kuntz
9-18-2011
When I started this class I didn’t have any expectations simply because I wasn’t sure what exactly the course would cover. Now having come to the end of the course I can say that, although I had a very difficult time learning the information pertaining to sanctification, I am glad that I have gone through it. I honestly cannot say that I agreed with everything that we covered, but I can say that I believe it has given me a chance to discover why I believe what I believe and has also given me a better understanding of other religion viewpoints on the topic of sanctification and Christian perfection.
John Wesley, as I understand it, believed in two definitive works of grace within the life of a believer. The first being the act of one coming to Christ in which the person was justified by faith; and the second being an additional or second work that brought entire sanctification. Wesley believed that sanctification as well as Christian perfection was both possible within this life. This was the single most difficult thing for me to grasp and try to understand and I can say confidently that I still don’t quite understand all the specifics of what J.W. was trying to get across, but I can agree to disagree on some of his points.
Just to clarify, according to Dieter (1987), Wesley’s stance on sanctification was that, “…God had promised salvation from all willful sin…” J.W. cited multiple scripture passages for this belief, including but not limited to: Ezekiel 36:25, 29; 2 Corinthians 7:1; and Deuteronomy 30:6. There are many other passages that support this idea and many more that Wesley draws on for his clarification of the topic. John Wesley also believed that once a believer started this path, it was important, I would go as far as to say, imperative that the believer not stop for; “Wesley allowed no stopping point in the Christian’s quest for holiness- “no holiness of degree, no point of conclusion.”… “To stop short of the crisis of faith by which we are restored through the Spirit to the love that we lost in the Fall was to ignore not only the privileges bit the expectations of the finished work of Christ and the end point of the plan of salvation.” (Dieter, 1987, p.19).
Wesley goes on to discuss how the original sin of Adam and Eve has such a large and rippling effect on the rest of humanity, ruining our natural image, our political image and our moral image. Our relationships with God and with our fellow man, and especially our spouses have been tainted by this sin. It is described as the, “…total corruption of the whole of human nature.” (Dieter, 1987, p.23). In the end, in spite of what free will we have been given, and regardless of what strength we think we may have within ourselves, we are only capable of choosing sin.
However: by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ we have freedom from that sin. Dieter (1987) describes it like this; “The real freedom of the Christian is not the freedom from guilt or release from the pangs of hell but the freedom to love with the love of God Himself shed abroad in the heart by the indwelling Holy Spirit.” I love how this points us back to God and not toward ourselves. It says so much in that life isn’t guaranteed to be perfect, and always trouble free, but that our love for God and for others will increase as our self desires decrease.
So how do the Wesleyans get here? “It is critical to remember that Wesleyans do not come to their Biblical understanding of sanctification by a system of logical deduction from certain proof texts or propositions. Their convictions on the possibilities of perfection in love in this life and a faith experience of heart cleansing subsequent to justification grow out of their attempt to see Scripture holistically.” (Dieter, 1987, p.30). Some of the supporting texts that John Wesley used in his teachings were all centered on the Bible calling us to live as Christ lived, perfect and holy. Leviticus 11:44 says that we are to, “…consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” (NIV) John Wesley held tight to these passages and others like them and built his entire message upon their foundation.
Wesley wasn’t the only one who had a viewpoint on sanctification and Christian perfection, there were others and they too laid out their belief. The Reformed perspective held that our nature, our being had been corrupted by sin, and that through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and for those who believe, we were cleansed and set apart for righteousness and service to God. The Reformed believed that sanctification was the process I just mentioned. That we are cleansed from the pollution of sin, and that we grow in our likeness of Christ until we get to heaven, which at that point we will be entirely sanctified and restored to the creation and relationship that God intended in the beginning.
Ephesians 4:14-16 says; “ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it’s work.” (NIV) I think this scripture underscores or acts as the foundation for the Reformed viewpoint of our growing into sanctification, which is different from Wesley’s view point of entire sanctification which was, as far as I understood it, an instant and permanent state.
Through the Spirit and through the word and power of Christ, we should be able to live in such a way that we are able to put to death, or put behind us the sins or misdeeds of the body. If I could pause here for a moment, to clarify my though, I would tend to understand sin and unrighteousness as two different things yet related. Sin is our deviation from God, our walking away from His desires for our life, our choosing us instead of him. Our unrighteousness would be the actual sin that we commit in the flesh.
Responsibility lies not only on God for sanctification, but on our own shoulders as well. The Reformed Perspective would state that we are instructed through scripture to purify ourselves and remove the things in our lives that cause us to stumble, or fall. They didn’t hold that God was fully responsible for our sanctification rather that Christ was the agent through which sanctification came and that we had a responsibility toward that end as well.
Getting their beginning in the early 1900’s, the Pentecostal movement began in Topeka, Kansas in Bethel Bible College. Their viewpoint on sanctification consists of three steps in which someone is sanctified completely. First they are justified through faith in Christ, second they are sanctified through a second definitive work in their life. Third, and this is the bread and butter, one is totally sanctified when and only when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit, which also included speaking in tongues as a sign of the Holy Spirit.
Durham preacher of the early 1900’s, brought much controversy to the Pentecostal movement by teaching something quite different, following his death, which one preacher prayed would come so that the controversy would end, the controversy actually increased and from this teaching the Assemblies of God churches were formed. It wasn’t long after this denomination was formed that it again experienced turmoil in its beliefs as the Trinity of God came into question. They placed all power and authority in Jesus Christ worshiping him only and not giving credit or acknowledgement to the Father or the Holy Spirit.
In 1961, after several meetings, the word “entire” was dropped from the terminology of the Assemblies of God denomination. Ernest Swing Williams, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God felt that the teaching of sanctification was to generalized and had particular issue with the term “entire” where it pertained to sanctification. Their understanding of sanctification now reflected this belief; “Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God…Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Ghost.” (Horton, 1987, p. 112).
Williams also states concerning sanctification; “Each believer in Christ is sanctified positionally when he accepts Christ. This is a truth that needs to be seen if a person desires to live a sanctified life.” (Horton, 1987, p.114). I would agree with this statement in that we need to understand that as we are justified through the blood of Christ, we are sanctified, set apart for God. If this is how He views us through the blood of His son, then we need to be of the same mindset. This is where the transformation of our minds comes into play. We should no longer think the way the world does, rather, we should be transformed and renewed through the Word, and view ourselves as set apart for God, a living sacrifice for His glory. This is not to say that we are perfect in our living, nor should we view ourselves as such, rather we strive to live as close to Christ’s example as we can.
McQuilkin shares that Keswick teachers have been accused of teaching perfectionism. Although it isn’t always clear, some Keswick teachers have held this position while others have denied this accusation. . Keswick teaches; “…that Christians, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, have the ability to choose consistently not to violate deliberately the known will of God. I have to ask myself if this is possible, I would say to an extent yes. I do believe that for a time one can resist the temptation to sin, and to qualify that statement, I would say that being tempted is not a sin, but giving into that temptation is a sin. Therefore if we can resist the urge to give into temptation and consistently choose to do what is right and Biblical, then yes we can live a perfect life, for a short period of time.
Juxtapose that thought with the teaching of some Keswick teachers that presume the life of a believer is a spiritual battleground. The thought of an “old nature” and a “new nature” or “old man” and “new man” is discussed and used to help us understand that as we once were lost in sin and convicted of our sin (Old Nature) we are now reborn, made new and we now have access to a new life. But as McQuilkin states; “The conflict is not between old and new natures… but between the old nature and the indwelling Holy Spirit.” (McQuilkin, 1987, p.157). The Holy Spirit now lives within us and being part of the Trinity cannot be associated with sin or evil. This can be felt physically I believe as we struggle with our sinful nature, our carnal nature. Our selfish desires and wants cry out yes, while our mind, spirit is yelling NO. Keswick goes onto to teach that for those who accept a relationship with Christ yet go on sinning, have an issue with unbelief.
“This new relationship with God initiates a process and results in a new potential. Simply stated, the new potential is for victory and growth. As we have seen, the new person in Christ has the ability to choose the right and to do so consistently. Such a person need never-and should never-deliberately violate the known will of God.” (McQuilkin, 1987, p.178). This is the ultimate change of nature if one were to consider how this kind of relationship could change lives.
Augustine however; questions the term “nature”. What does it mean? Does it pertain to our disposition of sin, such as a sin nature or flesh? Is it who we are deep down inside or is the terminology wrong? “…the concept of a sin nature can probably be best summarized as a complex of human attributes that demonstrate a desire and predisposition to sin…Christian salvation, there is a new nature, which may be defined as a complex of attributes having a predisposition and inclination to righteousness.” (Walvoord, 1987, p.206).
Through out the reading of this book, my perspective has been challenged. I know I didn’t touch on all the information that the book covered, but frankly I don’t think it’s possible. I have been challenged to think outside what I believe and have been raised to understand in terms of salvation, sanctification and the Christian life, which I think is a good thing. I have been stretched to understand other viewpoints and perspectives on scripture and I think ultimately I have been forced to solidify what I believe to be true, and what I believe scripture says about the topics we covered in this class. The reality and unified truth that I think we can all agree on is that Christ calls us to live a Holy life, a life that glorifies and honors Him, and that this is only done through the grace that is freely given us when we seek it. My prayer is that we can all do so with a pure heart. Psalm 86:11-12 which is my life verse says; “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” (NIV)
References
Gundry, S. N. (1987). Five Views on Sanctification. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation.
