On Entire Sanctification

This video addresses the Wesleyan idea of entire sanctification and its connection to what I have called Christification. I discuss a Lutheran approach to the topic.

[stephenbailey]

The rationale behind the Wesleyan doctrine of 'entire sanctification' is a trust and hope in the power of God.
Romans 7:25. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."
All believers will be sanctified fully and glorified at the day of the Lord (Philippians 1:6).
But Wesley believed that if it was God's will that a believer could be utterly transformed and sanctified in this life, then it was possible. According to him, it was not a certainty, but should be a desire for the believer.

[angelbonilla]

the traditional Lutheran view appears to limit the Santifying power of God and the promises of the NT on victory over sin before death. the Ancient view is more faithful to the Scriptures.

[balantz]

As a believer who has departed from the Wesleyan path toward ordination, their doctrine on Entire Sanctification is one of the reasons that I disagreed with. As you stated, they start having a weaker view of sin and they view some things as willful violation of the law (sin), and others as unwilling transgressions (not sins). They weigh things in that regard and it starts a process towards measuring yourself against the laws and the standards that they have. It puts believers on a path towards pride (actually being successful) or despair (realizing that we can never do enough). That was the breaking point for me, and when I cried out to brothers in despair, saying I'm doing everything that I can think to do, but I feel like I'm failing, the response was "Just love God." They fail to see that as heaping on a load of law, and it becomes a burden that cannot be borne. Their doctrines drove me to scripture, and in the scriptures I saw what was missing in their teaching. Sadly, since to achieve entire sanctification, one always needs to work according to the law; their teaching is heavy on law and practical application of the Bible. The Gospel gets confused, and too often, Jesus and what He has done to free us from sin is left out.

[sarco]

I read an explanation of the Wesleyan view of entire sanctification by a Wesleyan theologian in which he referred to it as an "imperfect perfection." I think that's a rather extreme amount of over-qualification. Why not just be honest and call a sin a sin instead of having to excuse sin as being merely an error or a mistake or poor judgement or whatever just to maintain one's status of being without sin?

[shulamite]

I came across the Wesleyan doctrine in a state of desperation. I read "Forty Witnesses" by S. Olin Garrison, which is 40 testimonies of saints from the "holiness" era who had received entire sanctification, some after years and years of struggling against their carnal nature. I started speaking to other 'believers' about it, and many discouraged me and said it is not possible to be free from sin this side of heaven. Have you ever read any of the testimonies of those who received this blessing? They are some of the most humble, loving people I've ever encountered. They truly have a knowing that they are nothing, and that the LORD is everything.

Well, I thank the LORD that He out of HIs mercy and answer to my prayers encouraged me through a brother in Christ. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. He gave me Psalm 93:5 which reads -

"Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever."

One sin caused Adam and Eve to become spiritually dead. Jesus came to save His people from their sins. He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed. He is able to keep us from stumbling, and preserve us BLAMELESS unto the coming of the LORD. Will there be sin in any of God's people in eternity with Him? Absolutely not. Why if He is able to cleanse us from all sin then, can't He do it now? He can, and that is part of the Gospel. We through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the flesh. Dead is dead.

You and all who speak against entire sanctification are wrong, and are leading people astray. Repent and ask the LORD to reveal the truth to you, and to make you a lover of the truth in the first place.

One of the worst things plaguing 'believers' today is making doctrines based on their experiences. The word of God is true. Your experience of lack thereof doesn't change it.

[brianbachinger]

Wesley himself believed it was important for believers, even those mature, to pray for Jesus' blood to cover their sins. The problem here is the definition of sin, as you say, but I disagree that the Wesleyan view is a weaker view of sin. Why do I say this? Because by conflating unintentional sins with willful sins, you actually weaken the severity of what willful sinning actually is; you numb yourself to it. Psalm 19 clearly speaks of both willful as well as unintentional sins. We see this distinction in Numbers 15 as well.

The reason why I believe this is important to understand is that if a believer thinks there is no difference, this can lead them to living a defeated life. They live in a defeated way because satan uses their unintentional errors to lessen their confidence that Christ is at work within them.

Understanding this difference has brought a lot of peace to my life because I can have confidence that Christ is at work within me and this his Spirit is powerful enough to destroy the desire for voluntary sin in my inner man.

The body will only be freed from involuntary sins upon death and glorification.

[wakeuptheresnospoon]

One QUESTION I have is whether you find fruitful discussing together the notion of human perfection found in Friedrich Nietzsche’s thesis of the Ubermensch, William Blake’s poetry, Siddhartha Gautama’s enlightenment, and Wesley’s entire sanctification? Are there any common grounds besides the notion of human perfection that we can put all of these writers on (I would also love any recommendations for similar themes of perfection argued by women writers and non-white writers).

But in Buddhism (and Christianity) the end goal seems to be a dissolution of selfhood into non-self (anatman) or Christ (and in turn God) in “us.” Nietzsche seeks to free the greater humans from low morality to reach an existence beyond the degenerate human condition, but part of his anti-philosophy is also this emphasis that language has deceived us into thinking that things and selves actually exist. And we place more importance on nouns than verbs.

[WizardOfTheDesert]

It seems to me like the view of entire sanctification is a heresy and I don't make that charge lightly. However scripture says this "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" 1 John 1:8

[anselman]

The Lord Jesus Christ said Go and sin no more. St John said, I write unto you that ye sin not. Lutherans (and others) seem to say they were wrong to command this. That is a denial of the power of God to transform the Christian.

[TEHORIGINALSTEVO]

The Lutheran view of sanctification you've expounded here seems to bear resemblance to Lewis Sperry Chafer's theology. Is that a correct assumption? Or are there distinctions?

[matthewpharis]

Is it biblical to defend being stuck in sin…..or benign free….?

[stephenderks]

I would argue that when God calls us Justified, we are Justified. We dont seem justified, we are, in our being, justified. When God said "let there be light" there didnt "seem" to be light, there was not darkness covered with light so that it appeared to God there was only light, there was light and so there was no more darkness where the light existed. Luther's "Shit covered in snow" wholly undermines God's authority and ability to make us new creatures, holy, blameless, and irreproachable. If we are to exist in the Glory of God, we are to be Holy, not just appear Holy

[jasonb]

Where’s the joy of being connected to your Creator? Christianity is losing adherents left and right because people need to know there’s peace and joy in the process of sanctification. If it feels like another “checklist” of things to do . . . Well, life has enough burdens already.

[granthollandvideos]

Thanks my friend, I do think it is good to inform that Wesley's fight was against the Augustinian Gnosticism of his day. "sin in the flesh ''is an analogy of my hearts intent to use my flesh to sin ( sin being moral choice rebellion, against the light of God you have from the hearts intent, not a dead body) it being morally neutral, or actually good, , seeing as God made it, and Jesus came in exactly the same flesh as me and you. IE the root is the hearts desire to rebel against God, using GOD CREATE FLESH. "An evil eye"" in Christianity is not the same as in Gnosticism, i.e. In Christianity, it is simply me, using my God created, miraculously made, God ordained, morally fine, eyeball to sin from my heart. The idea that the flesh is a sinful thing, or personality is Gnosticism, not Christian. IE"" I can sin every day, or my flesh can, but I am sinless"". ( the "two age" theory, but a new body and age, cannot by fiat, and will not, change my moral character, if I am filthy every day, I will remain filthy still).. So the gnostic Augustinian may not, because of their doctrine say "Jesus came in exactly the same flesh as me and you"" ask one and see, its easy, they will always change his nature to other than fully human in flesh that got tired, hungry, could be killed, but what made him prefect was his moral life of obedience, or non sin. Ask an Augustian if Jesus came in the same nature, they get angry as if you are the one in the Antichrist spirt and say" of coarse not, he had a different nature". So they equate sin with flesh, and change the nature of Jesus. They also affirm a salvation apart from faith, so include boasting, its a type of awakening, change of nature, ( none can explain to what, seeing as they remain fully human) without faith, also an illegal move. This was Wesley's fight, against the spread of false gospel for which a big chunk of the bible is written.,

[Scotts.Christianity.Teaching]

Those 5-Point Calvinists can be negative and evil.

[AgapeJiuJitsu-nzvj]

All protestantism is in error and heresy my brother. There is only one church that Jesus Christ established himself in 33AD. The holy catholic and Apostolic church.