ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IS ATTAINABLE IN THIS LIFE

A -- OUTLINE

Scripture Reading:-- John 17:1-19; Romans 12:1, 2, Acts 2:1-4.

Introduction

Is the experience of entire sanctification attainable in this life? This question is so important that an entire lesson must be given to its consideration. Therefore, this fourth study is devoted to such an undertaking.

I. The Arguments from the Bible or Authority

1. Some scriptures which are offered as proofs that we cannot be sanctified in this life.
   1. "There is none righteous, no not one" (see Rom. 3:10-18). This is the beginning of a quotation from the Psalms. When one reads on through the verses he quickly sees that they refer to the universality of sin and not to the attainability of righteousness or holiness in this life.
   2. I John 1:8 and 10 are often quoted as arguments against the attainableness of entire sanctification in this life. But, as one recent writer points out, John is here dealing with two false claims which were being made in his day. These false claims were that there is no principle of sin within and no acts of sin without. The verses have nothing to do with teaching that holiness is beyond our reach in this life. Further, as we shall indicate later, this same chapter of I John teaches that we can get rid of actual sins and inbred sin.
   3. In Matthew 22:37-40 we have the Master's summary of the law and the prophets. Here He commands supreme love to God and man. This is not an unattainable goal as some claim. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:38-40 does not just set forth an ideal that we are to strive for and never reach, as some have told us. Both of these passages set before us a state of grace which is attainable in this life.
2. Some scriptures which are not used against our position. They very definitely signify that this blessing of entire sanctification is attainable in this life.
   1. Some prayers, exhortations, and commands which witness to the present attainment of this grace. They are as follows: Hebrews 12:14; John 17:17; I Peter 1:16; I Thessalonians 5:23.
   2. The conditions which must be met in order to get this blessing are such that they can only be met in this life of probation. The conditions are consecration and faith. Some important scriptures are Romans 12:1, 2; Galatians 2:20; and Ruth 1:16-18.
   3. Entire sanctification prepares one for death, but it is pre-eminently a living grace. This experience enables us to live in this present wicked world and be a real blessing and at the same time be kept from the evil of the world (John 17:15).

II. The Arguments from Reason

1. Some claim that sanctification is a heavenly grace and, for that reason, not attainable in this life. A preacher in a denomination that is opposed to entire sanctification told one of his members who got sanctified that she might just as well go on to heaven. Closely related to this idea is the notion that this second blessing places one beyond growth in grace. Such is not the case. It just prepares the one who gets it for real growth in the things of God.
2. We do not have to wait until death to get this grace of entire sanctification, as some claim. This false notion is based on the idea that the body is sinful and, therefore, we cannot get sanctified until we dispense with this present body. But such teaching is not in accord with the Bible or common sense. Sin is in the man who lives in the body and not in the body.
3. Sanctification in purgatory is not logical from any viewpoint. Where is purgatory and what basis do we have for believing that it sanctifies? We do not know that there is any such a place and we have no reason for believing that it sanctifies, if it should be found.
4. Entire sanctification is not just for the apostles or only for the Christian workers of every age. It is for those of every age and every class -- Christian workers and laymen of the past, present, and future. This is not only reasonable but is also scriptural (John 7:17-21; Acts 2:38, 39).
5. One writer on entire sanctification declares that man is not free if he cannot get this blessing in this life. He reasons thus: If God is willing for us to have this experience in the present life and has made provision for its attainment here and now, and yet we are unable to get it, it must be because the Christian's will is in some way limited.

III. The Arguments from Experience

1. One hundred and twenty were sanctified on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14). B. Paul placed himself in the class of the perfect (Phil. 3:15).
2. The writer of this paper is still alive and he has obtained this blessing. For this glorious experience we praise God. Further, the writer has heard hundreds testify that they have this blessing who are still on this earth.
3. We could have a testimony meeting in the First Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City at any meeting and there would be many who would witness that they now have this blessing.

Conclusion

1. Bible is optimistic. It teaches that the right will finally triumph. Certain facts help us to maintain this truth in the face of the present-day dominance of sin. These are: first, the sinlessness of Jesus Christ. If He could live here and triumph over sin, there is reason to believe that what He stands for will finally win. Second, there is the promise of a coming millennium. Whether one believes in postmillennialism or premillennialism, he looks forward to an age when righteousness will be supreme. This hope is the scriptural teaching as to the final supremacy of right. Third, there is personal holiness here and now. The sinlessness of Jesus Christ and the belief in a coming millennium certainly assist us in preserving optimism in a world where sin is rampant. However, they cannot do for us what entire sanctification does. It gives the experience of personal triumph over sin both within and without, and in doing this it does more than anything else to keep optimism alive as to the future and final ascendency of righteousness in the universe. To deny that holiness is attainable in this life is to place beyond man's reach the surest foundation for a true optimism.

B -- LESSON FOUR STUDY

Scripture Reading:

John 17:1-19 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Can the experience of entire sanctification be obtained in this life? This is one of the most important questions connected with the study of the doctrine of entire sanctification. Much that has been said in the lessons which have already been presented has implied an affirmative answer to this question. However, this phase of the doctrine is so vital that we must deal with it more fully. Therefore, this lesson, the fourth in the series, will be given entirely to the discussion of this topic.

There are some who claim that it is impossible to be sanctified in this life. They offer various passages from the Bible which they think prove this to be the case. Romans 3:10-18 is often used in this connection. It is a quotation from the Psalms and starts off thus: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." Those who quote from this passage prefer to stop with this first verse. The other eight verses paint such a dark picture that it is difficult to understand how anyone could ascribe them to a person who is saved. But if they accept the first verse they must be willing to include the other eight. The verses are a unit, with the last eight serving as an elaboration of the opening thought. This cannot be denied by anyone who will read all of them with a mind which is not blinded by prejudice. Here is the entire passage which readily speaks for itself:

"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.

Anyone who makes this a description of the Christian, of one for whom the Christian God has done His best in this world, surely makes the power and grace of Christ of no effect. No, this is not such a delineation. It is rather a vivid presentation of the state of fallen man. We are born in sin and this sets before us the terribleness of our natural state. To apply it even to the saved or to use it as an argument against the attainableness of holiness in heart and life here and now is a gross misinterpretation.

Another passage which is cited as a sure proof of the fact that this blessing of entire sanctification is not attainable in this life is found in I John 1:8 and 10. These verses read as follows: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us . . . . If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." In the first place, those who refer to these verses in their rejection of holiness are careful not to mention the seventh and the ninth verses. This is no doubt due to the fact that the seventh and ninth verses are just as decided in their declaration of the possibility of being freed from sin in this life as the others appear to be against such an attainment. How may we resolve this apparent contradiction? Dr. Flew, in his book, The Idea of Perfection, explains the situation adequately thus:

"There is no way out of this difficulty except to expound the sentence we have no sin strictly in its context as the second of three false claims of the opponents with whom John is dealing. The first is the claim of enjoying communion with God while living in sin (I John 2:4) This is hypocrisy. The second is a general denial of sin in principle. We have no sin. The third is a particular denial of ones actual sins. We are not to under the we as a general statement about Christians. That may be the interpretation which comes naturally enough to Englishmen who constantly hear the words in their Liturgy, but it is at variance with the context. Again and again we are told that fellowship with God means freedom from sin. The thought of I John 1:7, as Westcott says, "is not of the forgiveness of sin only, but of the removal of sin.

The writer of the epistle, then, must be dealing with a specific claim put forward in the Church by some who would not admit that there was any sin in them at all. At the end of the first century when Gentiles with hardly any moral sensibility were finding themselves within the Church, such a claim must have been not infrequent. There is only one way, says our writer: We must confess our sins. Then forgiveness is granted and a complete cleansing.

In Matthew 22:37-40 we have the Master's summary of the law and the prophets. Here He commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor as ourself. In order for the Christian to do this, the love of God must be shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit. Thus the carnal mind is driven out and perfect love comes in and reigns supreme. What right, then, have some to insist that this is an impossible ideal for the present life? How could the Son of God demand it as a possibility now if such is the case? Again, there are some who make just as irrational a claim in regard to Matt. 5:38-40.

According to them, Jesus gives us in these verses a beautiful goal which can be approached but never achieved in this present order of existence. This position is taken in spite of the fact that there is not the least hint on the part of Jesus that His words are to be so understood. They are given as a resume of the sanctified life and with every indication that they are to be practiced or lived up to in the day in which we live.

Now we shall present some Scripture passages which definitely teach the attainableness of entire sanctification in this life. These are in the form of prayers or exhortations or commands. Some of them are as follows: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). "Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth" (John 17:17) "Be ye holy; for I am holy:" (I Pet. 1:16) An the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thess. 5:23).

Another argument for the fact that this blessing is attainable in the present life is derived from the conditions which are to be met. There is a very real sense in which they can only be carried out here and now. The earth is a testing ground, and those who inhabit it are especially subject to probation. Choices must be made and the proper basis for the same must be laid. In the case of entire sanctification, the Christian must consecrate completely and believe fully. These activities have much more meaning in our present real of existence than they would have in the world which is to come -- where the probationary aspect of human personality will not be significant (Rom. 12:1 and 2; Gal. 2:20; Ruth 1:16-18).

Entire sanctification is a dying grace which cannot be surpassed. The early Methodists, who were pre-eminently a holy people, died well. This was so strikingly true that our attention was called to it. For this we thank God. However we are convinced that this second blessing is more important as a living grace. Jesus calls on God not to take His disciples out of the world but to keep them from the evil of the world (John of 17:15) This is to be done by sanctifying them. This is the reason that the chief burden of His prayer in this connection is the sanctification of His disciples. Such an unusual experience would make them ready for death, but best of all it would prepare them to live in this present world of sin and suffering, free from sin within and without. Besides, they would be powerful in the business of winning souls to Christ.

Thus far in this chapter, we have built our discussion largely around the teaching of the New Testament. Next let us consider this problem from the standpoint of reason. Here we find people contending that it is impossible to obtain entire sanctification in this life because such a state of affairs would be the end of all things, so far as our earthly sojourn is concerned. I remember that a woman was sanctified in a city where I was holding a tent meeting. She belonged to one of the larger denominations. Her pastor heard about it and asked her if it was true. She declared that it was. Then he told her that she might just as well go on to heaven, for God had done everything for her that He could. Closely connected with this is the claim that some make when a person is sanctified he cannot grow in grace any more. This is very far from the truth. When one has been genuinely sanctified he is just then ready to begin to grow as he should. Further, he will have to grow in grace after entire sanctification or he will forfeit this great blessing.

Other contentions which are advanced against present sanctification are that it would bring us to the place where we no longer have any need for the blood of Christ, no ground for advancement in humility, no possibility of being tempted or of committing sin. In other words, such a grace would lift us so high that it would unfit us for this present realm of testing and development. Anyone who will stop and think about the matter will easily see that such objections to the attainableness of entire sanctification in this life are unwarrantable

Some of those who hold that we cannot be sanctified in this life emphasize the attainment of this experience in the article of death. A few who belong in this group seem to teach that death is the sanctifier. But certainly this is wholly untenable. There can no sanctifying power in death. Death is an enemy of man, and how could it be the instrument of his sanctification? In addition, death is the effect of sin, and how could that which is caused by sin turn upon its cause and destroy it? There are others in this class who see the absurdity of making death the sanctifier and modify the view so that it means no more than that the process of entire sanctification is completed at death; it is then that it comes to its full fruition.

Nevertheless, this question still faces us -- why do we have to wait until death for the consummation of this blessed experience? Why has this theory so captivated the minds of some! The writer believes that he knows the answer to this question. It is because they are following Plato's philosophy rather than the Bible teaching or logical thinking.

Plato taught that matter is evil, and of course the body is matter and therefore evil. If this be true, then, there is no possibility of our becoming holy in heart until death comes or the body is laid aside. At this point Plato fell into one of his most subtle and dangerous errors.

The body is not sinful in itself. My hand may be the instrument of sin, but it is not sinful. It is the man who lives in the body -- and not the body who sins or becomes the repository of sin. If we will remember this, not only as in harmony with Bible teaching but also with reason, we will not be deceived by this pernicious teaching which identifies matter and sin.

There has been at least one case, and no doubt more, where a Christian has sought and obtained this blessing of entire sanctification when he thought that he was dying. Instead, he recovered. What was he to do -- retain the blessing or repudiate it? The one of whom I knew was wise enough to hold on to it. He lived for years and was a great power in God's hands. It became for him a very real living grace.

There are some who set the purgatorial or post-mortem theory over against the belief in entire sanctification as in this life. Such an argument has but little weight for several reasons. In the first place, he who holds to this view would first have prove that there is a purgatory. This would be an easy task. Again, he would have to establish the fact that there is punishment in the future life which is only or wholly therapeutic or disciplinary and not at all retributive. This would involve proving that there is a second chance or a chance for salvation after this life has ended.

Further, the church which advocates this theory in the strictest sense thinks of the suffering in purgatory as only taking the place of what they call "temporal punishment." It is not supposed to have anything to do with either the guilt of actual sins or the cleansing of inbred sin. Thus there is very little possibility that this post-mortem theory could ever take the place of the conviction that entire sanctification is attainable in this life.

There are some who tell us that the baptism with the Holy Spirit which sanctifies is only for the few in this life. Part of those who take this position would limit its availability to the apostles, while others would place it within reach of Christian workers of all ages -- beginning with the apostles and including those who are called to special work in the kingdom of God during any period of time.

Such a position is clearly refuted by many scriptures, of which perhaps the two best are the following: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 17:20, 21). When one reads these verses in the light of their context, he can easily see that Jesus is praying not alone for the sanctification of His immediate disciples, but for all future believers as well.

The same emphasis is brought out by Peter in his sermon on the day of Pentecost when the prayer of Jesus for the sanctification of all believers was answered. Here are Peter's words:

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and he baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is Unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:38 and 39).

Evidently the Bible does not limit the accessibility of this experience of entire sanctification in this life just to a few. Every believer, every Christian can secure it if he is willing to meet the conditions.

One writer on the subject of entire sanctification asserts that man is not free if he cannot through the grace of God obtain entire sanctification in this life. He reasons thus: If God is willing for us to have this blessing in the present life and has made provision for its attainment here and now, and yet we are unable to get it, it must be because the Christian's will is in some way limited. It must be due to the impossibility of the converted man to so exercise his will in this connection as to satisfy the human prerequisites for the reception of the Holy Spirit in His sanctifying work. Such a situation would surely be unfair to the saved man. Further, there is nothing in the Bible or from the standpoint of reason which justifies such an implication. Certainly such an abrogation of the human will is not to be admitted.

The Bible and reason both point unquestionably to the attainment of this experience in this life. The next question, then, is -- does experience harmonize with the Bible and reason? The answer is that it does. There are those in the Bible who were still in this life and yet had secured this sanctifying grace. The one hundred and twenty who were sanctified by the baptism with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost come in this class (Acts 2:1-4). Paul also says: "Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded" (Phil. 3:15). What is true of these and others in the Bible is verified by present-day experience.

I have heard hundreds testify to this experience and they were still living on this earth. In addition, the writer of this paper is still alive and he secured this blessing more than twenty-five years ago. This experience of entire sanctification is attainable in this life. The Bible, reason, and experience all testify to this truth.

There is one general point which I wish to emphasize in concluding. It is that to deny the possibility of the obtainment of this experience in this life is to commit the Christian finally to pessimism. The world is full of evil. The forces of wrong are in the majority. One cannot easily escape from the pessimism which such a state of affairs implies. Therefore, if we are to extricate ourselves from pessimism and look forward to the final triumph of righteousness, we must have some outstanding cases of victory in our present life.

There are crucial situations which help us in this connection. First, there is the life of Christ. He lived in this world and knew no sin. This gives us the promise that He may finally be able to overcome sin in the universe. If He had yielded to sin while He walked with men, we could not have had much hope for the future. So weak a Saviour could not have lifted us out of our pessimism. But, thank God, He is a victorious Saviour.

Thus something has transpired in the past which has given us a definite triumph in the future. There is a future event which also speaks of hope as to final victory and thus greatly encourages us. This is the second coming of Jesus. Whether we accept the premillennial or the postmillennial view, it makes no difference in this case. Both views point unquestionably to the final triumph of the good. Here we have another reason for being optimistic rather than pessimistic. It helps us to overcome the pessimism which threatens us because of present-day conditions that are so filled with evil.

There is one more major contribution to the spirit of optimism. This is personal or experimental -- and from this standpoint is more important than either of the other two. This something which in such a definite way helps us to be optimistic and not pessimistic as to the final ascendency of right is the attainability of entire sanctification in this life. If God through the blood of Jesus Christ and the mighty activity of the Holy Spirit can overcome sin here and now in my heart, He has given me, thereby, the best assurance possible in the present that in the future He will be able to finally conquer sin and the devil. If He has done it in my inner world why can He not in the end accomplish the same in the world outside of me?

Thus I am assured of the ultimate destruction of all that is wrong, and optimism rather than pessimism takes possession of me. In other words, I am constrained to believe in what the philosophers call "the objectivity of value." This is the belief that God and the universe are, in the last analysis, on the side of right instead of wrong; or, that holiness is more significant in the totality of things than sin. Thank God for this conclusion! And remember that it is based primarily on the fact that the human heart can be cleansed from all sin today and kept free from it in the midst of this wicked and perverse generation.