Theological Term of the Week

perfectionism
The Wesleyan teaching that after the new birth, there may be a distinct second transforming work of grace in which “God roots all sinful motivation out of a Christian’s heart, so that the whole of his mental and emotional energy is henceforth channeled into love for God and others: love that is … free from any contrary or competing affection whatsoever”;1  also called entire sanctification. 

• Scripture used to support the doctrine of entire sanctification:
  

  No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

  8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

  9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s  seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. (1 John 3: 6, 8, 9 ESV)

• Scripture that disproves the doctrine of entire sanctification:

  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8 ESV)

• From The Confession of Faith of The Evangelical United Brethren Church, which teaches the doctrine of entire sanctification:

  Article XI—Sanctification and Christian Perfection

  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.

• From The Westminster Confession of Faith, which, of course, teached against entire santification:

  CHAPTER XIII.

  Of Sanctification.

  
  

  I. They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

  II. This sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life: there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.

  III. In which war, although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome: and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

• From Keeping in Step with the Spirit by J. I. Packer:

  [T]he practical implications [of this doctrine] are unedifying. Dilemmas arise, admitting of no satisfactory resolution. The prime dilemma is that just indicated: How are Christians who believe sin to have been rooted out of them to be realistic about their own continuing sinfulness? Wesley’s teaching inevitably requires them not to be. Then a further dilemma arises: Should such Christians testify to their blessing? And if so, how? Not to testify would rob God of glory and men of help that the witness might bring them and would moreover be a cowardly evasion of possible trouble; but to testify in the way Wesley envisages (“I feel no sin, but all love. I pray, rejoice, give thanks without ceasing. And I have as clear an inward witness that I am fully renewed as that I am justified.”) would seem to lock them unavoidably into smugness of a rather unlovely kind.

Learn more:

1. R. C. Sproul: The Heresy of Perfectionism
2. GotQuestions.org: Is entire sanctification/sinless perfection possible in this life?
3. John Hendryx: Can a Man Achieve Sinlessness?
4. Jay Wetger: A Critique of the Higher Life Movement
5. Wayne Grudem: The Doctrine of Sanctification: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (audio) 

Related terms:

• regeneration
• sanctification
  

Filed under Defective Theology

1From Keeping In Step with the Spirit by J. I. Packer.

This term was suggested by Kim of The Upward Call. Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Round the Sphere Again: Good Words from Women

Meditating on the Text
Leslie Wiggins posted her thoughts on Philippians 1:7-10, which was last week’s portion a scripture memory challengs. She tells us, among other things, what kind of man Paul was not.

Preaching to Herself
From Staci Eastin:

And that’s the biggest part of the problem: I wrote a book about this. I know the cause of my angst is really unbelief. I even outlined it carefully and sent it to a publisher. And now they’re going to put their money where my mouth is and bind it up in print on real pages. I should be beyond this kind of thing by now, shouldn’t I?

The whole piece: Rainy Days and Unbelief Always Get Me Down.

Following Our Hearts
is not necessarily a good thing (Kim Shay): 

This principle of being “who I am” has been taken a hold of by modern secular psychology (and some “Christian” psychology, sadly enough) as being some kind of standard of virtue.  I am so “real” and “relevant” if I have the courage to be “who I am.”  They key to emotional health is to be “who I am.” 

But

My heart is deceitful.  It is sick.  Is this what I want guiding me?  I have inclinations to serve myself, not God.  So, if I have the “courage to be who I am,” is it any kind of courage at all?

Read more: Teach Our Children Well

Called According to Paul: Romans 1:1-7

I’ve had a very busy day and a Christian education committee meeting this evening. I planned to get the Theological Term up, but my plan ain’t happening. We’ll be making do with a repost of an old post in the Called According to Paul series.  An explanation of this series of posts can be found here. You’ll find other posts in this series here.

Not Herman Ridderbos.

In this post, we’re inspecting the introductory or greeting paragraph from Paul’s letter to the Romans. The word “called” is used three times—once referring to Paul himself, and twice referring to other believers.

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

Verse 1

In the first verse, Paul says that he has been called to be an apostle. He said the same thing in 1 Corinthians 1, one of the passages examined previously. Used like this, the word call carries the meaning of a summons or appointment, a significance made stronger by the phrase that follows: “set apart for the gospel of God.” This call is an appointment to a particular office or role that sets Paul apart among the followers of Christ.

Verse 6

Paul says here that the Gentile people to whom God has called him in order for him to “bring about the obedience of faith” (or to bring to a transforming faith in the gospel) includes the specific believers in Rome that he is writing this letter to. They are the ones “who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” This calling is a summons into the group of people who belongs to Christ. (In I Corinthians 1:9 the idea was similar.)

Verse 7

There’s a close association between being loved by God and being called by him. This calling springs from God’s love for particular people. It is because they are loved by God that they are called to be saints. This a calling to something: They are called to be saints (or to be holy). And this is yet another call that sets people apart.

Once again, I’ll ask what you see that I missed. What can you see in this passage about the meaning of the word called when it is used by Paul in regards to the call of God?