Even those who are well instructed in the gospel
doctrines of election, redemption, justification, and regeneration commonly
embrace seriously erroneous views of sanctification. They teach the salvation
is altogether by grace, and they realize that sanctification is an essential
part of salvation; but they insist that sanctification is partly a work of God
and partly a work of man. Such mixing of grace and works in this aspect of
salvation leads many to embrace a perverted doctrine of sanctification.
PENTECOSTALISM teaches that sanctification is
a second work of grace,, whereby the believer is made
totally free from sin, and the old nature of sin is eradicated from his being.
Such a proud doctrine is directly contrary to the plain statement of Holy
Scripture: "If we any that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us" (I John 1:8). And the notion of "sinless
perfection" is contrary to the experience of every believer. Believers
confess their sin. They do not hide it. Honesty compels us to acknowledge that,
though we are no longer under the dominion of sin, we do have a continual
struggle with sin. Sin is mixed with everything we think or do. Any man who
says he is without sin is a liar.
THE SELF-RIGHTEOUS LEGALIST makes
sanctification nothing more than outward, legal morality. He thinks that
sanctification is accomplished by his separation from the world, his obedience
to religious customs and traditions, and his abstinence from the use of things
he considers evil, "Touch not, taste not, handle
not"
And among most of those whom we recognize as
ORTHODOX, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS, sanctification is thought to be the
progressive increase of the believer's "personal holiness". We are
told that the children of God attain higher degrees of holiness by their own
works in sanctification, until at last they are ripe for heaven, and that
sanctification buds forth, into ultimate glorification. Usually, this
"progressive sanctification" is made to be the basis of the
believer's assurance on earth and the basis of his eternal reward in heaven.