Being saved the beginning or end?

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SeventhValley

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Should a already saved Christian then work towards "theosis" or the more modern term "entire sanctification" in which after being saved a person should continue to strive to be more and more like Christ?

2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Good News Translation (GNT)
17 Now, “the Lord” in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 18 All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.
 

jamespyles

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Just my personal opinion, but salvation is the beginning of the journey, not the end. Too many people answer an altar call and then figure they're set for life. They go to church on Sunday, maybe attend a class at church on Wednesday, but otherwise, Christian faith is a passive activity.

My Pastor told me that a person isn't really saved unless they're living a transformed life. If the evidence of your relationship with Jesus isn't in everything you do with every day you live, then you may be mouthing the words, but you aren't really his.

Feed the hungry, comfort the grieving, give water to the thirsty, show love to your neighbor. Pray, study the Bible, draw closer to Jesus. God will take care of everything else.
 
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DeaconDean

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You do realize that the scriptures speaks of our salvation as in three distinct phases don't you?

Paul Thomas Simmons points out:

salvation.gif
is a very broad term. C. 1. Scofield, in his comment on Rom. 1:16, says very aptly: "The Hebrew and Greek words for salvation imply the ideas of deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness. Salvation is the great inclusive word of the Gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes: as justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness, sanctification, and glorification."


I. THE PAST TENSE OF SALVATION
We have been saved from the PENALTY of sin.

Note the following passages:
"Thy faith hath saved thee" (Luke 7:50). "By grace have ye been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8)...who saved us and called us with a holy calling" (2 Tim. 1:9). "...according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5).
All of these passages, and many more like them, speak of salvation as a work finished in the past. This tense of salvation is coincident with the believer’s past sanctification, as considered in the former chapter. It has to do (1) with the soul; (2) with the remission of sin’s penalty, the removal of guilt, and even the removal of sin’s presence from the soul.


II. THE PRESENT TENSE OF SALVATION
We are being saved from the POWER of sin.

"The word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved (marg., are being saved) it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18).

The Greek participle in the above passage is in the present tense, and denotes "those being saved, the act...being in progress, not completed" (E. P. Gould).

It is with reference to the present tense of salvation that Phil. 2:12 speaks when it says: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." The meaning of this passage is that the Philippian believers were to make effective in their lives the new life that God had implanted in their hearts.


III. THE FUTURE TENSE OF SALVATION
We shall be saved from the PRESENCE of sin.

In the following passages salvation is spoken of as something yet future. Rom. 5:9, 10; 8:24; 13:11; 1 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13, 14; 1 Thess. 5:8; Heb. 10:36; 1 Pet. 1.5; 1 John 3:2, 3.

Paul tells us in Rom. 8:23 what this future salvation is in the main. It is "the redemption of our body," by which he means the application of redemption to the believer’s body. This will take place in the resurrection of those who sleep in Christ (1 Cor. 15:52-56; 1 Thess. 4.16) and in the rapture of those who are alive at Christ’s coming in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). It is only then that the regenerated spirit will enter into the full fruition of salvation. Thus we read that the spirit is to be saved "in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5). This tense of salvation has to do mainly with the body and the presence of sin in the body.

P. T. Simmons, A Systematic Study of Biblical Doctrine, Chapter 28, The Three Tenses of Salvation

And by "entire sanctification", I need a more detailed explaination.

Are you talking about the same doctrine as "sinless perfection" in which some denominations teach?

Or, are you questioning whether or not we accept, believe, and teach the same doctine as Eastern/Oriental Orthodoxy?

Theosis is the understanding that human beings can have real union with God, and so become like God to such a degree that we participate in the divine nature. Primarily a term found in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox theology, from the Greek meaning deification or making divine, theosis is a concept derived from the New Testament regarding the goal of our relationship with the Triune God. The terms theosis and deification may therefore be used interchangeably in this context.

This does not imply that we become gods, but rather, that we are to become the fullness of the "divine image" in which we were created (Gen. 1:26), i.e. a perfect reflection of our God, and become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). It may be related to the Protestant concept of sanctification but goes further with what may be expected in this life, emphasizing the element of our mystical union with God in Christ. It may also be seen as something akin to the Wesleyan idea of "entire sanctification".

Source

God Bless

TIll all are one.
 
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FredVB

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Entering salvation according to the plan of Yahweh God is a beginning. With there never being a changed life, or no more change than going to church, there is no evidence of truly having entered this salvation, and whether that one responded to the true gospel from God's grace should be questioned to come to doing the right things. Salvation is truly from God's grace through Christ to whom we come with him as Lord with faith, for that. With that there is seeking obedience to him, and growing with more obedience and conforming to what is taught from godly commandments. Growth is essential in spiritual living. We do our part, if we are growing, with our cooperation, but it is hardly our work but basically God's work in us.
 
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SeventhValley

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You do realize that the scriptures speaks of our salvation as in three distinct phases don't you?

Nope that one is new to me. Looks interesting :thumbsup:

And by "entire sanctification", I need a more detailed explaination.

Are you talking about the same doctrine as "sinless perfection" in which some denominations teach?

Or, are you questioning whether or not we accept, believe, and teach the same doctine as Eastern/Oriental Orthodoxy?


Theosis is the understanding that human beings can have real union with God, and so become like God to such a degree that we participate in the divine nature. Primarily a term found in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox theology, from the Greek meaning deification or making divine, theosis is a concept derived from the New Testament regarding the goal of our relationship with the Triune God. The terms theosis and deification may therefore be used interchangeably in this context.

This does not imply that we become gods, but rather, that we are to become the fullness of the "divine image" in which we were created (Gen. 1:26), i.e. a perfect reflection of our God, and become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). It may be related to the Protestant concept of sanctification but goes further with what may be expected in this life, emphasizing the element of our mystical union with God in Christ. It may also be seen as something akin to the Wesleyan idea of "entire sanctification".

Yes are there any Baptist that teach something similar to the E.O. theosis or Wesleyan idea

"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.-United Methodist Book of Discipline (para. 62)"


If I remember the Puritans also had some Calvanistic Pietist beliefs. Dr. William Ames (1576-1633)

"
1. The real change of state is an alteration of qualities in man himself. 2 Cor. 5:17, Old things have passed away; all things are new.
2. The change is not in relation or reason, but in genuine effects seen in degrees of beginning, progress, and completion. 2 Cor. 4:16, The inner man is renewed day by day.
3. This alteration of qualities is related to either the just and honorable good of sanctification, or the perfect and exalted good of glorification. Rom. 6:22, You have your fruit in holiness and your end in everlasting life.
4. Sanctification is the real change in man from the sordidness of sin to the purity of God’s image. Eph. 4:22-24, Put off that which pertains to the old conversation, that old man, corrupting itself in deceivable lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on that new man who according to God is created to righteousness and true holiness."-http://www.apuritansmind.com/puritan-favorites/william-ames/sanctification/
 
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SeventhValley

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Just found this from the BF&M

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

B. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.


This seems similar to Theosis to me.
 
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SeventhValley

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This is neat from the web site you linked Dean :thumbsup:

From Chapter 27 - The Doctrine of Sanctification
III. THE BELIEVER’S PRESENT SANCTIFICATION​
There is a sense in which the believer is being sanctified.
1. SCRIPTURE REFERENCES TO IT.
John 17:17,19; Rom. 6:19-22; 15:16; 1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 2:11; 10: 14; 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:15. We have listed here only passages where "hagiasmos," "hagiazo," or "hagios" appear in the original. There are many other passages which indirectly refer to the believer’s present sanctification.
2. HOW IT IS ACCOMPLISHED.
(1) God is the Author of It.
John 17:17; 1 Thess. 5:23.
(2) The Holy Spirit is the Agent.
Rom. 15:16. The Holy Spirit accomplishes our present sanctification by leading (Rom. 8:14), transforming (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 2:18), strengthening (Eph. 3:16), and making fruitful (Gal. 5:22,23).
(3) The Death of Christ is the Basis.
The death of Christ provides the basis for all of the Holy Spirit’s Work.
(4) The Word of God is the Instrument of the Spirit.
John 17:17. This is proved by all passages which teach that the truth promotes obedience, prevents and cleanses from sin, makes us hate sin, and causes us to grow in grace. See Psa. 119:9, 11, 34, 43, 44, 50, 93, 104; Heb. 5:12-14; 1 Pet. 2:2.
(5) Faith is the Chief Means.
It is through faith that the instrumentality of the Word is made effective. Faith is at once the result of the sanctifying work of the Spirit and the chief means for His further sanctifying work.
(6) Our Own Works Are Also A Means In Our Present Sanctification.
Rom. 6:19. As physical exercise is necessary to physical growth, so spiritual exercise is necessary to spiritual growth. Physical exercise develops an appetite for food, from which we receive nourishment that produces growth. Spiritual exercise develops an appetite for the Word of God, from which we receive spiritual nourishment that produces growth in grace.
(7) Other Less Direct Means.
Among other less direct means in our present sanctification may be named prayer, God’s ordained ministry (Eph. 4:11,12), church attendance and association with believers in church capacity, observance of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the keeping of the Lord’s day, and the chastening and providences of God.
All of these things help toward our present sanctification, not because of any intrinsic virtue of their own, but only as, in one way or another, they bring us in contact with divine truth, enlighten our minds with regard to it, and bring us to a higher appreciation of it and fuller obedience to it. It is only in this way that baptism and the Lord’s Supper contribute to our present sanctification. They are not grace-giving sacraments. The grace received through the ordinances is not received ex opere operato—from the mere act of observance.

study of the Bible doctrine of sanctification is not complete without a consideration of the teaching that sinlessness is attainable in this life. We urge the following—
1. OBJECTIONS TO THIS DOCTRINE.
(1) The Apostle Paul, whom God set forth as a human example for believers (1 Tim. 1:16), and in whose life we are not sure that any fault may be seen, had not, even in his old age, attained sinless perfection.
This is evident from Rom. 7:14-24. It is absurd to refer this to Paul before regeneration. With the fourteenth verse there is a significant change from the past tense to the present. To make the verses beyond verse fourteen refer to Paul’s life before regeneration is to make of them a grammatical monstrosity. The latter part of verse twenty-five shows that the victory over sin through Jesus Christ does not come in this life. This is shown also in Rom. 8:23-25. The victory comes only with the redemption of the body, which will take place in the resurrection.
Again, the language of Rom. 7:14-24 shows that it refers to a saved man. "No unregenerate man can truly say, ‘I consent unto the law that it is good’; ‘To will is present with me; ‘For I delight in the law of God after the inward man;’ ‘So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God’" (Pendleton, Christian Doctrines, P. 301).
The idea that in Rom. 7 we have the experience of Paul after having been saved but before he was sanctified, while in Rom. 8 we have his experience after having been sanctified, is also absurd. As we have pointed out, the eighth chapter of Romans no more teaches sinless perfection than the seventh chapter. In the eighth chapter Paul teaches that believers still groan under the sinfulness of the body and are waiting for its redemption (Vs. 23), being saved by hope (Vs. 24,25). All talk about the believer, in his experience, getting out of the seventh chapter of Romans into the eighth is senseless. Every believer lives all his life in both chapters, for both chapters are but parts of one connected discourse. The "therefore" of verse 1, chapter 8, directs us back to the latter part of the seventh chapter for the basis of what is said in the eighth.
The epistle to the Romans was written before Paul’s trip to Rome. After having been taken to Rome, and while a prisoner there, he wrote some epistles. One of them is the epistle to the Philippians. In this epistle Paul still disclaims absolute perfection. He said that he did not consider himself as having been made perfect already. Phil. 3:12.
 
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DeaconDean

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Nope that one is new to me. Looks interesting :thumbsup:

In another thread, you want to teach me Greek, tell me how wrong my Greek was, and yet, you have never looked at the word "sozo" in the Greek as it relates to scriptures.

Interesting.

Yes are there any Baptist that teach something similar to the E.O. theosis or Wesleyan idea

"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.-United Methodist Book of Discipline (para. 62)"

I do not not know many if any Baptists, the teach "entire sanctification".

And you do know that it is against the rules to promote doctines of other denominations here don't you?

If I remember the Puritans also had some Calvanistic Pietist beliefs. Dr. William Ames (1576-1633)
"
1. The real change of state is an alteration of qualities in man himself. 2 Cor. 5:17, Old things have passed away; all things are new.
2. The change is not in relation or reason, but in genuine effects seen in degrees of beginning, progress, and completion. 2 Cor. 4:16, The inner man is renewed day by day.
3. This alteration of qualities is related to either the just and honorable good of sanctification, or the perfect and exalted good of glorification. Rom. 6:22, You have your fruit in holiness and your end in everlasting life.
4. Sanctification is the real change in man from the sordidness of sin to the purity of God’s image. Eph. 4:22-24, Put off that which pertains to the old conversation, that old man, corrupting itself in deceivable lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on that new man who according to God is created to righteousness and true holiness."-http://www.apuritansmind.com/puritan-favorites/william-ames/sanctification/

The basic meaning of sanctification is "to set apart".

This hapens at the point of salvation. We are "set apart" for God.

Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – June 19, 1878, Princeton, New Jersey) was the principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878 wrote:

The doctrine of Lutherans and Reformed, the two great branches of the Protestant Church, is, that sanctification is never perfected in this life; that sin is not in any case entirely subdued; so that the most advanced believer has need as long as he continues in the flesh, daily to pray for the forgiveness of sins.

The question is not as to the duty of believers. All admit that we are bound to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Nor is it a question as to the command of God; for the first, original, and universally obligatory commandment is that we should love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves. Nor does the question concern the provisions of the Gospel. It is admitted that the Gospel provides all that is needed for the complete sanctification and salvation of believers. What can we need more than we have in Christ, his Spirit, his word and his ordinances? Nor does it concern the promises of God; for all rejoice in the hope, founded on the divine promise, that we shall be ultimately delivered from all sin. God has in Christ made provision for the complete salvation of his people: that is, for their entire deliverance from the penalty of the law, from the power of sin, from all sorrow, pain, and death; and not only for mere negative deliverance, but for their being transformed into the image of Christ, filled with his Spirit, and glorified by the beauty of the Lord. It is, however, too plain that, unless sanctification be an exception, no one of these promises besides that which concerns justification, is perfectly fulfilled in this life.



Justification does not admit of degrees. A man either is under condemnation, or he is not. And, therefore, from the nature of the case, justification is instantaneous and complete, as soon as the sinner believes. But the question is, whether, when God promises to make his people perfectly holy, perfectly happy, and perfectly glorious, He thereby promises to make them perfect in holiness in this life? If the promises of happiness and glory are not perfectly fulfilled in this life, why should the promise of
sanctification be thus fulfilled? It is, however, a mere question of fact. All admit that God can render his people perfect before death as well as afterit. The only question is, Has He promised, with regard to sanctification alone, that it shall be perfected on this side of the grave? and, Do we see cases in which the promise has been actually fulfilled? The answer given to these questions by the Church universal is in the negative. So long as the believer is in this world, he will need to pray for pardon.


The grounds of this doctrine are, --​


1. The spirituality of the divine law and the immutability of its demands. It condemns as sinful any want of conformity to the standard of absolute perfection as exhibited in the Bible. Anything less than loving God constantly with all the heart, all the soul, all the mind, and all the strength, and our neighbour as ourselves, is sin.​


2. The express declaration of Scripture that all men are sinners. This does not mean simply that all men have sinned, that all are guilty, but that all have sin cleaving to them. "If," declares the Apostle, "we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John i. 8.) As the wise man had said before him, "There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." (Eccles. vii. 20.) And in 1 Kings viii. 46, it is said, "There is no man that sinneth not." And the Apostle James, iii. 2, says: "In many things we offend all." It is a manifest perversion of the simple grammatical meaning of the words to make a "marti,an ouvk e;comen" to refer to the past. The verb is in the present tense. The truth is not in us, says the Apostle, if we say we have no sin, i. e., that we are not now polluted by sin.​



In the context he sets forth Christ as the "Word of Life," as having life in Himself, and as being the source of life to us. Having fellowship with Him, we have fellowship with God. But God is light, i. e., is pure, holy, and blessed; if, therefore, we walk in darkness, i. e., in ignorance and sin, we can have no fellowship with Him. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, and do not need now and at all times the cleansing power of Christ's blood, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Book III, Soteriology, Chapter 18, Perfectionism​




Continued...
 
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DeaconDean

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James Petigru Boyce (1827–1888) wrote:

III. THE NATURE OF SANCTIFICATION.
What now, we may inquire, is the nature of the sanctification which is wrought out in the believer?

1. It is a personal sanctification. It is accomplished in each individual personally, and not in that of a common representative as is the righteousness which justifies.
2. It is a real sanctification, not merely one that is imputed, as is righteousness. Holiness is not merely "accounted to men," so that they are treated as though holy, but they are made holy. Holiness becomes the characteristic of their natures. It is habitually exercised in their lives. It will eventually be possessed in perfection. It is real and in no sense only virtual.
3. It is of the whole nature. The renewed nature, given in regeneration, shows that sanctification includes the whole spiritual part of man. It is not to be confined to mere outward actions. God's spiritual nature demands not only spiritual worship, but holy spiritual emotions and affections; and these belong to the heart. Hence the need of inward conformity to his will and commands is so especially set forth in the New Testament, as to mark its teachings as essentially spiritual. We are also plainly taught that between the outward fruit, and the inward condition, is such a connection that the latter is the actual producing power of the former, and is manifested by it. Matt. 12:33-35; Luke 6:43-45.

But sanctification is to be extended to the body likewise. Its appetites and passions are to be controlled, wicked actions are to cease, and unholy habits to be put away, the members of the body are to be mortified, all filthiness of the flesh to be cleansed, good works are to be exhibited to mankind, and such high moral duties to be performed as are imposed upon Christians as obligatory towards each other and the world.
The Scriptures exhort to sanctification of the whole nature, both body and soul. See 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 4:17-24; Col. 3:5-10; 1 Thess. 5:23. That of the body alone is urged. The apostle tells the Ephesians about his prayers for their spiritual sanctification. Eph. 1:17-19.

4. It is not a sanctification to be completed in this life.

It is not, like justification, a single act, but is a continuous process. The work goes on throughout the lifetime of the believer, nor is it completed before death.

(1.) This is manifest from the frequent exhortations to sanctification addressed to those who are already believers in Christ, and who are actually called saints. Many of the passages containing these have been given in the preceding section.
(2.) It is also shown by the warnings, about the danger of backsliding, addressed to Christian believers. Such was that to Peter by our Lord, the reality of the danger of which was shown by his subsequent grievous fall. Luke 22:31, 32. See examples of other such warnings in 1 Cor. 10:12; Col. 1:23; Heb. 3:12, 13; 12:15.
(3.) The fearful condition of actual apostasy is presented for the purpose of teaching the true people of God the extent to which knowledge of his grace may be possessed without the attainment of actual and final salvation. Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-29; 2 Pet. 2:20. The object of this instruction is to warn against committing sins, and indulging habits to which they are still prone.
(4.) Christians are not presented in the New Testament as completely pure and holy, but, on the contrary, the very best of them acknowledge the existence of sinful tendencies, and pronounce any idea of freedom from the presence of sin to be a delusion. The faults of good men, such as Peter, James and John, and Thomas, and Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:37-40) are especially mentioned, and John who declares that "whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not" (1 John 5:18) is the very apostle who, in a previous part of that very same epistle, teaches that "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 1 John 1:8. Paul constantly speaks of himself as still struggling against the power of sin, as not counting himself to have attained, as buffeting his body and bringing it into bondage lest he should be rejected, and thus he gives us, in his descriptions of his own experience, a pattern of what has been almost universally acknowledged as that of every other Christian.

5. But sanctification will not always be incomplete. In heaven perfect purity and holiness will be the portion of the believer.

(1.) The purpose of God, in the foreordination of those whom he foreknew, is that they shall "be conformed to the image of his Son." Rom. 8:29. This conformity shall be attained in heaven, for "if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is." 1 John 3:2. Such likeness involves personal sinless purity.
(2.) Paul's triumphant language as to the resurrection shows that this will be true of the body no less than of the soul. 1 Cor. 15:50-57.
(3.) The Scriptures declare as to the New Jerusalem that "there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Rev. 21:27. Peter says that the inheritance reserved in heaven for the saints is incorruptible and undefiled. 1 Pet. 1:4.

6. The partial sanctification of this life is also progressive.

It is not a certain degree of attainment, possessed by all alike, and remaining always in this life the same; it is a growth from the seed planted in regeneration, which is constantly bringing forth new leaves, and new fruit; it grows with increased intellectual knowledge of God's truth, with a clearer perception of human sinfulness and corruption, with stronger faith and brighter hope, and more confident assurance of personal acceptance with God, with a more heartfelt conception of the sacrificing love of Christ, and with a more realizing belief in his constant presence and knowledge of what we do. It even increases from its own acquired strength and through the suffering and doing in which it is developed. In these and many other ways do Christians grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ, and in conformity to his image, "cleansing themselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Cor. 7:1.

When, however, this sanctification is said to be progressive, it is not meant to deny the imperfections before referred to, nor to assert that there is a constant rise upward to God and toward his holy perfection. The Christian life on earth is a warfare with sin, and the believer is not always without failure. He often yields to temptation, sometimes falls even into most grievous sin. The personal experience, presented by Paul, in the seventh chapter of Romans, is so strong a statement of such struggles that some have been inclined to confine its application to a time prior to acceptance of the gospel. But there can be no question of the applicability to Christians of the declaration made to the Galatians, "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would." Gal. 5:17.
But the progress of sanctification is nevertheless continuous. These temptations and struggles enter into that progress, and not only they, but even the sins and falls which mar the Christian life. The process of sanctification is like the ascent of a mountain. One is always going forward, though not always upward, yet the final end of the progressive movement of every kind is the attainment of the summit. Sometimes, because of difficulties, the road itself descends, only more easily to ascend again. Sometimes certain attractions by the way cause a deviation from the route most suitable for ascent. Often it is feared that there has been no higher attainment, often that it has been but a continual descent, until, perchance, some point of view is gained from which to look down upon the plain whence the journey was begun and behold the height which has already been overcome. Often, with wearied feet, and desponding heart, the traveller is ready to despair, because of his own feebleness, and the difficulties which surround. But he earnestly presses forward and the journey is completed, the ascent is made, the end is attained.

James P. Boyce, Abstract of Systematic Theology, Chapter 37: Sanctification

Founders Ministries | ch37

Continued...
 
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DeaconDean

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Benjamin B. Warfield (November 5, 1851 – February 16, 1921), wrote:

And now, let us observe, thirdly, the period to which the Apostle assigns the accomplishment of this great hope. It is at once evident that he is not dealing with this perfection as a thing already in the possession of his readers. It is not a matter of congratulation to them—as some Christian graces were, for the presence of which in their hearts he thanks God,—but a matter of prayer to God for them. It is a thing not yet in possession but in petition. It is yet to come to them. He does not permit us to suppose, then, that the Thessalonians had already attained—or should already have attained—it. He thanks God, indeed, for their rescue from the state in which they were by nature. He thanks God for their great attainments in Christian living. But he does not suggest they had already reached the goal. On the contrary, a great part of the letter is taken up with exhortation to Christian duties not yet overtaken, graces of Christian living still to be cultivated. His readers are treated distinctly and emphatically as viatores, not yet as comprehensores. Not in and of them, but in and of God, is the perfection which he prays for. What we see is not hoped for, what we pray for is not already attained. Moreover the very pledge he gives of the attainment of this perfection bears in it an implication that it is yet a matter of hope, not of possession. He pledges the faithfulness of God, the Caller. Accordingly, the perfection longed for and promised is not given in the call itself; it is not the invariable possession of the Christian soul. He that is called looks yet for it; it is sought still; and at the hands of the Caller whose faithfulness assures the performance. The performance, therefore, still lags.
It is clear, therefore, that Paul, though promising this perfection as the certain heritage of every Christian man, presents it as a matter of hope, not yet seen; not as a matter of experience, already enjoyed. That it belongs to us as Christians we can be assured only by the faithfulness of God, the Performer as well as the Caller. Can we learn from Paul when we can hope for it? Assuredly, he has not left us in ignorance here. He openly declares, indeed, the term of our imperfection—the point of entrance into our perfection. "May the God of peace," he prays, "sanctify you wholly and may there be preserved blamelessly perfect your spirit and soul and body, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." You see it is on the second advent of Christ—and that is the end of the world, and the judgment day—that the Apostle has his eyes set. There is the point of time to which he refers the completeness of our perfecting.

Entire Sanctification, B. B. Warfield

Do I personally teach "sinless perfectionism", "entire sanctification"?

No!

God Bless

Till all are one.
 
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DeaconDean

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So essentially the answer would be...We are to work toward Glorification even though Baptist do not believe it can happen in this life. Correct?

I am trying to understand how you equate "sanctification" and "glorification" as one-in-the-same.

God Bless

Till all are one.
 
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SeventhValley

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Setting denomination aside for the moment and considering the Bible, the answer is to do what Jesus said we were to do. Think Matthew 25:31-46.


41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

:thumbsup:
 
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UnionJack

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Should a already saved Christian then work towards "theosis" or the more modern term "entire sanctification" in which after being saved a person should continue to strive to be more and more like Christ?

If we take into consideration, the verse "He who began a good work will finish a good work"

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

and then..

John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."


So essentially, a truly saved person will continue to strive to be more like Christ, not because of their own will power, but because of the Father who enabled that person to come to Christ in the first place, will see to it that that person becomes more and more Christ like until the day that God takes the person home.
 
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SeventhValley

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If we take into consideration, the verse "He who began a good work will finish a good work"

Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

and then..

John 15:5
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."


So essentially, a truly saved person will continue to strive to be more like Christ, not because of their own will power, but because of the Father who enabled that person to come to Christ in the first place, will see to it that that person becomes more and more Christ like until the day that God takes the person home.

Ultimately yes. But in a practical sense you still have to put in the work.
 
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SeventhValley

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I just found this
XI. As, under the Old Testament, the priests, when approaching to render worship to God, were accustomed to be sprinkled with blood, so, likewise, the blood of Jesus Christ, which is the blood of the New Testament, serves for this purpose-to sprinkle us, who are constituted by him as priests, to serve the living God. In this respect, the sprinkling of the blood of Christ, which principally serves for the expiation of sins, and which is the cause of justification, belongs also to sanctification; for in justification, this sprinkling serves to wash away sins that have been committed; but in sanctification, it serves to sanctify men who have obtained remission of their sins, that they may further be enabled to offer worship and sacrifices to God, through Christ.
XII. This sanctification is not completed in a single moment; but sin, from whose dominion we have been delivered through the cross and the death of Christ, is weakened more and more by daily losses, and the inner man is day by day renewed more and more, while we carry about with us in our bodies, the death of Christ, and the outward man is perishing. -Jacob Arminius

DISPUTATION XLIX
ON THE SANCTIFICATION OF MAN
 
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