CAN A CHRISTIAN BECOME PERFECT IN THIS LIFE?
WHAT DID WESLEY MEAN BY PERFECTION—AND WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY?
John Wesley taught that God’s grace does more than forgive sins. He believed God also works in Christians to change their hearts, their desires, and the way they live.
He called believers to pursue holiness. He also taught that a Christian could experience what he called Christian perfection or perfect love during this life.
Later Holiness movements developed that teaching in different ways.
But the word perfect can mean different things.
Does it mean that a person never makes a mistake?
That the person no longer commits sin?
That love has become the governing purpose of the heart?
Or that a Christian has reached the final goal God has promised?
Before deciding whether a Christian can become perfect, we must ask what the biblical writers mean when they use that word.
And before deciding whether Wesley was right or wrong, we need to understand what Wesley actually taught.
1. WHAT DID WESLEY ACTUALLY TEACH?
We should begin with Wesley’s own explanation, not with what later critics or supporters said he taught.
In A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, Wesley described Christian perfection as a heart governed by love for God and neighbor.
He did not claim that a perfected Christian became all-knowing.
He did not claim freedom from every mistake.
He did not claim freedom from bodily weakness.
He did not claim freedom from temptation.
He did not claim that a perfected Christian no longer needed Christ.
In fact, Wesley said there was no absolute perfection on earth and that Christian perfection still admitted continued growth. He described it as love for God and neighbor governing the heart and life. (Wesley Center Online)
That distinction is important.
If we say Wesley taught that a Christian could never make another mistake, we have misrepresented him.
But if we say he taught nothing more than ordinary Christian growth, we have also missed his point.
Wesley believed God could so transform a believer that love governed the person’s thoughts, words, and actions.
And he believed this could happen during the believer’s lifetime.
That is the claim we need to examine.
2. WHAT DID WESLEY MEAN BY “SIN”?
Here we encounter a definition that affects his entire argument.
Wesley distinguished between what he called sin “properly so called”—a voluntary violation of a known law of God—and involuntary failures arising from ignorance, mistake, or human weakness.
He believed even the most mature Christian could still make such mistakes and still needed the atoning work of Christ because of them. (Wesley Center Online)
That helps us understand how Wesley could speak about Christian perfection while also saying that a Christian still needed Christ’s continuing work.
But now we must ask:
DOES SCRIPTURE ALWAYS USE THE WORD SIN AS NARROWLY AS WESLEY SOMETIMES DEFINED IT?
James wrote:
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” — James 4:17, KJV
That certainly includes knowingly failing to do what is right.
But read Leviticus 4.
The law also speaks repeatedly about a person sinning through ignorance and then becoming aware of it.
Read Leviticus 4:2–3 and 4:27–28.
And John wrote:
“All unrighteousness is sin.” — 1 John 5:17, KJV
So we must distinguish Wesley’s theological definition from the full range of biblical language.
That matters because:
IF WE CHANGE THE DEFINITION OF SIN, WE MAY CHANGE THE ANSWER TO WHETHER SOMEONE CAN LIVE WITHOUT IT.
3. DOES JESUS COMMAND US TO BE PERFECT?
Yes.
Jesus said:
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” — Matthew 5:48, KJV
That is a command we cannot simply ignore.
But what does Jesus mean by perfect?
Read Matthew 5:43–48.
Jesus has just told His disciples:
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.” — Matthew 5:44, KJV
He points out that the Father sends His sun and rain upon both the evil and the good.
His disciples must not limit their love to people who love them in return.
The Greek word translated perfect is teleios. Depending upon context, it can describe what is complete, mature, or brought to its intended goal.
In this context, Jesus is speaking about a love that does not stop at the boundaries of friendship or personal advantage.
But does that command establish that a Christian can reach a condition of complete freedom from sin during this life?
That is a further conclusion.
WE MUST DISTINGUISH THE STANDARD JESUS COMMANDS FROM A CLAIM ABOUT WHEN AND HOW COMPLETELY WE REACH THAT STANDARD.
4. DOES A COMMAND PROVE THAT WE CAN OBEY IT PERFECTLY?
Jesus commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Read Mark 12:29–30.
We are responsible for taking that command seriously.
But does the existence of the command prove that every Christian can fulfill it without any remaining failure during this life?
A command establishes what God requires.
It does not necessarily tell us everything about the process by which God changes us or when that process reaches completion.
Consider Romans 7:7–13.
Paul explains that the law identifies sin.
Then read Romans 8:1–13.
Paul describes what God has accomplished through Christ and the Spirit, and he calls believers to put to death the deeds of the body.
The passages must be read together.
God’s commands tell us how we ought to live.
The rest of Scripture helps us understand how God enables us to live that way and where that transformation is headed.
5. DOES “BE HOLY” MEAN “YOU WILL NEVER SIN AGAIN”?
Peter wrote:
“Be ye holy; for I am holy.” — 1 Peter 1:16, KJV
Read 1 Peter 1:13–25.
Peter calls Christians to prepare their minds, live as obedient children, and conduct themselves with reverence.
He grounds that call in the holiness of God and the redeeming work of Christ.
The passage leaves no room for treating holiness as optional.
But Peter does not say that every Christian who is holy has reached a condition in which no further growth or correction is necessary.
In fact, he soon tells his readers to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and evil speaking.
Read 1 Peter 2:1–2.
Then he tells them to grow.
The call to holiness is clear.
The claim that holiness requires a distinct, completed experience of perfection during this life must be established separately.
6. WHAT DOES “SANCTIFICATION” MEAN?
The biblical language of sanctification concerns being holy or set apart for God.
But the New Testament speaks about holiness in more than one way.
Paul addressed the Corinthians as:
“them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints.” — 1 Corinthians 1:2, KJV
Yet the same letter corrects their divisions, pride, sexual immorality, and misuse of the Lord’s Supper.
Read 1 Corinthians 1:10–13; 5:1–13; 11:17–34.
They are called sanctified, but they still need correction.
Now read 1 Thessalonians 4:3–8.
Paul says:
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.” — 1 Thessalonians 4:3, KJV
He then instructs them about holy conduct.
These passages show why context matters.
Scripture can speak of believers as sanctified in Christ while also calling those same believers to live holy lives.
WE SHOULD NOT ASSUME THAT EVERY USE OF SANCTIFICATION DESCRIBES EXACTLY THE SAME POINT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
7. WHAT DOES 1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 ACTUALLY SAY?
Paul wrote:
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:23, KJV
He continued:
“and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:23, KJV
Then:
“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:24, KJV
This became an important passage in Wesleyan and later Holiness teaching.
Paul prays that God will sanctify believers wholly.
We should not weaken that language.
But notice the setting.
Paul connects the prayer with:
“THE COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.”
So what exactly is Paul promising?
Must complete sanctification occur in a distinct experience before death?
Is Paul expressing confidence that God will continue His work and finally complete it at Christ’s coming?
Does the prayer embrace both present sanctification and final completion?
The passage does not identify a second conversion-like experience or prescribe a particular sequence of spiritual events.
We must not ignore the promise.
But neither should we detach it from Christ’s coming.
8. WHAT DOES HEBREWS 10:14 MEAN BY “PERFECTED”?
The writer says:
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” — Hebrews 10:14, KJV
That sounds remarkably strong.
Christ has:
“PERFECTED FOR EVER”
those who are sanctified.
But read Hebrews 10:1–18.
The subject is Christ’s sacrifice.
The writer is contrasting the repeated sacrifices of the old covenant with the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ.
Christ’s offering accomplishes what those repeated sacrifices could not accomplish.
The passage does not say that every believer has already reached complete maturity in conduct.
It says something decisive has been accomplished by Christ’s sacrifice.
And what does the writer do next?
He tells Christians to draw near.
He tells them to hold fast.
He tells them to encourage one another.
Read Hebrews 10:19–25.
CHRIST’S COMPLETED SACRIFICE IS THE FOUNDATION FOR CONTINUED FAITHFULNESS, NOT A REASON TO STOP LISTENING TO HIS WARNINGS.
9. DID PAUL SAY HE HAD ALREADY BECOME PERFECT?
Paul wrote:
“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after.” — Philippians 3:12, KJV
Read Philippians 3:7–16.
Paul has been speaking about knowing Christ, sharing His sufferings, and attaining unto the resurrection of the dead.
He says he has not yet obtained the goal.
He continues pressing toward it.
That challenges any claim that Paul considered himself to have reached final completion.
But we must be equally careful with the other side of the argument.
Paul does not say:
“Since I have not arrived, holiness is impossible, so why try?”
He says the opposite.
HE PRESSES ON.
And Wesley did not claim that Christian perfection meant the final completion Paul describes here. Wesley continued to allow for mistakes, temptation, weakness, and further growth. (Wesley Center Online)
So Philippians 3:12 cannot simply be quoted as a one-verse answer to every possible meaning of perfection.
10. WHY DOES PAUL CALL SOME CHRISTIANS “PERFECT” IN VERSE 15?
Only three verses after saying he is not yet perfect, Paul writes:
“Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.” — Philippians 3:15, KJV
How can Paul say:
“I AM NOT YET PERFECT”
and then:
“AS MANY AS BE PERFECT”?
Because the same word can function differently in different contexts.
There is a difference between present Christian maturity and reaching the final goal.
The mature Christian recognizes that the journey is not finished.
He does not claim to have arrived.
He continues pressing toward Christ.
This is exactly why we must not force one English definition onto every occurrence of a biblical word.
CONTEXT DETERMINES MEANING.
11. WHAT DOES 1 JOHN 1:8 SAY?
John wrote:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” — 1 John 1:8, KJV
He continued:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” — 1 John 1:9, KJV
Read the entire paragraph from 1 John 1:5 through 2:2.
John says God is light.
He calls believers to walk in the light.
He speaks of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.
He warns against claiming to have no sin.
He speaks of confessing our sins.
And then he writes:
“And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” — 1 John 2:1, KJV
These statements should make us very cautious about claiming that we no longer need confession, forgiveness, or Christ’s advocacy.
Wesley himself did not claim that Christian perfection removed our need for Christ. He continued to say that even the most mature Christian needed Christ’s atoning work because of shortcomings, mistakes, and human weakness. (Wesley Center Online)
But does John rule out Wesley’s narrower claim concerning freedom from deliberate sin?
We need to keep reading.
12. DOES JOHN ALSO SAY THAT CHRISTIANS DO NOT SIN?
Yes.
That is why we cannot stop at 1 John 1:8.
John wrote:
“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.” — 1 John 3:6, KJV
And:
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.” — 1 John 3:9, KJV
Read 1 John 2:28–3:10.
John draws a sharp contrast between righteousness and sin.
He does not give Christians permission to continue in sin.
But the same John has already said:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves.” — 1 John 1:8, KJV
And:
“if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” — 1 John 2:1, KJV
We have to let John say all of it.
Whatever explanation we give to 1 John 3, it must also account for 1 John 1 and 2.
A reading that erases either side has not accounted for the whole letter.
JOHN CALLS CHRISTIANS AWAY FROM SIN WHILE CONTINUING TO DIRECT THEM TO CHRIST WHEN THEY SIN.
13. DOES ROMANS 6 PROMISE FREEDOM FROM SIN?
Paul asks:
“Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” — Romans 6:1, KJV
His answer:
“God forbid.” — Romans 6:2, KJV
Read Romans 6:1–14.
Paul says those baptized into Christ were baptized into His death.
He says:
“we also should walk in newness of life.” — Romans 6:4, KJV
He describes a decisive change in the Christian’s relationship to sin.
Then notice what he says:
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.” — Romans 6:12, KJV
Why give that instruction to Christians?
Because they must continue refusing sin’s rule.
Romans 6 does not describe sin as a master Christians are helplessly required to obey.
But neither does it say temptation has disappeared or vigilance is no longer necessary.
FREED FROM SIN’S RULE DOES NOT MEAN FREE TO STOP RESISTING SIN.
14. WHAT ABOUT ROMANS 7?
Romans 7:14–25 describes a struggle involving the desire to do what is right and the experience of doing what is wrong.
Christians have long disagreed about precisely whom Paul is describing.
Some understand the passage primarily as life under the law apart from the deliverance described in Christ.
Others understand it as describing a continuing struggle experienced by believers.
Others see Paul speaking representatively about humanity confronted by God’s law.
We should not settle the disagreement merely by pointing to Paul’s use of the word I.
Read Romans 7:7–25 together with Romans 6 and 8.
Follow Paul’s argument about:
SIN.
LAW.
CHRIST.
THE SPIRIT.
Romans 7 should not be used to excuse deliberate sin.
Nor should it be used, without further argument, to establish that every Christian must continue committing a certain amount of sin throughout life.
The question is what Paul is actually doing in the argument.
15. WHAT DOES GALATIANS 5 SAY ABOUT THE SPIRIT AND THE FLESH?
Paul wrote:
“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” — Galatians 5:16, KJV
He then describes the conflict between flesh and Spirit.
Read Galatians 5:16–26.
He lists the works of the flesh.
Then he describes the fruit of the Spirit:
“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.” — Galatians 5:22–23, KJV
This gives us a positive picture of Christian transformation.
God’s work is not merely about removing outward misconduct.
It involves the kind of people we become.
But notice Paul’s continuing instruction:
“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” — Galatians 5:25, KJV
The Christians must continue walking.
The passage describes the life they are called to live.
It does not identify a moment at which every believer has permanently completed that process.
16. DOES PERFECT LOVE REMOVE THE POSSIBILITY OF SIN?
Wesley emphasized love as the central feature of Christian perfection.
That emphasis deserves careful attention.
Jesus said the greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor.
Read Matthew 22:37–40.
Paul wrote:
“love is the fulfilling of the law.” — Romans 13:10, KJV
And Galatians speaks of:
“faith which worketh by love.” — Galatians 5:6, KJV
The New Testament gives love a central place in Christian living.
But now ask two different questions.
Can a Christian genuinely love God and still make a mistake?
Can a Christian genuinely love God and still fail to act lovingly?
Wesley answered the first question yes. He distinguished unavoidable mistakes and infirmities from deliberate violations of God’s known law. (Wesley Center Online)
The second question requires us to consider the continuing New Testament instructions about correction, confession, vigilance, and growth.
We should not define love so loosely that it excuses wrongdoing.
But neither should we treat every human limitation as proof that a person does not love God.
17. WHAT DOES 1 JOHN 4:17–18 MEAN BY PERFECT LOVE?
John wrote:
“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment.” — 1 John 4:17, KJV
He continued:
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.” — 1 John 4:18, KJV
Read 1 John 4:7–21.
John is discussing God’s love revealed through His Son and the love believers are to have for one another.
He connects perfected love with confidence before God.
He contrasts that confidence with fear.
But does he say that a person whose love is perfected can never commit another sin?
He does not state that here.
Does he describe a separate experience through which the person enters a second stage of Christianity?
He does not state that here either.
We should take seriously what the passage says.
But we should not add a detailed system of spiritual stages unless Scripture establishes it.
18. WHAT DOES “BE PERFECT” MEAN IN JAMES 1?
James wrote:
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” — James 1:4, KJV
Read James 1:2–18.
James is discussing trials, patience, wisdom, temptation, and God’s goodness.
The word perfect describes the completeness or maturity that steadfast endurance is to produce.
But the same chapter warns believers about temptation and sinful desire.
Read James 1:13–15.
James does not describe Christian maturity as freedom from every future trial or temptation.
He calls believers to endure faithfully.
Again we learn:
“PERFECT” DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN “INCAPABLE OF EVER SINNING AGAIN.”
A Christian can be mature without having reached the final resurrection.
And a call to maturity does not, by itself, establish a distinct second experience of entire sanctification.
19. WHAT DOES EPHESIANS 4 SAY ABOUT MATURITY?
Paul says Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the building up of His people.
Read Ephesians 4:11–16.
He describes the goal:
“unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” — Ephesians 4:13, KJV
Notice the setting.
Paul is not merely describing a private spiritual experience.
He is describing the growth of Christ’s body.
Believers are to grow out of instability.
They are to resist false teaching.
They are to speak the truth in love.
They are to contribute to the growth of the body.
Maturity is a goal toward which Christians grow together.
The passage does not describe a separate ceremony or experience by which each individual enters a permanently completed condition.
And it reminds us that holiness cannot be reduced to what we claim has happened inside our hearts.
HOW WE TREAT OTHER PEOPLE MATTERS.
20. DID WESLEY TEACH THAT PERFECTION COULD NEVER BE LOST?
No.
Wesley did not believe Christian perfection made a believer incapable of falling.
He continued to warn those who claimed this experience against pride and urged them to acknowledge honestly if they fell from it. He also insisted that Christian perfection allowed continued growth. (Wesley Center Online)
That is important because the word perfection can sound as though the person has reached a permanent condition beyond all danger.
Wesley did not mean that.
Now compare the biblical warnings.
Paul wrote:
“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” — 1 Corinthians 10:12, KJV
Read Hebrews 3:12–14.
Jesus told His disciples to abide in Him.
Read John 15:1–10.
These passages call Christians to continued faithfulness.
They do not encourage us to declare ourselves beyond the need for warning, correction, vigilance, or dependence upon Christ.
21. WHAT IS “ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION” IN THE HOLINESS MOVEMENT?
During the nineteenth century, a renewed emphasis on Wesleyan holiness spread through Methodist circles and beyond them.
Phoebe Palmer became one of its influential teachers. Holiness meetings, publications, camp meetings, evangelists, and new church organizations helped spread the movement.
The Church of the Nazarene later emerged through the union of several Holiness groups and continues to identify itself with the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. (Church of the Nazarene)
Today the Church of the Nazarene describes entire sanctification as a work of God’s grace subsequent to regeneration, involving entire devotion to God and love made perfect. It also teaches continued growth, with final glorification completing the believer’s conformity to Christ. (Church of the Nazarene)
That is their theological explanation.
Our question is:
DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT DESCRIBE ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION AS A DISTINCT WORK OF GRACE FOLLOWING CONVERSION?
We must examine the passages used to support that conclusion.
22. DOES ACTS 2 ESTABLISH A SECOND WORK OF GRACE?
At Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost.
Read Acts 2:1–4.
Peter explained the event through Joel’s prophecy and proclaimed Jesus as the risen and exalted Lord.
Read Acts 2:14–36.
When the crowd asked what to do, Peter answered:
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” — Acts 2:38, KJV
He also promised:
“ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” — Acts 2:38, KJV
Some later Christian traditions distinguish conversion from a subsequent experience of the Spirit’s fullness or sanctifying work.
But what does Acts 2 itself establish?
The apostles’ experience occurred at a decisive point in God’s unfolding plan.
Peter connected it with the exalted Christ pouring out the Spirit.
Then the crowd was called to respond to the gospel.
The chapter does not explicitly establish that every Christian must experience a second, separate event of entire sanctification after conversion.
Nor should we assume that Pentecost and every later reference to being filled with the Spirit describe identical events.
Each passage must be read in its own setting.
23. WHAT ABOUT THE SAMARITANS IN ACTS 8?
Philip preached Christ in Samaria.
The people believed and were baptized.
Later Peter and John came from Jerusalem, prayed for them, and laid their hands upon them.
Read Acts 8:4–17.
This sequence has been important in discussions about experiences of the Holy Spirit after baptism.
But several questions must be answered before turning it into a universal pattern.
What did Luke mean by receiving the Holy Ghost in this account?
Why did Peter and John come from Jerusalem?
What role did the apostles’ laying on of hands play?
And how does this event relate to the inclusion of Samaritans in the expanding church?
The passage describes a real event.
IT DOES NOT CALL THAT EVENT “ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION.”
Nor does Luke say every Christian must follow exactly the same sequence.
We should not insert a later theological label into Luke’s account before establishing that the label accurately describes what happened.
24. DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT PROMISE CONTINUING GROWTH?
Yes.
Peter wrote:
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” — 2 Peter 3:18, KJV
Paul prayed that the Philippians’ love would:
“abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” — Philippians 1:9, KJV
He also told them:
“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” — Philippians 2:12, KJV
Then immediately:
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” — Philippians 2:13, KJV
Those verses hold two truths together.
GOD WORKS IN HIS PEOPLE.
HIS PEOPLE CONTINUE RESPONDING TO HIM.
We must not turn growth into an attempt to earn salvation.
But neither should we use grace as an excuse for refusing to grow.
The New Testament describes a life of continuing faith, obedience, love, correction, and dependence upon God.
That remains true whether a Christian describes a particular experience as a dramatic turning point or not.
25. WHEN WILL GOD’S WORK IN HIS PEOPLE BE COMPLETE?
Paul wrote:
“he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” — Philippians 1:6, KJV
Read Philippians 1:3–11.
Paul expresses confidence in God’s continuing work among the Philippians, and he connects it with the day of Christ.
Now read 1 John 3:2–3.
John says:
“when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” — 1 John 3:2, KJV
Then he draws a present conclusion:
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” — 1 John 3:3, KJV
Our future hope does not cancel the present call to holiness.
It strengthens it.
Finally, read 1 Corinthians 15:50–57.
Paul describes the transformation of the mortal into immortality and the final victory over death.
Scripture gives Christians a future hope that extends beyond whatever degree of maturity we experience in our present mortal lives.
WE SHOULD NOT CONFUSE THE TRANSFORMATION GOD IS WORKING IN US NOW WITH EVERYTHING HE HAS PROMISED TO COMPLETE WHEN CHRIST RETURNS.
26. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Wesley taught that God’s grace could bring a Christian to perfect love during this life.
He did not mean freedom from ignorance.
He did not mean freedom from mistakes.
He did not mean freedom from temptation.
He did not mean that growth had ended.
And he did not mean that the Christian no longer needed Christ. (Wesley Center Online)
Later Holiness movements developed teachings about entire sanctification, often emphasizing a distinct work of grace after conversion. (Church of the Nazarene)
We have examined the passages most relevant to those claims.
Scripture commands holiness.
It calls Christians to love God and neighbor.
It describes believers as sanctified in Christ while continuing to call them to holy conduct.
It warns against sin.
It directs believers to Christ for forgiveness.
It calls Christians to grow.
And it promises that God will complete His work in His people.
The remaining interpretive question is whether Scripture establishes Wesley’s particular understanding of Christian perfection or a distinct experience of entire sanctification during this life.
We should not weaken the Bible’s call to holiness because we are afraid of the word perfect.
But neither should we claim more about our present condition than the text establishes.
READ FIRST. CONCLUDE LATER.
Whatever church background we come from, none of us is exempt.
27. WHERE DOES OUR HISTORY GO NEXT?
The Holiness movement did not remain one organization.
Its emphasis upon sanctification, revival, and the work of the Holy Spirit influenced several later Christian movements.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, some Christians began teaching that baptism in the Holy Spirit was a distinct experience associated with speaking in tongues.
Others understood the gifts of the Spirit differently.
Those disagreements helped shape the Pentecostal movement.
But before we examine that history, we need to ask what the New Testament actually says about spiritual gifts.
Did every Christian receive the same gifts?
How were miraculous gifts received?
What purpose did they serve?
And were they intended to continue in the same way throughout the entire history of the church?
That takes us to our next study:
DID THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVE EVERY CHRISTIAN THE SAME GIFTS?
TEXT B4 TRADITION
Read First. Conclude Later.
RETURN TO MAIN SERIES: ONE CHURCH, SO MANY DIVISIONS—WHAT HAPPENED?
NEXT STUDY: DID THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVE EVERY CHRISTIAN THE SAME GIFTS?