Christian perfection

thumb|right|The mediaeval scala naturae as a staircase, implying the [[orthogenesis|possibility of progress: Ramon Llull's Ladder of Ascent and Descent of the Mind, 1305]]

Within many denominations of Christianity, Christian perfection is the theological concept of the process or the event of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by pure love of God and other people as well as personal holiness or sanctification. Other terms used for this or similar concepts include entire sanctification, holiness, perfect love, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, baptism by fire, the second blessing, and the second work of grace.

Understandings of the doctrine of Christian Perfection vary widely between Christian traditions, though these denominational interpretations find basis in Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 5:48: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (King James Version).

The Catholic Church teaches that Christian perfection is to be sought after by all of the just (righteous). Eastern Orthodoxy situates Christian perfection as a goal for all Christians. Holiness Pentecostalism inherited the same terminology from Methodism, with exception of the fact that Holiness Pentecostals take the term Baptism with the Holy Spirit to mean a separate third work of grace of empowerment evidenced by speaking in tongues, whereas Methodists use the term Baptism of the Holy Spirit to refer to the second work of grace, entire sanctification.

Other denominations, such as the Lutheran Churches and Reformed Churches, reject the possibility of Christian perfection in this life as contrary to the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, holding that deliverance from sin is begun at conversion but is only completed in glorification. Contrasting to all, Christian Science teaches that as man is made in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:27), "The great spiritual fact must be brought out that man is, not shall be, perfect and immortal".

Terminology

The terms "perfect" and "perfection" are drawn from the Greek teleios and teleiōsis, respectively. The root word, telos, means an "end" or "goal". In recent translations, teleios and teleiōsis are often rendered as "mature" and "maturity", respectively, so as not to imply an absolute perfection of no defects. But the words "mature" and "maturity" do not capture the full meaning of "end" or "goal". (Even these recent translations use the word "perfect" when not referring to people, as in James 1:17.) In the Christian tradition, teleiōsis has also referred to personal wholeness or health, an unswerving commitment to the goal.

Church Fathers and Medieval Theologians

thumb|upright=1|In the [[Farewell Discourse Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to his disciples after his departure; depiction from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308–1311.]]

The roots of the doctrine of Christian perfection lie in the writings of some early theologians considered Church Fathers: Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen and later Macarius of Egypt and Gregory of Nyssa.

Irenaeus wrote about the spiritual transformation that occurred in the believer as the Holy Spirit is to "fit us for God." Pseudo-Macarius taught that inner sin was rooted out of the pure in heart, but he also warned against the hidden potential for sin in everyone so that no one should ever say, "Because I am in grace, I am thoroughly freed from sin."

By the 4th century, the pursuit of the life of perfection was identified with asceticism, especially monasticism and withdrawal from the world. In the 12th century, Bernard of Clairvaux developed the idea of the ladder of love in his treatise, On the Love of God. This ladder had four rungs or degrees. The first and lowest degree was love of self for self. The second degree was love of God for what he gives. The third degree was love of God for his own sake; it would not be difficult, according to Bernard, for those who truly loved God to keep his commandments. The fourth degree was love of self only for God's sake; it was believed that this degree of perfection in love was only rarely achieved before death.

Thomas Aquinas wrote of three possible levels of perfection. The first, absolute perfection, is where God is loved as much as he can be loved; only God himself can be this perfect. The second level, where love for God fills a person constantly, is possible after death but not in life. The lowest level of perfection was thought to be possible to achieve while living. Theologian Thomas Noble described Aquinas' view of this level of perfection as follows:

According to the standard formulation of the process of Christian perfection, as formulated by Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite (late 5th to early 6th century), there are three stages:

Anabaptist teaching

Anabaptist Christians (inclusive of the Mennonite, Amish, Hutterite, Bruderhof, Schwarzenau Brethren, River Brethren and Apostolic Christian denominations) believe that "because they have voluntarily chosen to follow Christ as their only authority", they can be successful in their pursuit of Christian perfection. Professor of Religious Studies Ira Chernus explicates Anabaptist doctrine:

Wesleyan teaching

John Wesley

In traditional Calvinism and high church Anglicanism, perfection was viewed as a gift bestowed on righteous persons only after their death (see Glorification). John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was responsible for reviving the idea of spiritual perfection in Protestantism. Wesley's views were elaborated in A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, published in 1777.

According to Noble, Wesley transformed Christian perfection as found in church tradition by interpreting it through a Protestant lens that understood sanctification in light of justification by grace through faith working by love. Wesley believed that regeneration (or the new birth), which occurred simultaneously with justification, was the beginning of sanctification. From his reading of Romans 6 and 1 John 3:9, Wesley concluded that a consequence of the new birth was power over sin. In a sermon titled "Christian Perfection", Wesley preached that "A Christian is so far perfect as not to commit sin."

"The term 'sinless perfection' was one which Wesley never used because of its ambiguity." John William Fletcher, an early Methodist divine whom John Wesley chose to lead the Methodist movement if he died, clarified the Wesleyan doctrine by stating "that the doctrine of an evangelically sinless perfection is truly Scriptural." And "I say evangelically sinless, because, without the word evangelically, the phrase "sinless perfection" gives an occasion of cavilling to those who seek it." Methodists are able to hold this doctrine based upon Wesley's definition of actual sin:<blockquote>Nothing is sin, strictly speaking, but a voluntary transgression of a known law of God. Therefore, every voluntary breach of the law of love is sin; and nothing else, if we speak properly. To strain the matter farther is only to make way for Calvinism. There may be ten thousand wandering thoughts, and forgetful intervals, without any breach of love, though not without transgressing the Adamic law. But Calvinists would fain confound these together. Let love fill your heart, and it is enough!</blockquote>Involuntary transgressions (such as those arising from ignorance, error, and evil tempers), according to Wesley, were not properly called sins. Therefore, regenerated Christians would continue to be guilty of involuntary transgressions and would need to practice regular confession. Furthermore, Christians continued to face temptation, and Wesley acknowledged that it was possible for a regenerated Christian to commit voluntary sin (if, in the words of Noble, the Christian ceased "actively trusting in God through Christ and living in the divine presence"), which would also necessitate confession of sin.

The power over sin received at regeneration was just the lowest stage of Christian perfection according to Wesley. Based on 1 John 2, Wesley proposed three stages in the Christian life: little children, young men, and finally fathers. Young men were defined as those who had experienced victory over temptation and evil thoughts. Fathers were defined as mature Christians who were filled with the love of God.

Wesley believed this last stage of Christian maturity was made possible by what he called entire sanctification (a phrase derived from First Thessalonians 5:23). In Wesley's theology, entire sanctification was a second work of grace received by faith that removed inbred or original sin, and this allowed the Christian to enter a state of perfect love—"Love excluding sin" as stated in the sermon "The Scripture Way of Salvation". Wesley described it as having "purity of intention", "dedicating all the life to God", "loving God with all our heart", and as being the "renewal of the heart in the whole image of God". A life of perfect love meant living in a way that was centered on loving God and one's neighbor. As such, Wesley taught that the manifestation of being entirely sanctified included engagement in works of piety and works of mercy. In his Sermon called "The Circumcision of the Heart" Wesley described it like this:<blockquote>It is that habitual disposition of soul which, in the sacred writings, is termed holiness; and which directly implies, the being cleansed from sin, "from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit;" and, by consequence, the being endued with those virtues which were also in Christ Jesus; the being so "renewed in the spirit of our mind," as to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect."</blockquote>Even this was not an absolute perfection. The entirely sanctified Christian was perfect in love, meaning that the heart is undivided in its love for God or that it loves nothing that conflicts with its love for God. Christians perfected in love were still subject to conditions of the Fall and liable to commit unintentional transgressions. In consequence, these Christians still had to depend on forgiveness through Christ's atonement. However, with Wesley's concept of sin, he did believe in freedom from sin. In fact, he described it like this: "Certainly sanctification (in the proper sense) is "an instantaneous deliverance from all sin;" and includes "an instantaneous power then given".

Wesley's concept of Christian perfection had both gradual and instantaneous elements. In his 1765 sermon "The Scripture Way of Salvation", Wesley emphasized the instantaneous side, stating, "Do you believe we are sanctified by faith? Be true, then, to your principle and look for this blessing just as you are, neither better nor worse; as a poor sinner that has still nothing to pay, nothing to plead but 'Christ died'. And if you look for it as you are, then expect it now."

In "Thoughts on Christian Perfection" (1759), Wesley stressed the gradual aspect of perfection, writing that it was to be received "in a zealous keeping of all the commandments; in watchfulness and painfulness; in denying ourselves and taking up our cross daily; as well as in earnest prayer and fasting and a close attendance on all the ordinances of God ...it is true we receive it by simple faith; but God does not, will not, give that faith unless we seek it with all diligence in the way which he hath ordained." In addition, Wesley also believed that Christian perfection, once received, might be forfeited. The systematic theologian of Methodism, John William Fletcher, termed the reception of entire sanctification as Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

John Wesley taught outward holiness as an expression of "inward transformation" and theologians in the Wesleyan Methodist tradition have noted that the observance of standards of dress and behaviour should follow the New Birth as an act of obedience to God.

Mainline Methodism

thumb|upright=1.5|Methodists often seek the [[born again|new birth and entire sanctification at the mourners' bench or chancel rails during services held in local churches, tent revivals and camp meetings (pictured are people praying at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Pasadena, Maryland).]]

Calling it "the grand depositum" of the Methodist faith, Wesley specifically taught that the propagation of the doctrine of entire sanctification to the rest of Christendom was the main reason that God raised up the Methodists in the world. Methodists taught that through entire sanctification, the heart was made perfect in love and original sin was eradicated. After Wesley's death, his teachings on Christian perfection remained important to the Methodist church, but, according to historian David Bebbington, "the tradition fell into decay." As later generations of Methodists sought greater respectability in the eyes of other Christian denominations, some turned to "a watered-down version" of the doctrine outlined by William Arthur (who served as Secretary of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society) in his popular work The Tongue of Fire, published in 1856. While Arthur encouraged readers to pray for a greater experience of the Holy Spirit, he de-emphasized the instantaneous aspect of Christian perfection. According to Bebbington, this eliminated the distinctiveness of Wesleyan entire sanctification, and by the 1860s, the idea that Christian perfection was a decisive second blessing or stage in Christian sanctification had fallen out of favor among some Methodists, though not all Methodists, as academic institutions affiliated with mainline Methodism such as Asbury Theological Seminary, Methodist camp meetings, and other Holiness Methodist associations within the Church continued to be a beacon for the holiness movement.

Candidates for ordination are asked the following question, "Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?" In the Methodist Church of Great Britain, the distinctive Wesleyan teachings are summed up in the phrase "All need to be saved; all can be saved; all can know they are saved; all can be saved to the uttermost" (the word "uttermost" referring to Christian perfection).

The Confession of Faith, one of the Doctrinal Standards of the Global Methodist Church and the United Methodist Church, teaches that entire sanctification may be bestowed upon the believer gradually or instantaneously:

the Calvary Holiness Association, the Congregational Holiness Church, the Free Gospel Church, the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, the Church of God (Cleveland), the Church of God in Christ and The (Original) Church of God; the Heritage Bible College is a Bible college that trains many Holiness Pentecostal clergy. In the United States, major Holiness Pentecostal camp meetings include the Portland AFC Camp Meeting (Portland, Oregon), Blanchard Holiness Camp Meeting (Blanchard, OK), Dripping Springs Holiness Camp Meeting (Glenwood, Arkansas) and Muldrow Holiness Camp Meeting (Muldrow, OK). For Holiness Pentecostals, entire sanctification is the second work of grace in a series of three distinct blessings that Christians experience. The first work of grace is conversion (the new birth) and the third work of grace is the baptism in the Holy Spirit (which is marked by speaking in tongues). Methodism (inclusive of the holiness movement) teaches two works of grace—the New Birth and Entire Sanctification, while Holiness Pentecostals add a third work of grace, Baptism in the Holy Spirit evidenced by speaking in tongues, to this sequence (in contrast, in Methodism, baptism with the Holy Spirit refers to entire sanctification). According to church historian and theologian Ted A. Campbell, this three-part pattern is often explained by stating "Holy Spirit cannot fill an unclean vessel", so the cleansing of the heart that takes place in entire sanctification is necessary before a person can be filled or baptized with the Holy Spirit. The testimony of those who attended the Azusa Street Revival was "I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost" in reference to the three works of grace of Holiness Pentecostals, the oldest branch of Pentecostalism.

Quaker teaching

George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, taught Christian perfection, also known in the Friends tradition as "perfection", in which the Christian believer could be made free from sin.

The early Quakers, following Fox, taught that as a result of the New Birth through the power of the Holy Spirit, man could be free from actual sinning if he continued to rely on the inward light and "focus on the cross of Christ as the center of faith". George Fox emphasized "personal responsibility for faith and emancipation from sin" in his teaching on perfection.

This traditional Quaker teaching continues to be emphasized by Conservative Friends, such as the Ohio Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends and Holiness Friends, such as the Central Yearly Meeting of Friends.

The presence of Christian perfection within British Quakers is deeply embedded in their Advices and Queries Book of Discipline, which provide both spiritual guidance and practical applications for living a life aligned with divine principles through continuous reflection and community support with the aim to embody the virtue ethics central to their faith, ultimately fostering a deeper connection with what their founder expressed as "that of God in everyone", in compliance with Romans 1:19 statement "That which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them".

Moravian view

The Moravian Church, following the teaching of bishop Nicolaus Zinzendorf, holds that "We are sanctified wholly the moment we are justified, and are neither more nor less holy to the day of our death; entire sanctification and justification being in one and the same instant."

Keswickian teaching

Keswickian theology teaches a second work of grace that occurs through "surrender and faith", in which God keeps an individual from sin. Keswickian denominations, such as the Christian and Missionary Alliance, differ from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement in that the Christian and Missionary Alliance does not see entire sanctification as cleansing one from original sin, whereas holiness denominations espousing the Wesleyan–Arminian theology affirm this belief.

Criticism

There are Protestant denominations that reject the possibility of Christian perfection. Lutherans, citing letters by Paul of Tarsus in and , believe that "although we will strive for Christian perfection, we will not attain it in this life." Modern apologists further note that:

While Presbyterians believe that Christians do "grow in God's grace" or holiness as they become conformed to the image of Christ, they reject the notion that perfection is attainable. In their view, sin will continue to affect one's motives and actions. This means that perfection is only attainable in glorification after death.

Christian perfection

Terminology

Church Fathers and Medieval Theologians

Anabaptist teaching

Wesleyan teaching

John Wesley

Mainline Methodism

Quaker teaching

Moravian view

Keswickian teaching

Criticism

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

Catholic

Methodist

Lutheran

External links