so a lot of people ask me what church i go to, why i became a member and what it means to be a nazarene. entire sanctification is one of the distinctions, and i really don't know why people have a problem with it. in my opinion, i don't think i.would be able to be a Christian if i didn't believe in entire sanctification. what is the point of new life if you can't actually BE new?
as a Christian, to inherit eternal life, we must be born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus. Without being born again, regenerated, new, transformed, metamorphosis, etc, where is the eternal life? and if we are transformed only a little, what is the point? if Jesus can't take away ALL the sin, then how am i really believing He is all powerful? i am not sure i could commit to or would want a god who isn't all powerful, able to remove ALL sin, including original, which its what entire sanctification is about. it's not saying it's immediate, guaranteed, or easy. it's that it is possible and Jesus is perfect enough, God is gracious enough, and the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to give this "Christian perfection" when He wants, to whom He wants, and for however long He wants.
if you don't agree, please explain to me why not. maybe i'm just an idealist, but i really do believe we, as Christians, CAN BE PERFECT, but that it is not of us, but of God, a second grace that i pray i receive.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteI think some of us struggle with the thought of entire sanctification because as Christians, we still fall and we fail. Does that make us any less of a Christian or un-Christian?
Tracing back to our Whatsapp conversation the other day, the difference is in how we view these "falls". Do we trust that God has the ability to completely save us from falling into the devil's traps, or are we merely repentant on Sunday and forgetting on Monday? I think the distinction lies there.
We don't continue to submit to sin even if we fall. We rise again!
Entire sanctification is believing in the verse that "he who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ's day".
He will COMPLETELY cleanse us from our sin, though we might fall now, we will someday be victorious if we DO NOT GIVE UP! HURRAY!!! =)))