Spiritual Shoplifters

BLJ: Years ago while in college, I was a store detective catching shoplifters. I would watch a suspect because of the way they were acting. They would conceal the merchandise they desired to steal and try to leave the store. I would arrest them and hold them accountable. In the same way, people that claim the experience of holiness without paying the price and dying out, are spiritual shoplifters. They are trying to obtain something without paying for it. They will conceal their carnality, just like a thief who tries to hide the object of their theft, and act like they have the rights to the object or experience. Don't be a shoplifter!

SPIRITUAL SHOPLIFTERS

Those who object to the "death-route" will tell you they "took it by faith." When terminology shifts, the whole doctrinal structure of Christian experience shifts with it. If we get sanctified at all, we will get it by faith, but not without the crucifixion of self. Leaving out time honored terms will lead to leaving out a needed emphasis, which in turn will cause many to fail to enter into the experience of holiness. (Emphasis BLJ) It shifts to the idea of getting the goods without paying the price -- shoplifters! That would be like seeing something in the store and "taking it by faith" and walking out without paying the price! The "death-route" costs one everything. The "take-it-by-faith route," as some advocate, costs one nothing -- just take it and walk out! The whole idea of seeking to escape the surrender of self to its own crucifixion is foreign to the basic principles of the Christian religion. The "faith-route," when the "death-route" is rejected, is a compromise tactic.

BLJ: I also have found when the terminology changes, the experience becomes shallow at best. The terms consecration, entire sanctification, eradication, carnality, etc. seems to have disappeared from the language of the church today. Let us return to the language of our holiness fathers and maybe we will have the results they had.

The only people who have become sanctified wholly without a noticeable dying process are those who had their "dying-out" already complete. When one has paid the price, then he might not have to tarry a minute for the fire to fall. It is a self-evident fact that those who cross over into Canaan and are sanctified wholly very soon after their conversion, usually find it easier to "die out" to self. They went after carnality when it was at its weakest. But if they failed to press on in at the opportune time, they may wander in the wilderness until carnality became stronger and harder to bring to crucifixion. Wesley used to encourage his converts to start seeking holiness at once. No better advice could ever be given.

BLJ: Never delay seeking holiness.

Others, because of greater light, may have done more consecrating and dying out when they got saved. This is particularly true of backsliders from holiness. It may be, therefore, that these have less struggle in getting dead to self. These examples in no way discredit the need for one to die out to self until he is on believing ground.