BLJ: I have found that sometimes objections to the holiness doctrine is due to a lack of understanding what exactly do we mean when we say, "Christian Perfection." Today's lesson is about what is included when we use terms like holiness, Christian Perfection or Entire Sanctification.
What does the highest evangelical perfection include?
Under the economy of grace, the measure of man's responsibility and obedience is his actual ability, as a fallen and infirm being, and not the ability of an unfallen being. The commands, -- "To love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," and to "Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect," are to be interpreted in harmony with this view; the Father being the human standard only in purity or holiness, and not in range of powers or natural perfections. The highest evangelical perfection embraces two things:
1st. A perfection of love, proportioned to the power of each individual.
2d. A steady progress in love harmonizing with our circumstances and increasing capacity and ability. Hence Christian perfection must be a relative and modified perfection, proportioned to the individual capacity and strength of the Christian.
To love the Lord with all our heart, is to love him to the extent of the powers and capacity we actually possess, no more, no less. To love him more than with all our heart -- beyond our power and capacity -- would be an absurdity; and to love him less than to the extent of our capacity and powers, our actual ability, would be short of the divine requirement.
Our Heavenly Father requires us to love him (with his assisting grace) as much as we can, to the extent of our actual ability. Perfect love is pure love filling the heart. That is all!
"What doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God, and to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul." Man, by the grace of God, can do as well as he can. "He that does as well as he can does well; angels can do no better, and God requires no more."
In many things, the whole is easier of accomplishment than a part. Total abstinence is easier to an inebriate than partial reformation. Walking uprightly is easier than walking bent over. Normal and full action is easier than abnormal and restrained action. To love God with all the heart, is easier than to love him with a divided heart. A divided service, as well as a halfhearted service, is always a difficult service.
Let it be remembered, God does not require any more than we can actually do through grace. As we can give no more than our all, he requires no more. The divine requirement to love him with all our heart, is adapted to all periods and all intelligences; it is a claim of both Testaments, and binding under all dispensations.
If God requires according to what we have, and not according to what we have not, then all his requirements involve the practicability of their enjoined duties; and whatever lies beyond our assisted powers, can not become the contents of his command. That which we can not do, we cannot be under obligation to do, nor can we be blamed for not doing. It is an affirmation of reason, that responsibility is proportioned to ability, hence, the limit of duty is the limit of ability. To show that this is the correct view of this subject, we give a few learned authorities.
1. The learned Limborch: "For as much as God requires that we should love, not above, but with all our strength, it is evident that nothing exceeding our abilities is required at our hands." -- Limborch's Theologia, Book v. chap. 25.
2. The eloquent Episcopus, the successor of Arminius in the university of Leyden: "Whether a man, assisted by divine grace, can keep all the commands of God, even to a perfect fulfillment, I indeed have no doubt. My reasons are these:
(1) "God commands no other love than is rendered by the whole mind, the whole heart, and all the strength.
(2) "God promises that he will circumcise the heart of his people, that they may love him with their whole heart and mind.
(3) God himself testifies, that there have been those who have kept all his commands all the days of their life with their whole mind and heart and strength, and this in the sight of God -- as we read of Asa, 1 Kings xv. 14." -- Peck's Christian Perfection, p. 134.
3. Bishop Burnet on the thirty-nine articles says: "Christian perfection consists in this, that we love and fear God with all our heart. It is in this that true perfection consists."
4. Bishop Jeremy Taylor: "That it is possible to love God with all the heart, is folly to deny. For he that saith he cannot do a thing with all his strength, that is that he cannot do what he can do, knows not what he saith; and yet to do this is the highest measure and sublimity of perfection, and of keeping the commandments."
These authorities might be greatly extended, to show that Christian perfection is a perfection of love to God; in measure corresponding to the capacity of the soul.
No comments:
Post a Comment