The Pursuit of the Holy God - Church of God of Prophecy

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Biblical Understanding of Holiness Definition of Sin In his classic work, A Right Conception of Sin, Richard S. Taylor argues that, “Any doctrine that relates to sin, is affected by our understanding and definition of sin. Most errors in theology can usually find their roots in a defective definition of sin.” 46 All unrighteousness is sin. That is, whatever is not of righteousness—by commission or omission—is sin. Sin is both a condition and an act of transgression against the law of God, nature, or society. Sin has its origin in Satan (Luke10:18); not in man nor could it be in God (Job 34:10). Sin is older than man since sin was first found in Lucifer. Satan became the first sinner when he was lifted up with pride and desired equality with God (Isaiah 14:12-14). Since sin entered the world, sin has become universal, “All have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Thus man is depraved—in fact, totally depraved. Notwithstanding modernism and the dressings of language and phraseology, we cannot afford to see sin from the standpoint of modern culture and modernism. The one and only right perspective to viewing sin is from the standpoint of God. That is, how does God see sin? It is only by a right perception of sin, its corruption, its smears, and heinous nature that we may correctly extol Jesus Christ who offered Himself for the salvation of humanity. Sin entered the world through Adam, and became universal resulting in spiritual death first, and then physical death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). All men are born in sin (Psalm 51:1 - 5), but not born to sin (Romans 6:16). Total depravity means that man’s will, intellect, and emotions are corrupted by sin. Total depravity does not mean there is nothing good at all in man—for man yet bears some signs and evidences of his original good and dignity before ‘the Fall’. Thus, the very principle of sin is unbelief in the Word of God and will lead to a process of gradual decline or deterioration from God’s divine will and purpose for humankind! Jesus Christ took on human nature so he could die. His death on the cross was our death (Romans 6:23). He died in our stead. God took the initiative for our redemption when He provided the suitable and perfect sacrifice in the person of His begotten son, Jesus; who alone is the complete satisfaction to His justice. This is in full demonstration of God’s love for man (John 3:16). God did not stop at the provision for the complete atonement for sin in Jesus; He continues to give the full benefits of that atonement by Himself through His grace and by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, “as many as believe Him to them gives He power to become the sons of God” (John1:12 ASV). Sin is generally seen as a two-fold concept. The first aspect is seen in Psalm 51:5, “In sin did my mother conceive me.” The other is seen in 1 John 3:8, “He that committeth sin is of the devil.” The text from the psalter refers to a nature that comes with birth. This is often referred to as original sin, inherited sin, total depravity or fallen nature. But, the text in 1 John refers to the act of committing sins – also referred to as actual sin. Oftentimes, there can be some difficulty in ascertaining whether a biblical passage is referring to sin as a state or sin as an act. The aspect of theology that deals with the issue of sin is known as hamartiology and is inextricably bound to soteriology, which includes the doctrine of salvation and the resultant doctrines of justification and sanctification. Justification is the declarative act of God wherein the sinner is declared righteous. This is known as imputed righteousness. Paul’s exposition on sin in chapters five and six of the letter to the Romans is helpful in understanding the pervasive effects of sin on humanity as well as humanity’s proper response. Paul repeatedly makes the point that the first man’s sin resulted in humanity’s participation in all the effects of sin (Romans 5:12; 17- 19). Consequently, all humanity is born with this inherited, sinful nature. It is also from this understanding that the doctrine of original sin emerged. 46 Richard S. Taylor. A Right Conception of Sin. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1945, page 9. 20
As it relates to sanctification, the doctrine of original sin becomes critical in understanding the salvific role of this work of grace. In Five Views on Sanctification, Melvin Dieter writes, “A central point in any theology is its accepted position on the nature of the human situation. One’s doctrine of original sin is arguably as determinative a concept as any other for one’s view of sanctification.” 47 Although the doctrine of original sin was somewhat developed before the time of Augustine, it found its most significant development in Augustine’s work in the context of his controversy with Pelagius. Pelagius advanced that individuals are born with the same nature that Adam had prior to the fall. Therefore, the sins that they committed were a result of them simply following the steps of Adam. In reaction to Pelagianism, Augustine introduced the idea of “generic sin” through which human nature was corrupted through Adam’s sinful act. Augustine wrote: Nothing remains but to conclude that in the first man all are understood to have sinned, because all were in him when he sinned; whereby sin is brought in with birth and not removed save by the new birth…It is manifest that in Adam all sin, so to speak, en masse. Hence, by that sin we become a corrupt mass-massa perditionis. 48 Augustine believed that through Adam’s sin, “the entire mass of our nature was ruined and fell into the possession of its destroyer. And from him no one – no not one has been delivered, or will ever be delivered, except by the grace of the Redeemer.” 49 It was the doctrine of original sin and the resultant doctrine of total human depravity that produced some of the fertile ground for the later doctrine of entire sanctification. History of Holiness and Sanctification Any attempt to develop a deeper understanding of the biblical doctrines of holiness and sanctification must include an investigation of the historical developments and understandings throughout the history of the church. There are many direct and indirect sources that detail the continued efforts of the church to interpret the canon of Scripture as it relates to holiness and to accurately apply these understandings to the life of the church. These sources include the writings of, and references to many of the early church fathers. In addition, the writings of Augustine and the later Reformers are of equal importance. More contemporary sources include studies of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. [Note: For further study on these movements and their effect on the doctrine of holiness/ sanctification, an appendix is attached at the end of this document.] A word of caution is necessary, however, when we engage these documents: we must avoid the temptation (in some cases, the tendency) to read contemporary understandings into these historical documents. This creates complications that may distort the original meanings and result in a hermeneutic that may potentially produce errant interpretations. The Apostolic/Early Church Fathers It is noted that the writings of the early church fathers are not abounding with direct references to the doctrine of sanctification. One possible reason for the rarity of references could be attributed to a level of stable understanding by the church fathers relating to this particular issue. This common knowledge may have removed the need for extensive elaboration. Nevertheless, valuable information relating to the 47 Melvin E. Dieter. Ibid, page 21. 48 G. C. Berkouwer. Sin. Grand Rapids: Erdman Publishers, 1971, page 186. 49 Kenneth S. LaTourette. A History of Christianity (Volume 1). San Francisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1975, page 178. 21
Page 1 and 2: The Pursuit of the Holy God: Answer
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Introduction ....
Page 5 and 6: character of God. YHWH would not al
Page 7 and 8: that Isaiah, Moses, the children of
Page 9 and 10: with them played the whore.” This
Page 11 and 12: of listening to God, man’s self-a
Page 13 and 14: This simple diagram illustrates thi
Page 15 and 16: In secular Greek hagiasmos conveyed
Page 17 and 18: The Scripture and observation revea
Page 19: Therefore, we must address ‘missi
Page 23 and 24: as early as A.D. 70 while others su
Page 25 and 26: Augustine Augustine, a towering fig
Page 27 and 28: Ulrich Zwingli is the earliest theo
Page 29 and 30: sanctified.” 78 The end of the pr
Page 31 and 32: as though it were some unified enti
Page 33 and 34: If we take this in its utmost exten
Page 35 and 36: In order to obtain this experience,
Page 37 and 38: Most of those deities have sacred t
Page 39 and 40: The consensus of the council (“it
Page 41 and 42: The journey to a personal sanctific
Page 43 and 44: more we pray, the better we are, an
Page 45 and 46: forgetting those things which are b
Page 47 and 48: Washing of the Blood/Water/Spirit T
Page 49 and 50: Righteousness speaks of the orderin
Page 51 and 52: APPENDIX The Controversy over the T
Page 53 and 54: experience. 130 Much could be writt
Page 55 and 56: The First Blessing Theology Enterin
Page 57 and 58: doctrinal issues that cannot always
Page 59: L. Morris. The Gospel according to

The Pursuit of the Holy God - Church of God of Prophecy

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?