Scriptural Sanctification - Media Sabda Org

"VII. PERFECTION. As applied to man. 1. Legal or Adamic. Entire conformity to the moral law.
'I have seen an end of all perfection, (for) thy law is exceeding broad.' (David.) 2. Celestial. The
complete restoration of both soul and body in the glorified state after the resurrection. 'Not as though
I had already attained, either were already perfect.' (St. Paul.) 3. Ideal or absolute. The combination
of all conceivable excellences in the highest degree. Ascribed only to God, and not to beings capable
of endless progress. 'I am perfect.' (God.) 'If I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.' (Job.)
4. Evangelical or Christian. The loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and our
neighbor as our selves, with the complete exclusion of every feeling contrary to pure love. 'Love is
the fulfilling of the law.' (St. Paul ) 'The bond of perfectness,' the sum total of the virtues (St. Paul
translated by Bengel.) 'There is a twofold perfection: -- the perfection of the work, and that of the
workman.' (Bishop Hopkins) The former is legal, the latter is evangelical, perfection which is
nothing but inward sincerity, and uprightness of heart toward God, although there may be many
imperfections and defects intermingled."
While we might not fully accept all these definitions, they are believed to be in the main accurate.
Dr. Mudge, in his Growth in Holiness, excepts to one or more of them, and suggests that we
substitute the word "depravity" for the term "original sin," insisting that it is misleading to call this
inherited weakness "sin" of any sort. He says: "It is quite time that this misbegotten and utterly
misleading term, together with its partners, 'birth sin' and 'inbred sin,' was dismissed to the museum
of theological curiosities, where alone at present it belongs." While, with Bishop Granbery, in our
fear of Pelagianism, we may protest against the entire disuse of these terms, we are inclined to agree
with Dr. Mudge that the term "depravity" may be a better one, and that it is "full time that sin be
called sin and depravity [be called] depravity." And yet St. Paul speaks of "sin that dwelleth in us,"
from which expression comes our term, "indwelling sin."
Notwithstanding the multitudinous definitions that Dr. Mudge quotes for his "monumental
muddle," he thinks there are not enough of these yet. He says:
"We do not understand why such numbers of theologians fight so shy of defining depravity. In
most cases they decline attempting it, sometimes writing hundreds of pages on the subject without
once giving a clear and formal definition. And even when appealed to to supply the omission, we
have known them to refuse or evade the request."
He quotes Bishop Peck as saying: "It is not necessary, nor is it possible to define this depravity
in words." But, notwithstanding the general dodging of other authors and the alleged needlessness
and impossibility of such definition, Dr. Mudge ventures to give the following as his:
"Depravity is that abnormal or disordered condition of human nature whereby we are no longer
in harmony with God or with ourselves, as we were originally made, but have so strong a leaning
toward self-indulgence that we are easily brought into disobedience to the divine commands ... It is
the bias or tendency to sin."
It is doubted if the Doctor's definition throws much new light on this difficult subject. And it is
believed that its lack of clearness and fullness accounts for what is believed to be the fundamental
error on which the leading theory of his book is based -- the theory that one cannot be saved from