Scriptural Sanctification - Media Sabda Org

that while a man's heart is right with God he may today believe a thing lawful which on tomorrow
he may conclude is wrong. We may recur to this point in answering the next objection.
5. It is often objected that some of those who profess "perfect love" are not as consistent in their
lives as are some who do not make such a claim. Dr. Whitehead gives this as one of his reasons for
rejecting the Wesleyan view of that doctrine. He says:
"It also seemed to me, when I considered the lives of the people of God of my own generation,
that those of them, either in or out of the ministry, who were most holy were not men who made such
a profession. And of some who did profess to be entirely sanctified and to be as sure of it as they
were of their conversion, I was constrained to believe that they were inconsistent and enthusiastic,
and in general of a faulty and sometimes unlovely type of Christian character."
Now, in answer to this objection we would say:
(1) It is admitted that there may be some hypocritical pretenders among those who profess perfect
love, as there doubtless are among those who do not claim so much, but we would charitably trust
there are but few such in either class. And the counterfeit in neither case proves that all are spurious,
but rather the contrary.
(2) It is feared that there is a larger class of such professors who are mistaken as to their spiritual
attainments. They have unwisely been urged to make a profession of sanctification before they
received the witness to such work, or they have mistaken an emotional fullness of the Spirit for an
ethical fullness, and, for one or the other of these reasons, have claimed to be thoroughly saved.
Having made such profession, they are not willing to confess their mistake, hence go on claiming
such blessing when their lives, especially their tempers and words, flatly contradict such profession.
But this fact proves nothing more against the theory of sanctification than do the inconsistent lives
of others against that of regeneration.
(3) But there is another aspect of this matter referred to above, which requires more extended
consideration. The following from Dr. Steele bears on this objection. He says:
"There is an element of moral fallibility in all professors of perfect holiness, as there must be in
all fallen men so long as they live in the world ... The conscience has a twofold efficiency -- the
impulsive and the disseminating power. The first is moral sensibility or feeling. In all holy beings
this impulse toward the right is round, full, and complete, a movement of the soul along the line of
perceived rectitude, with no drawbacks, antagonisms, and counter-currents within itself. There is a
delightful consciousness of an inward harmony of forces all moving in one direction ... The great
work of the Sanctifier by his powerful and usually instantaneous inworking is to rectify the will,
poise the passions aright, hold in check all innocent and eradicate all unholy appetites, and to
enthrone the conscience over a realm in which no rebel lurks."
When this is done, the motives are pure and the whole impulse of the soul is toward God and
righteousness. But, as noted in the preceding section, the discriminating power of conscience may
be defective and need cultivation or instruction. Hear Dr. Steele again: