Scriptural Sanctification - Media Sabda Org

"But self-knowledge so thorough, and faith so strong and extensive, securing sanctifying grace
so pervading, powerful, perfect, are seldom if ever realized before we are justified and born again.
There are few 'babes in Christ' who are not measurably 'carnal,' in consequence of the weakness of
their faith and the defectiveness of their knowledge (I Cor. iii.), few who are not lacking in their
faith, so that while they can say, "Lord, I believe" -- which is, indeed, a good confession, warranting
their claim to a filial relation to God -- they have to append the prayer, 'Help thou my unbelief,'
which is an unquestionable acknowledgment of imperfection, even in respect of negative holiness.
When there is unbelief or doubt, there must be fear, servile fear, and 'he that feareth is not made
perfect in love.'"
The Rev. Dr. H. R. Withers, in the Quarterly Review of July, 1894, states our position in the
following words:
"I thought all well-informed Christians understood that so far as the plan of divine grace is
concerned, so far as the Bible offered anything, it was full, perfect, and finished; but that the
insufficiency or imperfection of the matter lay altogether on man's side of the work; no imperfection
is in the grace offered by the Bible, but that perfect grace is imperfectly received by us, owing
altogether to our weak and imperfect faith. But they likewise hold that men do not generally embrace
this generous offer of grace, but, as a rule, make a second act of faith necessary to accomplish the
perfect act of cleansing."
The same concession is made by such non-Methodistic writers as Dr. J. Elder Cumming, Dr. A.
J. Gordon, the Rev. Andrew Murray, and others of that school, including the Keswick writers
generally, who, as Dr. Cumming says, believe "that in addition to the gift of the Spirit received at
conversion there is another blessing corresponding in its signs and effects to the blessing received
by the apostles at Pentecost -- a blessing to be asked for and expected by Christians still, and to be
described in language similar to that employed in the book of Acts."
Further on Dr. Cumming, quoted and endorsed by Dr. Gordon, says:
"I should like to add that it is possible to maintain that God from the first offered to His own
people a higher position in this matter than they have generally been able to occupy, in that the
fullness of the Spirit was and is offered to each soul at conversion, and that it is only from want of
faith that subsequent outpourings of the Holy Ghost became needful."
The Rev. John McNeil, in His Spirit-Filled Life, says:
"As far as God is concerned, there is no reason why this filling should not take place at the hour
of conversion -- of the new birth ... but it were a fatal blunder to assert that all men on believing thus
receive the Holy Ghost."
For this result at conversion it would seem that the human conditions must be almost ideal. There
must be a knowledge or faith that; first, sees clearly all the soul's need, and that, secondly, distinctly
sees and fully appropriates all that the gospel offers for our complete salvation. To bring about these
conditions one must be taught or learn for himself what the Bible teaches as to His depravity,