Scriptural Sanctification - Media Sabda Org

tenses here teaches that this inward revelation of Christ was after his conversion. This is in harmony
with Christ's promise that he would manifest himself to those who already love him, and evince their
love by obedience ... This may well be called Paul's second blessing."
But it matters not to our theory whether this revelation was made to Paul at or subsequently to his
conversion. It involved the sudden coming into his nature or life of a new and mighty Power that
became the dominant Force in that life after crucifying the old self-life. It was the Force that left
Adam's life when he sinned, leaving him "without strength." It was the "Power" that enabled Paul
to say, "I can do all things though Christ which strengtheneth me."
Does not the term "circumcision," as well as that of baptism, which is applied to the work of
sanctification, indicate its instantaneousness? We presume that there is universal assent to the
proposition that if one fully obeys the two commands of our Lord, found in Matthew xxii. 37-39, his
love is "perfect" in quality -- is unmixed with its opposite. How is this love made thus perfect?
Moses says: "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord
thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul." Here the act of circumcision is applied to the work
of perfecting our love. It is an instantaneous excision, and not a gradual process of growth.
As to whether this circumcision is at or subsequent to conversion is not material to the argument.
And yet many things indicate that it is subsequent to regeneration. St. John suggests that this "perfect
love" results from a work or process by which fear is eliminated from the heart: "Herein is our love
made perfect ... He that feareth is not made perfect in love." The apostle evidently teaches that the
love of some had, in some way, been "made perfect," while that of others had not been. They had
a "love" to God, but it was mixed with "fear," was not, hence, "perfect" in quality, for "perfect love
casteth out fear."
And John refers to the means or agency by which this perfection of love was wrought: "Herein
is our love made perfect." What does the term refer to? He had just said: "God dwelleth in us, and
his love is perfected in us." And the last words before "herein" are: "God is love, and he that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." It is the same lesson of coming "suddenly into his temple,"
as he did at Pentecost, and purifying it and taking up his abode therein, "dwelling" in heart. It is God,
Christ, the Holy Ghost, coming as a mighty "Power" back into man's nature, and as the Circumciser,
Baptizer, and Strengthener, freeing the soul from fear and all other evil, and, on condition of our
continued faith (our "dwelling in God"), keeping it pure and strong, and "perfect in love."
While we would not base the truth of an important doctrine like this on the teaching of types and
symbols, yet these are not to be wholly overlooked in our argument. While some writers may have
gone too far in their "spiritualizing," there must be something in the Bible that constitutes a basis for
such books as Dr. Carradine's Second Blessing in Symbol, the Rev. M. W. Knapp's Out of Egypt into
Canaan, and Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman's Kadesh-barnea. And the writer of Hebrews, in the fourth
chapter, certainly refers to the rest of Canaan as a type of the "rest of faith" here, as well as of his
eternal rest. And may we not safely say that the bondage of Egypt typifies our bondage to sin, the
journey to Kadesh-barnea the interval between regeneration and what might very soon if we had
faith, be our entire sanctification -- the rest of perfect love in the Canaan of full salvation?