Christian Perfection

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 

Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. Hebrews 6:1

Christian Perfection may be the most misunderstood term in our Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. “Perfection” is a biblical word, but the Greek term translated “perfect”—teleios—does not convey the usual meaning our English word conveys. Teleios means something has achieved its purpose, or has attained maturity, completeness, wholeness. The chair I’m sitting in is perfect – it carries my weight and is comfortable, despite showing some signs of wear. It is perfect/teleios because it achieves the purpose for which it was designed and made. An apple is perfect, not because it has no blemish, but because it is ripe and sweet. Apple, chair, person—each can be called teleios when they achieve the purpose for which they were created.

And what is our purpose?  The Westminster Catechism famously states, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” John Wesley, who thought so much of the term Christian Perfection that one of his books carries the phrase in the title, sees our purpose differently. Wesley understands of our chief end to be “to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourself.”  Wesley writes, “Pure love, reigning alone in heart and life—this is the whole of Scriptural Perfection.” 

The term can be problematic. If not carefully explained, it can create the misunderstanding that Christians are to be without faults or flaws. By perfection, we do not mean “without mistake” or “needing no improvement.” 

Wesley is careful to describe what Christian Perfection is not – it is not absolute perfection, perfect wisdom, perfect judgement, infallibility, or a lack of errors, mistakes, imperfections, or infirmities. Nor is it immunity from temptation. As Diane Leclerc writes, “We never become more than human. We become more human through sanctification.”

Christian Perfection is the lifestyle of entire sanctification – the life of loving God and neighbor. Christian Perfection is to have holy intentions, and a single-hearted desire to live life in a way that pleases and honors God.  It is to have a pure heart.

Though filled with flaws and foibles, we become perfect when we realize the purpose for which God called us into His kingdom, and give ourselves completely to it.   

Finish then Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in Thee. -       Charles Wesley

Holiness – Dying Matters

I have been crucified with Christ;

it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me;

and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

If our conversion calls us to new life and to being “born again,” our sanctification calls us to death—to the crucifixion of our self-sovereignty and self-centeredness. To become Jesus-centered, our self-centeredness must be put to death.

Some say we are sanctified entirely at death. I agree. But it is not at the point of physical death that entire sanctification happens—rather, it happens at the point of the death of self-sovereignty.

The biblical call to a holy life requires two deaths. The first is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Our justification and our sanctification are obtained through his sacrifice. Hal A. Cauthron writes, “Holiness is provided by God through the death of Christ. Holiness is appropriated by us through our faith identification with Christ’s death.”

The second death is of an individual’s self-centeredness—a dying to our former way of life so that we can live in “newness of life.” This is the kind of dying that Paul describes in Romans 6:6, where he writes, “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.” He continues with the theme in 6:11 – “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul experiences an utter severing of his former way of life when he comes to know the grace of God in Christ. We must die in the same way to our sin-dominated way of life if we are to experience the holiness that God has graciously provided. When we die to our own self-sovereignty, we share in the crucifixion of Christ, placing our complete trust in Christ and his cross.

The sanctified life requires this self-abandoning surrender of one’s former way of life – whether the life of a religious rule-keeper (like Paul), the life of a pleasure-seeking Prodigal, or the life of a person converted by Christ, but not yet committed to the Lordship of Christ. 

The blessing of heart holiness means that the Holy Spirit brings us to a point of consecration, a yielding of self – or, as Paul would write of, a “death of self.” We acknowledge that even though our sins have been forgiven, there is within us a tendency to want our own way, instead of God’s will.

Self-surrender involves a change of lordship. We give up any notion of control of our own life and give complete control to God. The heart of the Christian faith isn't about satisfying yourself; it's about dying to yourself.

This death to self-sovereignty is what Paul has in mind when he invites us to present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Sacrifices take place at an altar. (I’m glad we still use them in the Church of the Nazarene.) We present ourselves at an altar—living sacrifices—completely consecrated to God. The thing about a living sacrifice, though, is that it can crawl back off the altar. That is why, even after a moment-in-time complete consecration, there still remains the need for daily consecration.

Have you died to self?

The Rest of Holiness

“There remains, then, a sabbath rest for the people of God.” Hebrews 4:9

 Rest is a sign of God’s grace and holiness. It is also a seldom-examined facet of our holiness doctrine. In Hebrews 3:1-4:11, holiness as rest is placed on display, and we are encouraged to not miss God’s intention for his people.

The Holy Rest of Creation

Hebrews 4:4—"On the seventh day God rested from all his works”—points us to the Genesis account of Creation, where God establishes the opportunity of holy rest:

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:1-3).

A day was made holy for rest. But rest is not so much about a day being holy as it is about God and his people being holy. The Sabbath did not make itself holy; God made the day holy. Likewise, we do not make ourselves holy; God makes us holy. Sabbath rest is a sign that God’s work is complete and we can rest without trying to add anything to his work. Perhaps rest is the evidence of sanctification. If God can make a day holy, he can make us holy, too.

The Holy Rest of the Promised Land

Hebrews 4:1-11 refers to God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt and his promise to bring Israel into the land of Canaan, where they will find rest. The sentiment is, “Don’t miss God’s promised rest, like the disobedient Israelites did in the wilderness when they refused to enter the Promised Land.”

God had already provided the Promised Land. All Israel needed to do was act in faithful obedience and claim the blessing. The work had already been done; the blessing had been provided. But they failed to experience the rest. “Don’t make the same mistake,” warns the author of Hebrews, reminding us that the promised rest is not limited to the land of Canaan.

Holy Rest for Today

Heaven is the final rest remaining for the people of God.  But the writer to the Hebrews announces that we who have believed enter that rest here and now (4:3).  This promised rest is both presently available and yet to come – a tension that characterizes the Christian ethic.

Today offers a fresh opportunity to all who will believe to enter into the rest of God. We are encouraged to “make every effort to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:11).

Pastors seldom feel their work is done. We don’t “clock out” at 5:00 p.m. There is always something else on the to-do list, one more email needing a response, one more sermon to write, one more person to visit, one more task to accomplish.

Holy rest is a reminder that the work is done. In fact, it isn’t our work to begin with—it is God’s work. Don’t miss the rest. It’s holy.

Holy rest is not a license for laziness or irresponsibility. It is rather an invitation to sink deep into God’s grace like you would sink deep into a hammock on a summer afternoon.

Practically speaking, there are opportunities to taste holy rest. Sleep is a daily reminder that we can rest in full confidence that “God’s got this.” Sabbath is a weekly reminder to rest in total certainty that God is working to bring all things to completion. Vacation is a seasonal reminder that life really isn’t about work at all; life is about resting in God’s grace. That’s also called holiness.

“So then a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God… Let us make every effort to enter that rest.” Hebrews 4:9, 11

* I am indebted to William Greathouse’s treatment of “Holy Rest” in Wholeness in Christ, (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1998), 154-161.

Holiness as Freedom

As a native of West Virginia, I have a special affinity for Paul’s letter to the Galatians. There are several similarities between my native state and Galatia, including size, topography, and being called “mountaineers.” Phillips Brooks once referred to Galatia as “a fierce, untamed nest of barbarians” – which is how some have described my kinfolk! Perhaps the most notable similarity is the motto of West Virginia, Montani Semper Liberi – “Mountaineers are Always Free.” Freedom is the theme of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. 

By the time Paul gets to Galatians 5, he has reached full voice in his description of the freedom we have as believers. It’s as though Paul considers freedom to be a coin, and is writing about the two sides of the coin—freedom from and freedom for.

First, Paul shows us one side of the coin—freedom from the sinful nature (often the emphasis of the American Holiness Movement). The sinful nature is a pocket of resistance in the heart—and what it resists is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  The sinful nature is referred to by other names—original sin, flesh, depravity, carnality. It is the attitude of self-sovereignty we all come into this world possessing, which causes us to resist the Lordship of Jesus in our lives. This “orientation toward sin” is the default setting of our lives until our lives are transformed by God’s grace.

Paul reminds us of the great danger and potential for destruction when the sinful nature produces its malicious fruit in our lives. He says the only cure for the sinful nature is crucifixion. We become so sick and tired of our self-centeredness that we surrender it to Jesus Christ to be put to death. The call of the Spirit of God to every child of God is to be free from the sinful nature. The cure for sin—all sin—is the Cross of Jesus Christ. 

Then, Paul shows us the other side of the coin—freedom for loving service (often the emphasis of Wesleyan theology).  “Serve one another in love,” Paul writes in verse 13. When we yield our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Spirit is able to produce delicious fruit in our lives—the Fruit of the Spirit—and a life lived loving God and loving neighbor.

To be truly free in Christ is to reflect both sides of the coin—freedom from the sinful nature and freedom for loving service. 

Brothers and sisters, we are called to be free.

Two Conferences, One Church

In the month of May, Kansas City hosted two significant conferences with Nazarene connections. Being in our backyard, it was convenient to attend both. (The BBQ isn’t the only benefit to living in KC!) The first was the Holiness Partnership’s “The Gathering” Conference. The second was Loved to Love: The 2022 Love Wins LGBT Resource Conference. After attending both conferences, here are my take-aways:

·      Both conferences provided important resources and facilitated essential conversations.

·      One conference was primarily online with some in-person involvement; the other was primarily in-person with some online involvement. One was national in scope; the other was international.

·      One was a conference on holiness that also specifically talked about human sexuality; the other was a conference on human sexuality that also specifically talked about holiness.

·      It would have been great if participants in each conference would have been required to also attend the other conference. Increased understanding, appreciation, and cooperation would have resulted—blessing both our denomination and our mission field.

·      I did not hear any speaker, in either conference, promote changing our doctrinal position on human sexuality. To the contrary, in both conferences I heard our position affirmed over and over again.

·      I heard, in both conferences, calls to be more loving. One conference tended to emphasize, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.”  The other conference tended to emphasize, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

·      I discovered that having a posture oriented toward learning is much more helpful than having a posture oriented toward criticism or judgement. Telling our stories is important, but not as important as listening to each other’s stories.

·      One’s motivation determines whether or not a conference increases polarization or enhances unity. We need more bridges and less walls.

·      Each conference was attended by people who deeply love Jesus and deeply love the Church of the Nazarene.

·      I was reminded that a divided culture needs a united church.

·      The Church of the Nazarene is uniquely poised to offer grace (our posture) and truth (our position), and to show the world—the entire world—the love of Jesus.

Eddie Estep

KC District Superintendent

Be Filled with the Spirit

When we use the word filled in English, we normally think of something being placed into a container, such as milk being poured to the brim of a glass, water being run into a bath tub, or gasoline being pumped into a tank. 

This is also the classic image of being filled with the Spirit – that we are cups (vessels) to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. But perhaps it is even more meaningful to think of our lives not as cups (a static image) but as sails (a dynamic image) – sails to be filled with the wind of the Spirit.

The image of wind is meaningful and significant. The Hebrew word for Spirit means “breath” or “wind.” In Acts 2:2 when the Holy Spirit first comes upon the followers of Jesus, “suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” Then, two verses later, the believers are “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

If the Holy Spirit is wind, then we are to be “wind catchers” – sails filled with the wind of the Spirit. Pilots of aircraft and watercraft know well the impact of wind (tailwind, headwind, crosswind) upon their vessels. The Spirit can be behind you (empowering you), before you (slowing you down), or beside you (changing your direction). All believers in Jesus Christ have God's Spirit dwelling within them, but not all believers are filled or controlled by the Spirit's power. Rather than “manning the oars” of our own lives, we can be empowered by the wind of the Spirit filling our sails. A believer has all of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit may not have all of the believer – the sails, all the sails, may not be unfurled. 

Think of how the wind billows the canvases on a ship, providing the impetus to move the vessel across the water. In the same way, the Holy Spirit seeks to provide the energy to propel us along the journey of obedience. To be filled with the Spirit is to be carried along by his gracious fullness as we allow his presence to fill every part of us, every inch of the rigging. The idea is to keep being filled. Otherwise, we find ourselves “dead in the water.” 

Over and over again in the New Testament, we read of people who are filled with the Spirit:

·      In Luke 1:15, John is “filled with the Spirit.” 

·      In Luke 1:41, Elizabeth is “filled with the Spirit.”

·      In Acts 2:4, the 120 believers are “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

·      In Acts 4:8, “Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit…”

·      In Acts 4:31, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.”

·      In Acts 6:5, Stephen is described as, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”

·      In Acts 11:24, Barnabas is called, “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit.”

·      In Acts 13:9, Paul, “filled with the Holy Spirit…”

·      In Acts 13:52, the disciples are “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Have you been filled with the Spirit? 

On Sunday, June 5, we will again celebrate Pentecost, the day the disciples were all “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). May it happen again. And again. And again.