Product Description

Representatives of five major Protestant perspectives join in this book to present their views on sanctification.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131574 in Books
• Published on: 1996-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From the Publisher
Wayne G. Strickland & Willem A. VanGemeren Explores five major approaches to the relationship between the Law and the Gospel. VanGemeren presents the non-theonomic Reformed view and Bahnsen the theonomic Reformed. Kaiser maintains that the weightier matters of the Law of Moses are binding on believers today, while Strickland presents the dispensational view and Moo a modified Lutheran approach. Previously titled The Law, the Gospel, and the Modern Christian.

From the Back Cover
Christians generally recognize the need to live a holy, or sanctified, life. But they differ on what sanctification is and how it is achieved.

Five Views on Sanctification brings together in one easy-to-understand volume five major Protestant views on sanctification. Writing from a solid evangelical stance, each author describes and defends his own understanding of the doctrine, and responds as well to the views of the other authors.

This book addresses such practical questions as: How does one achieve sanctification in this life? How much success in sanctification is possible? Is a crisis experience following one’s conversion normal—or necessary? If so, what kind of experience, and how is it verified?

The interactive and fair-minded nature of the Counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions.

About the Author
Melvin E. Dieter is the former provost of Asbury Theological Seminary.;;Stanley M. Horton is the professor of emeritus of Bible and theology at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.;J. Robertson McQuilkin is the former president of Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions.;John F. Walvoord is President of Dallas Theological Seminary and author of numerous books on eschatology and theology. He holds the A.M. degree from Texas Christian University in philosophy and the Th.D. degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in Systematic Theology.

Customer Reviews

Good Examination of the most influential views
The New Testament exhorts Christians to "walk in the Spirit". What does that look like practically? How does the evangelical church teach believers how to "be holy" as God is holy? Too often we do not critically examine our teaching -- and the consideration of our teaching against other evangelical views that attempt to do justice to Scripture is often very helpful in evaluating our own position. That is precisely the reason why this book is helpful. This book allows you to read proponents of the views in their own words -- which is a helpful antidote against the mischaracterization that can sometimes occur in a standard theology text.

That being said, because all 5 indeed attempt to do justice to all of Scripture, they are actually not that far different from one another. Where they differ is in nuanced visions of sin, "walking in the Spirit", the question of the old v. new nature struggle, and in "being filled with the Spirit".

Don't be put off if the terms "Keswick" and "Augustinian-Dispensational" are unfamiliar to you. They are actually very common views in evangelical Christianity -- and related forms of both are taught throughout the evangelical Christian church (just not often identified by those terms)! Two very well-known ministries that espouse Keswick teaching are the Christian and Missionary Alliance and Campus Crusade for Christ. "Augustinian-Dispensational" is just a term Walvoord uses to identify the teaching on personal holiness which has been historically associated with Augustine, the early Reformers, and many dispensational and Bible churches today. You'll find it in Jerry Bridges' "Pursuit of Holiness", and probably much other contemporary Christian devotional and theological literature. It basically contends that the old and new natures are alive and active within the Christian believer, whereas the modern Reformed view is that the old nature is empirically dead.

Especially interesting is how each author traces the historical development of the teaching.

I did not find Dieter's and Horton's arguments to be well-defended from Scripture. Fundamentally, I find that the Wesleyan understanding of sin as applying only to intential wrong-doing and the Pentecostal understanding of being "baptized in the Spirit" as referring to charismatic experience are both problematic. The other three make compelling arguments from Scripture, but I must bark this note of caution: all of the authors make too much of the Greek verb tense! Unfortunately, the arguement of the tense of Greek verbs in the New Testament is only a good indicator, not a firm foundation, particularly the aorist -- which does not have to refer to a fixed past event! Rather, the aorist is best described as "undefined" and somewhat fluid in meaning. So we hold must hold exquisitely nuanced theological positions on sanctification in humility -- clinging to the essentials and allowing for some apparent paradox.

May God bless you as you read this fine exploration of this important topic of faith and practice.

Helpful introduction to evangelical views on sanctification.
This volume is one of many in the Zondervan Counterpoints series which "provide a forum for comparison and critique of different views on issues important to Christians." The five views of sanctification which are presented include: (1) the Wesleyan perspective written by Melvin E. Dieter; (2) the Reformed perspective written by Anthony A. Hoekema; (3) the Pentecostal perspective written by Stanley M. Horton; (4) the Keswick perspective written by J. Robertson McQuilkin; and (5) the Augustinian-Dispensational perspective written by John F. Walvoord.

Each perspective is presented in turn. Following the presentation of each of the five perspectives, the other four authors provide responses which critique the perspective just presented. This provides a point-counterpoint dialog which is most helpful in clarifying the essential elements in which each perspective differs from the others. The volume concludes with both a subject index and a scripture index.

Although a main purpose of the book is to clarify the differences in which each of the five perspectives understands the Biblical teaching regarding sanctification, it becomes evident during the process that the five views have much more in common than one might at first assume. Although differences remain, one finds that many of the secondary disagreements have more to do with how definitions and terminology are used than with incompatible views of what scripture teaches on the topics discussed. The result is a strengthened confidence in what scripture teaches concerning the core issues of sanctification-which all the views recognize.

Among the five views, two of the views stand out as holding perspectives which are markedly different than the rest.

The Wesleyan perspective asserts the possibility of "entire sanctification" also called (misleadingly) "perfection." This view holds that by means of progressive sanctification, the Christian may reach a point "through the Holy Spirit [where we] are able not to sin, even though we never come to the place where we are not able to sin" (p. 137). The subtlety in this statement has to do with the Wesleyan separation of sin into conscious willing rebellion to God's law vs. unconscious, unintentional sin. The sin over which victory is said to apply is the conscious willing kind. A significant problem is that this is only one aspect of the full Biblical definition of sin which includes both intentionally and unconsciously falling short of God's ideal. It seems that entire sanctification can only result in victory over one of these categories--a sort of "partial perfection" which is really no perfection.

Unique to the Pentecostal perspective is the view that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a subsequent work after salvation which is not necessarily experienced by all believers. Pentecostalism attaches great significance to this work in the life of the believer and its relationship to progressive sanctification-especially empowerment for evangelism and service. Typically, speaking in tongues is held to be the sign that a believer has undergone this baptism. In this, the Pentecostal view stands alone-all other views understanding Holy Spirit baptism as that which joins each believer to the body of Christ (1Cor. 12:13) at the time of coming to faith.

One of the more interesting aspects of the book is the historical discussion of the relationship between some of the views. Of particular interest is the development of the Pentecostal and Keswick movements which borrow much from the earlier Wesleyan understanding of sanctification.

Each of the five presenters engages the other views carefully and constructively and with an absence of polemics which is refreshing for a discussion among such diverse points of view.

I would recommend this book to anyone who would benefit from a succinct summary of the Biblical teaching on sanctification and an overview of the divergence of opinion which has characterized evangelical study of this topic.

Interesting but Partial Discussion
Sanctification and good works are vital, interesting but easily misunderstood part of the Christian life. Here, five views of sanctification are presented, then each is given opportunity to a reaction by the other four competing views. This is the strength of this presentation.

However, problem this reviewer has is his view is not represented, that being Lutheran. Other confessional bodies could say the same. For ours, one would be benefited to read Hal Senkbeil's "Sanctification, Christ in Action" and Adolf Koberle's classic "The Quest For Holiness." What one will find there is a proper distinguishing between Law and Gsopel as it applies to sanctification, which is easily spotted from Senkbeil's excellent titled book: Sanctification: Christ in Action." It is from Christ and His gospel that our sanctification is fueled, not the Law.