TITLE

COMMENTS

The Imitation of Christ

Thomas á Kempis

Written around 1418, this book had a profound impact on the young John Wesley and influenced his thinking along the lines of holiness prior to his conversion. It was written to assist serious Christians in the pursuit of holiness in a time when holiness was confined to the monastery. Although it is tainted with some medieval superstition and reliance on good works, it still has merit for all who want to understand the fundamentals of practical holiness in every day life.

A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

William Law

This book impacted the life of the young John Wesley and influenced his starting a holiness club, which eventually became Methodist Societies under his ministry. First published in 1729, this is not an easy read for modern Americans but it is well worth the study. While heavy on legalism, it does prefigure the spiritual condition Wesley sought to promote.

50 homilies written by an unknown writer at a time in the history of the Christian church when it was thought that a holy life could be lived only apart from common society--in caves, in the wilderness, or sitting on the top of a pole. 

Macarius is so far different from his times in that he believed that holiness was possible only through the indwelling and life changing presence of the Holy Spirit. This book had a profound impact on John Wesley and his understanding of holiness. Wesley wrote in his diary on July 30, 1736, "I read Macarius and sang."

John Wesley And The Second Blessing

Timothy L. Smith

A scholarly and well documented article by Smith in which he examines the evolution of Wesley's understanding of entire sanctification as a distinct experience subsequent to conversion.

The Life That Wins

Charles G. Trumbull

From a sermon by Charles Trumbull delivered in 1911. Trumbull speaks of his CONSTANT FAILURE in his Christian experience until he experienced and encounter with Christ that transformed his life to CONSTANT VICTORY. Trumbull found that in the New Testament words such as Christ in you, Christ our life, abiding in Christ, etc. are not mere figures of speech or goals at which to direct our lives, they are literal.

I had always known that Christ was my Saviour; but I had looked upon Him as an external Saviour, one who did a saving work for me from outside, as it were; one who was ready to come close alongside and stay by me, helping me in all that I needed, giving me power and strength and salvation. But now I know something better than that. At last I realized that Jesus Christ was actually and literally within me; and even more than that, that He had constituted Himself my very life, taking me into union with Himself—my body, mind, and spirit—while I still had my own identity and free will and full moral responsibility.

Love Enthroned

Daniel Steele

This holiness classic is a non-academic discussion of what holiness looks like in the lives of the sanctified. Dr. Steele, a Methodist theologian, was once an opponent of entire sanctification but became an ardent supporter of both the experience and the teaching after his own experience of entire sanctification (Read his testimony in Chapter 15).

While approaching entire sanctification from the "second blessing" perspective, Dr. Steele is loathe to systematize the experience, "merely trading transformation wrought by the Holy Spirit for a mere dogma and a sense of supposed orthodoxy."

Readers will find my value regardless of their approach to entire sanctification. A good read!

Holiness, The Central Purpose of Redemption

David Shelby Corlett

Dr. Corlett presented this sermon at a District meeting of the Church of the Nazarene in January 1940. It was so well received that it was eventually printed and sent to Districts across the country. 

Holiness is the natural and logical outcome of salvation. Salvation is not just the forgiveness of sins, it is a life lived in the context of that forgiveness.

This is a MUST READ!

Helps to Holiness

Samuel L. Brengle

Written in 1896 by Samuel Bringle, a member of the Salvation Army, this is an extremely helpful book for anyone seeking instruction for living a holy life.

Written from the traditional holiness second blessing view point, it provides much insight to the practices and attitudes essential to a life of self-denial and total consecration to Jesus Christ and the perfect will of God for your life. People who might not accept the second blessing concept will still find much of value in this book.

This book is a holiness classic. It contains many terms and illustrations out of Salvation Army practices from the times.

Heart Talks on Holiness

Samuel L. Brengle

Written in 1897, Dr. Bringle, a Commissioner in the Salvation Army, presents helpful comments on many aspects of holy living. This book is written in a conversational style rather than academic. It object is pastoral rather than doctrinal or apologetic.

This is a classic book on holiness and a "must read" for people who want to know more about every-day holy living. It is written from the point of view of the "second blessing", which is evident from some of the terminology used, but the principles are valid for people that might not totally accept that view.

Pure Gold

George D. Watson

Pure Gold is a collection of several thoughts on different themes related to holiness from the pen of Dr. George D. Watson. This is not a doctrinal work on entire sanctification; it describes what a sanctified life is to be like—and what hinders it. Published in 1898, this work is written in the flowery style of the time that may be a little difficult for modern readers; but, the read is worth the effort. Some of Watson’s thoughts have millennial overtones that the discerning reader should not allow to overpower the truths of holiness he brings out.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Asa Mahan, D.D.

Dr. Mahan wrote this book in 1870, quite some time after his Christian Perfection. While it has a holiness focus, it proceeds on a  different tack than Perfection and may be confusing to the casual reader. This perhaps raises more questions than it answers.

The doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit was not originally associated with with the Wesleyan understanding of entire sanctification. Dr. Mahan makes a vague attempt to tie the two together, but his approach is not as clear as later Holiness teaching on the subject. At times he his confusing. Nevertheless, this book is historically significant in the area of holiness teaching. While few would agree with the entire concept of this book, there are many valuable truths brought out by Dr. Mahan.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Rev. Danny McCain

A sermon by the Reverend Danny McCain in which he examines the New Testament accounts of the baptism of the Holy Spirit: Pentecost, Samaria, Cornelius, and Ephesus. What happened in each case? What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit? There are several ways in which that question is answered in the Holiness Movement that depend on the explanation for entire sanctification held by individual churches or groups. Does this happen in a first work or grace; a second work of grace; a third work of grace? Is the baptism of the Holy Spirit when inherited sin is eradicated or when people are supposed to speak in tongues? What is it?

McCain summarizes his message saying . . . the baptism of the Spirit is the event or time when the Holy Spirit places a believer into the body of Christ. This takes place at conversion. Though there are often powerful spiritual experiences that occur after conversion, the term "baptism of the Holy Spirit" is not the appropriate term to describe those experiences. At least, that is not the way the term is used in the New Testament.

Baptism and Spirit Baptism in the New Testament

Robert W. Lyon

Spirit Baptism the Means of Sanctification: A Response to the Lyon View

J. Kenneth Grider

The Baptism of the Spirit--Continued

Robert W. Lyon

Here is a series of three articles that appeared in the Wesleyan Theological Journal concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Lyon takes the position that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the same as regeneration, building his argument partially on the foundation of language. Grider counter this argument with the traditional Wesleyan-Holiness view that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace in salvation that results in the sanctification of the believer.  The third article is Lyon's response to Grider's argument in which he challenges the linguistic assumptions of Grider--assumptions that are so much part of the Wesleyan-Holiness view. Lyon in no way denies or refutes the concept of Christian Perfection as the work of the Holy Spirit, even after conversion, but seeks to give a biblically correct view of this most important event in the lives of Christians.

The division between the two viewpoints seems impassible, but yet it is a matter of interpretation of biblical facts, both of which lead to the same end: HOLINESS. What is important is that Christians receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit regardless of the mode expressed. Tolerance is preferable to division when both viewpoints are after the same end.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Wesleyan Tradition

George Allen Turner

The doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit has been approached in different ways among holiness churches. After citing these views, Turner pursues the baptism of the Holy Spirit as linked to entire sanctification experienced subsequent to conversion. He cites John Wesley and John Fletcher in the development of this view and then briefly traces the history of this teaching from Wesley into the Nineteenth Century.

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Entire Sanctification in the Writings of John Wesley

William M. Arnett

Arnett searches the writings of John Wesley to cull out his teaching on the role of the Holy Spirit in Entire Sanctification. While it is not exhaustive, it is thorough and relevant. He classifies Wesleys' statements into four areas" (1) the preparatory work of the Holy Spirit prior to sanctification , (2) the preliminary work of the Holy Spirit in entire sanctification, (3) the purifying work of the Holy Spirit, and (4) the witness of the Spirit in entire sanctification.

Entire Sanctification and the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: Perspectives on the Biblical View of the Relationship

Alex R. G. Deasley

Equating entire sanctification with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit did not originate with John Wesley. There are divergent views on this subject among Wesleyan theologians, each having their doctrinal points clearly outlined and thought out. However, the evidence of the Book of Acts cannot be systemized in a completely tidy way, as some would have us believe. Never-the-less, this in no way negates or compromises the teaching of the "second blessing", entire sanctification.

Entire Sanctification

Dr. Adam Clarke

Dr. Clarke is the writer of the famous commentary that bears his name. While the title might suggest an exposition on the Wesleyan concept of the Second Blessing, this essay actually presents an keen explanation of holiness in the fashion of Christian Perfection. "The perfection of the gospel system is not that it makes allowances for sin, but that it makes an atonement for it; not that it tolerates sin, but that it destroys it.

Entire Devotion to God

Phoebe Palmer

Written in 1855, Mrs. Palmer was the first woman author to write literature on holiness in a popular style as opposed to an academic style thereby making the subject available to average Christians.

Mrs. Palmer writes that holiness is attainable because it is integral to God's plan of salvation. This book contains simple and provocative chapters on practical holiness. This is not legalism or pious sentiment as too often identified with holiness but genuine consecration to God.

Entire Sanctification As Taught In The Book Of Romans

Wilber T. Dayton

This paper by Wilber Dayton was originally published in the Wesleyan Theological Journal. The phrase "entire sanctification" appears only once in the King James Version of the Bible, yet concept is critical to the teaching of holiness. Dayton shows how this concept is related in the Book of Romans using many different terms. He also shows how this concept is to be understood, not just in a narrow sense but in a larger sense of holiness.

Entire Sanctification - A Second Blessing

C. W. Ruth

C. W. Ruth was a holiness evangelist. This book is his major contribution to holiness literature. Written in 1903, it is perhaps one of the clearest and most concise writings on the subject of entire sanctification from the Wesleyan-Holiness viewpoint. It is written in common language with very short, readable chapters. This book is highly recommended for lay persons and for Christians that may not be familiar with the teaching of entire sanctification.

Ruth includes his personal testimony in this work along with lists of scripture readings on sanctification. The final section of this book contains many sermon outlines relative to sanctification and its impact on the life of the Christian.

The Second Crisis in Christian Experience

C. W. Ruth

The content of this book by C. W. Ruth is similar to that of Entire Sanctification-A Second Blessing. It was written, not for theologians, but for the interested Christian. It is quite readable with short chapters. Ruth emphasizes that Entire Sanctification is a second definite crisis experience in the work of salvation.

Objections to Entire Sanctification Considered

H. A. Baldwin

In this book, written in 1911, Baldwin counters several doctrines and viewpoints that object against the teaching of entire sanctification. Since the time of John Wesley, there have been those who do not want to accept the possibility that a Christian can live a consistent holy life brought about by an experience of entire sanctification. One way they try to get around this truth is to develop arguments as to why they think this is not possible. Baldwin identifies and counters those arguments.

Temptations Peculiar to the Sanctified

C. W. Ruth

Temptations are to the Christian life what exercise is to the gymnasium. Since temptation is common in the Christian life, it is best for us to understand temptation. Sin is not a mistake. A mistake is something one does when he does not know better; a sin is something one does when he knows better. We are never saved from making mistakes but we can be, and must be, saved from all sin. In this short book, Ruth discusses many temptations peculiar to the state of entire sanctification.

"GOD'S WILL . . . FOR YOU" Sanctification in the Thessalonian Epistles

Wayne McCown

Sanctification texts in the Thessalonian Epistles are often used as "support" texts but seldom as foundation texts for the doctrine of entire sanctification. There is some valuable information in this article concerning sanctification: Sanctification is God's work in the believer. Our assurance of sanctification is based upon the character of God.

Holiness and Discipleship

Allan Coppedge

Holiness begins with the character of God. If He is holy and made man in His image, it follows that in some sense man was designed to be holy as well. In holiness there is more than just a requirement to BE, there is a requirement to DO. Entire sanctification is demonstrated in discipleship--and Christ gave the church a commandment to make disciples. Included within this article is a good explanation on what it takes to experience entire sanctification.

Holiness

Bishop J. C. Ryle

J. C. Ryle was Bishop of Liverpool, England from 1890 to 1900. One does not normally associate the teaching of holiness with the Church of England, but Bishop Ryle was an unusual Anglican in that he was evangelical in his outlook and did believe in and teach practical holiness. His perspective on holiness was not from the Wesleyan point of view. His approach in his words: Holiness is essential in salvation. The sinful nature and a holy nature are constantly in conflict throughout the lifetime of the believer, but yet, living without committing sin is a requirement put on us by God.

While outside the norm of Wesleyan holiness writings, this is an interesting and valuable work that should be read by all serious students of holiness. There is much with which to disagree, but there is far more that can and should be agreed upon.

Biblical Foundations for the "Secondness" of Entire Sanctification

Frank G. Carver

Among holiness people there has always been a question as to whether or not entire sanctification is a "second work of grace." Carver relates his personal experience of moving from an inherited theology to biblical knowledge on this question. He establishes a biblical basis for the holiness message and explains that entire sanctification is a faith privilege as opposed to a chronological process. There is a definite "secondness" as the believer moves from the privilege of grace (initial sanctification) to the crisis of faith (entire sanctification).

Original Sin and Sanctification: A Problem for Wesleyans

Vern A. Hannah

Original sin (inherited sin in Wesleyan terminology) and the eradication view of entire sanctification have been theological difficulties for the Holiness Movement. Hannah here discusses the more Arminian approach to original sin as deprivation rather than depravity.

The Old Man

Rev. Beverly Carradine, D.D.

Published in 1896, Carradine explores the biblical concept of the old man as understood in the Wesleyan-Holiness sense. Written to counteract the influence of the influence of the teachings of Count Zinzendorff that were impacting the Methodist Church and the general holiness movement at this time, Carradine defends the concept of sin remaining in believers after conversion and its eradication through a second work of grace, which he equates with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Abiding In Christ and Not Sinning

Charles G. Finney

And article from The Oberlin Evangelist dated 1858. Finney contends that living without committing sin is natural to salvation as in salvation the moral attitude of a person is reversed. To be in Christ is to be out of ourselves. A selfish heart regards itself and its own interests; but to be in Christ he must cease to live and be in himself, he must come to the and to live in Christ.

The New Creation: The Wesleyan Distinctive

Theodore Runyon

Runyon interprets the concept of the New Creation in the view of John Wesley as expressed in his own writings. This concept has been a focal point of the Holiness Movement, a distinctive, but it has very much value to offer for those that do not consider themselves Wesleyans or holiness.

An appraisal of the Keswick and Wesleyan Contemporary Positions

W. Ralph Thompson

This article discusses some of the similarities and differences of two main approaches to the teaching of holiness in modern times. The term "Keswick" may be unfamiliar to many Americans but this doctrinal approach to holiness is common among many Pentecostal denominations. The primary differences between the Wesleyan and Keswick views are the definition of sin and the explanation of what happens in the heart of the sanctified.

Biblical Concepts of Sin

Kenneth Kinghorn, Ph.D.

We  tend to think of sin as things people do. The Bible does not give a precise definition for sin; rather, the concept of sin is gradually revealed through God's dealing with humankind in both the Old and New Testaments. There is and outward aspect of sin and an inward aspect of sin, therefore sin is a tension between the ethical and the objective (legal). Anything in thought, deed, or disposition which disrupts one's relationship with God is sin.

Characteristics of Wesley's Arminianism

Luke L. Keefer, Jr.

 This article is more of scholarly interest than any practical value on the subject of holiness. The reader must be well acquainted with the Calvinistic and Arminian doctrinal positions as the disagreements between the two positions in the eighteenth century are mentioned. Wesley was a staunch believer in universal redemption!

Wesley's Arminianism is implicit rather than explicit. He never developed a full-blown Arminian theology but rather addressed the practical issues of a topic as demanded by particular situations. His approach to Arminianism, although inherited from the Church of England, was more pastoral than theological.

The False God and Gospel of Moral Government Theology

E. Calvin Beisner

This article deals with the modern concept of Moral Government Theology as represented in the work of  Gordon C. Olson. Moral Government Theology (MGT) is not to be confused with the sense of moral government as used in Arminian Theology. Olson's view became the theology of the "Jesus Freaks" of the 1960s. While this article is not on the subject of holiness, it is included here for you information and for warning. A considerable number, especially in the independent Church of God fellowship have fallen into the error is this theology while thinking they were following the principles of Arminian theology.

The Old Man and the New

Charles G. Finney

 A sermon by Finney originally delivered on May 21, 1845. Finney draws a stark ethical line between what the Bible calls the Old Man and the New Man. Traditional holiness teaching identifies the Old Man with inbred (original) sin but Finney denied any transmission from a sinful nature from generation to generation. In this sense, he was Pelagian. Yet, he speaks of the supreme intention to please self in the same sense as others speak of inbred sin or native depravity.

Finney here does not say anything about the work of the Holy Spirit involved in the change from the Old Man to the New man but emphasizes instead the importance of the will of man and his mind. While the sermon is spiritually deficient, it is ethically good and valuable. Sometimes holiness preachers emphasize the work of the Spirit without giving place to the will of man in living a holy life. While we may not agree with Finney's Pelagianism, it is good to be reminded that we must put in to action what God works in us.