Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3)Strong, Augustus Hopkins
Religion
Systematic Theology (Volume 3 of 3)
Strong, Augustus Hopkins
Baptists -- Doctrines; Theology, Doctrinal
_Phil. 3:21_—“_who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation,
that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to
the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto
himself_”; _Col. 3:4_—“_When Christ, who is our life, shall be
manifested, then shall we also with him be manifested in glory_”;
_Heb. 12:14, 23_—“_Follow after peace with all men, and the
sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord ... spirits
of just men made perfect_”; _1 John 3:2_—“_Beloved, now are we
children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be.
We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him even as he is_”; _Jude 24_—“_able to guard you
from stumbling, and to set you before the presence of his glory
without blemish in exceeding joy_”; _Rev. 14:5_—“_And in their
mouth was found no lie: they are without blemish._”
A. J. Gordon, Ministry of the Spirit, 121, puts the completion of
our sanctification, not at death, but at the appearing of the Lord
“_a second time, apart from sin, ... unto salvation_” (_Heb. 9:28;
1 Thess. 3:13; 5:23_). When we shall see him as he is,
instantaneous photographing of his image in our souls will take
the place of the present slow progress from glory to glory (_2
Cor. 3:18; 1 John 3:2_). If by sanctification we mean, not a
sloughing off of remaining depravity, but an ever increasing
purity and perfection, then we may hold that the process of
sanctification goes on forever. Our relation to Christ must always
be that of the imperfect to the perfect, of the finite to the
infinite; and for finite spirits, progress must always be
possible. Clarke, Christian Theology, 373—“Not even at death can
sanctification end.... The goal lies far beyond deliverance from
sin.... There is no such thing as bringing the divine life to such
completion that no further progress is possible to it.... Indeed,
free and unhampered progress can scarcely begin until sin is left
behind.” “O snows so pure, O peaks so high! I shall not reach you
till I die!”
As Jesus’ resurrection was prepared by holiness of life, so the
Christian’s resurrection is prepared by sanctification. When our
souls are freed from the last remains of sin, then it will not be
possible for us to be holden by death (_cf._ _Acts 2:24_). See
Gordon, The Twofold Life, or Christ’s Work for us and in us; Brit.
and For. Evang. Rev., April, 1884:205‐229; Van Oosterzee,
Christian Dogmatics, 657‐662.
3. Erroneous Views refuted by these Scripture Passages.
A. The Antinomian,—which holds that, since Christ’s obedience and
sufferings have satisfied the demands of the law, the believer is free
from obligation to observe it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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