Total Sanctification: A Second Trip to Jesus?

Today I want to touch on the Doctrine of Sanctification that is one of the official teachings of the Church of God of Prophecy (COGOP): which is the denomination from which I resigned my ministerial credentials back in August of last year.

This doctrine is a form of "perfectionism" and has its roots in the Wesleyan movement. It's a teaching that states the sin nature can be eradicated (in this life) and thus render the believer just as Adam was prior to the fall! To some, Sanctification is seen as the prerequisite of the Baptism and/or indwelling of the Holy Ghost. The theory being that the Holy Spirit would not dwell in a "temple" that was not totally swept clean of its sin nature.

Many who hold this doctrine reject the idea of "progressive sanctification", or growing more like Christ over time and with experience in Christian life. Instead they insist that sinless perfection is possible this side of Heaven. In a tract called "Santification: A Second Work of Grace", one of the founders of the COGOP actually states that this experience is achieved by making a "second trip to Jesus" that "gets a work done that was not touched by the first trip!"

Of all the the COGOP doctrines, this was probably the first one that I realized was simply not in the Bible; and from what I understand, many in the COGOP no longer hold to this teaching either.

First of all, the Scriptural argument is weak as water. I simply could not find the doctrine -as taught in the official literature- spelled out anywhere in the Word of God! What really killed it for me was a simple reading of Romans chapter 7! Listen to Paul's words carefully and tell me if this Apostle believed this sin nature was totally eradicated:


"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. " Romans 7:14-25 ESV


Does this sound like a man who would teach that the sin nature can be totally eradicated in this life? I think not! It sounds to me like this great man of God struggled just the same as all of us. Some people have tried to tell me that Paul is speaking of his life prior to Salvation. However, that cannot be the case because he's speaking in the present tense. This doesn't sound like the language of a man who believes such an experience is possible!

I'm not big on letting experience determine doctrine, but it was my experience while in the COGOP -both personally and from observing others- that NOBODY, was totally without a sin nature! Some thought they were "sanctified", but had that been the case, I think there would have been much less pride and self-righteousness being displayed by some of the people who claimed the experience. If anything, those who believed they were "entirely sanctified" were simply blinded to their own sin!

I believe if one really believes he is sanctified entirely, he ought to read Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7. There's not a time that I read that sermon in which the Lord doesn't show me how there is still corruption remaining in my heart. This alone causes me long for the day that this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality! Then and only then will I be perfectly sinless in thought and deed.

What a wonderful day that will be!!!

Soli Deo Gloria!

***For a very good article on this topic, Phil Johnson has a great post about perfectionism over at Team Pyro***