Edward
Heppenstall
I. Biblical Teaching on Perfection
The
truth about perfection in Christian doctrine and experience is that which
does justice to the biblical meaning and use of the word. The Bible teaches that the true Christian will grow both in grace
and toward the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. He continually hungers and thirsts after righteousness. There is an earnest unashamed quest for spiritual holiness.
Since
the Bible exhorts the believer in every age again and again to "be
perfect," then obviously
the experience it advocates is not something which lies beyond the experience
of those to whom the Word was addressed. It must be possible within the framework of
the Christian life here on earth, otherwise there would be no point
to the Bible writers urging perfection upon believers. This exhortation belongs to believers in all ages and not only
those who live just prior to the return of our Lord.
The
only valid meaning to the words "perfect" and "perfection" is that which the Bible gives to it.
It is therefore imperative that we study to grasp, as far as possible
the Scriptural meaning and use of perfection and avoid arbitrary interpretations
of our own.
Teleios
The
most important word translated "perfect" in the New Testament is the Greek word
"teleios." This word is derived from the substantive "telos"
usually rendered "goal," "purpose," "end." The
word has in mind a definite stage of spiritual development for Christians
in all ages, for those living in the days of the apostles as well as
those living today. Almost invariably
the word describes the achievement of spiritual maturity, a Christian
stability from which ones does not turn back, an unshakeable allegiance
to the Living God.
Paul
uses this word quite frequently when designating perfect or mature Christians
in contrast with those who remain spiritual babes.
Do
not be childish, my friends. Be as innocent of evil as babes, but at
least be "grown up" [Teleio]
in your thinking. (1 Cor 14:20 NEB)
For
though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need some one to teach
you again the first principles of God's
word. You need milk, not solid food; for every one who lives on milk is
unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a child. But solid food
is for the mature [teleion], for those who have their faculties trained
by practice to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the
elementary doctrines of Christ and go on to maturity [perfection‑teleios]
(Heb 5:11‑14; 6:1 RSV).
Here
the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews recognizes there is a beginning
to the Christian life. One must start with the ABC's
of the Christian faith. As a new born babe he takes his spiritual food
from other mature Christians. At this point the author is seriously
concerned because many of these Christians are still wearing the mental
and spiritual garments of childhood. They are not growing. At a time
when they ought to be perfect (mature) enough to instruct and lead others
into the Christian faith, they still have to be treated like children.
Paul
also felt this way about some of the members of the Corinthian church.
In 1 Corinthians 2:6 he declares that he "speaks
wisdom among the perfect" (teleioi] full grown; but then he adds:
And
I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto
carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not
with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now
are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying,
and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (1 Cor
3:1‑3)
Paul
contrasts spiritual babes in the church with those he designates as perfect
or full grown mature believers. The immaturity referred to showed itself
in the Corinthian church by their divisions, unfitting them to understand
the deep things of God.
Paul
declares that it should be the aim of every Christian minister from his
day to our own to bring his flock to perfection, that is, to full maturity
of Christian character, since God has provided these gifts to achieve
this mature stage in life.
And
he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we
all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son
of God, unto a perfect [mature‑teleios] man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:11‑13)
Again,
the purpose and goal is Christian maturity and stability, a strength
of allegiance that cannot be shaken. Paul uses this word translated "perfect"
in the King James Version to describe, not sinless perfection of these
believers in the churches at Corinth and Ephesus, but a stage of spiritual
maturity that marks those who are steadfast in the faith under all circumstances.
Again
in his Epistle to the Philippians, he classes himself among the "perfect"
or spiritually mature and speaks wisdom among the "perfect."
Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect
[teleioi‑mature] be thus minded. (Phil 3:13‑15)
Because
Paul has achieved this maturity, he is able to speak wisdom among the
mature also. The aim of his apostolic ministry is to "present
every man perfect [teleioi‑full grown] in Christ" (Col 1:28). He
describes his fellow worker Epaphros as agonizing in prayer that the
Colossian Christians may "stand
perfect [teleioi] and complete in all the will of God" (Col 4:12).
In
classical Greek this same word "teleios" is often used of persons who
have reached adulthood, of animals full grown, of ripe fruit. For the
Christian the ideal is Jesus Christ, a spiritual stature for which we
must strive continually. The Word does not have in mind sinless perfection.
The holiest saints, men like Paul, have been the first to declare their
constant need of growth toward Christ, while affirming the sinfulness
of their own natures. The perfecting and maturing process continues
as long as life itself. The growing Christian makes continual progress
toward the ideal in Christ.
With
all the biblical counsel to be perfect, nowhere do we find the believer
claiming to have reached sinless perfection even though he is designated
as "perfect" [mature]. For such a claim is fraught with peril; not the
least of which is a spiritual blindness that prevents one from being
honest with oneself. There exists two opposite perils: Spiritual blindness
and failing to be honest with oneself; the opposite, an easy tolerance
toward sin.
From
the Word of God it is this spiritual maturity and stability that is possible
in this life. To teach from the Bible uses of this word that ultimate
sinless perfection is possible to inherently sinful man here on earth
is not supported by the Word of God, and is denied by the very nature
of man himself. This does not deny that there is growth towards perfection.
Sin does not reign, but it does remain in terms of the limitations of
human nature as we know it on this earth. It takes into consideration,
even after the close of probation, that as people grow old the arteries
harden, the mental and physical systems slow down and therefore the responses
are not what they were in the full strength of youth.
Furthermore,
that the biblical use of the word "teleios" or perfect does not have
in mind ultimate sinless perfection is seen where frequently believers
are declared "perfect" at the point of achieving some single step toward
the ideal. "If any man offend not in word, the same
is a perfect [teleios] man" (James 3:2). "Let patience
have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect [teleios] and entire,
wanting nothing" (James
1:4). The perfect or mature man is described here as one who has complete
control of his tongue, or who endures the trial of his faith without
wavering. The believer who qualifies in anyone of these is designated
in Scripture as a "perfect" or mature Christian. Such control and stability
is proof enough that he is a mature, perfect, stable Christian. The achievement
is not the same in all Christians. In some this "perfection" is marked
by love for one's enemies (Matt 5:43‑48), in others
it is manifest in endurance and faithfulness under trail; in still others,
it is seen in the control of the tongue.
In
other words, the purpose of God in the life is spiritual maturity under
all circumstances. Christ gave Himself to save us, the Holy Spirit to
live in the believer that he might rise and grow to this Christian maturity.
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil
1:6).
Paul,
while asserting that Christ lived in him as a mature Christian, pressed
ever forward to a loftier goal. Toward this goal the Holy Spirit continues
to direct us through the whole of our lives. But there is no finality
in perfection in this probationary life. For each upward step reveals
spiritual heights still above us. The Christian's
privilege is to experience here and now what has been the privilege of
Christians in all ages, namely the power of the Holy Spirit for continued
growth and spiritual maturity. "Sanctification
is the work of a lifetime." Yet along with this continued growth, we
find rest amid toil and conflict as we travail in this body of sin and
death until the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Katartizo
The
second most important word translated "perfect" in the New Testament
is the Greek word "katartizo" It means to be "fully equipped" for service
in the work of the church and in the cause of God. Take note that Paul
and other Bible writers are addressing the people of their own day and
not simply those who were to live during the closing days of earth's history. In the following passages
of Scripture this word is used.
A
disciple is not beyond his teacher, but every one that is PERFECT
[fully equipped] shall be as his master. (Luke 6:40)
Finally,
brethren, farewell. Be PERFECT [fully equipped], be of good comfort,
be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall
be with you. (2 Cor 13:11)
May
God PERFECT [fully equip] you in every good thing, in order to do
His will. (Heb 13:21)
The
God of all grace. . . after that ye have suffered a while, make you
PERFECT [equip you], establish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter
5:10)
And
he gave some apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some pastors and teachers; for the PERFECTING [full equipping]
of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ. (Eph 4:11,12)
All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the
man of God may be PERFECT [fully equipped] thoroughly furnished unto all
good works (2 Tim 3: 16, 17).
Whatever
interpretation we give on the doctrine of perfection must be in harmony
with the Word of God or else it is false. E. G. White insists on it, even
for her own writings. In the following quotation she says:
Brother
J would not confuse the mind by seeking to make it appear that the
light God has given through the Testimonies is an addition to the Word
of God . . . God has seen fit in this manner to bring the minds of His
people to His Word, to give them a clearer understanding of it. (Testimonies
for the Church, vol. 5, 663)
The
written Testimonies are not to give new light, but to impress
vividly upon the heart the truths of inspiration already revealed. .
. . The testimonies are not to belittle the Word of God, but to exalt
it and attract minds to it, that the beautiful simplicity of truth may
impress all. (Ibid., 665)
If
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light
in them (Isa 8:20).
II.
The Close of Probation and Salvation by Grace
What
does the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy teach concerning the close
of probation? Some would have us believe that the merits of the atonement
are no longer available as they were prior to the close of probation.
That the cessation of Christ's intercession means that his saving power
and forgiving grace are no longer available or needed. What does Revelation
22:11 actually mean relative to the close of probation? Consider various
Bible translations of this verse:
New
English Bible: " Meanwhile, let the evil‑doer go
on doing evil and the filthy‑minded wallow in his filth, but let
the good man persevere in his goodness and the dedicated man be true
to his dedication."
American
Translation: " Let the evil‑doer do worse and worse,
let the base grow baser and baser, let the upright man be more and more
upright, and the man who is holy be more and more holy."
Phillips: "Let the wicked
man continue his wickedness and the filthy man his filthiness; let the
good man continue his good deeds and the holy man continue his holiness."
Good
News for Modern Man: "Whoever is evil must go on doing evil,
and whoever is filthy must go on being filthy; whoever is good must
go on doing good, and whoever is holy must go on being holy."
The
context of this verse in the book of Revelation is that man has been
confronted with the final messages, warnings, and judgments of God. By
these God has addressed all the peoples of the world and brought to bear
the most solemn words and actions upon man's sinful situation. This verse
in the last chapter defines the final attitudes of two great classes
of mankind, the saved and the lost. Beyond the close of probation, man's
eternal destiny is forever fixed. It is now too late to change.
The
key word in the verse is the Greek word "eti" translated "still." He
that persists in wickedness will do so still. He that clings to this
filthiness will do so still. He that has chosen the way of Christ's
righteousness will do so still. For the wicked, there will be no further
help from God to turn him from his evil ways. The word "still" proclaims
the finality of the choices that men have made. He that is filthy let
him pollute himself yet more. He that is righteous let him do righteousness
yet more. In each case, while the one sinks to greater depths of evil,
the righteous rise to greater heights of holiness. The close of probation
is that decisive moment of time, when all that has gone into the making
of men's
lives will have determined their final destiny, to be wicked or righteous
forever. If a man has loved evil to this point, then he must continue
in it. God has no further provision for him to change. The Holy Spirit
has been withdrawn from the wicked. Therefore change is impossible.
For when the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, there is no chance to resist
the evil within the heart or the Satanic forces without. The man is
totally enslaved forever.
But
the righteous have been freed from sin's slavery
forever. Because they have chosen Christ, all opportunity and all gracious
help from God will be given them to continue in the way of righteousness.
The text speaks of the permanent bent of the life. The wicked are now
beyond redemption. The righteous cannot be lost. The text does not speak
of sinlessness. It speaks only of finality one way or another. For the
lost, their sinfulness will increase more and more. For the saved, their
holiness will increase more and more.
Mrs.
White declares that probation closes for some every day. "Every
day the probation of some is closing" (Patriarchs and Prophets,
140). "Some
are closing their probation; and is it well with them? Have they obtained
a fitness for the future life?" (Testimonies for the Church,
vol. 5, 18). The question is not one of the maximum of sin's development
on the one hand or the arrival at sinlessness on the other. Those for
whom probation closes now involves increased wickedness and continuance
in it, and for the righteous increased growth in righteousness and continuance
in it. The issue is one of finality. So will it be when probation closes
for all the world.
Speaking
of the close of probation for the world, Mrs. White writes: "Every
case is decided either for salvation or destruction" (Early Writings,
36); "The
destiny of all will have been decided for life or death" (The
Great Controversy, 490). (See also The Desire of Ages,
636). It is too late to change. The character is fixed. "The
coming of Christ does not change our characters; it only fixes them
forever beyond all change" (Testimonies for the Church,
vol. 5, 466). "Mercy
no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth." (The
Great Controversy, 613)
The
righteous manifest an unshakeable allegiance to Christ. "The
final test has been brought upon the world and all who have proved
themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received 'the seal
of the living God.' Then
Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above." (Ibid.,
613, italics supplied).
To
live without a Mediator does not mean to live without the righteousness
of Christ, or without the Holy Spirit, or the saving grace of our Lord. Since
all cases are decided for weal or for woe, the work of our divine Advocate is
concluded. No further charges by Satan can be brought against the saints, for
Christ has answered them all. The cases of the saints have all been called to
the bar of heaven. Christ has successfully pleaded our cause and secured a judgment
in our favor. Nothing can now reverse that verdict. There is nothing more to
say. Excepting Satan and his host, there is perfect agreement throughout the
universe as to Christ's
verdict in favor of the saints. All questions have been answered regarding the
future of the saints. No member of the Godhead needs to make any further defense
on their behalf. All that remains is for Christ to return and for the saints
to live and reign with Christ a thousand years (Rev 20:4‑6).
Because
of their unchangeable irrevocable standing before God, there is no further
need for Christ to intercede with God for their salvation or for their
redemption. The saints have been declared the legal heirs to the new earth.
Their standing from henceforth is one of final justification and vindication
before the bar of God and before a sinless universe. The fact that they
have chosen without qualification, the righteousness of Christ, leaves
only the actual conferring of that sinless nature and entrance into their
eternal inheritance at the second coming of Christ, when this mortal shall
put on immortality and this corruption shall have put on incorruption
(1 Cor 15:52‑54).
As
we have clearer views of Christ's spotless and infinite purity, we
shall feel as did Daniel, when he beheld the glory of the Lord, and said,
"My comeliness was turned in me into corruption." We cannot
say "I am sinless," till
this vile body is changed and fashioned like unto His glorious body. But
if we constantly seek to follow Jesus, the blessed hope is ours of standing
before the throne of God spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, complete in
Christ, robed in His righteousness and perfection." (Signs
of the Times, March 23, 1888)
III. The
Saints' Condition and Experience
What
is the spiritual condition of the saints after the close of probation?
Do the saints in any way reflect any conditions that belong to a state
of sin? If so, is the atoning blood and merits of Christ still available?
Mrs.
White describes the experience of the saints during the time of Jacob's
trouble as having "a deep sense of their short‑comings,
and as they review their lives, their hopes will sink. . . . If the people of God had unconfessed
sins to appear before them. . . they would be overwhelmed, despair would
cut off their faith. . . . But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness,
they will have no concealed wrongs to reveal" (Patriarchs and
Prophets,
202, italics supplied).
As
Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord
permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God,
their faith and firmness will be severely tested. . . . They are
fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. (The Great Controversy, 618)
Speaking
of the saints in the time of trouble, Mrs. White writes:
Those
who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of
falling under the power of satanic delusions . . . and even if they
endure the test, they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish
in the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to
trust in God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected, they
will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.
(Ibid., 622)
It
was by self surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what
he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. . . . Thus
it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround
them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely upon
the merits of the atonement. . . . In all our helpless unworthiness
we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour. None
will ever perish while they do this. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 202, 203)
Two
facts come clear from Mrs. White's
statements: first, even some of the saints will find themselves lacking
in faith after probation closes which will create for them greater anguish
and conflict. But lack of faith belongs to a state of sin. "Lack
of love and faith are the great sins of which God's
people are now guilty." (Testimonies for the Church, vol.
3, 475). Certainly lack of love and faith do not belong to a sinless
state. For this lack of faith was an essential aspect of the original
sin of Adam and Eve. Obviously this very condition described by Mrs.
White denies the claim that the saints will have reached sinless perfection.
If the saints are really sinless, and free from what some call "original
sin," how is
it possible for them to reveal such inadequacy in faith? Such a claim
is nowhere in the purview of Mrs. White's
statements at all. The issue she sets forth has to do with "unconfessed
sins," "concealed
wrongs."
Second,
salvation by grace and the merits of Christ's
atonement still avails for the saints after probation closes. Believers
still trust in the merits of Christ. The distinction some try to make
between saving and sustaining grace before and after the close of probation
is wholly unscriptural. The Bible knows nothing of it. Whatever may be
meant by saving and sustaining grace, they do not come in separate packages,
one before the close of probation and the other after, or that saving
grace is for sinners and sustaining grace is for the sinless. Both are
available at any time in the Christian life until the day of our Lord's
coming.
The
biblical use of the word "grace" is one. Grace is the eternal and free
favor of God, manifested towards the guilty and the unworthy. Grace
is entirely apart from every supposition of human worth and sinless
perfection. Grace belongs where human sinfulness exists. It super-abounds
over human unworthiness as experienced by the saints even after the
close of probation. Sinners are the only persons with whom saving grace
is concerned. Let us distinguish between grace as an attribute of Christ
and grace as a method of salvation made possible by the sacrifice of
Christ.
The
limited and imperfect spiritual condition of the saints described by
Mrs. White, requires the application of the atoning merits of our Lord
and the availability of Christ's righteousness. The state of the saints
is described as weakness, insufficiency, and worthiness. The corruption
of the sinful nature is manifest in the saints while in this mortal body.
Consequently, during the time of Jacob's trouble, fear and trembling,
weakness and unworthiness reflect their own insufficiency and sinful
state. Yet the eternal God is their refuge. Every moment they live by
and are saved by God's
marvelous grace. There is no evidence anywhere in Scripture or in the
Spirit of Prophecy that indicates the slightest change in salvation
by grace ministered daily to the saints.
Even
after Christ's work of intercession ceases and all
cases have been decided God is not one step removed from us. Rather is
He closer than He has ever been. If God's
righteousness in Christ is available, then so is His saving grace.
The implication that Christ is somehow, by the cessation of His mediatorial
ministry, standing in a different relation to His people, is false.
Those who think otherwise fail to grasp the biblical doctrine of salvation
by grace beyond the close of probation. Paul gave it to us in 2 Corinthians
12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness."
What Paul experienced is no different for us today or any time prior
to the coming of Christ.
Lurking
uncomfortably near, beneath the false teaching on sinless perfection,
is, that somehow this saving grace is not needed, that one must really
have sinless perfection to be sure. This has always been the problem for
those who will not settle for the acknowledgement of their actual sinful
state. With the close of probation, suddenly we see our own strength turned
around, converted into weakness as Mrs. White describes it, in order that
we may no longer live as a law unto ourselves, but that there is a people
who live by Christ alone. The experience of the saints after probation
closes reveals conclusively that being saved is being shaken loose from
the folly of implanting our ego firmly in the center. In spite of their
claims to the contrary, the supporters of the sinless perfection doctrine
clutch at it so that their weakness and unworthiness may end in power
prior to the coming of Christ.
Salvation
by grace is not a cure at all. The work of grace is not some magic charm.
The apostle Paul learned that. It is not something that, with the close
of probation, will guarantee that we will never have another spiritual
problem. This is evident from Mrs. White's description
of the state of the saints. Saving grace summons the saints to acknowledge
their sinful state until the coming of Christ. Christ is saying to us,
there is no way out, except to learn that His grace is sufficient in the
midst of our weakness and sinful state.
What
is sure about our finality after probation closes is not that our lives
are now magically transformed into sinlessness above the strife and agony
in the world and the attacks on the enemy. What does come through is that
deliverance is made complete in our weakness. His grace does not spring
us free from the weakness of our sinful state. Faith brings God's
assurance and saving power in our weakness. But it is His strength and
power, not our own. One cannot have it both ways. If a man is sinless
then he is no longer under grace. If he is under grace, then it is because
he is not yet sinless.
A
word from Mrs. White may well deserve consideration as to improper methods
and teachings.
There
are those who pick out from the Word of God, and also from the Testimonies,
detached paragraphs or sentences that may be interpreted to suit their
ideas, and they dwell upon these, and build themselves up in their own
positions, when God is not leading them.
You will take passages in the Testimonies that
speak of the close of probation, of the shaking among God's people,
and you will talk of a coming out from this people of a purer, holier
people that will arise. Now all this pleases the enemy. We should not
needlessly take a course that will make differences or create dissension.
We should not give the impression that if our particular ideas are
not followed, it is because the ministers are lacking in comprehension
and in faith, and walking in darkness. (Selected
Messages, Book 1, 179)
IV. "Then Shall
the Sanctuary Be Cleansed"
"And
he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall
the sanctuary be cleansed." (Dan 8:14).
Let
it be noted from the text and the Scriptural passage that the cleansing
of the Sanctuary in Daniel 8:14 in no way can be identified with the
human heart and mind. This sanctuary and this cleansing has nothing
to do with the cleansing of human hearts and lives as some declare.
Such a view is in complete contradiction with Mrs. White's clear statement
on "What is the Sanctuary" in The
Great Controversy, 409‑422.
She states this sanctuary to be the "true
tabernacle" in heaven,
to which the earthly sanctuary pointed (The Great Controversy,
417). That some teachers are in error is obvious from the fact that
in Daniel 8, the defiling of the heavenly sanctuary is by the little
horn in its taking away of the daily. The little horn treads down
the sanctuary and the host.
How
long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the
transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host
to be trodden under foot? (Dan 8: 13).
The
answer to that is given in verse 14, "Unto 2300
days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
The
doctrine of sinless perfection is often based on this false interpretation
of the "cleansing" of the sanctuary and the final atonement. If sinless
perfection is to be realized by saints at the close of probation, then
original sin must also be eradicated. This is done by making "sins
of ignorance" (Lev 4)
the equivalent of original sin which the final cleansing takes care
of.
Both
the Hebrew meaning of the word and the biblical context show how mistaken
the advocates of such a view are in the use of Scripture. The words "sins of
ignorance" refer
to sins done inadvertently, unwittingly. (See Deut 19:4; Josh 20:3, 5: Num 35:11, 15; Lev 22:14). The Old Testament use of the term covers those
inadvertent sins in contrast with those done with a high hand or defiantly. They have nothing to do with sin in the unconscious and man's
natural state of sinfulness. The
term "sins of ignorance" is far removed in time and meaning from
any reference to original sin of the saints living in the last days.
We
must be on our guard and much in prayer for divine guidance lest we come
under the judgment of Christ when He said; "Ye do err
not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (Matt 22:29).