While justification is complete and therefore admits of no degrees, sanctification, on account of the remaining sinfulness of the
Of the imperfection of Christian sanctification in this life, Quenstedt writes: "Renovation (sanctification) in this life is partial and imperfect, admitting degrees, and therefore never attains the highest pinnacles of perfection. For sin remains in the regenerate, affecting their self-control, and the flesh lusts against the Spirit; wherefore our renovation progresses from day to day and is to be continued through life, 2 Cor. 4, 16. The want of perfection in renovation does not arise from the impotency of God, who renews, but from the weakness of man, who is the recipient of divine action." Doctr. Theol., p. 490.
And again : "Renovation is increased by godly acts and frequent efforts. If these are intermitted or diminished, a diminution follows, so that at one time there is an increase, at another a decrease. The Holy Scriptures expressly affirm that the renovation of the regenerate in this life ought continually to increase and grow, Eph. 4, 16."
These quotations show how earnestly our Lutheran dogmaticians stress the imperfection of Christian sanctification and the daily need of the believer to strive after progress in the grace of holiness. Our Lutheran teachers indeed acknowledge the fact that the regenerate, according to the new man, are spiritual, 1 Cor. 2, 15; 14, 37; Gal. 6, 1, but, on the other hand, they affirm that the regenerate are also carnal, Rom. 7, 14, namely, so far as their evil flesh (σάρξ) is concerned, Rom. 7, 22. 23.
Hollaz comments on this as follows: "When a renewed man is called spiritual, the reason why he is so denominated is derived from that which is preponderant, namely, from the prevailing spirit (the inward or new man); but when the same (the renewed man) is called carnal, the reason is derived from that which is subordinate, namely, from the flesh, which is indeed subdued, but yet rebels and resists and with which the justified person, placed in the way of life, is continually carrying on war." Doctr. Theol., p. 491.
The doctrine of the imperfection of Christian sanctification is well supported by Scripture. From the viewpoint of their imperfections it admonishes believers "to grow up into Christ in all things," Eph. 4, 15; "to abound in every good work," 2 Cor. 9, 8; "to abound in the work of the Lord," 1 Cor. 15, 58; "to increase in the knowledge of God," Col. 1, 10; "to be strengthened with all might ... unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness," Col. 1, 11; "to increase and abound in love one toward another and toward all men," 1 Thess. 3, 12; "to abound yet more and more in the knowledge and in all judgment," Phil. 1, 9; "to abound more and more in pleasing God," 1 Thess. 4, 1; etc.
All these exhortations show that the Christian believer, according to the old man (παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος), who is still in him, is very imperfect indeed and that his whole life must be a perpetual effort to overcome his evil inclinations, struggle against sin, and accomplish that which is good in the sight of God.
The Formula of Concord aptly remarks Thor. Decl., II, 68: "Since we receive in this life only the first-fruits of the Spirit and the new birth is not complete, but only begun in us (regeneratio nondum sit ahsoluta, sed solummodo in nobis inchoata), the combat and struggle of the flesh against the spirit remains even in the elect and truly regenerate men; for there is a great difference perceptible among Christians, not only in this, that one is weak and another strong in the spirit, but each Christian moreover experiences in himself that at one time he is joyful in spirit and at another fearful and alarmed; at one time ardent in love, strong in faith and hope, and at another cold and weak."
In order to impress this point, our dogmaticians have said: "The righteousness of faith, or our imputed righteousness, is perfect or complete; the righteousness of life, or our inherent righteousness, is imperfect, begun, and incomplete."Justitia fidei sive imputata perfecta sive consummata est, iustitia vitae sive inhaerens imperfecta, inchoata, nom consummata. (Baier.)
There is, then, in the believer a constant warfare between his new man (νοῦς, ἔσω ἄνθρωπος, καινὸς ἄνθρωπος) and between his flesh (σάρξ), as St. Paul clearly shows Rom. 7, 25. Cp. Luther, St. L., XV, 1552.1
The doctrine of the imperfection of Christian sanctification must be held and defended in all its Scriptural truth and force against the error of perfectionism (papists, Unitarians, Arminians (Limborch), enthusiasts (Weigel, Schwenkfeld, etc.), Methodists,. Finney of Oberlin, etc.).
While the error of perfectionism is taught in different forms, so that we must carefully distinguish between various types of this delusion (papistic, Methodist, Oberlin, etc.), the Formula of Concord adequately defines this false doctrine in a general way when it writes Epit., II, 12: "(We reject also the error that) man, after he has been born again, can perfectly observe and completely fulfil God's Law," "that a Christian who is truly regenerated by God's Spirit can perfectly observe and fulfil the Law of God in this life" Epit., XII, 25.
That, in general, is the essence of perfectionism. It is based on the unscriptural premise that only those transgressions that are done consciously and deliberately are truly to be called sins. Cp. Wesley: "I believe a person filled with love of God is still liable to involuntary transgressions. Such transgressions you call sins if you please; I do not." Strong, Syst. Theol., 878. Cp. also The Decisions of the Council of Trent, Sess. V, Decretum de peccato originali, 5.
In its consequences, perfectionism means defection from the article of justification by faith (sola fide), because saving faith can dwell only in a contrite heart, which by daily repentance (contrition and faith) lays hold of the merits of Christ to cover its sins. In other words, a true believer never denies his sinfulness (original and actual), but always confesses his sins before God, Ps. 32, 5; 38, lfi.; 51, 1 ff.; 90, 8; 143, 2, etc. In view of this fact, perfectionism must be condemned as a species of self-righteousness, Luke 18, 11. 12, which is as offensive as it is pernicious. Its culmination is found in the blatant boast of Romanism that there are saints whose supreme holiness even produces supererogatory works (opera supererogationis), that is, works which are more than sufficient and can therefore be dispensed to others who are lacking in perfection.
Against perfectionism Scripture attests that, "if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us"; indeed, that, "if we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us," 1 John 1, 8. 10. It is true, the same apostle who wrote these words said also: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God," 1 John 3, 9. However, in this passage he describes the believer according to the new man ("because he is born of God") and not according to his corrupt nature (σάρξ), from which all his transgressions after conversion flow. The believer indeed "has sin," 1 John 1, 8. 10, and he is forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness, 1 John 1, 9, only if he confesses his sins. At the same time he, as a new creature in Christ, is no longer under the dominion of sin "that he should obey it in the lusts thereof," Rom. 6, 12. 14. When a true believer sins, it is not his regenerated self or the new man in him that sins, but his Old Adam, or his corrupt flesh.
St. John, in the passage just quoted (1 John 3, 9), thus supports St. Paul, who says of himself: "Now, then, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me," Rom. 7, 17. This he explains further by saying: "For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members," Rom. 7, 22. 23. Perfectionism can therefore be proved neither by 1 John 3, 9 nor by Rom. 6, 14.
In passing, we may say that the error of perfectionism is itself an outgrowth of the evil nature (σάρξ), or the conceited reason of man, which refuses to humble itself before God, Luke 18, 9; 2 Pet. 2, 18. 19; 1 Pet. 5, 5. 6.
The fact that sanctification in this life is gradual and incomplete (renovatio inchoata, imperfecta) must not be abused by the Christian in such a manner that he makes no efforts towards sanctification. On the contrary, it should constantly move the believer to strive after holiness in the fear of God. While perfect sanctification is impossible in this life, it should nevertheless be the Christian's supreme goal.
That is God's will, 1 Cor. 1, 30; 2 Thess. 2, 13; Heb. 12, 14; 1 Thess. 4, 3-7 ; etc. His demand is that the believer "cleanse himself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God," 2 Cor. 7, 1, and that he be ''holy in all manner of conversation," 1 Pet. 1, 15. Negatively, the believer should put off every sin; positively, he should put on every virtue; for only a life of perfect holiness becomes him as a saint of God in Christ Jesus, Col. 1, 10; Phil. 4, 8; cp. also Col. 3; Eph. 5 and 6; Rom. 12-15; etc. Thus Holy Scripture not only multiplies its exhortations to holiness, but also sets before the believer the lofty standard of perfection, Matt. 6, 24; Luke 14, 25-35; Matt. 7, 13. 14; 18, 8. 9; etc. The life of faith means a life of absolute self-denial and self-mortification, 1 Cor. 9, 25. 27.
In fact, God in His holy Word demands of the believer so perfect a degree of sanctification that the question indeed forces itself upon the trembling, penitent heart: "Who, then, can be saved?" Matt. 19, 25. Christ's reply to this query: "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible," Matt. 19, 26, confirms the truth taught in so many passages of Scripture that the standard of Christian perfection which God has set is so high that only His grace can save us, Eph. 2, 8. 9.
In view of these facts the unspeakable folly of perfectionism becomes obvious. That this doctrine was ever taught in the Church is due to the pernicious mingling of Law and Gospel, which always occurred when Christians apostatized from the Word of God and resorted to doctrines of the flesh. Papism, Arminianism, Unitarianism, etc., teach perfectionism because, on the one hand, they have weakened the stern demands of the divine Law and, on the other, have dimmed the perfect glory of God's grace in Christ Jesus. ·First they taught salvation by work-righteousness; after this pagan doctrine had become rooted in their system of teaching, the "epicurean delusion" of perfectionism was bound to follow. First their conceited reason said: "I can do good works to merit salvation"-; then it arrogantly added: "I can do more good works than are required for salvation."
Accordingly we must not say: "If the doctrine of sinless perfection is a heresy, the doctrine of contentment with sinful imperfection is a greater heresy" (A. J. Gordon; cp. Christl. Dogmatik, Vol. III, p. 40), but rather: "Both are intolerable heresies, which render salvation impossible."
However, in the final analysis, perfectionism itself is neglect and repudiation of Christian sanctification, since the self-sufficient perfectionist, denying his exceeding sinfulness, refuses to follow the course which God in His Word prescribes for Christian sanctification. True sanctification occurs only when a believer by daily sincere repentance (poenitentia quotidiana, poenitentia stantium) humbly beseeches God to forgive his manifold sins for Christ's sake and then, in the strength of faith and trusting in the grace of God, renews his fight against sin and his consecration to holiness. True sanctification thus presupposes continual study of the Law for the purpose of obtaining an ever greater knowledge of sin and of God's demands, continual meditation on the Gospel for an ever greater assurance of forgiveness, and continual mindfulness of the goal which the pilgrim of Christ (homo viator) must attain on his road to heaven, his real home (homo comprehensor, Phil. 3, 20. 21). The life of true sanctification is a life in Christ, unto God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in view of the hope of eternal glory (sub specie aeternitatis; Heb. 13, 14: τὴν μέλλουσαν πόλιν ἐπιζητοῦμεν).
With regard to the argument of the perfectionists that God does not command the impossible, Matt. 5, 48, we reject this as a fallacy and declare: A praecepto ad posse non valet consequentia. With respect to the Scripture-passages which perfectionists adduce to support their error, we may say in summary : 1 John 3, 9 describes the Christian according to the new man; Phil. 3, 15 speaks of the Christian's striving after perfection; Heb. 5, 13. 14 sets forth the perfection of maturity; Matt. 5, 48 commands love like God's, not regarding quantity, but quality; Col. 2, 10 teaches the perfection of justification.
In conclusion, we wish to remind the reader once more of the important fact that the article of sanctification can be kept pure only in case the article of justification is taught in its Scriptural purity. Those who err with respect to justification must err also with regard to sanctification.
To this great truth the Formula of Concord directs attention when it says Thor. Decl., III, 22: "When we teach that through the operation of the Holy Ghost we are born anew and justified, the sense is not that after regeneration no unrighteousness clings any more to the justified and regenerate in their being and life, but that Christ covers all their sins, which nevertheless in this life still inhere in nature, with His complete obedience. But irrespective of this they are declared and regarded godly and righteous by faith and for the sake of Christ's obedience, ... although on account of their corrupt nature they still are and remain sinners to the grave. . . . Nor, on the other hand, is this the meaning, that without repentance, conversion, and renewal we might or should yield to sins and remain and continue in them."
And again (ibid., 32): "It is also correctly said that believers, who in Christ through faith have been justified, have in this life first the imputed righteousness of faith and then also the incipient righteousness of the new obedience, or of good works. But these two must not be mingled with one another or be both injected at the same time into the article of justification by faith before God. For since this incipient righteousness or renewal in us is incomplete and impure in this life because of the flesh, the person cannot stand with and by it ... before God's tribunal, but before God's tribunal only the righteousness of the obedience, suffering, and death of Christ, which is imputed to faith, can stand, so that only for the sake of this obedience is the person (even after his renewal, when he has already many good works and lives the best ... life) pleasing and acceptable to God and is received into adoption and heirship of eternal life." (Cp. Christl. Dogmatik, III, p. 41 ff.; also Luther, St. L., XV, 1551. 1554.)