THEO LOG ICALLY TH INK ING continued which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). As a Christian obeys these three commands of God for his life, to study (2 Tim. 2:1,5), to pray (1 Thess. 5:17), and to witness (Acts 1:8)'; and as he confesses (1 John 1: 9) and forsakes known sin (Prov. 28: 13), he shall demonstrate in his ex perience the meaning of present sanc tification, that it is a life of pro gressive victory over evil and of in creasing fellowship with God. While it is clear in the teaching of Scripture that a holy life should be the normal life for the believer rather than the abnormal, it is equally clear that “ sinless perfection” is never enjoined upon the Christian nor found in his actual experience. Said a woman in haughty tones to the late Dr. Ironside: “ Do you know, Doctor, I actually have not sinned once in the last fifteen years.” “M y !” said Ironside in his own inimitable way, “You must be proud of that rec ord.” “Oh, yes,” said she, “ I am very, very proud!” Yet pride is listed as one of the things which the Lord hates (Prov. 6:16, 17)! The Scriptural use of the term per fection is that of completeness and maturity rather than that of sinless ness. “ Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations” (Gen. 6:9 R.V.), and Job is spoken of as “ perfect and upright” (Job 1:1), yet both were guilty of sinning before the Lord. Paul speaks in the same breath of being both perfect and imperfect (Phil. 3:12, 15), the ex planation being that one is positional and the other experimental perfec tion. First John 3:8, 9 has been used to support the theory of sinless per fection, yet, as Thiessen points out: “ Attention to the Greek tenses re moves this supposition, for they are all the present tense. Accordingly the meaning is, he that habitually sins is of the devil; he that is of God does not repeatedly sin” , (L ec tures in Systematic Theology, p. 382). The clear' teaching of First John 1:7-2:2 is that Christians do sin and that God has provided the grounds for cleansing from daily de filement. Romans 6-8 is the primary passage which reveals God’s method of deliverance from the power of in dwelling sin. As someone has well said, that if “ sinless perfection” is an unscriptural doctrine, so also is “ sin ful imperfection.” The Bible never condonesi sin in the life of the be liever. To the contrary, Scripture prohibits sin and all of its subtle manifestations and requires of the Christian a victorious, overcoming manner of life.
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Or. Hyman J. Ap- pelman. Rev. T. M. Bomber, Or. Paul Bauman, Rev. Solo* mon Birnbaum, Dr. John W. Bradbury, Rev. Herman B. Cents, Rev. Max Cohn, Dr. William Culbertson, Rev. Theodore Eisner, Dr. V. R. Edman. George Hayes, Jr., Dr. Peter Hoogendam, Dr. Lewis J. Julianel, Dr Herbert lockyer, S r., Dr. A. B. Machlin, Dr. Alva J. McClain, Dr. J. Palmer Munti, Nate Scharff, Rev. Nathan Stone, Dr. Chester E. Tulga, Judge
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Have Your Eyes Examined Now! Student Rates DR. W . LA VERN SALTER DR. JOHN WM . SALTER Op tom etrists 226 Story Bldg., 610 So. Broadway Serving Bible Institute students and instructors since 1926 Los Angeles 14, Calif. TUcker 4855 EVANGELISTIC PIANO PLAYING You need not know a note of music, yet you can learn to play the piono from any hymn book. Send immediately for this book wnich explains fundamentals of music and piano. This book also includes a section on the structure of the seventh, ninth and eleventh chords; suggestions for embellishments such as: arpeggio, octave runs, broken chords, etc. Send 75c (in coin) to . . . DAVE JOHNSON, 5828 FOOTHILL BLVP., OAKLAND 5, CALIF.
One o f 19 Correspondence Courses Write for full details CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL Bible Institute of Los Angeles 558 S. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Calif. Sanctification has also a future tense, a complete and final sancti fication which awaits the sight of Christ. This is well expressed in the words of First John 3:2, “ Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Not until we go to be with Christ, either by death or at His coming, will we be entirely conformed to His image and granted deliverance from the presence of sin. With our glorified bodies and in the very presence of One who is trans parently holy, we shall be “ changed by beholding.” We await that glor ious day when sin and sorrow shall be a memory. Meanwhile, the pros pect of coming perfection and the an ticipation of being with Him and like Him should impel us to “ lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” and “ run with pa tience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author [origi nator] and finisher [perfector] of our faith” (Heb. 12:1,2). e n d .
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