WHAT WE BELIEVE AND TEACH ABOUT GOD'S CALL TO MAN

"God ....... called us... unto holiness." I Thess. 4:7. We, the Holiness People, believe that the call of God to fallen man is essentially a call to Holiness, and that this experience is designed for man's enjoyment in this present life. This the following Scriptures, coupled with many others, will plainly show:

"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:6-11.

"For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit." I Thess. 4:7, 8.

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." I Thess. 5:23, 24.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:11-14.

"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance; but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy." I Pet. 1:14-16.

"And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Acts 15:8, 9.

These, and kindred Scripture passages, clearly indicate the radical nature of the work which God is prepared to do. It is to be a complete deliverance, a clean cut from the world and from the bondage and contamination of sin.

Our changed relationship Godward is but the preliminary step to a changed inward condition. Thus, Wesley wrote:

"What is our calling's glorious hope
But inward holiness;
For this to Jesus I look up,
I calmly wait for this.

I wait till He shall touch me clean
Shall life and power impart,
Give me the faith that casts out sin
And purifies the heart."

The call of God is a call to complete deliverance. What else could be worthy of a God like ours? If He made a full atonement thereby providing a full Salvation, how can we expect anything short of a deliverance that is full and complete?

God's greatest concern for His people is that they should be spiritually clean. It is a small matter that they should be successful, wealthy, popular or even happy, but if ever they are to see the inside of heaven's gate they must be free from sin.

Strangely enough there are many people professingly the Lord's who with evident sincerity, shudder at such a suggestion, seemingly regarding it as a standard too high for ordinary mortals to contemplate.

"From all sin?" they question. How is it possible to be delivered from all sin in this life?

Since this question so frequently arises, it is well that the issue be squarely faced. Why not deliverance from all sin in this life? What is there to hinder it? If God can deliver the soul from sin's condemnation, why should He not also be able to deliver it from sin's contamination?

Numerous answers have been given, suggesting environment, heredity, and the fact of our humanity, but none of these provide a convincing argument in the face of the plain declarations of the Word of God and the humble but testimonies of His trusting and triumphant people.