Loosely defined, sanctification is the work of both God and a believer toward becoming more Christ-like. The variations within evangelical theology and its view of sanctification vary greatly. As a system of theology, dispensationalism views sanctification in similar ways to many other evangelical theologies with the exception of three distinctions. Those three distinctions are the security of a believer, the work of the Spirit, and the unique role of progressive sanctification. This paper will define sanctification broadly from both a mainline and dispensational viewpoint, provide a brief biblical basis for dispensationalism, as well as discuss at length the three distinctions of the dispensational view of sanctification.
I. SANCTIFICATION DEFINED
Sanctification is “being made holy, or purified”[1] by the “continuous operation of the Holy Spirit, by which the holy disposition imparted in regeneration is maintained and strengthened.”[2] The word sanctify comes from similar Hebrew and Greek words that mean “a person or thing is thereby said to be set apart, or classified, usually as pertaining unto God.”[3] Encompassing all of these definitions is that “Sanctification refers to growth in spiritual maturity, founded upon the enablement provided to all believers by the Holy Spirit and energized by the filling of the Spirit.”[4] With the definition of sanctification provided it is important to examine dispensationalism and how it might provide a different view of what sanctification is and how it occurs in the life of a believer.
II. A BRIEF BIBLICAL BASIS FOR DISPENSATIONALISM
The word “dispensation” comes from the usage of the word, oikonomia, which is commonly used in the New Testament. But what is a dispensation? Stanley Toussaint describes a dispensation as “a period of time during which man is tested in respect of obedience to some specific revelation of the will of God.”[5] These periods of times include seven distinct dispensations.
A. The Seven Dispensations
Stanley Toussaint provides an abbreviated description of the seven different dispensations of God. Each of these dispensations throughout history show different ways God interacted with His people in how they were to worship Him, the way in which He expected them to obey Him, as well as well as His punishment for disobedience. The first was the dealing with Adam before the fall and the second is the way in which God deals with Adam after the fall. The third was after the flood based on human government and capital punishment being enabled. The fourth was after the Tower of Babel which is when God began to mediate His blessings to people through one man: Abraham. The fifth was the Mosaic Law. The sixth is the age of grace and the church (as one with Jews and Gentiles). The seventh is the Millennial Kingdom which precedes the eternal state.[6]
B. The Dispensations in Light of Covenants in the Bible
Another presentation of the basis for dispensationalism is from Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock who explain the six different covenants in the Bible as evidences of God working in different ways during different periods of time. The Noahic Covenant was the first appearance of covenants in the Bible. God uses covenant language to promise to preserve Noah’s life and every creature taken into the ark (Gen. 6:18) as well as to promise to never again destroy life on the earth through a flood (Gen. 9:9-17).[7] Another is the Abrahamic Covenant which clarified the way God kept his original covenant to Noah. The Abrahamic Covenant also revealed a foundation for a relationship between God, humanity, and life on the earth. Since the Abrahamic Covenant did not fully reveal God’s plans for humanity, further revelation was needed.[8] Another covenant was the Mosaic Covenant which focused on the concrete and present relationship between Israel and God. Based on the lifestyle of each generation, God presented a blessing or curse. Latter prophets living under the Mosaic Covenant predicted that a new covenant would come and in turn fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant.[9] The New Covenant was a new arrangement for the patriarchal blessing. This was a new dispensation of the Spirit that occurred after the Mosaic Covenant as a way to expand and bring greater revelation to God’s meaning of “I will bless you.”[10] The Davidic Covenant was another covenant which was given to bring an everlasting fulfillment to the Abrahamic Covenant and blessing. Through the Davidic Covenant, blessings would come under a Davidic king. Through the mediation of that Davidic king, blessings would come to an Israel of faith was well as all other nations that trust in Him.[11] Jesus is the fulfillment of the Davidic king as well as the fulfillment of the biblical covenants as He is a descendant of David who will mediate the blessings to Israel. In Jesus, the Mosaic Covenant was also fulfilled. In one act, Jesus brought the Mosaic Covenant to an end (through His death) while also providing the sacrifice necessary for a new covenant which provides redemption, renewal, and resurrection. Stretching back further than David, Jesus is the heir to Abraham and mediates those blessings to Israel and other nations.[12]
However, with these covenants and dispensations, it is clear that this present dispensation is not the end. This present dispensation looks forward. The next dispensation will have the new covenant fulfilled and fully received. When will this occur? At the descent of Jesus from heaven which is when a new covenant blessing will be extended as Jesus rules the nations.[13]
C. An Exegetical Basis for Dispensationalism
The primary basis for dispensationalism comes from the use of the word oikonomia by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians. In Ephesians 1:9, 10 as well as Ephesians 3:9-11 the word is used to describe how God works. Senior Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, Elliott Johnson supports this claim, “The exegetical basis for dispensationalism is derived partially from Paul’s three references to the term oikonomia within the book of Ephesians (1:10; 3:2,9).”[14] With such a large system of thought being derived from the use of a word in one book a closer examination is needed. For this sake, first the root meaning of the word “dispensation” will be examined, then its use in Ephesians as well its other uses in the New Testament, then observations and interpretations of how the word is used within the Ephesian passages will be made.
1. Meaning of the Word
Charles Ryrie tells that in the ancient Greek culture, “an oikonomos was a servant in charge of a household. Oikonomia referred to his office or activity of managing the house.”[15] Another appropriate definition of oikonomia is “stewardship, manager” and can sometimes refer to a “grand plan.”[16] Over time these words began to be used more broadly and began to encompass the management activity involving financial transactions. Therefore the English words “steward” and “stewardship” are derived from the words oikonomos and oikonomia.[17]
Within the New Testament Paul uses the terminology of oikonomos and oikonomia to “distinguish at least two and possibly three successive dispensations.”[18] Ryrie further elaborates that “Jesus’ teaching that the coming kingdom of God would involve stewardship changes also shows the appropriateness of dispensational theology to characterize his view of present and future.[19]
2. Other Uses in the New Testament
The word oikonomia is used more than ten times throughout the New Testament in various forms. However, the following verses and their observations include the word used in the same or a similar way as in Ephesians.
- Assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility (oikonomia) of extending his grace to you Gentiles (Eph. 3:2).[20]
- Jesus told this story to his disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a manager (oikonomos) handling his affairs. One day a report came that the manager was wasting his employer’s money” (Luke 16:1).
- So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been have been put in charge (oikonomos) of explaining God’s mysteries (1 Cor. 4:1).
- They have to obey their guardians (oikonomos) until they reach whatever age their father has set (Gal 4:2).
- God has given me the responsibility (oikonomia) of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you (Col. 1:25).
- An elder is a manager (oikonomos) of God’s household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick tempered; he must not be heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money (Tit 1:7).
Even though these verses use other examples to employ the use of the Greek word to describe a manager, steward, or grand plan, hopefully the meaning affirms the way dispensationalists use the same word in Ephesians.
3. Ephesians 1:9, 10
As discussed earlier, the roots of dispensationalism are grounded in Ephesians 1:9,10 as well as Ephesians 3:9-11. Paul, when writing to the church of Ephesus, explains that God used Jesus as the way to adopt everyone into His family. Through Jesus Christ He has brought new people into His family, which told about what had already happened in the past, but the two verses in Ephesians 1:9,10 focus on the future. Paul writes,
God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: at the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth (Eph. 1:9, 10).
Here are important observations and interpretations about these two verses:
- This passage is listed in Paul’s introductory remarks to the church of Ephesus and sets the stage for the rest of the book. Paul is talking about how God had showered (him and the people in the world at that time) with kindness, wisdom, and understanding as a result of Christ. He also explains that God used Christ to purchase the freedom of the readers of Ephesians with the blood of Jesus Christ. C. I. Scofield, one of the first dispensationalist theologians, defines the beginning of this section as well as chapter 3 of Ephesians as a “positional” passage, meaning that Paul is describing and defines the standing that believers have in “Christ” as well as “in the heavenlies” through pure grace.[21]
- The plan was once mysterious. The plan existed from the beginning and was mysterious for a long time; therefore it was not known to people before it had been revealed. But it existed from the beginning. It was God’s plan for His own pleasure (as will be seen later in the verses).
- The plan has been revealed. God revealed the plan; Paul is merely attempting to explain it. The plan is about Christ. Christ is the focus of the revealing of the plan. And when Christ died the plan was revealed. Christ is the catalyst that has allowed His believers to understand the plan. Because of Christ and His work His believers are now allowed to know about God’s plan. And that plan has been revealed so that “believers are able to grasp something of the divine purpose of the ages.”[22]
- This plan involves God’s pleasure. The plan was God’s plan from the beginning in which He desired to fulfill His good pleasure. It was for God’s benefit. Scofield believed the plan was according to “his [God’s] good pleasure which he hath purposed for himself.”[23]
- The plan talked about in verse nine is revealed in verse ten. While verse nine states that the plan has “now” been revealed, verse 10 explains the plan and what will happen in the future.
- The plan is something that will happen in the future. In verse ten the tense is future. God says that He “will” bring everything together. This is evidence that it will be brought together in the future at the right time. The literal translation of this can be, “unto the dispensation of the fullness of times.”[24] Another literal translation might be “that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together all things in Christ.”[25] This dispensation of the fullness of times is defined by Scofield as the “seventh and last of the ordered ages which condition human life on earth, is identical with the kingdom covenant with David.”[26]
- Just as Christ revealed the plan, everything will be brought together under Christ’s authority. Christ is the authority over everything as part of this plan. Bringing together the plan is done by Christ, and it is brought under the authority of Christ. Again, Christ is the key. This is referring to the dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom which is when “God’s purposes will be completed (fulfilled) and all things both spiritual and material will be under Christ and His rule.”[27]
- Words of location are used. Both heaven and earth are used as literal locations of where “everything” is going to come from. The verse uses the words “in heaven” and “on earth.” What is brought together “under” the authority of Christ will be “in” heaven and “on” earth. This will be “all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.”[28]
4. Ephesians 3:9-11
In Ephesians 3:9-11 another emphasis is used as a way to develop the biblical view of a dispensational theology. Still writing in the “positional” type of context where Paul is defining a believer’s relation to Christ and describing things, Paul writes:
I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 3:9-11).
Similar to the Ephesians passage in chapter one, observations and interpretations of this passage will be made to show its dispensational theology:
- Again, a plan is described. This was a mysterious plan. The plan had been kept secret in the past, but now it has been revealed.
- The church is used to display God’s wisdom. The medium that God uses is the church. The church is how God explains his rich variety.[29] Scofield also agrees that the church is the method which God uses to display the revelations of the mystery of God.[30] This is the new dispensation; the sixth and second to last dispensation.
- God’s wisdom is described as having “rich variety.” The adjective phrase “rich variety” in this verse does not refer to “the church” as some might interpret it that way. Instead, “rich variety” refers to God’s wisdom. Other Bible translations might better reflect this phrase such as the New American Standard Bible, “So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10), or New Oxford Annotated Bible, “So that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places” (Eph. 3:10). This rich variety of God’s wisdom is more specifically defined as the wholly new thing which was Christ’s body. Christ’s body formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit was the rich variety.[31] And Christ’s body through the baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the variety of the new relationship between Jews and Gentiles in one body.[32] Through Christ’s baptism and the Holy Spirit’s work, this rich variety has resulted in the new relationship between Jews and Gentiles together in one body.
- The purpose of the mystery has been carried out through Christ. This new dispensation—the dispensation of grace—has been carried out through Christ. This is known because verse 11 says, “carried out” which is past tense and because the inclusion of Jews and Gentiles who believe was one of the results of Christ’s death.[33]
III. THREE DISTINCTIONS IN THE DISPENSATIONAL VIEW OF SANCTIFICATION
A. Security under Christ
The first distinction of the dispensational view of sanctification is a believer’s security under Christ. Dispensationalists focus on progressive sanctification: the experimental act of the believer by yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit after justification. This is because justification and security of going to heaven is not based on “how sanctified you are.”[34] Instead, the focus is placed on the trustworthiness of God’s own testimony in His word.[35] In other words, believers are “eternally secure from the moment of regeneration”[36] through their faith and baptism in Christ. Therefore, their assurance is not based on their worthiness or honor nor is it based on their “progress” in progressive sanctification. Their assurance is based on their belief and faith in Christ.
While some people might see justification and sanctification as one event, the dispensational view of sanctification sees them as two distinct events. Lewis Sperry Chafer, a dispensational theologian and founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, provides two basises for this view. The first was that he saw a sharp distinction between justification and sanctification.[37] Including in this distinction between justification and sanctification was the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had different ways of working in the believer between the “drawing near to Christ” that the Spirit uses to bring a believer close to God (justification). While the work of the Spirit was much different in the life of a believer as part of sanctification. The second was that Chafer saw a time interval between conversion and the beginning of progressive sanctification because progressive sanctification was primarily based on a believer’s yeildedness.[38] This meant that a person was not necessarily being sanctified as soon as he or she was converted to Christianity. This was because progressive sanctification in the life of a believer is based on the knowledge of truth, devotion, and experience.[39] These elements are something that do not happen at the moment of conversion but instead occur during a time interval sometime after justification.
Further support for the security of a believer in sanctification is provided by the Dallas Theological Seminary dispensational doctrine of sanctification. DTS believes that sanctification is “already complete for every saved person because his position toward God is the same as Christ’s position.”[40] The position being referred to is a position of security of salvation under Christ. Salvation is secure because the work of salvation has already been done. Because the faith of the believer has already been confessed in Christ and that believer has already been baptized by the Holy Spirit.
The idea that a Christian will never fall into sin is a false one. It is important to remember that all Christians have a sinful nature and that sin and wrongdoings will occur in the life of a believer. Because of this, dispensationalists argue that “sinless perfection is attained only in the glorified state of heaven and not in the present life.”[41] Because of this, the dispensational perspective recognizes the fact that Christians will fall into sin, but the dispensational perspective does not see sin as reversing a believer’s salvation. Neither does sin cause a believer to lose the Holy Spirit. Yet, that sin of the believer must be corrected.[42]
This view that sin does not reverse a believer’s salvation is contrary to other evangelical views of sanctification. One of those views is the “holiness” view of sanctification. The holiness view of sanctification includes the Wesleyan, Oberline, Pentecostal, and Reformed views of sanctification that say you might lose your salvation if you participate in severe sin.[43] In the holiness view the believer’s active role in sanctification is heightened and emphasized. The question that one would raise from a dispensational view is this: If a believer plays a role in sanctification, what happens if he or she fails? If a believer plays a role in his own sanctification and he fails, is he still saved?
An assurance that believers have under the dispensational view of sanctification is that sin does not reverse a believer’s salvation. This is because of the “sealing” work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer at conversion. Chafer explains the ministry of the Holy Spirit in sealing as it “represents the Godward aspect of the relationships, — authority, responsibility, and a final transaction. It is ‘unto the day of redemption.’ The Spirit Himself is the seal, and all who have the Spirit are sealed. His presence in the heart is the divine mark.”[44] A believer might try his best to live a holy life yet still sin, or have taken a “day off” from living as a Christian. In the dispensational view of sanctification, justification and security under Christ is permanent. In effect, one may say that the dispensational perspective holds that the position of a Christian is saved forever and that he is going to heaven. Therefore, the Christian needs to allow the spirit of God to work in him. A key distinction in the dispensational view of sanctification is that salvation is divinely secured at justification. Therefore the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer should also be examined from the dispensational perspective.
B. The Work of the Holy Spirit
The second distinction of the dispensational perspective on sanctification is the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. John Walvoord, a dispensationalist and former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, wrote an article titled, “The Augustinian-Dispensational Perspective of Sanctification” where he states, “Though all Christians are regenerated by the Spirit, baptized by the Spirit, indwelt by the Sprit, and sealed by the Spirit, not all Christians are filled with the Spirit.”[45] The filling of the Spirit and Its active work in the believer is an important work within the dispensational perspective. Dispensationalists argue that this work of the Spirit inside a believer is distinct from the work of the Spirit before salvation (which is often called the “conviction” of the spirit that draws non-believers to God). This work of the Spirit is also distinct from the work of the Spirit at the moment of salvation (i.e., baptism by the Holy Spirit, resurrection with Jesus, etc.). This work of the Spirit in the life of a believer is the cornerstone and main focus of the dispensational perspective of sanctification in the life of a believer. But, what is the work of the Spirit in the life of a believer? The work of the Spirit in the life of a believer is the “work of God that occurs repeatedly in the life of believers, and as such it is obviously the source of sanctification as well as all spiritual fruitfulness.”[46] This is the cornerstone for not just the work of the Spirit in the life of a believer for sanctification, but it is the main part of dispensational theology. This is important for the dispensational view of sanctification because the filling of the Spirit is the unhindered ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. The Holy Spirit infuses into the believer and provides spiritual power to do more than what he might have done without the help of the Holy Spirit.[47]
In the dispensational view, the only necessity in sanctification is a “yieldedness” to the Holy Spirit. Thus sanctification according to Randall Gleason in his article, “B.B. Warfield and Lewis S. Chafer on Sanctification,” is “dependent on the believer’s initiative in meeting the condition of yieldedness.”[48] And that condition of yieldedness is justification and allowing the Holy Spirit to do work in the life of the believer. Further clarifying the work of the Holy Spirit and the believer’s responsibility is Chafer who believed sanctification was contingent on a believer’s willingness to “yield” to God.[49] That yielding is a submission to the work of the Spirit in the life of a believer.
When considering that dispensational theology sees seven distinct “dispensations” in how God deals with and relates Himself to man, it is important to characterize how this work of the Spirit fits into dispensational theology. Based on the dispensational perspective of Chafer, Walvoord, and Ryrie, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was a new ministry of the “dispensation of grace.”[50] The dispensational perspective would view indwelling, baptism of the Holy Spirit, sealing, and union with Christ being an instantaneous event occurring in the New Testament as a new dispensation. Therefore, this was not a practice in the Old Testament,[51] but it is something that believers now experience under the dispensation of grace.
C. Progressive Sanctification
The third distinction in the dispensational view of sanctifications is what Chafer calls progressive sanctification. Virtually all Christians agree that sanctification is an activity that occurs in some form after conversion (justification). However, the types of sanctification and the role of God and human are often debated.
The dispensational view of sanctification sees the topic of sanctification broken up into three separate categories which also occur in order in the life of a believer:
- Positional Sanctification: This is the position in Christ, perhaps best clarified by Paul when he refers to all believers as “saints” and a “holy nation, priesthood, etc.”
- Experimental Sanctification: This is the “progressive” act of God for the believer. It is the “progress” a believer makes to become more like Christ by the Spirit of God.
- Ultimate Sanctification: This is the perfection believers will experience when they are brought into the presennce of glory at the end times.[52]
This paper will focus on the role of “Progressive Sanctification” as that is the primary way that believers are sanctified here on earth after positional sanctification and before ultimate sanctification.
Progressive sanctification is characterized by the filling of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit is essential to the progressive sanctification that occurs in the life of a believer. However, it is important to distinguish the difference between the filling of the Spirit defined in dispensational theology verses how it is more commonly used in evangelical theology.
- Filling is different than indwelling because indwelling is something permanent while filling is recurring and experimental.
- Filling is different than sealing because sealing is a one-time event occurring at the moment of faith while filling is a recurring event.
- Filling is different than Baptism because Baptism is a one-time event that results in identification with the church while filling is a recurring event that results in community of church and union with Christ.
- Filling is different than maturity because maturity is obedience to God over time while filling is yielding to the Spirit’s work in the life of a believer.[53]
Progressive sanctification only occurs because of the indwelling of the Spirit. By the power of the Spirit the new nature a believer has enables him to produce the fruit of the Spirit.[54] The new nature that occurs because of the power of the Spirit is explained by the Apostle Paul that “we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the father, now we also may live new lives. . . We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. . . . So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. . . For you were dead, but now you have new life.”[55] That is the new nature believers have in Christ: no longer being under the requirements of the law (an old dispensation), but instead having new life because of Christ Jesus (a new dispensation, the dispensation of grace). How does this happen in the light of the sinful nature which all believers have? This is certainly not possible on a normal scale because each human once was controlled by sin and was a slave to sin (as seen in the Romans passage). This is possible because the “human body is His instrument for manifesting these evidences of God’s grace.”[56] Warfield and Chafer agree that “sanctification involves both the sovereign grace of the Holy Spirit and the willing response of the individual believer and that the experience of sanctification is progressive.”[57] Therefore sanctification is an act of God through the life of a believer as long as the believer has “yielded” to the Holy Spirit to allow Him to do that work. It takes both the work of God and the willingness of the believer for sanctification to occur.
With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the yielding of the believer, progressive sanctification can occur. Chafer believed that sanctification occurred “little by little as the believer’s new nature counteracted the old.”[58] Even though the old sinful nature can never be completely abolished, a believer’s yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit in his life allowed the new nature to slowly and progressively defeat the old sinful nature.
The Dallas Theological Seminary Doctrinal Statement also sheds light on the progressive sanctification and its distinctives within dispensational theology. In dispensational theology there is a “progressive sanctification where the Christian is to ‘grow in grace,’ and to ‘be changed’ by the unhindered power of the Spirit.”[59] It is important to note that in light of the security under Christ, progressive sanctification, and being perfectly sanctified when Jesus returns, the sin nature always remains.[60] It cannot “be eradicated in this life.”[61] The sin nature is part of every person regardless of how much or how well a person allows the Holy Spirit to sanctify him.[62]
IV. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS ON THE DISTINCTIONS OF SANCTIFICATION IN DISPENSATIONALISM
This paper claims that there are three distinctions in the dispensational view of sanctification. After a broad evangelical definition of sanctification and a brief biblical basis for dispensational theology, those three distinctions were shared. Those three distinctions are a believer’s security under Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, and progressive sanctification. As a result, believers can rest assured that their salvation is secure under Christ, that the Holy Spirit will work in their life, and that over time they will become progressively more and more like Christ. These are biblical and comforting assurances that each believer can have based on the dispensational view of sanctification.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blaising, Craig., and Darrell Bock. Progressive Dispensationalism. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. He That is Spiritual: A Classic Study of the Biblical Doctrine of Spirituality. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1918.
Chafer, Lewis Sperry Chafer. Systematic Theology. Vol. 6, Pneumatology. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1948.
Comfort, Philip W., and Walter A. Elwell, eds. Tyndale Bible Dictionary: A comprehensive guide to the people, places, and important words of the Bible. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Gleason, Randall. “B. B. Warfield and Lewis S. Chafer on Sanctification.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40, no. 2 (June 1997): 241-256.
Hoehner, Harold. “Ephesians.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament. Edited by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, vol. 2. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Holsteen, Nathan. “A Dispensational View of Sanctification.” Unpublished class notes for ST105. Dallas Theological Seminary, Fall Semester, 2013.
Holsteen, Nathan. “The Holiness View of Sanctification.” Unpublished class notes for ST105. Dallas Theological Seminary, Fall Semester, 2013.
Holsteen, Nathan. “The Reformed View of Sanctification.” Unpublished class notes for ST105. Dallas Theological Seminary, Fall Semester, 2013.
HOLY BIBLE: New Living Translation. “NLT Word Study System” 1197-1209. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2009.
Johnson, Elliott. “Hermeneutics and Dispensationalism.” In Walvoord: A Tribute. Edited by Donald Campbell and John Walvoord, 239-255. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
Ryrie, Charles. Dispensationalism. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1995.
Scofield, C. I. Scofield Reference Notes. 1917. Accessed November 30, 2013. http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/.
Snoeberger, Mark. “Second-Blessing Models of Sanctification and Early Dallas Dispensationalism.” The Master’s Seminary Journal 15, vol. 1 (Spring, 2004): 93-105.
Strong, Augustus Hopkins. Systematic Theology, 3 vols. Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1907.
The Scofield Reference Bible, ed. C.I. Scofield. New York: Oxford U., 1945, 5. Quoted in Stanley Toussaint, “A Biblical Defense of Dispensationalism” in Walvoord: A Tribute, ed. Donald Campbell and John Walvoord. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1982).
Toussaint, Stanley. “A Biblical Defense of Dispensationalism.” In Walvoord: A Tribute. Edited by Donald Campbell and John Walvoord, 81-91. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.
Walvoord, John. “The Augustinian-Dispensational Perspective.” In Five Views on Sanctification. Edited by Zondervan, 197-237. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987.
[1] Philip W. Comfort and Walter A. Elwell, eds., Tyndale Bible Dictionary: A comprehensive guide to the people, places, and important words of the Bible (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 1163.
[2] Augustus Hopkins Strong, Systematic Theology, 3 vols., (Philadelphia, PA: American Baptist Publication Society, 1907), 863.
[3] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 6, Pneumatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1948), 284-285.
[4] Nathan Holsteen, “The Reformed View of Sanctification,” unpublished class notes for ST105 (Dallas Theological Seminary, Fall Semester, 2013), 18.
[5] The Scofield Reference Bible, ed. C.I. Scofield (New York: Oxford U., 1945), 5 quoted in Stanley Toussaint, “A Biblical Defense of Dispensationalism” in Walvoord: A Tribute, ed. Donald Campbell and John Walvoord(Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1982), 90.
[6] Stanley Toussaint, “A Biblical Defense of Dispensationalism” in Walvoord: A Tribute, ed. Donald Campbell and John Walvoord(Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1982), 89-90.
[7] Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock, Progressive Dispensationalism (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993), 128-129.
[8] Ibid., 139-140.
[9] Ibid., 140-151.
[10] Ibid., 158-159.
[11] Ibid., 170, 172.
[12] Ibid., 210-211.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Elliott Johnson, “Hermeneutics and Dispensationalism,” in Walvoord: A Tribute, ed. Donald Campbell and John Walvoord(Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1982), 241.
[15] Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1995), 106.
[16] HOLY BIBLE: New Living Translation, “NLT Word Study System” (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2009), 1207.
[17] Charles Ryrie, Dispensationalism, 107.
[18] Ibid., 116.
[19] Ibid.
[20] New Living Translation.
[21] C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Notes, “Ephesians-Introduction,” 1917, accessed November 30, 2013, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ephesians/ephesians-introduction.html.
[22] Harold Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, ed. John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 619.
[23] C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Notes, “Ephesians 1,” 1917, accessed November 30, 2013, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ephesians/ephesians-1.html.
[24] Harold Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, 619.
[25] C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Notes, “Ephesians 1,” 1917, accessed November 30, 2013, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ephesians/ephesians-1.html.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Harold Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, 619.
[28] C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Notes, “Ephesians 1,” 1917, accessed November 30, 2013, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ephesians/ephesians-1.html.
[29] Harold Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, 630.
[30] C. I. Scofield, Scofield Reference Notes, “Ephesians 3,” 1917, accessed November 30, 2013, http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ephesians/ephesians-3.html.
[31] Ibid.
[32] Harold Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament, 630.
[33] Ibid.
[34] This is in contrast to other systems of belief, one of which is Wesleyan which places an emphasis on “Entire Sanctification” or “Christian Perfection.”
[35] Nathan Holsteen, “A Dispensational View of Sanctification,” 24.
[36] Randall Gleason, “B. B. Warfield and Lewis S. Chafer on Sanctification,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 40, no. 2 (June 1997): 241.
[37] Randall Gleason, “Warfield and Chafer on Sanctification,” 250-251.
[38] Ibid.
[39] Lewis Sperry Chafer, He That is Spiritual: A Classic Study of the Biblical Doctrine of Spirituality (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1918), 108.
[40] Nathan Holsteen, “The Reformed View of Sanctification,” 18.
[41] Randall Gleason, “Warfield and Chafer on Sanctification,” 241.
[42] John Walvoord, “The Augustinian-Dispensational Perspective,” in Five Views on Sanctification, ed. by Zondervan (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1987), 219.
[43] Nathan Holsteen, “The Holiness View of Sanctification,” 5-22.
[44] Lewis Sperry Chafer, He That Is Spiritual, 38-39.
[45] John Walvoord, “The Augustinian-Dispensational Perspective,” 215.
[46] Ibid.
[47] Ibid.
[48] Randall Gleason, “Warfield and Chafer on Sanctification,” 251.
[49] Ibid., 255.
[50] Mark Snoeberger, “Second-Blessing Models of Sanctification and Early Dallas Dispensationalism,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 15, vol. 1 (Spring, 2004): 94.
[51] Ibid., 101.
[52] Lewis Sperry Chafer, He That Is Spiritual, 106-109. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 6, Pneumatology, 284-285.These descriptions of positional, experimental, and ultimate sanctification have been the best attempt of the author to summarize Chafer’s teaching in both He That Is Spiritual as well as Systematic Theology.
[53] Nathan Holsteen, “A Dispensational View of Sanctification,” 23.
[54] John Walvoord, “The Augustinian-Dispensational Perspective,” 220.
[55] Romans 6:4, 6-8, 13.
[56] John Walvoord, “The Augustinian-Dispensational Perspective,” 221.
[57] Randall Gleason, “Warfield and Chafer on Sanctification,” 241.
[58] Ibid., 253.
[59] Nathan Holsteen, “The Reformed View of Sanctification,” 18.
[60] This is in direct contradiction to teachings of “holiness” such as Wesleyianism which believes that “Entire Sanctification” and “Christian Perfection” are possible which result in the eradication of sin and sin’s nature in the life of a believer.
[61] Nathan Holsteen, “The Reformed View of Sanctification,” 18.
[62] Randall Gleason, “Warfield and Chafer on Sanctification,” 245. It is important to note that the distinction between the believer’s “old self” and “new self” correspond to the teachings of both Lewis Sperry Chafer as well as C. I. Scofield. Many believe Scofield influenced Chafer’s position on sanctification.