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NASB | Jeremiah 8:11 "They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jeremiah 8:11 "For they have treated the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' When there is no peace. |
Subject: Making Light of Sin |
Bible Note: Dear friend, Your post makes me mindful of something I read about Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892): Once a young Spurgeon heard a visiting preacher declare the teaching of sinless perfectionism, from the pulpit. Along with the explanation, the preacher demurely, and repeatedly, claimed that he himself had achieved this holy status. The idea was fascinating to Spurgeon. If this doctrine were true, it was worthy of diligent study and personal application. Imagine being perfectly righteous in thought, word, deed, and nature! Imagine never sinning either by comission or omission! Imagine loving God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind! If nothing else, just imagine living in complete compliance with that great command! Spurgeon was excited but, being a thoroughly canny individual, needed to verify this teaching. The next morning Spurgeon went to see the preacher at his hotel. Spurgeon found him dressed for the day, and sitting at breakfast. He approached the table where the preacher was eating, and -- without a word of explanation -- poured an entire pitcher of milk on the man's head. Spurgeon was disappointed to report that the theology of the visiting preacher failed the test. I have not authenticated this anecdote, but something I do know is that sinless perfectionism -- also known as moral perfectionism or holiness doctrine (not to be confused with Pentecostalism) -- is not a teaching held by Christendom at large. It's first appearance in church history came from John Wesley ("A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" published in 1767). Regardless of its origins, sinless perfectionism is singularly held to by a very small percentage of Protestants. Therefore, those that hold to that position represent a very tiny fraction of Forum participants. Indeed, I can think of only one long-time Forum member who believes in sinless perfectionism. Nonetheless, I am certain that he would not have the temerity to condemn the rest of us as "liars from the devil" due to our differing position on the view. On the contrary, he is man of exceptional amicability. Ours is a Forum comprised of diverse Bible believers. Our host, the Lockman Foundation, has spelled out the basis by which we enjoy the benefits of using our Forum accounts. (See the Terms of Use.) In that spirit we welcome you to our diversity. It is an easy thing to affably tolerate someone coming into our midst and saying to most of us "Raka!" (Matthew 5:22). But you should be encouraged to demonstrate your position in more than just words; e.g., at least honor the terms as spelled out by our gracious host. This would prompt us all to consider the sagacity and Biblical basis of the position, rather than to quickly relegate it to the same category as Spurgeon's itinerant preacher. In Him, Doc |