THE PERNICIOUS DOCTRINE OF PROGRESSIVE SANTFICIATION: I THESSALONIANS 4.3 (Santamaria)

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication" ( I Thessalonians 4.17)

This passage has been used to support two ideas: that the term sanctification has some moral implications, and that there is a "progressive" idea to the concept of sanctification.

It must be made clear that there is a general overarching concept about any "good works" done.  "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2.12-13)

The word sanctification essentially means "set apart".  But this does not mean that when believers are "set apart" they are set apart to nothing.  The Scriptures are clear that they are set apart for a righteous life: 

But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.  (II Thessalonians 2.13-15)

We should note that this sanctification had nothing to do with those who were set apart. It was done in eternity past through the election of God. this sanctification is by the Spirit. It is produced by the Holy Spirit. Those who were chosen were not partially sanctified. They were sanctified. This sanctification was produced by the Spirit of God, who works sovereignly as he wills. There is no process involved here. Thus, in I Thessalonians 4.3f, we read:

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 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.

So there are moral implications to sanctification. It is called the Christian walk. It is a lifestyle produced by the Holy Spirit and not by any actions that men may do to earn God's favor. There are no means of grace! A means of grace is anything that we do that produces in God a desire to give grace.

  

"This is the Will of God"

Does this phrase merely explain a "desire" that God has?  Or is it something that he will carry out?  Let us look at the implications of this first view.  If it is simply a desire, then can it be frustrated by humans?  Anyone who believes in the Sovereignty of God in all affairs would have to answer no, that God's will cannot be resisted or defeated by any creature.  God does not have multiple wills like some Schizophrenics in need of counseling.  He has only one will.  I Peter 3.17 speaks of only ONE will.

Kittle's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says this about the Greek word used for will:

The plural form is almost completely absent from the NT. Except in LXX quotations as in Ac. 13:22 (Is. 44:28), it is used of God’s will only at vl. Mk. 3:35 B (cf. Ev. Eb., 7) and of carnal desires at Eph. 2:3. God’s will is expressed in the singular because the concept is shaped, not by individual legal directions, but by the conviction that this θέλημα of God is a powerful unity. [Emphasis added]

The critical passage to understand this phrase is found in I Peter 3.17:

For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

Here we see that if something is the will of God, it will happen.  Indeed a Greek Lexicon translates the Greek phrase as, "if the will of God should so decree" for this passage.  The will of God is what makes things happen.  It controls the human will in both what it desires and what it does (Phil. 2.13). Let us examine other places where a similar phrase "the will of God" is used for further insight.

Although we hesitate to bring the Greek structure into this, it seems essential to make a point about this phrase.  The reader will note that the phrase is not just "the will" but "the will of God" (or Christ). Wallace in his Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, writes:

When the articular substantive [something that can be used a stand alone noun] has an adjunct [something that accompanies it] (such as an adjective or gen. phrase) [genitive phrase usually includes the word of], the entire expression often suggests a monadic [unique one-of-a-a kind] notion. If no modifier is used, the article is typically par excellence [highest among many, highest of a class]. Thus, “the kingdom of God” (ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ) in Mark 9:47 is monadic, while “the kingdom” (ἡ βασιλεία) in Matt 9:35 is par excellence; “the way of God” (ἡ ὁδὸς τοῦ θεοῦ) in Acts 18:26 is monadic,37 while “the Way” (ἡ ὁδός) in Acts 9:2 is par excellence. (Pg. 224)

Thus we see that since the article has a phrase after it, it exemplifies as unique there is nothing like it.  It is unique and therefore authoritative.  Here are the other examples of this phrase in the New Testament:

1Th. 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

1Th. 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Thus if the Spirit is the one who brings these actions of giving thanks in all things, and a believer's sanctification (which happened in eternity) to pass, then it is correct to conclude that when a believer sins, it is because the Spirit (for the believer's own education) did not enable him to resist temptation.  This, of course, does not relieve the believer of accountability for his action.  This concept can be shown in Old Testament passages such as:

Will the Lord cast off forever? and will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? doth his promise fail forevermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? (Psalm 77.7-9)

This is the experience of David and many believers. It is not always a joyful life for them. In fact, Paul said, "...that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." (Acts 14.22)

So, this phrase "the will of God" is what happens not what might happen.

Progressive Sanctification

Let us look at the origin of the phrase progressive sanctification in ngram, which is the reading of millions of books in the Google Library:

The Earliest book where this phrase occurs is J. Beart's Vindication of the Eternal Law and Everlasting Gospel, published in 1842, Thomas Boston speaks of it in his book titled, A View of the Covenant of Grace, first published in 1645.  So it seems that this idea was part of Reformation and Puritan parlance.

Although I Thessalonians 3.7 does indicate a moral connection to the idea of sanctification, it does not show any kind of progression.  There are passages that may on a cursory view seem to support this idea.  One of them is in I Thessalonians 4.1.  The passage reads, "Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more." If we look at this passage, it does not say what we are abounding more and more in.  We have this explanation from the IVP NB Commentary: "This peculiarly Christian word refers to the ongoing process of becoming increasingly free from sin and filled with love."  

Sinning, Less & Less?

Really?  Increasingly free from sin?  Where is this mentioned?  What about Romans 7, wherever I would do good evil IS present therein.  What about Paul's passage that things that I want to do I do not do and the things that I do not wish to do, those I do!  We are not being sanctified we ARE sanctified.  We are to abstain from fornication and other things as a lifestyle.  As a norm, not as a never-wavering pattern.  Rather it refers to a previous verse in I Thessalonians 3.12 "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you".  Here there is mention of sinning less, but loving more.  It is similar to another passage that talks about growth in the Christian life - as in II Peter 3.17-18, "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever."  If we look at the passages that speak of growth, none speak of sanctification.

The knowledge that is spoken bout in II Peter 3.17-18, is not academic knowledge.  It is not knowing more ABOUT Jesus, but knowing JESUS himself more.  The word of God does not refer to the Bible.  If we look at the Biblical language for the Bible, we should look to the word "Scripture".  

1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

The increase here is not in adding numbers to the congregation.  This is a modern Arminian way of looking at the passage.  It refers to the increasing of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

This is a further reference to an INCREASE in the fruits of your righteousness.  But what does this mean?  Does an increase mean you will sin less??  There is no mention of this in the context?  Let us examine the context.  The fruit of righteousness, in this case, is the giving of goods and money to the poorer saints as in the following verses will be made clear (11-14): 

"Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you."

2 Corinthians 10:15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly.

It is clear that in the Christian Walk, our faith is INCREASED.  Some have greater faith than others.  But in no case in the context the indication of less sining.  But in this context, the we that Paul is talking about is the apostles including himself:

For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

This is the same man (Paul) who wrote that the things he did not want to do, he did (Romans 7). 

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Again, we have the theme of growth, which many will confuse with the doctrine of Progressive Sanctification.  Let us look at the context.  Ephesians 4.12-14 reads:

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive

What is this perfect man? Is he sinless? When does this Christian reach the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ? Is it at glorification when we are resurrected in his image? It sounds like it until we come to the last verse of this passage which speaks of the sleight of men and cunning craftiness. There will be none of those in heaven.  So this "perfection" comes within this life, it comes within our constant sinfulness.  The word "perfection in the KJV is misleading.  It is better translated as "mature" not being a child anymore that believes anything it is told, but is grounded in the truth.  So this can happen through the work of the Holy Spirit.  We can be in the measure of the fullness of Christ.  We have two phrases which are appositional to each other (i.e., meaning the same thing):

the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God 

unto a perfect man 

unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ

These things are all the same.  Verse 16 does NOT apply to any universal church but to a local church.  We do not know the different members of a universal church, but only of our own local church intimately.

Verse 16: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Colossians 1:6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

We should notice first that this is not a wish but an assertion of what WILL happen with believers, which began from the moment of their salvation.  No tree decides to bear fruit.  It is a natural result of being a fruit-bearing tree.  If it does not happen, it deserves to be cast into the fire as Jesus said.  A believer does DO anything to get this fruit, except be connected to Jesus as the branches are to a vine.  But this fruit is not the fact of sining less.  Sin still is with us constantly and unconsciously.

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

What fruitful works good works are these?  Loving one another, speaking the truth in love, helping brethren in need. But in all these things, there is nothing mentioned about sining less or becoming inherently less sinful.

1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Let us look at the context of this passage.  Here is the KJV version: 

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Now we shall quote the English Standard Version:

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual lmilk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

We notice some differences in the two translations.  First, and most obvious is the missing word "salvation" that the ESV reads based on the Novum Testamentum Graece 28th Greek Edition.  The KJV is based on the Textus Receptus family of Greek manuscripts.  The Greek Textus Receptus does not have the word salvation while the Novum Testamentum does.

But there are more differences which both translations miss.  To an English speaker, the phrase in the ESV "put away all malice..." sounds like a command.  But it is not.  The KJV does a better translation from the Greek.  It is stating a FACT.  They first laid aside all malice and all deceit..." and then desired the sincere milk of the Word.  This is not a command to desire the milk, it simply states a fact based on an assumption of Paul's that their profession of faith was true and that they had tasted of the Lord's grace.  If this condition was true (and Paul assumed it was), then, like real babies they are hungry for their mother's milk.  Babies do not have to be coaxed into this, they get hungry and they do it, whether in the natural world or the spiritual world. For those who are technical in Greek grammar, we quote Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics:

The aorist participle is normally, though by no means always, antecedent in time to the action of the main verb. But when the aorist participle is related to an aorist main verb, the participle will often be contemporaneous (or simultaneous) to the action of the main verb.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

This growth described here is in two things.  Grace involves the Holy Spirit's bestowal of gifts like an increase in faith to trust him in hard ties.  A deeper SPIRITUAL not academic understanding of Jesus.  This understanding is a growing understanding of how dependent we are on him and how helpless we are without him.  It has nothing to do with us sining less as long as we have this body of death.

But let us look at other passages that talk about growing in grace and knowledge. We have this interesting passage in I Corinthians 8.7-10:

Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.

Here we have Paul telling the Corinthian Church that he knows they abound in EVERYTHING: faith, utterance, knowledge, and love.  They are to abound also in giving for the poor saints in Jerusalem which Paul would deliver to them.  Paul knows they will be generous to the poor saints.

2 Corinthians 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

This simply speaks about the good work of donating to the needs of the saint possible in Jerusalem during a time of famine.  It has nothing to do with any teaching of progressive sanctification.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

This verse is in the same context as the previous one.

Romans 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

In this passage the phrase that we "should bring forth fruit to God" is not a wish, but a declaration which will be brought to pass.  This is the grammatical necessity of the Greek in the passage.

Notice that all the spiritual blessings in this life have already been given to believers.  There is growth or an increase in these spiritual blessings that are freely given during the Christian's walk.  We all get these gifts of the Spirit at the new birth, but our faith can increase (the measure of faith that God gives according to his sovereign will); 

In conclusion, there is nowhere in the Bible that "growth" implies sining less. For those who think that the passages that deal with mortifying the flesh imply a less sinful life, why would they need to keep mortifying the flesh if it did not keep popping up?  In the "progressive sanctification" view you no longer need to deal with the ones you have mortified while you’re moving upwards and onwards.  As a contrast to this progressive Sanctification, let us look at how John Newton the famous hymn writer looked at the Christian walk:

When first my soul enlisted

My Saviour's foes to fight;

Mistaken friends insisted

I was not armed aright:

So Saul advised David

He certainly would fail;

Nor could his life be saved

Without a coat of mail.

2. But David, though he yielded

To put the armor on,

Soon found he could not wield it,

And ventured forth with none.

With only sling and pebble

He fought the fight of faith;

The weapons seemed but feeble,

Yet proved Goliath's death.

3. Had I by him been guided,

And quickly thrown away

The armor men provided,

I might have gained the day;

But armed as they advised me,

My expectations failed;

My enemy surprised me,

And had almost prevailed.

4. Furnished with books and notions,

And arguments and pride

I practiced all my motions,

And Satan's pow'r defied

But soon perceived with trouble,

That these would do no good;

Iron to him is stubble,

And brass like rotten wood.

5. I triumphed at a distance

While he was out of sight;

But faint was my resistance

When forced to join in fight:

He broke my sword in shivers,

And pierced my boasted shield;

Laughed at my vain endeavors,

And drove me from the field.

6. Satan will not be braved

By such a worm as I;

Then let me learn with David,

To trust in the Most High;

To plead the name of Jesus,

And use the sling of prayer;

Thus armed, when Satan sees

He'll tremble, and despair.