Five Views on Sanctification

Excellent read. Informative and thought-provoking and helped me clarify my position, which is a Believers need to continue in his sanctification. It's not optional as some teach. We cannot rely or just rest on our initial experience of sanctification which is our justification. We are to "pursue Holiness (sanctification) without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). too many teachers are going too far and making scriptures say what they don't say. We need to look at the full counsel of God. The Bible teaches the goodness and severity of God (Romans 11:22). The Bible is full full of warnings for believers not to go back and defile themselves and practice unrighteousness as those that do will not inherit (or enter) the kingdom of God. Ephesians 5, Galatians 5, 1st Corinthians 6, Romans 11, the whole book of Hebrews, the hold of 2nd Peter, 1st John 3, Jude, Revelation 21 and 22 to name only a few. We can't cut out or ignore the warnings. As you read the five views of sanctification be aware of those that think you can actually stop at justification.! and that you will only lose Rewards if you don't continue in your sanctification. The whole Bible is shouting repentance and continued faith. Jesus said, he that endures to the end will be saved. She also Romans 1:16, John 3:16( love this purse and the Romans 1:16 use the present participle in the which means "believing" or ongoing faith) Hebrews 10: 36-39. We have got to let God's word speak and believe what we read not read what we already believe

As is obvious from the title, five of the major Protestant evangelical views of the doctrine of sanctification are presented. An adherent of each one presents a chapter explaining their position, and each of the other four present their response.What stands out immediately on this topic is how much agreement there is. There is minimal disagreement and it primarily stems from the differences in soteriology and pneumatology that one would expect between Reformed, Wesleyan, and Pentecostal theologians.Although I expected a very tedious, detailed theological argument, each of the presentations were quite clear. Not every position is defended with equal skill, but each author explains his position well. However, I must admit that my understanding of the distinctions was helped more by the responses at the end of the chapters than the chapters themselves.As a side note, it is interesting to observe how the approach of each author tends to reflect the strengths/weaknesses of their particular theological disposition.Good book from an excellent series. Anyone interested in refining their understanding of this doctrine should read it.

I found this book generally helpful. It was beneficial to me to think through how someone might arrive at a conclusion different from my own. That challenged me to think through the biblical support for my own view of sanctification.The introduction sets the stage well. All agree in certain aspects of sanctification, but disagree on others such as: how does one achieve success in sanctification? How much success is possible? Is a crisis experience following one's conversion normal - or necessary? If so, what kind of experience and how is it verified. Several definitions of terms become important in the book: sin, old/new man, perfection, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, and Entire sanctification.In terms how well the authors lay out a biblical case for their positions, I found myself convinced more by the Reformed and Dispensational perspectives. From best to worst, I might order it as follows:1. Reformed2. Dispensational3. Pentecostal4. Keswick5. WesleyanOverall, I found it refreshing that all of the authors maintained a respectful and gracious tone in their disagreement with one another. I would recommend this book as a helpful overview of this topic.

This is my favorite book in this series so far. Hoekema and Walvoord wrote incredibly well reasoned and Biblical summaries of their respective viewpoints. I was struck by how closely the more thoughtful theologians of each viewpoint really are to agreement. We often hear the less rational (and less Biblical) versions of viewpoints other than our own. It was nice to see much agreement with each other and with the witness of the Bible.

I bought this Kindle edition as a textbook for a Master's level class. The comparison and contrasts of the various theologies are well treated and insightful. I highly recommend this book.

These five views are given in the words of their own proponents. Each view is then critiqued by the other four authors. These authors seem to be leaders in the denominations representing each position. This book is for the theological heavy-weight reader. It is desirable to the seminarian who knows the terminology and nuances of the theological standpoints. It does have devotional value in turning the reader to God.

This book was chosen by one of my former college professor as a read for a class call sanctification. Recommendation as a good to learn about different denominations.

5 solid theologians sharing their arguments and then critiques on each others sanctification arguments. IT is well thought out and gives a good view of sanctification

Have been using this for a Bible study discussion group. It is not an easy read and clearly aimed at those already attuned to theological vocabulary and wishing to explore theological views more deeply. We have found it very thought provoking but extremely useful, we are already planning to use another book in the series for are next set of discussions.

Great understanding on the various Christian concepts of how people grow in their faith.