A Trinitarian Revisioning of the Wesleyan Doctrine of Christian Perfection
Aldersgate Papers, Vol.2 September 2001 A TRINITARIAN REVISIONING OF THE WESLEYAN DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION by Glen O'Brien I bind unto myself the name, The strong name of the Trinity By invocation of the same, The Three in One and One in Three - St. Patrick's Breastplate The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit alike give sanctification, and life, and light, and comfort, and all similar graces. And let no one attribute the power of sanctification in an especial sense to the Spirit [alone]... - St. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Holy Trinity Come, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, One God in Persons Three! Bring back the heavenly blessing, lost By all mankind, and me. - Charles Wesley, Hymns on the Trinity Aldersgate Papers, Vol. 2 Introduction It is the purpose of this paper to suggest a revision of the Wesleyan doctrine of sanctification along trinitarian lines. Recent Wesleyan thought has tended to polarize toward one or other of two positions - placing a stress either on the Christological or on the Pneumatological aspects of sanctifying grace. In part this has been a historical question. Attempts have been made to establish the position of John Wesley in regard to the use of "pentecostal" and "pneumatological" language in reference to entire sanctification.1 But it has also involved the very real task of keeping the doctrine alive among the Wesleyan people, saving it from the fate of becoming a mere historical curiosity. An attempt may be made to demonstrate the basic compatibility of these competing historical views when applied to the task of constructive theology, though this is not the task I wish to attempt here.
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