From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Throughout church history, some in both Catholic and Protestant circles have taught a doctrine of perfection or "entire sanctification." But Scripture speaks of a constant warfare between the flesh and the Spirit in the believer's life until the end, and declares that if believers "say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).

False Teachings

Un-Biblical teachings regarding the possibility of "perfection" or "sinless perfection" for Christians in this life have existed since the early days of the church. Many who took up the monastic life in the Middle Ages did so with this purpose in mind, and subjected themselves to great spiritual and material privations in the futile effort to achieve sinless perfection. In more recent times, doctrines of perfectionism came into the Protestant church and were championed by such notable men as Methodist church founder John Wesley. Wesley detailed his position in the book, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, first published in the 1780s.

Wesley deliberately avoided using the term "sinless perfection," but he believed and taught that a Christian could achieve a state in which his will would be so completely in tune with God's will that he would not commit conscious sin, or as he put it, "sin rightly so called." The only sin such a person would commit, he contended, would be unconscious and unintentional. John Fletcher, a Methodist contemporary of Wesley who held similar views, use the term "entire sanctification."

Many branches of Pentecostalism, the Holiness movement, and Nazarene churches, among others, hold to similar views, speaking of the person who has allegedly achieved such a state as "wholly sanctified."

Some branches of the Seventh-Day Adventist cult teach that because Jesus Christ was not the perfect substitute for man but merely a moral example to man, people in the last generation before the coming of Christ will need to achieve sinless perfection in order to be saved at the judgment. (This is a denial of the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness to sinners - 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:7-9.) The Seventh Day Adventist Church has officially denied this "last generation" or "final generation" teaching since 1957, but it still has a significant number of adherents among Adventists.

The Bible's Pronouncement

In contrast to such teachings, Scripture clearly asserts that all human beings, believers included, must deal with the presence of sin as long as they live. There is no one on earth, believer or unbeliever, who does not sin:

"When they sin against You (for there is no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near..." (1 Kings 8:46)

"Who can say, 'I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin'?" (Proverbs 20:9)

"For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin." (Ecclesiastes 7:20)

Consider also these words, written directly to New Testament believers:

"For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body....But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:2, 8)

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)

The Believer's Continual Warfare

Scripture also speaks of a constant warfare between the flesh and the Spirit in the believer's life until the end (Romans 7:7-26; Galatians 5:16-24; Philippians 3:10-14). Scripture tells us that confession of sin and prayer for cleansing are continual requirements, because no one can say he has not sinned, and believers continually need the advocacy of Jesus Christ the Righteous (Matthew 6:12-13; 1 John 1:8-2:1).

The Believer's Hope

When Scripture speaks of believers as being holy in this life (e.g., Romans 11:16, Colossians 3:12), it is speaking of their present position in Christ, purchased by His blood - justified in Him, and set apart from the world in Him - even though they are not yet free from the presence of sin and still dwell in bodies that are affected by the curse. Our hope in Christ looks toward the day when we shall be delivered from "this body of death" (Romans 7:24), when the Lord Himself shall "establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father" at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 2:17).

tq0023