As I See It
In my last pastorate at Nashville, Les Parrott Sr. was a parishioner. One Sunday he said to me, "Bill, every time you preach you emphasize some truth of the gospel!"
Les had it right. From the beginning of my ministry my endeavor has been to proclaim some aspect of the gospel, which in 1935 transformed my life and later brought me to the end of my self where I could truly say, "It is no longer I that live, but it is Christ who lives in me" (Gal. 2:20, NRSV). This article is a follow-up on my valedictory address in the Herald of Holiness [July 1989], written upon retiring as an active general superintendent. Subsequently, I have continued my ministry at lectern, pulpit, and computer, as a teaching servant of the Church.
In retirement, I have written what I consider to be my two most important books—Love Made Perfect: Foundations for the Holy Life (1997) and Wholeness in Christ: Toward a Biblical Theology of Holiness (1998)—from classes I taught at Trevecca Nazarene University, Nazarene Theological Seminary, and elsewhere around the world. How blessed to find our people everywhere committed to the truth I embraced when I became a Nazarene.
More recently I have been writing—with George Lyons as editor—a commentary on Romans. The first of the multi-volume New Beacon Bible Commentary set, Romans is scheduled for publication in the near future. The impact writing this commentary has had on me is inestimable. May it have the same impact on its readers! Those willing to make the effort to understand Romans, I believe, will find for themselves its transforming power (Rom. 1:16-17). It is surely worth the effort.
If we are to realize our raison d'être, we must rediscover and deepen commitment to our holiness mission. To this end the Board of General Superintendents has issued a new statement of mission: "to make Christlike disciples in the nations." When asked what this new statement of mission means, General Superintendent Nina G. Gunter responded, "The statement of mission makes clear the preeminence of Jesus Christ. It says that Christlikeness is the essence of holiness."
Gunter added, "As we approach our centennial, it is time that we recapture the original spirit of the Church of the Nazarene."
The Board of General Superintendents has also ordered a textbook initiative to provide our teachers and students with up-to-date Bible and theology texts, since we can proclaim only what we understand. As Anglican theologian Anselm said, "Theology is faith seeking understanding." The quest must always be encouraged. In the Nazarene tradition, a series of theology conferences have convened, starting in 1958, aiming to clarify and deepen our understanding of holiness. The first global conference was held in 2002 in Guatemala, and regional theology conferences have taken place around the world.
An Africa regional conference convened in November 2003 in Johannesburg, where I was requested to give the keynote address. I spoke strongly on the Christus Victor idea of the Atonement, which maintains Christ was born, died, is risen and reigns—to destroy sin and death, and to finally crush Satan!
Among the mature ministers and educators in Africa, I met Filimão Chambo, then regional education coordinator, a deeply committed Wesleyan scholar. Since my visit, Chambo and the Education Committee of Africa have translated my Wholeness in Christ into Ethiopian, to be the holiness text for 500 new pastors in the Horn of Africa. In the U.S., a conference convened in February at Northwest Nazarene University with the purpose of "revisioning holiness," or refining and recapturing the holiness message for today. It opened with a moving holiness witness by NTS president Ron Benefiel. It was my joy to participate in this significant conference, where I had the privilege of expressing my strong concerns from time to time.
The conference concluded with a consensus voiced by Diane Leclerc: "If we are to 'Christianize Christianity,' as Bresee envisioned, we must experience a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit!" For several years our British Nazarenes have been engaged in "reminting holiness" from the Old and New Testaments, publishing their findings in The Flame magazine. I have observed a felt need to discover the European roots of holiness. During several visits to European Nazarene College (EuNC), I witnessed the seriousness of this endeavor. President Klaus Arnold wrote his doctoral dissertation on the topic.
In early 2007, a Global Theology Conference was convened in the Netherlands by the denomination's Education Commissioner, Jerry D. Lambert, with the theme, "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: Unity in Diversity." Three hundred global Nazarene scholars probed the theme in an endeavor to help prepare the way for the wind of the Spirit to blow afresh upon the church and its mission "to make Christlike disciples in the nations."
Also, the 2005 Canadian and U.S. Pastors and Leaders Conferences (PALCON) explored the doctrine of entire sanctification following publication of Mark Quanstrom's A Century of Holiness Theology: The Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Church of the Nazarene: 1905 to 2004. Quanstrom argues that renewed emphasis on Wesley's theology in the Church since the 1960s has resulted in two different views of Spirit-baptism.
One of these views is the 19th century idea that believers are entirely sanctified by baptism with the Holy Spirit, as were the apostles on the day of Pentecost, by faith in the crucified LORD (Acts 2:1-21; 15:8-9). This view emphasizes sanctification of the individual and must be guarded against the errors of the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 13:1-7). Wesley held a corporate view of Spirit-baptism, seeing Acts 1:5 as a promise "for all true believers to the end of the world" (Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the New Testament). "By (Greek 'in') one Spirit," Paul reminds the Corinthians, "we were all baptized into one body . . . and we were all made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13, NASB; see also Romans 6:3-4 and Acts 2:44-47).
Baptized in the Spirit as one body, we are urged to 'be filled with the Spirit' (Ephesians 5:18-20). When we thirst for the Spirit and yield totally to Christ, we are filled with the Spirit and perfected in love (John 7:37-39| Acts 2:32-33| 1 John 4:13-17). At justification God's love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), and the way is opened for a life indwelt and entirely sanctified by the Spirit (Romans 8:6-9). On this all Wesleyans agree. 'There is no holiness but social holiness,' said Wesley. 'Faith working by love is the length and breadth, and depth and height of perfection' (Wesley's Political Works).
For early Methodists, social holiness meant gathering in community for instruction, prayer, and service. Is this not the love Paul urges in Ephesians 4:1-3 and Colossians 3:12-15? "What is perfection?" Wesley asks. "It is love excluding sin; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul . . . How clearly does this express the being perfected in love! How strongly imply the being saved from all sin! For as long as love takes up the whole heart, what room is there for sin therein?" (The Scripture Way of Salvation)
Discussion of the two views climaxed in 2005 at the NTS theology conference, with "thought partners" later appointed to work with General Superintendent Emeritus Jim L. Bond in finding a scriptural answer to the dilemma. Considerable reflection has followed, and the time seems to have come for a new Article X that places entire sanctification in its New Testament context.
Holiness begins there in the new birth, issues in entire sanctification, and climaxes, or is consummated, in glorification (see Rom. 6:1-19; 8:1-25). General Superintendent Emeritus William J. Prince believes our church may be God's gift for the 21st century. The late General Superintendent Hugh C. Benner once said he "wanted to get in on the maturity of the Church." Have we now arrived at this maturity?
We must never forget that the Church of the Nazarene was born in what our founder called the "glory." By glory Bresee meant the manifest presence of God. This was not a worked up emotionalism. It was a heavenly anointing of the Spirit, clarifying the truth of the gospel (1 John 2:27) and convicting of sin and depravity. Bresee's vision of "glory" recalls Isaiah's temple experience in Jerusalem, upon the death of King Uzziah. The glory of God "filled the temple," convicting Isaiah of his uncleanness.
Then, a seraph chanting "Holy, Holy, Holy," came down "with a burning coal in his hand . . . touched my mouth with it and said 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven'" (Isaiah 6:1-7, NASB).
The greatest danger we face today is to falsely assume we can get along without God's manifest presence.
Sophistication and accommodation can so easily replace the glory. Then we gain respectability and church growth at the cost of God's favor. Let us therefore hear again the word of the prophet: "This is the word of the LORD . . . 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 4:6, NASB).
William M. Greathouse is general superintendent emeritus in the Church of the Nazarene.
Holiness Today, July/August 2007
Please note: This article was originally published in 2007. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.
