Did We Receive it All When We Were Saved? Part 2

            Photo of John Wesley

“Let’s Take a Look at The Works of Grace: Justification, Sanctification and The Baptism in the Holy Ghost”

In the seventeen hundreds we see John Wesley, know as The Father of the Methodist church introducing a second work of grace; the first one being Justification (Salvation). John Wesley saw the Second work as Sanctification. He saw sanctification as both, a process, but also as an experience where a Christian could be delivered from the original sin, live perfect lives and walk in perfect love. With time, the emphasis became to be Sanctification as a process and not as a one-time experience. As a third work of grace was introduced by the Pentecostal movement of the 20^th century, many from the holiness movement jumped the boat, however, they kept the doctrines on Sanctification as a separate experience from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Bishop William J. Seymour, the man that God used to bring forth the powerful Azusa Street Revival constantly made reference to these three works of grace. Dr. Larry Martin, considered by many to be an expert on The Azusa Street Revival has done a marvelous work in bringing the history of this event and Bishop Seymour back to life. In his book: “The Words that Change the Word: Azusa Street Sermons by William J. Seymour”, Dr. Martin takes us back to the following quote taken directly out of a sermon Bishop Seymour preached on October 1906.

Jesus takes that soul that has eternal life in it

And presents it to God for thorough purging and cleansing

From all original sin and Adamic sin. And Jesus, the Son of God,

Cleanses him from all sin, and he is made every whit whole, sanctified

And holy. Now, he is on the altar ready for the fire of God to fall,

Which is the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. It is a free gift upon the sanctified,

cleanse heart.”

      This is a constant topic preached by Bishop Seymour. Just as we saw the great awakenings and how God supernaturally used men to spread the reality of the true Gospel all over the world and just how we see the positive impact of the Holiness movements started by John Wesley, we see God blessing this work at Azusa Street with a revival that lasted three and half years. Pentecostalism spreads all over the world.

TO BE CONTINUED…