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he willingly obeys the law. Strong sums it up well, when he says: Christ frees us “(1) from the
law as a system of curse and penalty; this He does by bearing the curse and penalty Himself . . .
; (2) from the law with its claims as a method of salvation; this He does by making His
obedience and merits ours . . . ; (3) from the law as an outward and foreign compulsion; this He
does by giving us the spirit of obedience and sonship, by which the law is progressively realized
within.”[Syst. Theol., p. 876.]
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY:
How was theocratic, related to ethical, holiness among
Israel? How were the ritual purifications related to sanctification? Who is the subject of
sanctification, the old man or the new, or neither of the two? Does sanctification in this life
affect all parts of man equally? Where does the process of sanctification begin? Do all
Christians experience a steady progress in sanctification? What is the difference between
sanctification and moral improvement? Does the fact that sanctification is never complete in
this life necessarily lead to the doctrine of purgatory, or to that of the continuation of
sanctification after death? How did Wesley conceive of “entire sanctification”? Does Barth also
ascribe holiness as an ethical quality to the believer? What Scripture proof is there that the
Christian is not free from the law as a rule of life? Do Protestants in general teach that good
works are not necessary? How do Roman Catholics and Protestants differ as to the necessity of
good works? Is it wise to say without any qualification that good works are necessary unto
salvation? If all Christians inherit eternal life, in what sense will their good works be the
standard of their reward?
LITERATURE:
Bavinck, Geref. Dogm. IV, pp. 245-288; Kuyper, Dict. Dogm., De Salute, pp. 134-
157; ibid., Het Werk van den Heiligen Geest III, pp. 1-123; Vos. Geref. Dogm. IV, pp. 211-248;
Hodge, Syst. Theol. III, pp. 213-258; Shedd, Dogm. Theol. II, pp. 553-560; Dabney, Syst. and
Polem. Theol., pp. 660-687; Strong, Syst. Theol., pp. 869-881; Alexander, Syst. of Bibl. Theol. II,
pp. 428-459; Litton, Introd. to Dogm. Theol., pp. 322-337; Schmid, Doct. Theol. of the Ev. Luth.
Church, pp. 491-503; Valentine, Chr. Theol. II, pp. 272-277; Pieper, Chr. Dogmatik III, pp. 1-106;
Watson, Theol. Institutes III, pp. 197-206; Curtiss, The Chr. Faith, pp. 373-393; Pope, Chr. Theol.
III, pp. 28-99; Candlish, The Chr. Salvation, pp. 110-133; Impeta, De Leer der Heiliging and
Volmaking bij Wesley and Fletcher; Clarke, An Outline of Chr. Theol., pp. 409-427; Wilmers,
Handbook of the Chr. Rel., pp. 293-304; Moehler, Symbolism, pp. 157-175; Finney, Syst. Theol.,
pp. 402-481; Starbuck, The Psych. of Rel., pp. 375-391; Koberle, The Quest of Holiness;
Warfield, Studies in Perfectionism (2 vols.); Newton Flew, The Idea of Perfection in Christian
Theology.