Frequently Asked Questions
Wesley's Responses in the 1700's
John Wesley interviewed hundreds who entered His Rest to discover the common elements in their experience. He then used this wide confirmation to provide seekers with quality answers which have since become classics. His findings also helped form what he came to teach any earnest seekers he found regarding His Rest as he traveled far and wide. Click above.Responses in the 1800's
The many Holiness evangelists in the "Great Awakening" preached both salvation and entire sanctification. In their travels they were asked many challenging questions which were later compiled and printed in various books for our continuing benefit... Click above.
Why is His Rest so seldom found today?
It has been forgotten. When today's "Spirit-filled" churches came into being there was a great rift among the Protestants. Few indeed understand the shocking story of what really happened back around 1910 -but you can. Great Rift
And in theology, there are perennial objections raised against anything to do with Holiness. These strong objections are very effective deterrents for those who do not dig for better answers like the Bereans did. But you can take care of them right now by just clicking on Objections Answered And then: Church in The Wilderness
Where did the Holiness people go?Well, of course they got old and went on to their reward long ago.
Their yet unsanctified descendants fill these churches that have their roots in Holiness.
The Wesleyan Church
The Church of the Nazarene
The Free Methodist Church
Christian Union (Ohio)
Anderson (Indiana) Church of God
The Salvation Army (came out of British Methodism)
The Missionary Church
The Evangelical Church of North America
Evangelical Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church
and no doubt there are also some in your own church!!The huge United Methodist Church has an established charismatic movement within it. The "Objections" mentioned above took their victory away from among them while others were moving in the "Great Awakening". Many of the great revivalists of that time had to leave it in order to become successful. (Several accounts of this may be found within) You may view some revival "Spirit filled" material from the charismatic "Good News" movement within the UMC in the "Articles" section. This material gives an excellent current view of their mainstream spiritual approach. They badly need to be challenged by the material on this website that comes from their roots!!!
Where does His Rest fit in my spiritual life?
In its very heart. Without it your spiritual life is from time to time reduced to a struggling with petty carnality that is unworthy of the name of Christ.
This experience provides the total and final removal of the carnal man, the "old man". There is no new spiritual impartation, but a release of the existing potentials within the salvation and Baptism of the Spirit experiences because there is no more grieving of His Spirit. The carnal man always fights to replace to the spiritual man, so if you plan on remaining a Christian, why do you tolerate the continued presence of the carnal man?
I am already pardoned for my sins. What is consecration for?
"While radical and thorough repentance is indispensable to put the sinner on believing ground for justification, it is equally true that complete and bottom-rock consecration is the sine qua non indispensable to put the Christian on believing ground for entire sanctification. In repentance, the sinner gives up all of his bad things to the devil where they belong, and leaves sin and Satan forever. In consecration, the Christian gives up all of his good things to God to be used for His glory forever. Thus the sinner is freely justified by the grace of God in Christ, received and appropriated by faith. It is equally true that the Christian is freely and fully sanctified by the grace of God in Christ received by faith." Godbey's Commentary notes for Hebrews 10: 38-9
Is all this properly supported by scripture?
Yes. Abundantly throughout the Word. See "Pentecostal Sanctification", 'Selected Scriptures of Rest" and "The Double Cure" amongst many others on the "Enter" page.
Did the Apostles enter His Rest? If so, when?
Yes.They entered His Rest at the same time as they were filled with His Spirit at Pentecost, but until that time they were full of unworthy character traits:
"They looked for an earthly kingdom in which they were to be chief "When they therefore were
come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6.)
Their spiritual eyes were touched, but they saw things but dimly until they had received the Pentecostal gift of perfect love. Then "the eyes of their understanding were enlightened," and they no longer looked for the exaltation of self and worldly interests, but to the coronation of Jesus and the triumphs of His Church. Henceforth they were ready to brave all dangers, only that His kingdom might be established, and eagerly sealed their efforts and their testimony with their blood."
See The Double Cure Chapter 7 on the "Enter" page. Page 24 of the full version.
What does Holiness bring in the Spirit realm?
As stated above; it brings a total and final removal of the "old man".This unleashes the vast potential of intimacy already there.This is no small thing: the church age was an age of mixture; of short revivals and long confusing declensions.The age now being unleashed brings a new and pure anointing that contains no mixture. It brings endless revival and a vast spiritual authority easily adequate to break all today's worldly kingdoms. See also the prophetic vision, "God's Locomotive" in the "Articles" section. Many other prophetic visions agree.
Isn't using the word "Sinless" going a bit far?
Well, I would certainly have thought so myself, until I found myself there. In that state, we find ourselves so very transformed by the consummate purity and clarity of His graces that the very notion of doubt and sin is foreign:
"5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."1 John 3:5-9
The above is certainly not to say that those who live in His Rest are without flaw.They are still human, and so still capable of many mistakes and inadequacies but they are not blamed by God for being merely human!(see "Holiness and the Human Element" on the "Enter" page..)
Do you believe in "Progressive Sanctification"?Well, yes and no. I believe that this commonly used term is based on some confusion of definitions:
"Entire sanctification involves two items, viz: entire consecration, and entire purification. It is our duty to consecrate, and God's work to purify our hearts. God cannot consecrate for us; neither can we purify our hearts; but God will purify our hearts, if we consecrate our all for that purpose, and trust him to do the work. Every sanctified Christian has reached the experience in this way. He may not have had sufficient light to recognize the steps by which he came, but there was a blessed period when he gave his all to Christ as never before, and, "simply trusting he was blest." Page 27
Consecration is something we do in faith during an unspecified "blessed period" of time. Sanctification is something that God gladly performs in a moment as soon as His righteous conditions are fulfilled. A completed consecration is one of the pre-conditions He requires.
"The two-fold work of consecration and purification is embodied in this Scripture: "I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Rom. 12:1, 2. Here we see, that consecration must precede transformation, and transformation must be accomplished in order that God's will may, in all things, be to us always, good and acceptable, and perfect." Page 30 "The Inheritance Restored" in the "Entry Directions for the Faithful"section.
What are the "Conditions" for entering His Rest?
These are clearly discussed in most of the documents on the "Enter" page. As a result of different personalities and experiences, their answers do vary somewhat. Everybody is a unique person, so how they come to salvation and sanctification is also unique. Some testimonies on the "Enter" page give intriguing accounts of "tests" they were put through by the Lord, while others received no such special tests.
If we carefully analyzed the material available, I believe we would find two lists of conditions: one that applies to all, and another that only applies to some. For instance, not everybody has a heavy religious background to die to...
How mature of a Christian do you have to be to enter His rest?
"The wildest errors have grown out of confounding purity with maturity. More confusion has grown out of this mistake, perhaps, than any other. Entire sanctification does not necessarily include maturity; neither does maturity necessarily include entire purification. There are many Christians matured by long experience, who are perfectly conscious of indwelling impurities; while others, in the childhood of Christian experience, are just as clearly conscious of complete cleansing in Jesus' precious blood. Bishop Morris was certainly a mature Christian, and yet he sought and obtained complete purity in the very last years of his life.
Grace Paddy, who was sanctified, as Mr. Wesley says, a few hours after her conversion, was certainly not a matured Christian. When will intelligent Christians distinguish between the enlargement or growth of the soul, and its purification? Is it difficult to understand the difference between the growth of a hill of corn, and the destruction of the weeds that hinder its growth? How long, O Lord, how long will thy children grieve thee by attempting to substitute their own works for thy all-cleansing blood?" Page 32 "The Inheritance Restored" on the "Entry" page.
Do I have to be completely free of sin to enter His Rest?
"No, if that were the case you would already be sanctified. You, however must be free of involvement in actual active sin, and have no unrepented sin in your life. Struggles cannot be avoided since the flesh while alive ever lusts to return to its' hog-wallow.
You must be completely consecrated. Consecration means that you lay all at His feet without holding on to it, even sub-consciously. It does not mean that there will not be some undesirable items in the pile you place before Him. He is the One that takes care of all stains in your life, if you will just give them to Him. You do need to be in unhindered fellowship with both God and Man. Offenses against men will sometimes require restitution to restore this fellowship.
"2. We must not try to hide the need, but frankly confess it. Let me ask you, do you know that you are saved? You say, 'Oh, yes, I know that I have given my heart to God, and I feel that my sins have been forgiven and my life has been changed, and I feel that I am saved just now.'
Good, but do you know that your heart is clean? Are all the roots of bitterness gone? Do you bear patiently the faults of others? Do you bear meekly, and with a forgiving spirit, the unkindness of others? Do you love God with all your heart and soul and mind, and your neighbor as yourself? Do you feel that all malice and pride, and jealousy and envy, and evil and filthy desire, and unholy ambition and unbelief, and all foolish things have been taken out of your heart, and that the Holy Spirit has His own way in you all the while? Remember that holiness has to do with the heart, and that, as Solomon says, 'Out of the heart are the issues of life.' It is at the heart that Jesus looks, and He says, 'Blessed are the pure in heart.'
Now, if your heart is not clean, do not be afraid or ashamed to say so, but frankly tell your Heavenly Father the whole truth about the matter. (Page 9)
"Satan will tell you that your disposition is so peculiar, or your circumstances at home, or at school, or in the shop, or mine, or mill, are so disagreeable that you cannot hope to be holy.
Your disposition may be peculiar, but God will take all the sin out of it, so that where it is now peculiarly impatient and jealous, and envious and lustful, and bad, it will be peculiarly good and patient, and loving and generous, and humble and chaste. A highly-strung, quick-tempered girl got sanctified, and it made her gentle like Jesus. A proud, ambitious young fellow whom I know got a clean heart, and he was made humble and self-sacrificing, until his friends hardly knew him." for more see Page 9 "The Way of Holiness" on the "Enter" page.
Would you call this doctrine part of "Kingdom theology"?
Holiness is not a doctrine but a life made whole, as He defines “whole”. Those who formulated this "Kingdom Theology" are clearly discussing something less than Holiness.
Do we grow into or go into His Rest?
The difference is made crystal clear in “The Better Way” Chapter 21. (Testimonies page)
Also in Chapter 20 of Carradine’s “The Old Man” Part II, ("Enter" page) he starts by saying:
GROW; GO.
These words are different. The proof is found in the dictionary, by our use of them, and by their use and the meaning allotted to them in the Word of God.
And yet these two words, that are so distinctive and refer to such different things in the spiritual life, are confounded by many, and made synonymous.
Take the first word. Peter exhorts us to "grow" in grace. According to all observation of vegetable life a shrub or tree has to be in something to grow. It cannot grow to another soil or to a distant locality. It simply grows in a soil in which it is already planted.
So with the child of God. He has been planted through regeneration in the spiritual life, and is then told by the apostle to "grow in" that grace and life. There is no exhortation in the passage to strive for another, higher and distinct blessing, but to grow in the grace in which he finds himself.
There are two spiritual localities, so to speak, in the religious life. One is regeneration and the other sanctification. It is not more impossible for a tree to transport itself by growth from one clime to another than it is for the soul by mere growth in grace to pass from the regenerate to the sanctified state. (the author continues......)
Are the Holiness authors trying to say that the only real kind of sanctification is this “entire sanctification”?
Certainly not, as this passage by Carradine makes clear:
“SANCTIFICATION; ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION.
It is true that holiness people make these two terms synonymous in their conversations, but do not in their mind. In the first part of this chapter we used simply the word "sanctification,'' over against "consecration," but this was for convenience and brevity's sake. The Scripture recognizes a partial, and also a complete or entire sanctification. Just as the Bible tells of a state of love, and another of perfect love; of blessings and "the fullness of the blessing;" so does it teach that we can be sanctified in part, and again that we can be sanctified wholly.
This does not argue any imperfection or incompleteness upon the part of God, but it is rather a mark or indication of the progress or extent of his work. It must never be forgotten that the work of entire sanctification is an advanced movement, an appearance and victory upon a new field, a dealing with a different thing, and is not a repetition or going over of a former work.” Beverly Carradine, “The Old Man” Part II, Chapter 20
So why does did God, in His wisdom, not give us this peerless heritage of grace all in one lump at our new birth?Let's consider: Before we are converted the gospel is a mystery to us. As he is wooing us to come to Him, we come under conviction that makes us more concerned about issues of our own being and survival in face of the specter of our own mortality and weakness. He is often taken as an escape from these.
And before we are saved we just cannot have enough experience with the divine to really know what we are asking for. For this reason, we are given a foretaste. With this foretaste, we are given enough blessing, time and information to decide for Him, or against Him. This is the "children's bread". He can only be fully found in His Rest, because only His bondservants see Him as He is.
How do you know if you have entered His Rest or not?
Babies have done neither good nor evil and yet you say they are given the "old man". Is this fair?
So after Adam lost the image of God, "fair" was sadly lost also.
FAQ's - from other church eras...
Wesley from the 1700s
Wesleyans in the 1800's
http://www.enterhisrest.org