Brief history of Christian interpretation of sanctification:
1. Early church fathers (Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp) – though noting the grace of God, they emphasized a striving toward holiness.
2. Gnosticism – converts are perfect, set apart from the world.
3. Montanism – demanded separatism from unholy body of believers.
4. Clement of Alexandria – necessity for denial of world and bodily needs.
5. Pelagianism – holiness is result of self-willed moral effort.
6. Augustine – sanctification is God’s activity; not by human effort.
7. Bernard of Clairvaux – mystical personal piety by imitation of Jesus.
8. Peter Lombard – sanctifying grace by infusion of Spirit in believer.
9. Thomas Aquinas – no distinction between justification and sanctification; just infusion of God’s grace in man.
10. Council of Trent – grace inheres in soul of believer by Holy Spirit, and becomes permanent condition or attribute of believer.
11. Roman Catholic doctrine – misstated and overstated subjective implications of infused sanctifying grace, providing a boost of human ability toward perfectibility and divinization.
12. Reformers (Luther, Calvin, et al) – justification emphasized and separated from sanctification; insistence on absence of human merit.
13. Protestant doctrine – over-reacted and overstated objective implications of forensic, legal and extrinsic factors of justification and sanctification.
14. Pietists – reverted to moralistic behavioral standards of holy living, in reaction to epistemological emphasis on doctrine.
15. John Wesley – “entire sanctification,” perfect holiness possible in this life; necessity of “second blessing” experience; Holiness Movement.
16. Karl Barth – reemphasized subjective implications of Christocentric and ontological dynamic of holiness. Evangelical Protestants for the most part resisted; Catholic theologians recognized and appreciated.
