PERFECT SALVATION: ITS ATTAINMENT Ephesians 2:8: “By grace are ye saved through faith.”

The most interesting question respecting full salvation is its attainment. Two things must be noted at the outset: (1) Only genuine believers are eligible to the grace of full salvation.

Persons who have not been born again, or who have not a clear witness of adoption, or who are backslidden in heart, can not receive it. The work of partial salvation must be wrought and established in the soul before it is heir to the fullness of salvation. All who are genuinely saved, and are walking in the light of acceptance, may, and should at once receive cleansing from all sin. (2) Full salvation is by faith. Salvation from inbred sin, like salvation from the guilt of sin, is to be received by faith, and by faith alone. “By grace are ye saved through faith.” Mr. Wesley says: “I have continually, in private and in public. for these five and twenty years [1764, Sermon, ‘Scripture Way of Salvation;’ No. 43, Vol. I], taught that we are sanctified as well as justified by faith. Faith is the condition, and the only condition of entire sanctification. No man is sanctified wholly until he believes, and he is thus sanctified when he does believe.” Hence, whatever hinders faith, prevents the soul from receiving entire cleansing. The prominent hindrances to faith for the blessing are: 1 . Inadequate conviction respecting the necessity of having it. The duty of being fully saved must press upon the soul. The heart must be crowded to a willingness, a desire, a purpose to believe for this gift under a sense that, to come short of it, is to grieve the Holy Spirit, displease God, and forfeit the grace already received. When the soul of a believer is put into such a spiritual strait as this, it will believe — because it must believe. Such a consciousness is just the spur that prompts the soul to say: “I can, I will, I do believe for this salvation.” Indeed, faith in such a soul-crisis becomes a blessed opportunity, a glorious privilege. The principal cause why so many believers do not receive the fullness of the Spirit is. that its.attainment is regarded as desirable and optional, rather than indispensable and imperative. When a deep and pungent persuasion of the necessity of this blessing enters into a believer’s soul, he will eagerly move on to the point of believing and receiving it. The reader may say: “That is just my trouble. I desire, hunger, and pray for this fullness, yet I am not anxiously concerned for it; do not feel condemned for not having it; am not distressed on account of its absence.” Now, the awakening of a believer to a sense of his need of this grace comes just as does the awakening of the soul of the impenitent to a concern for salvation. He must open his ear to what God says, and listen until the voice of the Spirit arouses his heart, as soon he will, in to a sense of the indispensableness of being fully saved. Let his soul linger about such words as these: “He that believeth not [what he ought to believe for] is condemned already,” “Reckon yourselves dead indeed unto sin,” “Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord,” and he will be alert to believe, and escape the guilt of disobedience and unbelief. Take ye away this stone from the pathway of faith, by opening your heart up to the searching, actuating light of God’s Word. 2 . Disinclination to make the essential consecration. When the need of the fullness of salvation is deeply felt, and the soul is urged on by well-defined and pungent convictions to its attainment, just then the carnal nature remaining may interject a farther hindrance to faith. It begins to shrink from yielding itself absolutely to the Spirit’s way in the soul. It fears becoming peculiar, unwisely zealous, or unduly aggressive. It imagines missions, duties, services, and work may be given it so unusual, onerous, and unnatural that it would be impossible to walk in this grace, should it be received. Hence, delay ensues in the commitment of the soul to the Holy Spirit; a paralyzing reluctance possesses it; faith is deferred, and the Spirit’s course is restrained. Just the moment the heart Says, “Lord, I am thine, entirely thine, to be filled with the Spirit,” it passes easily over into the simple confidence that the blessing is given.

The consecration that brings full salvation does not differ from the consecration which consistent, happy, useful believers live, as being a consecration to new duties and services, but as a consecration for this blessing, a consenting to receive, and a commitment to be a vessel unto entire sanctification, meet for the Master’s use. Such a consecration is a giving that gets; a yielding that receives. When consecration is done, faith is begun and the soul shouts: “Hallelujah! ‘tis done!

I believe on the Son.” 3 . Temptations to doubt. When a deep concern for the cleansing power is actuating the soul until it throbs with an unutterable desire for the experience, and this is attended by a cheerful, consummate dedication to God for his incoming glory, it sometimes occurs that Satan makes his last powerful stand against the soul to defeat it by interjecting unusual and insidious, temptations to doubt. He will insinuate that this is a sovereign grace, arbitrarily conferred by God upon whomsoever he will, instead of freely given to whomsoever will believe for it; that it is too much for you to expect; your temperament, circumstances, infirmities, or unfaithfulness. disqualify you for receiving it; or that you can’t believe; that it is only attainable when faith, for it has been bestowed, and that has not been given you. These and other suggestions of the adversary are only specious forms of temptation, as will be seen when the light is turned upon the one promise: “Whosoever believeth on Him shall be saved.” These temptations which obstruct the soul in its attempt to believe should be treated as temptations should always be dealt with. They must be resisted, The soul must recognize in them the voice of the tempter, and say: “Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me — a hindrance, an obstacle to my faith.” Thus resisting the devil, he flees from the believer; and, instead of yielding to doubt, he triumphs over it, and finds himself reposing on the immutable Word of the Lord — believing unto the fullness of salvation.

The victory of faith is won, and exultingly he sings: “The Spirit’s bright witness now surely I know, Henceforth in his power triumphantly go.