Synopsis
What is Christian Perfection? Why are so many professing Christians afraid of the doctrine? Why is the idea so vehemently resisted? These answers and more are found in Samuel Chadwick's “The Call to Christian Perfection”. “Christian Perfection,” says Chadwick, “is not infallibility.” And neither is it encompassed in the dissolution of our physical existence. Is moral perfection possible in this life? Chadwick's presentation to the affirmative is contained in these pages. Based on John Wesley's teachings on entire sanctification, “The Call to Christian Perfection” examines the Biblical basis of the doctrine. The reality of entire sanctification is only realized through crises in which the soul cries out to be conformed to the image of Christ, and the experience is as much a crises as conversion itself. Without holiness, says the Scriptures, “no man shall see the Lord.” This being so, it is vitally important that we rightly and Biblically define “holiness”. To the shame of the professing church, much of it is content in their “less than perfect” state, actually defending their spots and wrinkles, casting the blame for their worldly imperfection upon their domineering flesh, or even on God Himself. “It is a tragedy when 'holiness' people are not holy people.”
About the Author
Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932) was a Wesleyan Methodist minister. His straight-forward style of preaching has endeared him to many for generations. Samuel Chadwick was born in Burnley, Lancashire in the industrialized north of England into a devout Methodist family. His father worked in a cotton mill and, at the age of 8, Samuel joined him, working 12-hour shifts. Several years later, at the age of 21, he became a lay pastor at nearby Stacksteads. His faith was greatly deepened while he was in his late twenties. Such was his awakening that he burned all of his previous sermons and never looked back. He was soon preaching to larger congregations with greater results in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In 1890, Chadwick became ordained and accepted a position as superintendent of the Leeds Mission. In 1904, Chadwick began lecturing weekly at Cliff College, a Methodist lay training center, commuting from Leeds. In 1907, he was appointed to a faculty position as a biblical and theological tutor. During this time, he continued his mission work in the South Yorkshire coal fields. In 1912, when the Principal of Cliff died, Chadwick returned to the school and was formally appointed principal in 1913, remaining in that post for the rest of his career. Famed outdoor evangelist Leonard Ravenhill was educated at Cliff College during Chadwick’s tenure. At Cliff, Chadwick wrote The Way to Pentecost, which went to print as he was dying in 1932. In addition to the aforementioned, he is best known for his books The Call to Christian Perfection and The Path of Prayer. Chadwick’s works have been reprinted often since his death, and continue to be reprinted in new editions for new generations.
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