JAC Online

Song of Holiness Series - Part 4
by Major Melvyn Jones

What word or phrase do you prefer to use: holiness, second blessing, sanctification, full salvation, the victorious Christian life, authentic discipleship, Christ-likeness or some other phrase? Living the life is of course more important than using the right phrases – merely talking the talk – but names and phrases are not unimportant. For instance it was not a straightforward exercise to identify the eleven ever-present holiness songs. This is because the various sections of The Salvation Army Song Book – note that it is called a songbook not a hymn book for historic missional reasons, names are not unimportant – have been adjusted and renamed every time a new edition has been published.  Thus for instance the following sections:

• The call to holiness
• Seeking holiness
• Consecration and service
• Holiness enjoyed

Were replaced in the subsequent edition by:

• Challenge
• Consecration and service
• Praise and thanksgiving

I have to say that I am not convinced by that change in classification. However it is an earlier change of classification that I want to bring to your attention. At one stage the sub-section entitled “The Holy Spirit” was included within the holiness section. This sub-section was very understandably moved out of the holiness section and was placed more prominently and for good Trinitarian reasons after sections entitled “God” and “The Lord Jesus Christ”. I was initially amused by the thought of the Holy Spirit being moved away from holiness! However this quirk of hymnology presents us with a serious issue: the danger of holiness without the Holy Spirit. The saintly Samuel Logan Brengle was something of a prophet as well as a teacher of holiness. Listen to what he says about this danger. Brengle responded prophetically to the growing trend within the Army of the day to confuse consecration and sanctification. “J. N. Parker of Chicago has written to me, calling my attention afresh to the fact that so many of our people
 in their teaching substitute consecration for sanctification”[1] This thought is developed by Brengle in a chapter of his book “Helps to Holiness” – entitled “Sanctification versus Consecration”. Referring to a woman with whom he had a discussion he states, “She wanted to rob religion of its supernatural element and rest in her own works.” Or to paraphrase Brengle if I may: She wanted to move the Holy Spirit away from holiness.

            The Salvation Army is an activist form of Christianity. We are continually busy doing good works. That is part of our DNA and it is a God-given quality that we should carefully guard. However there is always the danger that a strength can become a threat if it is not held in balance. Stage one of altar theology is important but it is not sufficient of itself. Yes we bring everything to the altar, but we do not – we cannot – make ourselves holy. Consecration is not sanctification. The Holy Spirit can never be moved away from true holiness. Our part has to be balanced by God’s immeasurably greater part. We bring our few loaves and fishes but God blesses it and transforms our offering.

My all is on the altar,

I'm waiting for the fire;

Waiting, waiting, waiting,

I'm waiting for the fire.