Says Abraham Kuyper

“The Lord alone performs the work from the beginning to the end. But He performs it partly by the aid of means; and the instrument chosen is often man himself, who cooperates with God. And to this human instrumentality the Scripture refers when, in connection with sanctification, it admonishes us to good works. As in nature God gives the seed and the forces in the soil and rain and sunshine to mature the fruit of the earth, while at the same time He uses the farmer to perfect His work, so it is also in sanctification: God causes it to work effectually; but He employs the human instrument to cooperate with Him, as the saw works together with him that handles it. In this sense sanctification is not just a gift imparted, but also a duty imposed”

But here EGW and Kuyper differs.

“However, Kuyper warns against thinking that by God using man as an instrument God somehow depends upon man to fulfill his own sanctification, saying “[t]his is impossible; by nature man can mar sanctification, but never further it”

Source: Kuyper, Het werk, 3:97; Work, 488.

“Dit kan daarom niet, overmits de mensch van nature wel heiligmaking bederven, maar ze nooit bevorderen kan.”

EGW teaches that man gets a new nature at conversion and that this Spiritual nature works together in cooperation with the Holy Spirit (who is also God Almighty) and is thus not ineffective. Human will is not a problem for God it is a surprising joy. The action comes totally 100% willingness minus God’s input just on the basis of appeal.

Kyuper cannot live with this idea. He argues that man’s nature is too evil to have any good in it so the sanctification is marred not improved by man alone.

de mensch van nature wel heiligmaking bederven, maar ze nooit bevorderen kan

(humans by nature definitely damage sanctification, but they cannot improve it)

This is the debate between Herbert Douglas and George Knight. Between Dennis Priebe and liberals who wish to remain Reformed invested.

The Bible is very clear that God told sinful Israel, if they turn around and be obedient He will forgive all their trespasses.

Christ said to the woman in Adultery in John 8 sending her away for sanctification: “Go and sin no more”.

Not Active Justification and Definite Sanctification. It is a command and imperative asking for a wish to adhere to the command. Please do what I ask you. It has as ingredient the possibility to do what He asks otherwise one is saying that Jesus is just talking in metaphors and actually foolish here.

This is a case in John 8 of Active Justification and Potential (depend on her free will of choices) Sanctification. Right?

One of the five TULIP points of Calvin was Total Depravity. They taught bondage of the will theology.

They taught that original sin pulls man’s free will so down that God has to step in through Christ and do everything. Not only salvation but everything even sanctification. Which is also correct except if they do not cast everything absolutely in the lap of Christ and nothing by humans.

They do and there were theologians like Gijsbert Voetius that were not happy with this view of the Council of Dort which he attended.

The Council of Dort was a debate between Armenius and Gomarus. Armenius argued for the free will and Gomarus for the bondage of the will. Limited freedom.

Gijsbert Voetius in 1660 was a professor of Utrecht and took a concept position between Armenius and Gomarus. His opponent was the professor of Leyden Johannes Cocceius. Cocceius was skilled in Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic and Syriac. Languages does not make a person a helicopter pilot. Unless one makes the right choices with the Bible languages will help nothing.

Abraham Kuyper and Gijsbert Voetius wrote together on the Heidelberg Catchecism also.

Kuyper in 1879 wrote on Sanctification in his work “Volmaakbaarheid” which was a devotional Bible study at that time.

Calvinists, even if they do not like the absolutes of forced salvation and want to bring in some form of duty or will, like Kuyper and Voetius did, still is strapped to the dark shadow of a doctrine called “Predestination” based on Calvin’s strong views of the Sovereignty of God.

Adventists, with EGW and pioneers placed the will of man within the domain of the Sovereignty of God because God is eager with joy to work with man’s freedom that He allocates to a creature.

That is why Lucifer became Satan. That is why Adam and Eve as sinless became sinners.

_______________________________________________________________

A Korean Doctoral Student wrote a dissertation on Justification and Sanctification at Calvin Theological Seminary in 2016. Here is his conclusions and my response.

1. No one other than God Himself justifies and sanctifies!

My answer to Park who graduated at Calvin Theological Seminary that it is yes and no. In Heaven only God sanctifies. On earth it is a cooperation between man and God. If there is a imperfection of actions still after humans rendered their utmost best, God in Heaven will take care of that.

2. Active justification and definitive sanctification affirm a uniquely and absolutely Goddriven salvation.

One’s key to heaven is active justification but sanctification is one’s readiness for heaven with the cooperative power of man’s will and the Holy Spirit’s power.

3. Active justification and definitive sanctification are biblically supported.

No. Definitive sanctification is on the same condition the sacrifice of Christ is accepted by free choice. Otherwise man is but an AI robot. Do not use “definitive” for sanctification. The Bible is full of “If you follow Me, I will…” statements. Sorry.

4. Active justification and definitive sanctification bring theological clarity, not confusion, when properly understood and applied.

No. It confuses the texts where God makes appeals to obedience and appeals to a choice: “Choose Whom you want to serve …” Elijah said.

5. Active justification and definitive sanctification are of practical and pastoral benefit to the believer.

My answer to Jae-Eun Park: It is dangerous giving the impression “once saved, always saved”. The fallacy is pointed out very well by Paul in Hebrews about a converted person who left the truth and coming back. There are many cases of saved ones who left the truth but who came back again through willful surrender of the self and sins to God.  

6. Active justification and definitive sanctification affirm that the believer’s justification and sanctification rest on an objective and decisive foundation that is inseparable from passive justification and progressive sanctification respectively.

My answer to Jae-Eun Park: Again here we need to qualify for the scholar. God wants everyone to be successful who starts out right. But God also knows that many are not staying on course. But also He knows they will come back. This will issue is so free by God that He will not grab the person against their wishes not to follow Him. But, the Spirit will remain appealing until death. His last words about progressive sanctification cannot be serious. It kind of shoot himself in the leg who is saying that it is definitive sanctification.

7. Active justification and definitive sanctification are the objects of faith, revealing both the ability and the need for human responsibility and activity in salvation.

My answer to Jae-Eun Park: I can’t believe the researcher is saying this. The need for human responsibility is all the time there for the Bible is full of God’s appeal around every corner. If one believes in definitive sanctification then one cannot also believe in human responsibility and activity in salvation. You cannot say God does everything but humans must also do something. It is a nullifying statement. Right? He is confused here and wants to mix Calvinism Platonism on the absolutism of the Sovereignty of God and Armenius’ biblical ideas on the free will.

8. Active justification and definitive sanctification rely entirely on Christ’s perfect righteousness and holiness and are governed entirely by God’s sovereignty.

My answer to Jae-Eun Park: His point in 7 is cancelled by 8 or 8 is cancelled by 7.

Source: Jae-Eun Park, Active Justification and Definitive Sanctification in the Soteriology of Bavinck, Comrie, Witsius, and Kuyper. A Dissertation submitted to the faculty of Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

https://digitalcommons.calvin.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1041&context=cts_dissertations