Sanctification

So I'm teaching a class on Saturday where we are covering the way of salvation and sanctification.  The latter idea is a big distinctive of the tribe that I belong to, but as I'm doing research on what John Wesley taught and believed I'm finding that we are way off.  In fact, the way that most people are starting to think of sanctification is more in tune with Wesley than the way that I remember it being taught to me.

The argument conversation basically boils down to process.  Wesley argued that we are cleansed from sin and then begin a process whereby our love is perfected into the love of God, or we are made into the imago Dei.  In the early 1800's a woman by the name of Phoebe Palmer started convincing people that they could have the whole kit and caboodle at one time.  No need to wait, just come to the altar, pray through, believe, and bam your sanctified.  The latter began to emerge as the standard view of the process of sanctification and I believe led many to a state of spiritual apathy.  You see, Wesley was very intentional about teaching that we were not through after the moment of sanctification.  We were still to grow in grace and in learning how to love God and neighbor perfectly.

I am perceiving that the Wesleyan view is once again taking hold in light of the many shift in thinking thanks to postmodernity.  Now if only we would stop preaching felt needs, self help sermons, etc and get back to a strong conviction of our tribe.