Question from a reader:
I have a friend who believes in total sanctification at the point of salvation (sinless perfection). In other words, once you become a Christian, you will not sin anymore for the rest of your earthly life. In fact, anyone who does sin, is not actually an authentic Christian at all. What is your response to this?
Answer from Randy Alcorn:
It has been my experience that most people holding this position, or at least those who actively teach it, are not open to what I believe is the clear teaching of Scripture from many passages. They have their select passages which they insist on interpreting without reference to the many passages that clearly show Christians can and do sin. They seem to not grasp the analogy of the faith, the whole counsel of God, the need to interpret Scripture in light of other Scripture. And the very blindness that keeps them from seeing that they are sinners keeps them from seeing what Scripture says.
Here is an audio clip of me speaking on sinless perfection:
Here’s a few other resources which might be of help:
Church Education Resources: Sinless Perfectionism
The Heretical Doctrine of Sinless Perfectionism (good audio)
Hank Hanegraaff audio (3 minutes): Total Sanctification/Sinless Perfectionism
