You can enter His Rest too
The Savior speaks of one redemption in John 3:16:
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
But in Ephesians 5:25-27 Paul goes on to speak of another redemption that is deeper and more profound:
“Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it; that He might **sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
This is evidently something distinct from the first redemption, and unquestionably more profound and more radical in its nature. In the one, sinners are saved from perishing; in the other, the already saved Church is now sanctified and made to be without blemish!!!
What is this mysterious greater redemption? How do you get it yourself? The purpose of this website is to answer both of these questions for you using tested and true heritage experts.
Direct references to this much-fabled better way are right there in black and white in your Bible:
Heb. 3:17 "Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."
Heb 4:1 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it."
Heb.4:4-10 "For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: "And God rested on the seventh day from all His works"; 5 and again in this place: "They shall not enter My rest." 6 Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience, 7 again He designates a certain day, saying in David, "Today," after such a long time, as it has been said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. 9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His."
2 Peter 3:13-18 "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.*** You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."
***"The Bible is a spiritual book, dealing in spiritualities and not mentalities. Comment
There are also a great number of references that you will come to see when you know what to look for scattered throughout the Bible as explained by this heritage author: The Better Way (a 53 page PDF loaded with Scripture by Dr. Rev. Carradine) skip intro material (for full sized page hold down shift key while opening)
So, in short, this mysterious greater redemption was not claimed by the Israelites in the Old Testament, and was left for us to claim. The astonishingly powerful early church walked in it, the following generations gradually had it stolen from them, just as it has been again stolen more recently (see the "Ichabod" page).
So what is His Rest? I have seen definitions from very good sources that go something like this: "It means that you walk in unbroken spiritual victory with a mellow trusting attitude." I am sorry to say that this common understanding, while superficially true, misses the whole point. It is something far more wonderful than this. His Rest is a mystery.
A Scriptural "mystery" is a truth that cannot truly be grasped by the mind before it is experienced directly. For example, Salvation is a mystery to those who are yet lost. It is just too wonderful and unearthly for the lost to quite grasp! Similarly, His Rest is a mystery to those believers who have not yet obtained it. Again, it is just too wonderful and unearthly to quite grasp!
So if you cannot grasp it, how do you get it? You need help. In most cases before a lost soul is saved, someone will explain how they can find salvation just as this website explains the way to His Rest for you.
The Saint and the Truly Saintly
a 5 page PDF
The Cannon
a 2 page parable.
The Life of Flowers
A gorgeous time-lapse Vimeo photo display set to music that illustrates how God created the natural world to be evermore filled and re-filled with His boundless and spotless Life. Press the "page back" arrow to return here.
Preaching videos
Note: "His Rest" is the Old Testament counterpart of New Testament "Sanctification", but the latter term has two applications: When we are saved we are separated from the world in pardon. We can then choose to ask Him to finish the work of salvation by separating us unto Him in purity of heart. The topic of this website is the personal and practical application of this.
The word sanctification would have been better in the title -but I would have been lost in the persuasive online crowd that is out to get one thing or another from you.
This website is an independent online library of the best works of tested, proven and practical results-oriented authors of the genre. Their works are provided to you free and uncopyrighted as an online school for those exceptional souls who are willing to pay the considerable heart-investment required to translate an earnest hope to walk in His best favor -into the supernaturally stable radiance of the actual reality.
Who am I? My story is on the "Testimonies" page with all the others. I adhere to proven and widely known heritage authors of the Wesleyan school to open up old-fashioned Scriptural Holiness, so that you too can find the wondrous glories of the "narrow way". Tom Plumb (aka Earnest Seeker) My Approach
There are two main tracks you may take to the same goal on the website: Preachers or People. On the "Entry" page the principles and Scriptures are exhaustively expounded by numerous acclaimed Holiness preachers. On the "Testimonies" page you will find a great number of stories about how various people made it through into this ultimate victory over inborn (innate but and covert) sinfulness of heart and entered His Rest.
In every category, I have tried to provide a wide enough variety of resources to appeal to souls of every background and level of achievement, so if you find a resource that is too theological for your taste -please, please move on -because there are others that are rich in homely examples and yet do the same job.
Preachers write most of the testimonies because they were highly literate while in the past, most were not. But look, and you will find plenty written by or about ordinary folks.
Many of you like to sample everything at random. You can do that, but you would do better to follow the menu below. Start with the Introduction page. That is what it is there for. If you omit this you may be left chasing your tail and wondering why.
Warning: Holiness doctrine considers sin in two dimensions: As an act and as an "original" nature. More
1. Introduction This page contains a number of important topical introductory articles that you will need to start initially and at various times thereafter as you become more familiar with the challenging task before you.
The left hand menu options are there to guide your research:
2. Central Idea This is a short and very punchy resource for those who want to instantly get to the core of our theme.
3. Testimonies This page offers a number of testimonies of those precious souls both heritage and contemporary, who have entered His Rest. Most are excerpts that describe how they came to abide in this spiritual dimension, and are often taken from very lengthy heritage works that describe the whole life. Most are quite instructive to those who wish to follow on to enter His Rest, but I have also included some testimonies from famous medieval souls within His Rest that did not provide us with as much helpful information, even though their stories are stunning. (e.g. Mme. Guyon, Brother Lawrence & Saint Francis of Assisi)
Early historical figures are often that way, because they were so very poorly informed themselves. In fact, they would have literally given their right arm to have the wealth of resources found on this website at hand. But they did not. You do!!!! So you can be far more informed on how to both enter and retain His Rest than they ever were because generations since have read their worthy works - and then went on to build upon their shoulders.
4. Enter This page is the beef of the website. Most of these exceptional resources were carefully sifted from the Wesleyan Heritage Library CD to provide excerpts and brief resources that speak directly to those who earnestly seek to know how they too may make their hearts pure and white as did many in the past. Diligent reading of several selections are necessary in order to get a proper overview of what is required to enter His Rest. Let the attitude of the Bereans be your guide.
Careful minor editing and notes make occasionally obscure heritage language clear. Obsolete old English words are translated.
The pages below are optional. The essential purpose of the website is accomplished in the above pages, but there is still real value on these pages.
Wisdom On this page seasoned sanctified figures of the past give guidance to those who have more recently come to enter His Rest. These articles provide good insight into the inner workings of this state of grace for anybody, although it was specifically written for those who have just freshly entered His Rest.
Historical Assorted articles provide valuable historical context.
Ichabod Much material is found here to help answer the aching question, "So, if Holiness and the Great Awakening was so great, just where did it go?"
Charismata Articles and resources of special impact for charismatic/pentecostals that are digging into the relationship between "His Spirit" and "His Rest". Also included is a section of heavy-duty prophecies on the topic and another on the cast-iron Gnostic deceptions that seek to keep us all in orthodox bondage.
Articles Assorted treasures that did not fit under the above topics.
FAQs Seekers of His Rest in every century have been full of urgent questions about this topic. Here you have access to both those heritage questions, and their fascinating authoritative answers that have been tested by both time and tempest.
Links Other Holiness websites.
Books Links to places you may purchase books on Holiness.
Defining His Rest and Sanctification
His Rest, of course refers to the Old Testament promise that remained unfulfilled because of the truculence of His "stiff-necked people". Entire (completed, whole, finished) sanctification is the long hoped for New Testament fulfillment. Sanctification and Entire Sanctification are not at all the same things. Clear definitions compared in a table. 3 page PDF
True and Counterfeit Rest
There has been a perennial problem ever since the days of Wesley. Wesley saw that those who claimed to be sanctified often did not live lives that would confirm their claim.... a 2 page excerpt from John Wesley's "Plain Account of Christian Perfection"
Note: In many Christian circles these days tongues, prophecies, dreams, visions, gifts, healings, miracles and ministries etc. are pushed almost to the exclusion of everything else. All these spectacular acts of power do good if used in the fear of God, but have little direct bearing upon the topic of this website. This is so because this culminating holiness is just as foundational as salvation itself and is worked by the same blood-bought "saving grace".
The settling of this matter of heart-holiness is of more importance to the soul than these various miraculous helps that He may graciously provide along the way. The gifts put their weight upon the foundation which is Christ, and not the other way around. Gifts are necessary equipment for service. A completed sanctification makes you a reliable and trustworthy steward of His treasure to reliably serve Him in the first place. Build wholly upon the Rock, and your house will not fall in the storm.
Wholly? What is that? Most will have no real idea.
Fewer will say that is to have a clean heart, and this heart is obtained by giving over anything unclean to Him.
Rare indeed is the soul who knows the final step that works to cleanse your whole life.
That last step is the secret of Wesleyan Holiness, which is the topic of this website..
Earnest Seeker
This will all take considerable digging. There is lot here, and you cannot expect it to be easy since Churches and seminaries seldom preach this topic as they did before. Most of us will have to dig right down to the bedrock basics of Scriptural holiness without church help. Before Luther it was this way for Salvation itself since so few had it. So it is now with Holiness To start digging down to the basics of the Gospel which contains His Rest see:
The Robust Gospel
This library website seems to be unique on the web in systematically bringing together both living and heritage saintly souls who walk in His Rest in the common cause to restore this rare state of supreme and unshakable constant harmony with God back to knowledge and practice in our day. This state of spotless grace is what all those who hunger and thirst for God's best are looking for: a better and higher state of grace to dwell in -which is truly worthy of His Name in every way. No more inner battles will ever be needed again because the inward carnal man together with his perennial lusts has become fully vanquished, never to be seen again! The old man is gone!!! Hallelujah!!!
Paul and the majority of the early church walked in this. You can too!!!
A Christian Saint
According to Scripture every genuinely saved Christian is a saint and "Separated from the World."
This is preached in every genuine Protestant pulpit.
A Catholic Saint
As you well know such a one must be long dead after having lived as an outstanding model Catholic with signs following. Living admirers then have to go through a decades long process before a committee of the Curia which will explore the life to see if he or she is worthy of this privileged official designation and the great public acclaim that follows. Saints are invoked in Catholic pulpits and prayers..
A New Testament Saint
A New Testament Saint is spiritually broken in the narrow way, enters His Rest and then lives a blameless life exhibiting the appropriate fruits and signs of the Spirit. He or she is "Separated unto the Lord."
This was preached in the Early Church and then again in Wesleyan pulpits. Today, it is virtually forgotten.
Disclaimer: This is a non-denominational library website that seeks to answer the question, "So -just how do I enter His Rest?", but please understand that the theology of holiness is much wider than just answering this question. I do my best so that believers from every background may feel at home, but of course, I cannot really succeed. Please understand that the material is designed to be evangelistic and experiential. It is to clear the way for believers of every stripe to enter into the peerless experience of His Rest, rather than promoting any flavour of doctrine -or even doctrine itself.
Doctrine is important, but there is always more to learn. His Rest is the prize, while doctrine is a man-made tool meant to help us get there, and beyond. The Word remains faithful and true, but our ways of misunderstanding it seem to be endless -especially when we have not yet experienced what it is referring to. I have taken great pains to clarify the material but still you may run into problems. Refer to the first three choices on the left hand menu, the FAQ pages, or read my digest "How to Enter His Rest" on the Entry Directions page.
This is a seriously spiritual website that deals with the conventional gospel, and then quickly goes beyond it to deal with matters that all will find challenging. It will be new to most although it comes to us from antiquity. Your knowledge and faith will be stretched and increased. I hope your experience will be also. In these days of promiscuous indoctrination at every turn, I encourage you to be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11, and search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so. Like those worthies, do not give up, and you will be commended by the Lord as they were. Tom Plumb
