A History of Christian Doctrine

As people in the Holiness movement studied the Scriptures, particularly the Book of Acts, they noticed that the disciples were “baptized with the Holy Ghost,” and they began to equate entire sanctification with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. They did not necessarily associate this experience with speaking in tongues, althoughthere were some instances of speaking in tongues among them, as among the Methodists earlier. A number of holiness-minded people in the late nineteenth century began to proclaim an alternate view ofholiness. The practical effect was much the same, but theapproach was somewhat different. They denied that theinward nature of sin is eradicated in this life, but theyproclaimed that by His Spirit God gives Christians powerto overcome and suppress the influence of the sinfulnature. This view is sometimes called Keswick holiness,after a parish in English where meetings were held to promote the teaching.Adherents of this position exhorted all Christians toseek a distinct encounter with God’s Spirit in which theywould receive power for Christian service and power tobear spiritual fruit. It could happen at conversion or afterward. Subsequently, they should live in the “fullness of theSpirit” and participate in the “higher Christian life.” Theseteachers also began to use the scriptural terminology ofbeing “baptized with the Holy Ghost” for this crisis experience.