what do we put of and on in colossians?
Is this volitional from our end

I’m not sure what you mean here. Are you trying to tell me something? That’s an honest question. No jabs or anything.

Yes, I know Andy. He and I have talked, and I’ve read his dissertation. It’s an excellent historical survey of Keswick theology. Remember that his is a *dissertation* not a blog. So the style is different than what you see here. I often cite him. He’s the one that says those who subscribe to Keswick theology often think that those who criticize it are antinomians or perfectionists.

I didn’t avoid answering your question. I just answered it in a way that you may not have expected. Packer and Warfield and Steve Brown all address the fact that surrender isn’t the point. You don’t stop sinning by trying really hard to stop sinning. That’s obsessing on sin! That’s getting stuck in Romans 7. You stop sin by loving Jesus. Just love Jesus. Nothing you do can make him love you more and nothing you do can make him love you less. God’s not mad at you. You’re not continually getting punished. God’s not a big bully that you have to be afraid of if you do the wrong thing. Just obsess about Jesus and the sin will fall away.

I suggest that you read my just-finished series on Things I Never Heard in Fundamentalism — http://www.drslewis.org/camille/things-i-never-heard/. Again — that may not be the way you want me to answer that question, but I can’t easily answer it in a single reply here.

Saying that in Christ we have the freedom to not sin is a bit of a cop-out. There’s still a worry that we’re going to mess it all up. It pushes us to worry that we’re not surrendering enough.

The only thing I will say that we need to surrender is our own pagan and sinful addiction to rule-keeping and sin-thwarting. Moralism. We need to surrender our moralism. And I’m *serious* about that. I’m deadly serious.

Honestly, Shawn, the best way I can answer the question is by pointing you to other far-from-Keswick writers like Brown and Packer. Jesus wants us to live free. FREE!! There’s no sarcasm in what I’m saying. No “jesting.” It’s the truth. Live as free as you want to be.

Please read more around here. That’s the best way I can explain it.

Before I posted I read an article by David Andrew Naselli. It was a survey and analysis of the doctrine of sanctification in the early Keswick movement. Would you be willing to read it and tell me what you think? I have found it most helpful—correct, to the point, without unecessary sarcasm or foolish jesting.

Thank you and have a good day!

Your assumptions about those who critique Keswick theology — that they are antinomians — is not unusual. Remember, too, that they called Jesus an antinomian too. And Paul.

I suggest you read my other series on the “Things I Never Heard in Fundamentalism,” especially the post on sin. That is a better counter-balance to the notions in Keswick theology.

Also — check out J.I. Packer and even B.B. Warfield. They wrote against Keswick theology at its inception. The best contemporary critique I’ve found is Steve Brown and his book, The Scandalous Freedom. Really — it’s very good.

Just remember, Shawn, God loves you even when you sin. He loves you just that much.