The following was written by Miles J. Stanford in the early 1970's in an effort to explain a weakness regarding the doctrine of sanctification [instant spirituality], the source being Dr. L. S. Chafer and Dallas Theological Seminary. Many years have passed and modifications in teaching emphasis have been made. Consequently, the points in this series of critiques may or may not still hold true. We will make an attempt to update their status when subsequent information is available.
Links
Chafer, Ryrie, Pentecost, Thieme,
Hodges, Bright, Hession,
Grubb, Torrey,
Gordon, Simpson,
Tozer,
Moody, Murray
DR. ZANE CLARK HODGES
Miles J. Stanford
INTRODUCTION -- Dr. Hodges is Assistant Professor of New Testament Literature and Exegesis at Dallas Theological Seminary. The book to be considered is his The Hungry Inherit, which has to do with salvation (gift) and discipleship (work).
CHRISTIAN LIFE TEACHING -- It has been a long time since we have been faced with material on the subject of discipleship so utterly devoid of the Biblical principles of spiritual growth and service.
TEACHING EMPHASIS -- Incredibly, Dr. Hodges draws his thesis for discipleship from the Sermon on the Mount and the epistle of James! The author's conception of taking up one's cross consists of self-denial and self-giving. The identification truths are not mentioned, nor could they be in such a law-dominated context.
SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS -- According to Dr. Hodges the conditions for discipleship are simply to lay aside one's tendencies to evil, and in gratitude to God for His free salvation consider no task too large, no sacrifice too great to make. The goal of his discipleship is not merely to see and enter the Millennial Kingdom, but to obey all of God's will, and work so as to "win" and therefore "possess" that Kingdom. While acknowledging that the Christian life is a free gift of God, Dr. Hodges says the fruit of that life unto discipleship depends upon the believer's humility and poverty of spirit, coupled with his labor to do all the will of God and to finish His work.
CONCLUSION -- This type of earthly and law-oriented teaching is the inevitable result of failure to understand the work of the Cross concerning sin and self and law, as well as the necessity of the identification truths for the effortless growth of true discipleship.
J.B. Stoney knew the principle:
It is necessary that the truth conferred by grace should be known as a possession and the virtue of it apprehended, before there can be any walk in keeping with it. For if there is ignorance or misapprehension, the truer the conscience, the more defective is the practice. Hence the most fruitful source of imperfect practice is an imperfect apprehension of the truth of the Word.
The Hungry Inherit can in no way contribute to the Christian's growth in the Lord Jesus Christ; rather the opposite. And yet both Dr. Ryrie in the book's Foreword, and Dr. Lightner in Bibliotheca Sacra (July '72., p. 257), are panegyrical concerning it. Such laudation, to the detriment of the reader, is not only reprehensible, but irresponsible.