Those who read books on theology will sometimes run across something called the Keswick movement. (The “w” is silent and is pronounced “KEH-zuck” by Americans or “KEH-zick” by Brits.) Sometimes it is called the higher life, exchanged life, or victorious life movement. Even if you don’t see the actual titles, we have all heard the terminology connected with this movement. This terminology includes phrases such as, “let go and let God,” “I was saved years ago, but not until today did I surrender my life to Christ,” or “I dedicated my life to Christ (after initial salvation).”
Occasionally, GES receives a question about the Keswick movement. People wonder about its history, its teachings, and if it is compatible with Free Grace theology. In this blog, as well as in the one that follows, I would like to address these issues.
It is difficult to discuss any theological movement because there are differences among the people associated with it. The Keswick movement is no different. The main tenet deals with sanctification, that is, how one is to live a life that pleases God. In general, its roots can be traced to the teachings of John Wesley. He preached a second work of grace, after initial salvation, that was needed to live a victorious Christian life. These teachings would eventually lead to Pentecostalism, in which the second work of grace would be equated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. Wesley taught Christian perfectionism, which meant that if a Christian had this second work of grace, he could avoid all known, intentional sins. Wesley himself, however, did not see this second work of grace as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
But others, not associated with Wesley or Pentecostalism, adopted another kind of Keswickian view of sanctification. They rejected the idea of perfectionism and the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues. The list of well-known adherents to this view of the Keswick movement is impressive, even though there were differences among them in some details. These include J. Hudson Taylor of the China Inland Mission, D. L. Moody and many at the early Moody Bible Institute, Billy Graham, the Christian Missionary Alliance, C. I. Scofield, and many at Dallas Theological Seminary, including W. H. Griffith Thomas, Lewis Sperry Chafer, John Walvoord, and Charles Ryrie. The Scofield Reference Bible, in its notes, supports aspects of the movement.
We can call those who hold to the Keswick view of sanctification but not associated with Wesley or Pentecostalism as traditional Evangelical adherents. It is among these Evangelical writers that questions arise about the relationship with the Keswick movement and Free Grace theology.
These traditional evangelicals make a sharp distinction between initial salvation (justification) and sanctification. A person can be eternally saved but not grow in sanctification. There are many believers who live carnal lives. There are many Christians who live such defeated spiritual lives.
In order to live victoriously, there needs to be a second work of God in the believer’s life. This happens when there is a crisis of some sort. It happens after salvation, perhaps years later. The Christian understands the need to live in a godly way and sees that he does not do so. This crisis can be described as seeing the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, or the need to make Jesus Lord of your life. Some, such as Moody, said it was the need to be baptized by the Spirit, even though he did not see this baptism as resulting in speaking in tongues. He did say some believers are baptized by the Spirit in this way and others are not.
Eternal salvation is the first work of God in the life of a believer. The second one leads to abiding in Christ and growing in grace. It is an emotional experience, where the believer turns over his life to Christ. He wants the Lord to take over his life and do what He wants to be done in that life.
An important part of this second work of God is that the decision to experience this work is one that the believer can make. The believer who does not want to turn over his life to the Lord can decide to continue to live by the flesh. Growing in sanctification is not automatic.
This second work of grace, making Jesus Lord of your life, is an experience. It is a time when Jesus begins to live through the believer. It is sanctification seen as an exchanged life, based upon Gal 2:20. The believer quits trying to live godly in his own power and allows Christ to live through him. It is entirely passive on the part of the believer. We turn over to Him all our concerns and our attempts at godliness. He will provide all our needs.
The idea that this turning over to God is an emotional experience was seen in the life of Hudson Taylor. He spoke of how he lived in a state of spiritual defeat because he tried to do the work of missions in his own power. It wasn’t until he turned his life over to Jesus, after years on the mission field, that he was able to experience joy. He gave it over to Him.
Such an experience of abandonment to Christ and the joy associated with it are reflected in the hymns of perhaps the most famous hymn writer in the Keswick movement. Frances Ridley Havergal wrote hymns like “Like a River Glorious Is God’s Perfect Peace” and “Take My Life and Let It Be.” These hymns reflect Keswick theology of what happens to a believer who had a crisis of faith and turns his life over to the Lord. They deal with sanctification.
In the next blog, I will discuss the positive and negatives aspects of the Keswick movement, along with how compatible it is with Free Grace theology.
