AG Statement on Sanctification

The position adopted in the Statement of Fundamental Truths regarding sanctification was
less clear. The men behind the formation of the Assemblies of God were Pentecostals who
had come to the conclusion that holiness or sanctification was not a second blessing or a
definite experience but instead a lifelong process. This idea of progressive sanctification
was believed by many within the Assemblies of God but there were adherents who still
held to the theology of the holiness movement.

The original language on sanctification in the Fundamental Truths was a compromise
between Wesleyan and non-Wesleyan members which allowed the two doctrines to coexist.
Under the heading "Entire Sanctification, The Goal For All Believers", it read, "Entire
sanctification is the will of God for all believers, and should be earnestly pursued by walking
in obedience to God's Word". The term "entire sanctification" is distinctly Wesleyan, but the
statement actually called "for an ongoing, process of obedience in reliance on, and
cooperation with the Holy Ghost".

In 1961, the General Council revised the statement significantly, giving it its current form. It
eliminated some of the Wesleyan language, such as "entire". Stanley M. Horton, who served
on the revision committee, stated that the committee "... felt that the word entire was
ambiguous because we were using it with a different meaning than that promoted
holiness Pentecostals who taught a second definite work". While the current statement
does represent the Assemblies of God's position more accurately, the denomination's
teaching on sanctification remains ambiguous.