Third work of grace
doctrine in Holiness Pentecostalism
The third work of grace, also called the third blessing, is a doctrine, chiefly associated with Holiness Pentecostalism, that refers to baptism with the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues as evidence for the same. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is taught by Holiness Pentecostals to empower the Christian believer for service to God.
History
Methodism, in accordance with the teachings of John Wesley, teaches two works of grace, the New Birth (first work of grace) and entire sanctification (second work of grace). The systematic theologian of Methodism, John William Fletcher, termed the reception of entire sanctification as Baptism with the Holy Spirit, which is reflected in the doctrine of various Methodist denominations, including those of the holiness movement.
The fathers of Holiness Pentecostalism, Charles Parham (who established Bethel Bible College) and William Seymour (who organized the Azusa Street Revival) taught that in addition to the first work of the New Birth and the second work of entire sanctification, there was a third work of grace evidenced by speaking in tongues. With this, "Parham regarded justification as removing committed sins, sanctification as dealing with the inbred propensity to commit sin, while the baptism of the Holy Ghost was empowerment." Parham taught that Methodism had erred in "erred in regarding sanctification as synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Ghost." In the Parhamian-Seymourian view, it was not the second work of grace of entire sanctification, but a third work of grace that "empowered the Christian for service." When "speaking in other tongues was manifested in the lives of believers", the believer could testify that he/she had received the third work of grace and had been "endowed with heavenly power".
The testimony of those who attended the Azusa Street Revival was "I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost" in reference to the three works of grace taught by Holiness Pentecostals, the oldest branch of Pentecostalism. These three works of grace are explained by Holiness Pentecostals with the teaching that the "Holy Spirit cannot fill an unclean vessel", so the cleansing of the heart that takes place in entire sanctification is necessary before a person can be filled or baptized with the Holy Spirit.
Prior to the advent of Holiness Pentecostalism and the Parhamian-Seymourian definition of the third work of grace, the Fire-Baptized Holiness Church (a holiness denomination of Methodist patrimony) under the leadership of Benjamin Hardin Irwin (starting in 1895) was unique in that it taught three definite works of grace, with the first two works of grace being identical in doctrine to those held by Methodism—the first work of grace being the New Birth and the second work of grace being entire sanctification (baptism with the Holy Spirit); the third work of grace was taught to be baptism with fire. It was necessary for the born-again Christian to be entirely sanctified with the baptism of the Holy Spirit before one could receive the baptism of fire.
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