What do you think?
Rate this book
Wholly Sanctified
A "Heritage Series" reprint of A. B. Simpson's excellent work on the doctrine of sanctification as experience.
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
A.B. Simpson
318 books43 followersAlbert Benjamin "A.B." Simpson (December 15, 1843 – October 29, 1919) was a Canadian preacher, theologian, author, and founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), an evangelical Protestant denomination with an emphasis on global evangelism.
Simpson was born in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada as the third son and fourth child of James Simpson, Jr. and Janet Clark. Author Harold H. Simpson has gathered an extensive genealogy of Cavendish families in Cavendish: Its History, Its People. His research establishes the Clark family (A.B. Simpson's mother’s side) as one of the founding families of Cavendish in 1790, along with the Simpson family, and he traces common ancestors between Albert B. Simpson and Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables.
The young Albert was raised in a strict Calvinistic Scottish Presbyterian and Puritan tradition. His conversion of faith began under the ministry of Henry Grattan Guinness, a visiting evangelist from Ireland during the revival of 1859. Simpson spent some time in the Chatham, Ontario area, and received his theological training in Toronto at Knox College, University of Toronto. After graduating in 1865, Simpson was subsequently ordained in the Canada Presbyterian Church, the largest of the Presbyterian groups in Canada that merged after his departure for the United States. At age 21, he accepted a call to the large Knox Presbyterian Church (closed in 1971) in nearby Hamilton, Ontario.
In December 1873, at age 30, Simpson left Canada and assumed the pulpit of the largest Presbyterian church in Louisville, Kentucky, the Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church. It was in Louisville that he first conceived of preaching the gospel to the common man by building a simple tabernacle structure for that purpose. Despite his success at the Chestnut Street Church, Simpson was frustrated by their reluctance to embrace this burden for wider evangelistic endeavor.
In 1880, Simpson was called to the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church in New York City where he immediately began reaching out to the world with the gospel. Beside active evangelistic work in the church, he published a missionary journal, The Gospel in All Lands, the first missionary journal with pictures. Simpson also founded and began publishing an illustrated magazine entitled The Word, Work, and World. By 1911, this magazine became known as The Alliance Weekly, then Alliance Life, and is now called a.life. It is the official publication of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, in the USA and Canada.
By 1881, after only two fruitful years at Thirteenth Presbyterian, he resigned in order to begin an independent gospel ministry to the many new immigrants and the neglected masses of New York City. Simpson began informal training classes in 1882 in order to reach "the neglected peoples of the world with the neglected resources of the church". By 1883, a formal program was in place and ministers and missionaries were being trained in a multi-cultural context (This school was the beginning of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary). In 1889, Simpson and his church family moved into their new home at the corner of 44th St. and 8th Av. called the New York Tabernacle. This became the base not only of his ministry of evangelism in the city but also of his growing work of worldwide missions.
Simpson was born in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada as the third son and fourth child of James Simpson, Jr. and Janet Clark. Author Harold H. Simpson has gathered an extensive genealogy of Cavendish families in Cavendish: Its History, Its People. His research establishes the Clark family (A.B. Simpson's mother’s side) as one of the founding families of Cavendish in 1790, along with the Simpson family, and he traces common ancestors between Albert B. Simpson and Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables.
The young Albert was raised in a strict Calvinistic Scottish Presbyterian and Puritan tradition. His conversion of faith began under the ministry of Henry Grattan Guinness, a visiting evangelist from Ireland during the revival of 1859. Simpson spent some time in the Chatham, Ontario area, and received his theological training in Toronto at Knox College, University of Toronto. After graduating in 1865, Simpson was subsequently ordained in the Canada Presbyterian Church, the largest of the Presbyterian groups in Canada that merged after his departure for the United States. At age 21, he accepted a call to the large Knox Presbyterian Church (closed in 1971) in nearby Hamilton, Ontario.
In December 1873, at age 30, Simpson left Canada and assumed the pulpit of the largest Presbyterian church in Louisville, Kentucky, the Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church. It was in Louisville that he first conceived of preaching the gospel to the common man by building a simple tabernacle structure for that purpose. Despite his success at the Chestnut Street Church, Simpson was frustrated by their reluctance to embrace this burden for wider evangelistic endeavor.
In 1880, Simpson was called to the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church in New York City where he immediately began reaching out to the world with the gospel. Beside active evangelistic work in the church, he published a missionary journal, The Gospel in All Lands, the first missionary journal with pictures. Simpson also founded and began publishing an illustrated magazine entitled The Word, Work, and World. By 1911, this magazine became known as The Alliance Weekly, then Alliance Life, and is now called a.life. It is the official publication of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, in the USA and Canada.
By 1881, after only two fruitful years at Thirteenth Presbyterian, he resigned in order to begin an independent gospel ministry to the many new immigrants and the neglected masses of New York City. Simpson began informal training classes in 1882 in order to reach "the neglected peoples of the world with the neglected resources of the church". By 1883, a formal program was in place and ministers and missionaries were being trained in a multi-cultural context (This school was the beginning of Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary). In 1889, Simpson and his church family moved into their new home at the corner of 44th St. and 8th Av. called the New York Tabernacle. This became the base not only of his ministry of evangelism in the city but also of his growing work of worldwide missions.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 25, 2012
Timeless Classic!
AB Simpson was the founder of the The Christian and Missionary Alliance. He intended these to function as loosely allied organizations focusing on Foreign Missions on the one hand and a loosely held organization of independent Churches on the other.
Simpson himself was trained a Presbyterian Minister who later in life came in contact with the Holiness Movement (primarily the Keswick Movement although with Wesleyan influence as well) and he began an interesting conglomeration of his Calvinistic roots with the experience of the revival movement of that day.
In promoting the 4-Fold Gospel as he understood it, Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King, Simpson put a strong emphasis upon the subsequent experience of Sanctification.
He, as did many of his day, saw Salvation as a distinct starting place but saw as well a subsequent crisis experience in which the believer came to terms with their need for complete surrender to the Holy Spirit. Other traditions have termed this, "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit." That term today has come to be identified with the Charismatic movement and often to include the experience of tongues and so many movements which used the term and concept with ease and conviction prior to this have moved away from the terminology. Unfortunately, they have moved away from the teaching and promotion of the experience as well.
Unfortunately, in today's C&MA, Sanctification as it was understood, experienced, preached and promoted by AB Simpson and the early Alliance is no longer given the emphasis it once was. Part of this may be a recoil to the exodus that took place in the early 20th century from the Alliance into what is now the Assemblies of God. With that exodus, the Alliance, while never overtly becoming charismatic, has eschewed the terminology and experiences of its earlier heritage and has lost this theological distinctive or at least seen it diminish greatly.
Simpson himself was something of an enigma. He doesn't always neatly reconcile his Calvinist theology with his revivalist experience. He is content in many ways to move with passion and trust to the fact that what he is living is working and tying into the power of the Holy Spirit without always exegeting why that is the case.
It is part of his appeal in some ways, and that passion attracts many to his preaching and leadership in the days of his ministry and from it cam a great Missionary movement.
This book is fundamental to understanding Simpson and the source of that power and success.
This reviewer loves the denomination that came forth from the Four-Fold Gospel and recognizes the need for there to be a renewal and return as such to the power that drove it. unfortunately is not being pushed strongly from C&MA pulpits today.
This book is a wonderful place to start. It's message is timeless and needed today.
AB Simpson was the founder of the The Christian and Missionary Alliance. He intended these to function as loosely allied organizations focusing on Foreign Missions on the one hand and a loosely held organization of independent Churches on the other.
Simpson himself was trained a Presbyterian Minister who later in life came in contact with the Holiness Movement (primarily the Keswick Movement although with Wesleyan influence as well) and he began an interesting conglomeration of his Calvinistic roots with the experience of the revival movement of that day.
In promoting the 4-Fold Gospel as he understood it, Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King, Simpson put a strong emphasis upon the subsequent experience of Sanctification.
He, as did many of his day, saw Salvation as a distinct starting place but saw as well a subsequent crisis experience in which the believer came to terms with their need for complete surrender to the Holy Spirit. Other traditions have termed this, "The Baptism of the Holy Spirit." That term today has come to be identified with the Charismatic movement and often to include the experience of tongues and so many movements which used the term and concept with ease and conviction prior to this have moved away from the terminology. Unfortunately, they have moved away from the teaching and promotion of the experience as well.
Unfortunately, in today's C&MA, Sanctification as it was understood, experienced, preached and promoted by AB Simpson and the early Alliance is no longer given the emphasis it once was. Part of this may be a recoil to the exodus that took place in the early 20th century from the Alliance into what is now the Assemblies of God. With that exodus, the Alliance, while never overtly becoming charismatic, has eschewed the terminology and experiences of its earlier heritage and has lost this theological distinctive or at least seen it diminish greatly.
Simpson himself was something of an enigma. He doesn't always neatly reconcile his Calvinist theology with his revivalist experience. He is content in many ways to move with passion and trust to the fact that what he is living is working and tying into the power of the Holy Spirit without always exegeting why that is the case.
It is part of his appeal in some ways, and that passion attracts many to his preaching and leadership in the days of his ministry and from it cam a great Missionary movement.
This book is fundamental to understanding Simpson and the source of that power and success.
This reviewer loves the denomination that came forth from the Four-Fold Gospel and recognizes the need for there to be a renewal and return as such to the power that drove it. unfortunately is not being pushed strongly from C&MA pulpits today.
This book is a wonderful place to start. It's message is timeless and needed today.
February 7, 2023
“The best token of His presence is the adversary’s defiance, and the more real our blessing, the more certainly will it be challenged.” Favorite quote of the book. Good read!
November 1, 2024
See Phoebe Palmer's "The Way of Holiness"
March 4, 2023
Anything written by A.B. Simpson is encouraging and spiritually edifying. With that said, I felt that this book didn’t really give me any new spiritually insights or really challenge me as much. While his thoughts on consecration and walking in righteousness are always great reminders, it got repetitive to a certain point. Nevertheless, Simpson’s emphasis on “being filled with the Holy Spirit” and Christ being the author and finisher of our faith is the part of the book where Simpson writes at his best. This is definitely a crucial part of the book in light in light of the high calling Simpson (and The Bible) places on the Christian. While sometimes this book feels like the emphasis is on our efforts and not as much on our Union with Christ, Simpson always challenges and encourages the Christian reader as they continue to “be filled with the Holy Spirit”!
February 16, 2010
A. B. Simpson, in his book, Wholly Sanctified, explains in detail what it means to be “wholly sanctified.” He grounds his discussion on a few verses. First, using I Thess. 5:23-24 as the basis of chapters 1-4, he explains the sanctification of the spirit, soul and body. In each case, three aspects of sanctification are highlighted; our sanctification by separation from sin, evil, and anything opposed to God; our sanctification by dedication to God and His Kingdom; and our sanctification by our being filled by the Holy Spirit and holiness.
Next, he expounds on another aspect of I Thess. 5:23-24 in chapter 5, by encouraging His readers at the active work of God in their lives in preserving them (assuming they are believers) until the end of time. This promise is rooted in the OT, provided for in the NT through the work of Christ, and is conditional based on “certain attitudes on our part (102).”
Finally, based on I Jn. 4:17, he explains what it means “As he is, so are we also in this world.” This is marked by God’s perfect love, the love that He has for us as a perfect Father. The “secret of this love” is found in the work of Christ.
I don't find much problem with his exegesis and it was a good read over all. There were a few times that I didn't follow or agree with some of his points, but that's normal.
Next, he expounds on another aspect of I Thess. 5:23-24 in chapter 5, by encouraging His readers at the active work of God in their lives in preserving them (assuming they are believers) until the end of time. This promise is rooted in the OT, provided for in the NT through the work of Christ, and is conditional based on “certain attitudes on our part (102).”
Finally, based on I Jn. 4:17, he explains what it means “As he is, so are we also in this world.” This is marked by God’s perfect love, the love that He has for us as a perfect Father. The “secret of this love” is found in the work of Christ.
I don't find much problem with his exegesis and it was a good read over all. There were a few times that I didn't follow or agree with some of his points, but that's normal.
September 25, 2013
Wholly Sanctified walks the reader through the process of sanctification. Simpson starts with a framework for understanding what sanctification is and then applies the principles he has outlined to specific areas of a believer's life.
While I found the content of the book to be very good, I have to admit that I found the writing style to be quite tedious. The poetic embellishes which permeate the text are better suited to the spoken word than the written.
In saying this I in no way intend to diminish the power of the truths Simpson is discussing. He does an excellent job of pin pointing the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our sanctification. He also describes well what work is incumbent upon us in this process and exhorts us to greater lives of holiness.
A believer's walk with the Lord only stands to gain from reading this book.
While I found the content of the book to be very good, I have to admit that I found the writing style to be quite tedious. The poetic embellishes which permeate the text are better suited to the spoken word than the written.
In saying this I in no way intend to diminish the power of the truths Simpson is discussing. He does an excellent job of pin pointing the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in our sanctification. He also describes well what work is incumbent upon us in this process and exhorts us to greater lives of holiness.
A believer's walk with the Lord only stands to gain from reading this book.
May 28, 2009
Simpson analyzes 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24: "Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." He writes about being wholly sanctified, by having a sanctified spirit, soul, and body that and how it is to be preserved blameless for Christ's return. It is a good work on sanctification.
March 2, 2013
I read this book a long time ago and have a hard time remembering what exactly Simpson was saying. However, one thing stands out to me (as is usually the case with books we read, some one thing tends to remain with us), that sanctification happens effortlessly, like the sun melting an iceberg. Today I do not agree with this thought, and A.B. Simpson, like many of the "deeper life" teachers, tended to adopt views that were not as Scriptural as they were novel. I'll have to read it again!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews