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Christ as Savior
Knowing Christ as his Savior became the first pillar in Simpson's Christian life. The salvation of others became the life-long burden of his heart as he expressed in one of his hymns:
Saving and serving
our watch-word shall be;
Living for others
and living for Thee;
Help us, dear Lord,
to be true to our trust,
Serving the Master
and saving the lost.
Concerning Christ as the Savior, the experience of regeneration through the simple way of faith was emphasized along with the joyful assurance of the forgiveness of sins. Following salvation, all the believers were encouraged to live a life of commitment to evangelism either at home or overseas.
Christ as Sanctifier
This second emphasis was initiated out of dissatisfaction with the inner spiritual condition of many at the time. Simpson and others entered into the mystery, "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Simpson said, "Regeneration is like building a house and having the work done well. Sanctification is having the owner come and dwell in the house and fill it with gladness and life and beauty." Simpson's teaching on sanctification helped many believers who had been bound by traditional religious doctrines to experience the joy and freedom of a Spirit-filled life.
 Simpson in his later years |
Simpson taught that sanctification could not be worked for. "We do not have to climb by slow and painful ascent the heights of holiness, but rather to receive the Holy One Himself." The sufficiency of Christ as both Savior and Sanctifier was taught, and Simpson declared, "We must come to see Jesus as our Sanctifier." Simpson said, "As we are possessed by the Holy Spirit, we are made partakers of the divine nature. It is a sacred thing for any man or woman to enter into this relation with God. It places the humblest and most unattractive creature upon the throne with Him."
Simpson enjoyed the writings of the mystics like Madame Guyon and Fenelon, as well as being drawn to Quietist literature. He also appreciated the discipline of listening prayer, a practice of opening to the Lord's speaking while reading the word. They felt that the knowledge of the Sanctifier was the turning point to the experience of the Sabbath rest of the soul.
Simpson saw sanctification issuing from both a thorough dealing in crisis and an ongoing daily experience. He said, "I had to learn to take from Him my spiritual life every second; to breathe Himself in as I breathed, and breathe myself out. So, moment by moment for the spirit, and moment by moment for the body, we must receive."
Christ as Healer
Simpson embraced the doctrine that physical healing could be received by faith as a benefit of salvation. He said, "Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers based on Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17; and James 5:14-16."
This was the one point that alienated the more conservative evangelicals from Simpson. Some accused him of devaluing the importance of the future redemption of the body. Some further accused him of leading young believers to neglect the proper care of their body and indoctrinating them with anti-medicine beliefs. Nevertheless Simpson maintained his convictions regarding divine healing, though he always considered it subordinate to his foremost concerns of evangelizing lost souls and promoting a Spirit-filled life.
Continued
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