Wesley Center Online
Issue 1, Spring 2004, Volume 22
Issue 1, Spring 2004, Volume 22
ISSN 1085-2808
Contents | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| Wesley and Men Who Followed A Longing for Holiness Renew My Heart |
Vic Reasoner
The kingdom was established through Christ's atoning death, resurrection, and session. According to Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28, John the Baptist was not part of this kingdom, although he heralded its arrival.
Yet, for the 3 years of the public ministry of Jesus, from A. D. 26-30, when the kingdom was truly established, Matthew tells us that men began to press their way into the kingdom ahead of schedule. While the Jewish establishment had no interest in the Messiah, Richard Watson described the disenfranchised, who eagerly pressed their way into the kingdom "as far as it was then revealed."
There were other Old Testament characters who seemed to realize a relationship with God that was ahead of their day. However, that number was always small. Jesus said that only a few were finding access (Matt 7:14). But by the day of Pentecost, the few had become many and ultimately the population of the kingdom of Christ will so expand that it cannot be counted (Rev 7:9).
Yet, while the kingdom of Christ is growing, the requirements for entrance have not changed. The way into the kingdom is still so narrow that the baggage of the old life must remain outside. Literally, Jesus said in Luke 13:24, "Agonize to enter through the narrow door." In Matthew 11:12 when Jesus said that forceful men were seizing or taking the kingdom by force, he used a strong word which is related to our word for "rape." This Greek verb is only used twice in the New Testament. Because this is descriptive of the kingdom of heaven, and because of the parallel passage in Luke 16:16, I interpret this more difficult passage in Matthew as a positive action. Therefore, the violence which Jesus described is: aggressive agonizing, desperate determination, earnestness, fervency, intensity, perseverance, persistency, zeal. "A share in the heavenly kingdom is sought for with most ardent zeal and intense exertion" [Amplified Bible].
Just as childbirth is a violent experience, so entry into the kingdom through the new birth is an intense experience. In fact, in Matthew 24:8, Jesus spoke of the establishment of his kingdom and the destruction of the old system, as the Romans were about to rush into Jerusalem and take the city by storm. Clarke described it as "the beginning of birth pains."
John Wesley wrote, "No man is able to work [the faith that produces regeneration] in himself. It is a work of omnipotence. It requires no less power thus to quicken a dead soul, than to raise a body that lies in the grave. It is a new creation; and none can create a soul anew, but He who at first created the heavens and the earth."
Yet the sinner is never instructed to passively wait for his miracle. Wesley admonished all who were seeking the grace of God to attend to all the means of grace. Thomas Coke explained that "the sluggish and negligent triflers in religion may never hope for admission into the kingdom of God." While we cannot save ourselves, the resolution necessary to seek God is described by Christ as forceful or violent. John Fletcher wrote,
They who are weary of the Egyptian yoke of outward and inward sin, who cannot resist without the love of Jesus, the life of God, at last become violent. They forcibly turn from the world, by force they attack the devil, bringing themselves by force before God, and drag out, by strong confession, the evils that lurk within. Against these they fight, by detesting and denying them. Their strength is in crying mightily to the Lord, and expecting continually that fire which God will rain from heaven upon them. All this must be done by force and with great conflicts; for it is against nature, which hath the utmost reluctance to it.
The words of the text allude to the taking a fortified town by storming it, and this is of all military expeditions the most dangerous. The enemy is covered and hid, and those who scale the walls have nothing but their arms and courage. But can the wrestling soul overcome, can he take this kingdom Ah! No, not by his own strength, but his Joshua will take it for him. God only requires that we should entreat him to do this, the prayer of repentance, the prayer of faith, storm Mount Zion, the city of God. He that is violent shall receive the kingdom of God, - justification and sanctification; but remember the violent take it by force. He shall have many a hard struggle with God's enemies, and it may be, many with the Lord himself, before he declares him conqueror.
Yet Augustine said that "no man ever failed in his attempt who was willing to take it by force." In practical terms, however, this determination cannot be measured in the volume of the petition, but in the sincerity of the repentance. The narrow way of true repentance is an agonizing experience, described by James as grief, mourning, and sorrow (4:9). Yet it produces a change of character (2 Cor 7:10-11). The essence of evangelical repentance is to so take personal responsibility for ones sin as to turn from that sin. This makes possible the gift of faith, which also must be exercised for salvation. Adam Clarke wrote, "If a man be not absolutely determined to give up his sins and evil companions, and have his soul saved at all hazards, and at every expense, he will surely perish everlastingly. This requires violent earnestness."
Those who are now justified must continue to live through this same faith. The early Methodists used to ask those who were applying for ordination, "Are you going on to perfection Do you expect to be made perfect in this life Are you groaning after it" Paradoxically, Hebrews 4:11 admonishes us to zealously seek this rest. Notice how this verb is also used in Eph 4:3, 2 Tim 2:15, and 2 Peter 3:14. Romans 14:19 and Hebrews 12:14 tell us to "pursue" the holy life, not simply name it and claim it. Colossians 1:29; 4:12 express how earnestly Paul and Epaphras worked to see the Colossians perfected in love.
In terms of the discourse Jesus gave, the kingdom is advanced through the same method it is entered. The Christian community is altogether too passive about the expansion of Christ's kingdom. In order to see souls saved, Zion must travail in the pain of hard labor (Isa 66:8; Micah 4:10). The kingdom advances through persecution, self-denial, and total commitment. Jesus said that his disciples must deny themselves daily and take up his cross (Matt 16:24; Luke 9:23). The cross was an instrument of violence. Those who assume his cross are motivated by zeal for his cause. Yet Adam Clarke wrote The doctrine and teacher most prized and followed by worldly men, and by the gay, giddy, and garish multitude, are not from God; they savor of the flesh, lay on no restraints, prescribe no cross-bearing, and leave every one in full possession of his heart's lusts and easily besetting sins. And by this, false doctrine and false teachers are easily discerned.
The cause of righteousness has always been advanced by those who "took it by storm." By faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword. Jacob wrestled all night with God and declared, "I will not let you go unless you bless me" (Gen 32:26). Jabez cried out for God's blessing and enlargement (2 Chron 4:9-10). Jesus told of an unprepared host who shamelessly persisted in knocking because his need was great and his resources meager (Luke 11:8). The battle is won by those who persistently press their case. Paul admonished us not to grow weary for we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Gal 6:9).
The kingdom has been advanced across the centuries through an unnamed army of forceful men and women, described in Hebrews 11:35-38, who put the cause first and paid whatever price was required of them. They sang,
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also,
The body they may kill
God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
Such an army of meek cannot be stopped. They will inherit the earth. The pastor of the largest church in the world said Matthew 11:12 was the key to the growth of his church. They did not pray that God would bless their program. Instead, they sought to discern where God is moving, where his kingdom is advancing, and lay hold of God by prayer to do the very thing he had purposed to do. Thus, they became laborers together with God. As they prayed for the advancement of God's agenda, God used them to implement his agenda.
How can we aggressively advance the kingdom There is nothing which requires more effort than intercessory prayer, which includes fasting, carrying a burden, wrestling, and spiritual warfare. Praying is the hardest thing you can do. Martin Luther said, "Prayer is indeed a continuous violent action of the spirit as it is lifted up to God. This action is comparable to that of a ship going against the stream." Samuel Chadwick wrote, "Intensity is a law of prayer. Wrestling prayer prevails. The fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous is a great force."
Yet we cannot win spiritual battles by fighting with carnal weapons (2 Cor 10:4). This essentially is what terrorists attempt to do. Historically, you cannot find one instance of Arminians adopting this tactic, though others have. The church only has and only needs one weapon - the sword of God's Word. This kingdom advances through preaching the good news (Luke 16:16)
Isaac Watts wrote, "Sure I must fight if I would reign, Increase my courage, Lord." Yet
physical activity is not synonymous with spiritual fervency. Many prayer warriors have prevailed so silently through the night that those sleeping nearby knew nothing of the struggle. We do not earn God's blessing by lifting our hands, waving our arms, pacing or lying prostrate. Romans 8:26 teaches that this earnestness cannot be reduced to mere noise. Fervency cannot be mustered through physical exertion. The answer is not to hold a pep-rally on Sunday morning for the lukewarm. Wesley Duewel explained that fervency is an outworking of Spirit's ministry within us. Fervency is a sanctified determination. John Fletcher wrote, "A humble, holy, sacred violence must be used in prayer - with Jesus, that he would open in our hearts the power of faith, apply the efficacy of his blood, and bestow upon us the spirit of prayer; or in other words the prayer of faith, - with the Father, that he would look through the pillar of fire, and discomfit all our enemies, - with the Holy Ghost, that he would take up his abode with us."
Are you groaning after anything There is very little seeking after God. In all too many instances, the Church is not only lukewarm, but at ease (Amos 6:1), if not AWOL. We have been convinced that God has predestined us to defeat, both in our personal lives and corporately. But the real reason we are defeated is because we are not committed and not aggressive. Some people need to get enough zeal to repent for their lack of it and then maintain enough zeal so that they do not continually need to repent for their laziness (Rom 12:11). Jesus was consumed with zeal for the house of God (John 2:17). Writing 250 years ago, John Wesley commented that Muslims and pagans would probably have received the gospel "long ago, had they conversed only with real Christians." Thomas Coke and Joseph Benson both expressed a similar opinion. Wesley wrote in a letter, "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth."
For the first three hundred years of the Christian church, we grew at a rate of 40% per decade. By the end of the first century there were over 7,000 Christians - the rest had been martyred. By the end of the second century there were over 200,000 Christians. By the end of the third century, there were over 6 million - 10% of the world population. Then Christianity was legalized in AD 313 because it was too big to handle. Right now 43% of the American population claim to be born again. Never have so many had so little influence.
Jesus taught in Matthew 11:12 that we cannot wear the crown without bearing the cross. May God awaken the Church, the sleeping giant, and may we not rest nor give God any rest until he establishes Jerusalem (Isa 62:6-7).
John Fletcher wrote, "The grand device of Satan is to prevent us from seeing the necessity of this holy violence, or from putting it in execution." Joseph Sutcliffe wrote, "He who besieges the throne of grace by faith and prayer, is sure to prevail." Let us pray for revival and the advancement of God's kingdom and take it by storm.
David Dewan
"Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth" (John 17:17). "Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God" (Acts 20:26-27).
These two statements declare the importance of biblical preaching. We live in a church culture where we seem to have tried everything to gather a crowd. Most preaching seems to emphasize self-help messages or psychology or "how can I manipulate God to get what I want"
R. C. Sproul, in his book Knowing Scripture says that the spirit of America has been defined as the spirit of pragmatism. Pragmatism may be defined as the approach to reality that defines truth as "that which works." Sproul points out that "the pragmatist is concerned about results and the results determine the truth. The problem with this kind of thinking, if left uninformed by the eternal perspective, is that the results tend to be judged in terms of short-range goals." As an example, one prominent pastor equated the bigness of his church to what he though was the truth. In other words, if it works, it's got to be truth!
Courageous preaching has never been popular. Declaring the truth of the Scriptures has never "won friends and influenced people." John R. W. Stott said in his classic book on preaching, Between Two Worlds, that we are called to the sacred task of biblical exposition and commissioned to proclaim what God has said, not what human beings want to hear. Many modern churchmen suffer from a malady called "itching ears," which induces them to accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings (2 Tim 4:3). "But we have no liberty to scratch their itch or pander to their likings," according to Stott.
The Bible is full of men who did not "pander" to what people wanted to hear. There were many "lone voices" that spoke with power and authority. We can also look in church history at men and women who spoke with great courage to a dark and sinful world The Word of God is our only source of inspiration, which is as it should be. When all methods have been tried, when all the latest gimmicks have been exhausted, it's the Word of God that will stand as a rock. It is the foundation of our preaching and teaching. Paul says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). The prophet Isaiah said, "The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of God stands forever" (Isa 40:8). Fads come and fads go. Gimmicks are quickly forgotten. However, the Word of God stands forever.
Courageous preaching begins and ends with the Holy Scriptures. A courageous preacher by the name of Paul said, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believers; to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith" (Rom 1:16-17). The power of God is in the Word of God.
Courageous preachers are people of the Book. John Wesley formulated it thus: "I am a creature of the day. . . . I want to know one thing, the way to Heaven. . . . God Himself has condescended to teach the way. . . . He has written it down in a Book. Oh, give me that Book; at any price give me the Book of God!"
Again, courageous preaching begins and ends with the Book of God. In the records of redemptive history, many stood courageously and spoke the whole council of God. Moses stood in the face of opposition and boldly declared, "Thus says the Lord." The prophet Elijah confronted an apostate nation with the Word of God. He and many true prophets after him wielded the sword of the Spirit with conviction and authority.
If there is to be a true revival of our churches, it needs to begin with a fresh view of the Word of God. Without the Bible, there is no true conversion. As David the Psalmist said, "The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7). In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul said to a young preacher, "From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." There is no other source of salvation, for only in the sacred writings do we see the person and work of Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist was a man controlled by the Word of God. It was said of him that he was "neither a reed blown by public opinion." Stott also observed, "Jesus himself gained a reputation for fearless and uncompromising speech." Peter and Paul preached with great courage in the Book of Acts. The church age from Chrysostom to Wesley, from Whitefield to Graham is one of bold proclamation of the Word of God. Martin Luther stood against the full might of the Roman Catholic Church with just "Bible in hand." John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, said to Mary, Queen of Scots, "Without the preaching place, Madam, I think few have occasion to be offended at me, but there, Madam, I am not master of myself, but must obey Him who commands me to speak plain and to flatter no flesh upon the face of the earth."
A. W. Tozer said, "I preach to my congregation week after week. And I pray that I may be able to preach with such convicting power that my people will sweat! I do not want them to leave my services feeling good. The last thing I want to do is to give them some kind of religious tranquilizer - and let them go to hell in their relaxation."
Courageous preaching does not flatter; it confronts! It confronts men in their sin. It declares that the only way to salvation is through the bloodstained cross of Calvary. Again, the apostle Paul says, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world" (Gal 6:14).
Courageous preaching not only confronts, but it also gives hope. The hope that I speak of is the hope of grace and mercy. Psalm 51:1 says, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions." The Psalmist says also in Psalm 103:8, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love."
Courageous preaching confronts and seeks to restore. It cuts and it heals. It is the message of the cross! John Stott says, "The fact is that the authentic Gospel of the New Testament remains extremely offensive to human pride, and nobody who preaches it faithfully can expect to escape at least some degree of opposition. Paul found in his day that the message of Christ crucified was both folly to Greek intellectuals and a stumbling block to self-righteous Jews. Nobody can reach God by his own wisdom or by his own morality. Only at the cross can God be known."
God cannot be known through the latest fads of the church. God can be know through the faithful preaching by men inspired by the Holy Spirit who look to the Word of God as their only source of truth. Peter said, "f anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11).
Marion Brown
In an effort to promote biblically-based, doctrinal preaching, I want to reproduce some sermon outlines from the ministry of Robert L. Brush. My purpose is not to produce a polished homiletical specimen, but to provide a model from which pastors and teachers might profit. Here is a message he preached at Mascot, Tennessee in December 1981.
What I Preach
John 7:17
Introduction: The total gospel message is based upon two axioms:
All Salvation is of the Lord.
All damnation is of ourselves.
The whole of the scriptures, when properly understood, support these axioms. Some wrest the scriptures to their own destruction. Others, thank God, open to its teachings as a flower to the sun and are blessed by its truth.
1. Men are totally depraved and cannot come to God without Divine assistance. John 6:44
2. Repentance must proceed the New Birth. Luke 13:5; Acts 3:19; 17:30
3. True saving faith is a gift of God as well as an act of the will. Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 1:29
4. The New Birth is produced by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:34-45, 1 Corinthians 12:13
5. He that is born of the Spirit does not commit sin. 1 John 3:9
6. Sin is rebellion against God. Romans 8:7 Sin is defined as a willful transgression of a known law of God - John Wesley
7. All Christians have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts. Galatians 5:24
8. Sin remains in the heart of the believer, but it does not reign. Romans 6:12
9. Conviction of the remains of sin must precede any real progress toward entire sanctification. Galatians 5:17
10. Entire sanctification is a second work of grace, wrought in the heart of the believer, by grace through faith subsequent to regeneration. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
11. There is no state of grace from which a believer may not fall. Hebrews 12:15
12. The leaven of the gospel will leaven the whole earth. Habakkuk 2:14
13. Jesus Christ will return to the earth in a bodily visible form at the end of the age, at which time there shall be a resurrection of the just and the unjust. Jesus Christ will judge them and separate the sheep on the right hand and the goats on the left. Matthew 25:33
THE ENDURING QUALITY OF WESLEY'S THEOLOGY
Joseph D. McPherson
Jonathan Goforth, that great missionary and revivalist to China from 1887-1934, was once speaking in Toronto, Canada. Included in his remarks were some references to Mr. Wesley's teachings. While in the midst of his delivery, a Methodist minister arose and made the startling statement that he believed, "Our theology today is better than that of Mr. Wesley's." Goforth readily responded by asking the minister, "Have you caught the fish that Mr. Wesley caught" The minister abruptly sat down, quickly ending his presumptuous challenge. Goforth then added, "There must not have been too much wrong with Wesley's theology if he caught the fish and you haven't."
It cannot be denied that the theology of the holiness movement, though often claiming to be Wesleyan, has evolved with various changes and emphases since Mr. Wesley's day. A close study of Wesley's sermons and other writings, followed by a study of the history of the holiness movement and various teachings together with the personalities who influenced those changes over the last century and a half, will bear this out.
Can it, however, be said that Mr. Wesley's theology and doctrinal teachings did also evolve with change during his long life of ministry There are those who would have us believe this to be so. 'Tis true that one may possibly find some insignificant shifts in Mr. Wesley's thinking over the years. To give but one example, he once thought that those who had experienced entire sanctification could not easily fall from grace. Observation over a successive period of time changed his mind. To be sure, the writings of the mature Wesley may be preferred to those of his earlier ministry, but so could it be said of any and all spiritual leaders. The candid reader will rather find an amazing uniformity of thought and doctrine between the young and elderly Wesley. Whatever the negligible changes one might find in Mr. Wesley's theology, they do not present sufficient justification for an abandonment of his theology in favor of the many alterations to which so-called Wesleyan theology has been subjected since the nineteenth century. No Bible expositor ever relied more heavily upon scriptural support for his teachings than did Wesley. His writings are literally stitched with Scripture. Furthermore, in old age he would claim that he had not significantly changed his theological views. "I was musing here on what I heard a good man say long since, -'Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame if I cannot write better sermons now than I could seven years ago.' Whatever others can do," says Mr. Wesley, "I really cannot. I cannot write a better sermon on the Good Steward, than I did seven years ago: I cannot," he continues, "write a better one on the Great Assize, than I did twenty years ago: I cannot write a better on the Use of Money, than I did nearly thirty years ago: Nay," says he, "I know not that I can write a better on the Circumcision of the Heart, than I did five-and-forty years ago. Perhaps, indeed I may have read five or six hundred books more than I had then, and may know a little more History, or Natural Philosophy, than I did; but," says he, "I am not sensible that this had made any essential addition to my knowledge in Divinity." Then with a final statement of strong conviction he assures his readers of this: "Forty years ago I knew and preached every Christian doctrine which I preach now" [Journal, 1 Sept, 1778].
Having studied the writings of Wesley and Fletcher for many years, this writer finds altogether unsubstantiated the claim by some scholars that the written works of the saintly Fletcher had a significant modifying and refining influence upon the theology of the founder of Methodism. Furthermore, one will also find an uncommon adherence to Wesley's theology in the writings of his Methodist coworkers, including John Fletcher, Joseph Benson, Adam Clarke, Richard Watson, Joseph Sutcliffe and other eighteenth and early nineteenth century advocates of scriptural holiness. In contrast, numerous are the differences we find in the theological thought among later holiness proponents.
Would to God more of today's holiness leaders would venture upon a thorough investigation of the writings of early Methodist leaders. It would not be surprising if they should happily find a clearer understanding of biblical truths in general and the teaching of scriptural holiness in particular. As one holiness leader stated, "Too long our people have struggled along without recourse to the best of the old authorities." It is nevertheless encouraging to learn of the growing number of scholars, ministers and teachers who are presently discovering new and fresh insights into those truths that God owned and used to bring about the great Wesleyan revival of the eighteenth century.
In the Wesley Memorial Volume, published in 1880, William Burt Pope concluded, "The staple and substance of Methodist theology is essentially that of the entire Scripture as interpreted by the catholic evangelical tradition of the Christian Church. . . . It has no more borrowed from the Remonstrant Arminians than it has borrowed from the Protestant Lutherans. It agrees with both these so far as they express the faith of the New Testament; but no further. It has had, indeed, in past times a conventional connection with the name Arminian; but its Arminianism is simply the mind of the Catholic [or universal] Church down to the time of Augustine. . . . It might be said, with equal propriety or want of propriety, that it has learned some of its lessons from Calvinism. Certainly it has many secret and blessed relations with that system; not with its hard, logical, deductive semi-fatalism, over which Absolute Sovereignty reigns with such awful despotism, but with its deep appreciation of union with Christ, and of the Christian privileges bound up with that high principle. . . . No community falls back more absolutely or more implicitly than Methodism upon the supreme defense of the entire Bible which our Lord's authority gives it. . . . And it may be asserted with confidence, though without boasting, that there is no communion in Christendom the theological writings of which are so universally free from the tincture of doubt or suspicion as to the supremacy of the Bible."
Interpreting the Word Accurately 2 Timothy 2:15
I have read some of the articles in The Arminian Magazine Index and find them inspiring and biblically sound. I am confused about a subject, "Second Blessing Holiness." In simple terms, can you explain what this means
Although those who are truly born again begin to live a holy life, the new birth is only the beginning point of the Christian walk. Without meaning to diminish the transforming grace of regeneration, we do not get everything God has for us when we get saved. Therefore, some have referred to a deeper work of God's grace as "a second blessing."
The Scriptures do not use this term "second blessing." The phrase "second benefit" in 2 Cor 1:15 simply refers to a second visit from Paul to Colossae. In his Plain Account of Christian Perfection Wesley advised, "Avoid all magnificent, pompous words; indeed, you need give it no general name; neither perfection, sanctification, the second blessing, nor the having attained." Yet Wesley himself sparingly used the phrase "second blessing" a total of five times, and always in correspondence. He wrote in a letter to Jane Hilton (who was later known by her married name, Jane Barton), "It is exceeding certain that God did give you the second blessing, properly so called. He delivered you from the root of bitterness, from inbred, as well as actual, sin. And at that time you were enabled to give Him all your heart; to rejoice evermore, and to pray without ceasing" [8 Oct, 1774; see also this phrase used in a letter to Sarah Crosby 14 Feb, 1761; in a letter to Thomas Olivers 24 March, 1757; in a letter to Jane Salkeld 9 Aug, 1772]. He wrote to Samuel Bardsley, "Press all believers to go on to perfection. Insist everywhere on the second blessing as receivable in a moment, and receivable now, by simple faith" [3 April, 1772].
Yet there is something ambiguous about the phrase "second blessing." Since it is not a scriptural phrase, we cannot become contentious over it. Some have reasoned, if a second, why not a third or fourth This tends to fragment the grace of God and create a caste system within the Church. Those who use the term "second blessing" properly mean by it that sin is two-fold in its nature, both an outward expression and an inner attitude. Thus, salvation is also twofold. The new birth enables a person to live holy in his outward expressions, but while the old nature of sin no longer reigns, it still remains.
In a letter to Joseph Benson he wrote of a "second change, whereby they shall be saved from all sin, and perfected in love" [28 Dec, 1770]. In one sermon, "The Repentance of Believers," Wesley spoke of the Lord speaking "to our hearts again, to speak the second time, Be clean." In a letter to Jane Hilton, Wesley referred to a "second deliverance" [1 March, 1769]. Thus, there is a "secondness" about the perfecting grace of God which deals with those inner attitudes.
A friend of mine was told by his modern holiness Pastor that the disciples were born again before Pentecost because the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. I don't understand that Pastor's reasoning that the disciples were born again before Pentecost because the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 13:8 states that the Lamb, Jesus Christ, was slain from the foundation of the world. This implies that before God ever created this world, he knew that sin would enter it. When sin entered this world through Adam, God was not caught unprepared. The cost of atonement would be the sacrifice of his own Son. Thus, God not only foreknew Adam's original sin, but God had predestinated the plan of salvation.
However, it seems to me that this pastor has logically concluded that if salvation was potentially planned from creation, that every obedient believer from the time of creation has enjoyed the full benefits of that salvation. It is true that all who were saved under the old covenant were saved through the provision of Christ's atonement, but it is not correct to assume they enjoyed the full benefit of Christ's atonement. The main thesis of the book of Hebrews is that the new covenant is "better" or superior in privilege. Peter wrote that indeed Christ was chosen before the foundation of the world, but he was not revealed until "these last times" (1 Peter 1:20).
Unlike God, we live under the restrictions of time. There remain future benefits of the atonement which we have not yet realized. Ultimately the provisions of the atonement will restore paradise and open heaven, but we are not there yet. The opposite danger is to fail to appropriate all of the grace which is presently available for us.
Your question concerns itself with how much grace was then available to the disciples before the atoning work of Christ was completed, before he ascended back to the Father's right hand, and before he poured out the Holy Spirit. How could they be justified freely through faith in his blood (Rom 3:24-25) before that blood was shed How could they be regenerated through the work of the Spirit before the Spirit was even given (John 7:39) How could they enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5) before that kingdom was established (Matt 11:11)
If we are going to disregard any distinctions between past, present, and future benefits of the atonement, by using this pastor's logic we could argue that we are already in heaven - since glorification and heaven are future benefits of the atonement.
Iain H. Murray. Wesley and Men Who Followed. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003. 272 pages.
The 300th anniversary of Wesley's birth in 2003 occasioned several new biographies concerning Wesley, including works by Stephen Tomkins (Eerdmans), Roy Hattersley (Doubleday), and John Kent (Cambridge). Hattersley's biography contains a number of factual errors. Kent's revisionist history claims there was no large-scale eighteenth century revival. This work by Iain Murray, and published by a major Calvinistic publisher, of which Murray is Editor for the Banner of Truth and is a trustee as well, also comes as a surprise.
The first section is a sketch of Wesley's life, which covers a hundred pages. Murray reduced the servant stage to merely the lack of assurance, which he does not see as essential to salvation. Therefore he reinterprets Wesley's experience at Aldersgate in light of the Puritan paradigm. According to Murray, Wesley was converted prior to Aldersgate but received assurance of his salvation at that time. Murray concluded, however, that while Wesley's theology was confused, he was a great evangelist. Yet Murray conceded that the Calvinism of Wesley's day had become fatalistic and prone to antinomianism.
Murray included this exchange between Wesley and a Calvinist. "Do you believe in the perseverance of the saints" Wesley replied, "Certainly." When his questioner registered his surprise, "I thought you did not," Wesley explained, "O, Sir, you have been misinformed; it is the perseverance of sinners we doubt."
While the first section contains little new information about Wesley, the second section, covering another hundred pages, focuses on three representatives of the next generation of Methodism. None of these men appear in Wesley's Veterans. It is a joy to read about such men as William Bramwell, Gideon Ouseley, and Thomas Collins, who carried the torch of Methodist evangelism into the nineteenth century. Murray concluded, "We have gone too far from the Methodist pattern"
Murray noted that early Methodism taught saving faith as both the gift of God and the act of man. During the nineteenth century evangelism shifted to a more simplistic view of faith which emphasized only the necessity for man to exercise faith unto salvation. Thomas Collins expressed concern that salvation was wholesaled by prodding sinners to believe prematurely, without conviction of sin, repentance - without the fallow ground broken. This resulted in faith without trust, assurance by logic, religion without holiness, and eternity without hope. Methodism believed that faith not only has to be exercised, it has also to be received. "The Holy Ghost gives not the act of faith, but the light, power, and disposition to believe."
Yet Murray reported that half of the Methodist preachers in one English circuit seceded in 1832 to form the Arminian Methodists. These "Arminian" Methodists adopted a revivalistic emphasis, believing that more success in evangelism would be realized if this superficial concept of faith was adopted. While Murray's research is helpful in identifying this debilitating trend, he distorts the picture by reporting that early Methodism was not "Arminian." Certainly all branches of Methodism have always been Arminian, whether or not that was part of their name. The problem is that Murray does not properly understand historic Arminianism. Arminius explained the gift of faith in his Apology Against Thirty-One Theological Articles, Article 27.
In the third section of the book, comprising thirty pages, Murray evaluates Wesley's doctrine of justification and Christian perfection. His chapter on justification raises more dust than is settled. Apparently Wesley's teaching on justification is suspect because he does not hold that the act of justification results in a permanent state. Here Murray finds Wesley suspect because he does not embrace the baggage which Calvinism has attached to the doctrine of justification. Therefore, Murray judged Wesley's orthodoxy concerning justification on the basis of his acceptance of corollary doctrines. Yet according to Wesley's own evaluation, he did not differ from Calvin on justification "an hair's breadth" [Letter to John Newton, 14 May, 1765]. One can only wonder why Methodists can be held up as exemplary evangelists if they do not have a proper grasp of the Gospel.
Murray then claimed that Wesley's doctrine of entire sanctification was based upon experience, not Scripture. In The Path to Perfection W. E. Sangster compiled a list of thirty Scriptural passages from which he taught Christian perfection. In Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, Wesley established the doctrine on four broad Scriptural foundations: the promises that God will save us from all sin, the prayers for entire sanctification, the commands to be perfect, and the biblical examples of those who had attained this experience.
However, Murray never evaluates the biblical basis for the doctrine in his brief, fifteen-page chapter. Instead, he concluded that Wesley at best was able to popularize truth, but at his worst he created doctrine. Murray dismissed this emphasis of Wesley saying only that he was not "a precise exegete." Yet Murray conceded, "Every believer needs to be taught to press on to perfection."
Murray misunderstood Wesley's teaching by declaring that "there is no biblical or logical connection between a maturity of life in the believer and the eradication of sin." But Wesley never used the word "eradicate" with reference to entire sanctification or Christian perfection. He did say that "entire sanctification . . . is neither more nor less than pure love - love expelling sin and governing both the heart and life." [Letter to Walter Churchey, 21 February, 1771]. He preached:
It is love excluding sin; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul. . . . For as long as love takes up the whole heart, what room is there for sin therein ["The Scripture Way of Salvation, Sermon #43, 1.9; 3.14]
Here is the "expulsive power of a new affection." Perfect love drives out (present tense) or displaces fear (1 John 4:18). But this is the moment-by-moment victory of perfecting grace, not a static state of perfection. Wesley does not contend for any specific term: "Call this the destruction or suspension of sin, it is a glorious work." [Journal, 15 November, 1763]. Therefore, Murray has only attacked a straw man and contributes little to the discussion.
The final section of the book runs fifteen pages. Here Murray wrestles with the dilemma he has created. If Methodism was so wrong doctrinally, why was it so used of God He concluded that God blessed their faith. God also blessed their labor and spiritual discipline. Murray concluded that as twentieth century Methodism denied the divine inspiration of Scripture, they became bankrupt and lost their evangelistic fervor. While this is undoubtedly true, yet according to Murray, their understanding of the Scriptures was always confused. Murray's analysis of Wesleyan doctrine is too condescending, yet he is very impressed with their evangelistic success. If faith comes from the Word of God (Rom 10:17), how can Murray be consistent and commend their faith while condemning their doctrine Orthopraxy is the result of orthodoxy. Murray has never resolved his personal appreciation for Methodism with his intellectual adherence to a more rigid Calvinism. The result is an uneven treatment which appears to have gone to press prematurely.
-Vic Reasoner
A Longing for Holiness: Selected Writings of John Wesley (Upper Room Spiritual Classics. Series I). Keith Beasley-Topliffe, editor. Nashville: Upper Room Books, 1997.
This 79-page book gives a nice introduction of the man John Wesley and his work. This book provides the reader with several key selections from Wesley's journals, sermons and books. As a pastor I found this to be a good source to direct the non-academic layperson. The books size is certainly not intimidating, nor is the content. The editor begins the book with some background material on the world in which Wesley lived. He then moves into some biographical information on John Wesley, highlighting his conversion experience. I think many people would be attracted to Wesley and his valuable writings if they only knew the unexpected story of his conversion.
At this point the editor begins to share some brief selections from some of Wesley''s most important writings. Writings like: The Character of a Methodist; The Use of Money; and several selections from A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. My hope is that with this small exposure to some of the great work of John Wesley many will be encouraged to pursue a more in-depth study of his life and his work.
-Andy Heer
Renew My Heart, Daily Wisdom from the Writings of John Wesley. Alice Russie, editor. Uhrichsville, OH: Barbour Publishing, 2002. 383 pages.
Alice Russie has done a service to every serious Christian by compiling from the writings of John Wesley, 365 devotionals built around his core doctrinal convictions. Mrs. Russie has devoted her life to the study and propagation of fundamental Methodist thought. Born into a family where her father was a Free Methodist preacher, from an early age Alice has been fed well in the Holiness tradition. Renew My Heart is her latest contribution of love to what influence Methodism has done to strengthen her walk with our Lord. As you read Renew My Heart you will find a rather comprehensive approach to Wesley's writings. Mrs. Russie has organized the book into themed sections, so one day follows another and each day brings more light to the subject at hand. By compiling John Wesley's writing in this way Mrs. Russie has avoided the trap of selecting a hodgepodge of thoughts that would not necessarily relate to each other. I would encourage every believer to pick up a copy of this devotional, and take a deeper journey of faith into the teachings of one of the greatest Christians who ever lived.
-Al Stefan
