The Gospel as Preached by John Wesley

Guest blog from Methodist Bishop W. F. Mallalieu (1828-1911)

 

The Gospel as preached by Wesley and those who imitate him, appeals with peculiar force to the intelligent common-sense of all unconverted men. All such men feel that under the circumstances and conditions of human life, it was incumbent upon God to make salvation possible to every soul. It has been the mission of Methodism to destroy the unreasonable and illogical and unscriptural dogmas of Calvinistic fatalism, and show how God could be just and yet the justifier of every believing soul that in real penitence accepts the Lord Jesus Christ; and, also, how God can save all infants and irresponsible persons, and how in every nation all who fear God and work righteousness, though they have never heard the Gospel, are accepted by Him. These fundamental truths as set forth by John Wesley, have never failed to commend themselves to the favorable consideration of all unprejudiced minds, for they at once glorify the Divine justice and compassion, and throw wide open the door of hope to every soul. But Wesley was thorough and exhaustive in his treatment of whatever was the subject of his investigations. For many long and weary years he groped in the thick darkness of the times in which he lived, seeking for the simplest experience of salvation. He abounded in all manner of self-denials and self-sacrifices; his morality was [of] the most exalted character; he was diligent in prayer and in the study of God's word; he was most strict in all the outward forms and services of religion; but until he reached his thirty-fifth year he had not attained the consciousness of pardon in his own soul; he could not testify that God for Christ's sake had forgiven him his sins. From that auspicious and ever-memorable, as well as glorious hour, when, listening to the reading of Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, he felt his heart strangely warmed with the love of God, and knew himself to be a pardoned sinner, he went straight forward as the Spirit of God directed his steps, till he came to the experience of perfect love in his own soul.

— from the Introduction to Christian Perfection as Taught by John Wesley complied by J. A. Wood.

 

 

Also found here: Why I Still Find Wesleyan Theology Interesting.

 

Carnal Christians

QUESTION: Harmonize Romans 7:14, "I am carnal, sold under sin," with 1 Corinthians 3:1, "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ."

ANSWER: Paul uses σάρξ (sarx), flesh, with four meanings, three of them in a good sense (1 Corinthians 15:39, Galatians 4:14, Galatians 2:16), and one in a bad sense, as in Romans 8:8, and generally in his epistles. But derivative adjective σαρκικός (sarkikos) and σάρκινος (sarkinos), carnal, is always used in a bad sense.

But Paul evidently uses it to express different degrees of evil tendency, the highest degree as in Romans 7, excluding spiritual life, "I am carnal, sold under sin," like a slave on the auction block bidden off, and completely controlled by sin. But in 1 Corinthians 3:1 the evil tendency is not controlling but controlled by divine grace, for the context proves that there is in them a low degree of spiritual life, for they are "in Christ," though "babes," and they are addressed as "Brethren." In the preceding chapter Paul describes two contrasted characters — the spiritual man and the natural of physical man. But when he attempts to classify the Corinthian believers he is puzzled. Strictly speaking, they are neither natural or unregenerate, nor spiritual or wholly sanctified; so he calls them carnal, evidently using the word not in its worst sense, excluding spiritual life. They were in the Galatian state in which "the flesh lusteth against the spirit," etc., Galatians 5:17, R.V. In Romans 7 the Holy Spirit is not named and the character delineated is an unregenerated person. The struggle is on the plane of nature. The combatants are the depraved animal nature warring against the moral reason. In the Galatian or Corinthian state they are not dead but on the way to the graveyard. "Having begun in the Spirit they are ending in the flesh."

— Steele's Answers pp. 21-23.

Does God Create Evil?

QUESTION: Explain Isaiah 45:7: "I make peace and create evil." Does God create evil?

ANSWER: Yes. Evil has two meanings, sin which is moral evil, and suffering which is natural evil in consequence of sin. This sequence of suffering God has ordained. It comes to many who are not guilty, such as infants suffering and dying, and the wives and children of men who have the alcoholic or opium habit. In fact, we all suffer because of Adam's sin.

Isaiah is asserting the unity of God in opposition to the Persian dualism, Shirman, the evil Being equal in years and in power with Ormuzd, the good Being, and worshiped just as all pagans worship the devil. Isaiah insists that God is not co-ordinate with the devil, but the Supreme Creator and Ruler.

— From Steele's Answers p. 21.

An All Surrendering Trust

QUESTION: Harmonize Luke 14:33:

"Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

and Rom. 10:13,

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

ANSWER: No one can effectually call upon the name of the Lord without abandoning every other hope and without an all surrendering trust, which includes the man himself and all his possessions — not that he is to give all his money to the first tramp that comes along, but to regard all as cheap in contrast with Christ, and to hold all as his steward to be administered for his glory. There is no contradiction in these texts.

— From Steele's Answers pp. 20, 21.

Pentecost Painting

QUESTION: Have any of the masters represented Pentecost in a painting?

ANSWER: I once saw one in the chancel of a cathedral in Europe. From a dove there was descending a flame upon the heads of eleven men respectively and one woman, supposed to be the Virgin Mary.

— From Steele's Answers p. 20.

Saved Through Christ, Though They Know Him Not

[The Atonement] affords a basis for the salvation of such pious pagans as live up to their best light. 'They are saved through Christ though they know Him not.' (J. Wesley.)

How about the condition of faith in Him? They have the spirit of faith and the purpose of righteousness; that is, the disposition to trust in the object of faith, the historical Christ, were He revealed to them in the Gospel, and a willingness to walk by the revealed law of God were it made known to them.

What is your Scriptural authority? Jesus Christ intimates that the judgment day will proceed by the use of a sliding scale. Where much is given much will be required; where little is given little will be required. St. Paul declares: 'There is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without the written law will be judged by the law written on their hearts.' Peter looking upon a group of God-fearing heathen at the headquarters of Brigadier General Cornelius, declared: 'Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him.'

'Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.'

Mr. Joseph Cook, who defends the rectoral theory, advocates the doctrine of salvation by possessing the essential Christ where the historical Christ is unknown. The essential Christ is an obedient attitude of the will toward 'the eternal Ideal required by self-evident truths, which has in Christ, and in Him only, become the historically Real.'

In the last day the Judge will say, 'Come, ye blessed,' not only to those who have enthroned the historical Christ in their hearts, but also to those who have exhibited towards His brethren, any forlorn man, the spirit of love, the essential element in the character of Christ — 'Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these, My brethren, ye did it unto Me.' The standard is so low as to be applicable to all who know the distinction between right and wrong. The rectoral theory of the atonement needs no probation after death.

What effect does this have on the missionary motive? None. That word stands in full force — 'Go ye and teach all nations.' While the pagan can be saved without a knowledge of Christ, the Christian cannot be saved while selfishly withholding that knowledge. I believe it is easier for God to save a pagan without the Bible in Bombay than it is to save a professed Christian in Boston without a disposition to send him a Bible; in other words, without a missionary spirit. I repudiate the doctrine of geographical election and reprobation expressed in the saying, 'To exchange cradles would be to exchange destinies.'"

— From "The Atonement" Half-Hours with St. John's Epistles (1901). 

Believers Cannot Sin

QUESTION: Explain 1 John 3:9: "Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin, because his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is begotten of God."

ANSWER: The verb "begotten" is in the Greek in the perfect tense, denoting the continuance of sonship. The verb "sin" is present, denoting not a single act, but a series of acts, a habit of sinning. He cannot be a sinner and a saint at the same time. Such a contradiction is an impossible character. In chap. 2:1: "If any (Christian) man sin (aorist denoting a single act) we have an advocate," etc. If any believer contrary to the tenor of his life under the pressure of some sudden temptation commits a sin, he is not to give up in despair, drop his oars and go over the Niagara of damnation, but to remember that he has a Friend at Court through whom he may find forgiveness. If he does not do this, but enters on a career of sinning, he is no longer a child of God, but a child of the devil, as 1 John 3:10 declares, and is on his way to the place where Judas is.

— From Steele's Answers p. 19.

The Genealogy of Mary

QUESTION: Why should we not have the genealogy of Mary instead of Joseph, who was not an ancestor of Jesus?

ANSWER: It was the practice of the Jews to exclude the names of women from their genealogical registers and to put the husband's name instead. Mary was the daughter of Heli and Joseph was his son-in-law in Luke's list of Mary's natural descent. Matthew gives her legal genealogy. Many difficulties in respect to names of persons and the number of generations arise from the fact that some men had more than one name, and the names of bad ancestors were dropped out of the list. See Methodist Quarterly Review, October, 1852.

— From Steele's Answers p. 17.

A Note from the Editor: re Old Books

This arrived today in my email inbox:

Greetings in the name of Him who is able.  I have a copy of Dr. Daniel Steele's   The Gospel of the Comforter.  It is in perfect condition.  How can I obtain more copies of this great work?   I wish to make it a gift to some of my friends.                    

Yours in the power of HIS resurrection. 

Sad to say, I do not have a good reply to this. For those who are in search of material like this, all I can say is:

These people might be able to help: http://www.wesleyanbooks.com/

But, it depends upon what they have recently reprinted, what is available, etc. And, this I do not know.

I dimly recall that there was an abridged version of The Gospel of the Comforter that was printed years ago, but I don't remember much about it.

For used books you could try Abebooks: http://www.abebooks.com/

If anybody out there knows more about this than I do, I would appreciate the information.

— Craig L. Adams

A Game of Cards

QUESTION: Is there any more harm in playing a social game of euchre or cinch or any other game of cards than there is in playing flinch?

ANSWER: My education in card playing was totally neglected. Thanks to my parents, I know nothing of the difference between the games. I believe the testimony of converted gamblers that the preparatory school for the gambler's den is not that den itself, within locked doors, all spectators being shut out lest there be a detective among them, but the parlors of respectable and nominally Christian people, where the young become skilled in so-called innocent, social games. This skill is the young man's temptation. When away from them, he fairly aches with desire to be exercising his dexterity in the exciting manipulation of cards. Thus he is drawn into the gamblers' hell, which has proved to be the vestibule to the devil's hell. American Methodism began with the burning of a pack of cards snatched by a godly woman out of the hands of a backslidden local preacher. Oh, for millions of Barbara Hecks in the Christian churches!

— From Steele's Answers pp. 14, 15.