Entire Sanctification, Revival, and Calvinism

John Wesley believed that if anyone would respond to God in faith, repent of rebellion against God, and live in obedience to God's commands, they would not only be saved, but would be on track towards moral purity. He firmly believed, practiced, and taught the doctrine of Christian Perfection (entire sanctification). He wrote, "This doctrine is the grand depositum which God has lodged with the people called Methodists; and for the sake of propagating this chiefly He appeared to have raised us up."

When he was asked by preachers what should be done to reform and/or revive the Church, Wesley replied, "Strongly and explicitly exhort all believers to go on to perfection."

This view of course was not a popular view in his day (or in ours!). Many of the people of his day believed in the doctrine of "predestination." This view of course came through the influence of John Calvin's teaching. Wesley viewed Calvinism, with its fatalistic outlook on humanity, as the antithesis of his own teaching. When he was asked, "What is the direct antidote to Methodism, the doctrine of holiness?" Wesley's answer was:

Calvinism: all the devices of Satan, for these fifty years, have done far less toward stopping this work of God than that single doctrine. It strikes at the root of salvation from sin previous to glory, putting the matter on the quite another issue...Be diligent to prevent them and to guard those tender minds against the predestination poison...Very frequently, both in public and in private, advise our people not to hear them. Make it a matter of constant and earnest prayer that God would stop the plague.

With the resurgence of Calvinism it would do us well to heed Wesley's advise today! May God help us to realize that if we want to see reform in the Church and revival, we should "Strongly and explicitly exhort all believers to go on to perfection"!

As the religious landscape in our nation grows darker and darker and we move further and further away from true Biblical Christianity; I believe that it is time once again for some men of God to rise up with a passion to preach the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth and spread Scriptural holiness across our land!!

Much of the thoughts for this post came from reading "A Model for Making Disciples" by D. Michael Henderson

Do you know the difference?

According to John Wesley in his sermon "On God's Vineyard", Methodist's know the difference between Justification and Sanctification. According to Wesley, it "pleased God to give the Methodists a full and clear knowledge of each, and the wide difference between them."

He continues:

They know, indeed, that at the same time a man is justified, sanctification properly begins. For when he is justified, he is "born again," "born from above," "born of the Spirit;" which, although it is not (as some suppose) the whole process of sanctification, is doubtless the gate of it. Of this, likewise, God has given them a full view. They know, the new birth implies as great a change in the soul, in him that is "born of the Spirit," as was wrought in his body when he was born of a woman: Not an outward change only, as from drunkenness to sobriety, from robbery or theft to honesty; (this is the poor, dry, miserable conceit of those that know nothing of real religion) but an inward change from all unholy, to all holy tempers, -- from pride to humility, from passionateness to meekness, from peevishness and discontent to patience and resignation; in a word, from an earthly, sensual, devilish mind, to the mind that was in Christ Jesus.

It is true, a late very eminent author, in his strange "Treatise on Regeneration," proceeds entirely on the supposition, that it is the whole gradual progress of sanctification. No; it is only the threshold of sanctification, the first entrance upon it. And as, in the natural birth, a man is born at once, and then grows larger and stronger by degrees; so in the spiritual birth, a man is born at once, and then gradually increases in spiritual stature and strength. The new birth, therefore, is the first point of sanctification, which may increase more and more unto the perfect day.

It is, then, a great blessing given to this people, that as they do not think or speak of justification so as to supersede sanctification, so neither do they think or speak of sanctification so as to supersede justification. They take care to keep each in its own place, laying equal stress on one and the other. They know God has joined these together, and it is not for man to put them asunder: Therefore they maintain, with equal zeal and diligence, the doctrine of free, full, present justification, on the one hand, and of entire sanctification both of heart and life, on the other; being as tenacious of inward holiness as any Mystic, and of outward, as any Pharisee.

Who then is a Christian, according to the light which God hath vouchsafed to this people? He that, being "justified by faith, hath peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and, at the same time, is "born again," "born from above," "born of the Spirit;" inwardly changed from the image of the devil, to that "image of God wherein he was created:" He that finds the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost which is given unto him; and whom this love sweetly constrains to love his neighbor, every man, as himself: He that has learned of his Lord to be meek and lowly in heart, and in every state to be content: He in whom is that whole mind, all those tempers, which were also in Christ Jesus: He that abstains from all appearance of evil in his actions, and that offends not with his tongue: He that walks in all the commandments of God, and in all his ordinances, blameless: He that, in all his intercourse with men, does to others as he would they should do to him; and in his whole life and conversation, whether he eats or drinks, or whatsoever he doeth, doeth all to the glory of God.

Do you know the difference? Are you a true Methodist? I suspect that most who claim the name "Methodist" today are not...

Solitary Religion?

The following was written by John Wesley as his Preface to the 1739 Hymnbook.

"Directly opposite to this [mysticism] is the gospel of Christ. Solitary religion is not to be found there. ' Holy solitaries' is a phrase no more consistent with the gospel than holy adulterers. The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness, but social holiness. Faith working by love is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height of Christian perfection. This commandment we have from Christ, that he -who loves God love his brother also ; and that we manifest our love, by doing good unto all men, especially to them that are of the household of faith. And in truth, whosoever loveth his brethren, not in word only, but as Christ loved him, cannot but be zealous of good works. He feels m his soul a burning, restless desire of spending and being spent for them. ' My Father,' will he say, ' worketh hitherto, and I work ;' and at all possible opportunities, he is, like his Master, going about doing good."

Conference President's

Conference President Harry Plank (God's Missionary Church) has decided to become more relevant in an effort to appeal to this modern generation so he has adopted a new wardrobe and look. LOL! :-)

By the way, my Conference President Walter Hedstrom must also be trying to keep up with Rev. Plank because this past week he attended a service at our Youth Camp in a pair of khaki pants with a button up shirt (no tie or suit coat!) He was also spotted with a pull over shirt on at one point during the Youth Camp! What is becoming of us! ;-)