tion with Dr. Gibson, then Bishop of London, at Whitehall. He asked
asserting that he "saves to the uttermost,"*' by maintaining that he alone will reign in our hearts and "make all things subject to himself."
12. I think it was toward the end of 1740 that I had a conversation with Dr. Gibson, then Bishop of London, at Whitehall. He asked me what I meant by perfection. I told him without any pretense or reserve. When I stopped speaking, he said, "Mr. Wesley, if this is all you mean, publish it to all the world. If anyone then can refute what you say, he may have free leave." I answered, "My Lord, I will," and accordingly wrote and published the sermon on Christian perfection
(1741). In that sermon I intended to reveal (1) in what sense Christians are not perfect, and (2) in what sense they are perfect.
(1) In what sense Christians are not perfect: They are not perfect in knowledge. They are not free from ignorance or from making mistakes. We cannot expect anyone to be infallible or omniscient. Christians are not free from frailties such as slowness of understanding, impulsiveness or solemnity, impropriety of language, and inarticulate pronunciation.
One might add to this a thousand nameless defects, either in conversation or behavior. None are perfectly freed from shortcomings such as these until their spirits return to God.
Because "the servant is not above his master,"** we cannot expect to be entirely freed from temptation until the end of sin: Wesley understands sin to be transgression of known laws. Sins are willful disobedience of God, and violations of God's commands.
Christians are people who have been restored to right relationship with God (justification), whose character this life. There cannot be, in this sense, any absolute perfecis being conformed to "having the mind of Christ" (Philippians 2:5), and who are "working out their own salvation" (Philippians 2:12-13) tion on earth. There is no perfection of parts or characteristics of a person. Rather, it is a process of growth and maturity of the whole person.
(2) In what sense, then, are they perfect? Look, we are not speaking of babes in Christ but of adult Christians. But even
(sanctification). By virtue of the relational (justification) and real babes in Christ are so far perfect as not to commit sin. Saint
John explicitly affirms this. This is not contradicted by exam- (sanctification) changes God has made—and is making—in them, Christians do not willfully transgress known laws of God. Therefore, Wesley can rightly say that Christians do ples of the Old Testament. If the holiest of the ancient Jews did sometimes commit sin, we cannot conclude from them that all
Christians do and must commit sin as long as they live.
But doesn't the Scripture say, "A just man sins seven times a day?" It does not. Indeed, it says, "A just man falls seven times."*' But this is beside the point. First, the words a day are not in the text. Secondly, here is no mention of not sin (1 John 3:9). the privileges of Christians: falling into sin at all. What is mentioned here is falling into worldly hardship. include the life of holiness given to all by grace and faith in Christ. This privilege is to love God with our whole selves and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The privilege of Christians is life lived with God through Christ. It is new birth and But elsewhere Solomon says, "There is no man who does not sin."** Certainly it was so in the days of Solomon.
Indeed, from Solomon to Christ there was no one that did not sin. But whatever was the case of those under the law, we may safely affirm, with Saint John, that since the gospel was given, "those who are born of God do not sin."*" sanctification, along with the The privileges of Christians are not to be limited by what gifts and fruit of the Spirit the Old Testament says concerning the people of God (such as Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Esau, Joseph, Moses, Miriam,
David, and so forth) before the advent of Christ. We see now (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Galatians 5:22-26). that the fullness of time has come, the Holy Spirit has been given, the great salvation of God is now brought to all people
by the revelation of Jesus Christ. The kingdom of heaven is set up on earth now. The Spirit of God declared in Old Testament times concerning this, "The feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like
God, like the angel of the Lorp, at their head."® (David is far from being the pattern or standard of Christian perfection.)
But the apostles themselves committed sin. For example, Peter denied Christ, and Paul engaged in harsh conflict with Barnabas. Supposing they did, will you then argue: "If two of the apostles committed sin, then all other Christians, in all ages, do and must commit sin as long as they live"? No! God forbid we should speak in this way. The inevitability of sin was not imposed upon them. The grace of God was certainly sufficient for them, just as it is sufficient for us today.
But Saint James says, "For all of us make many mistakes."*' This is true. About whom is Saint James speaking?
He is not speaking of the apostle himself, nor any real ChrisHoly Lamb, who thee receive,
Who in thee begin to live, Day and night they cry to thee, As thou art, so let us be! tian. Rather, he is speaking of those many teachers whom
God has not sent. This is a figure of speech that cannot be applied to either the apostle or any true believer. Evidence of this is found in James 3:9, "With it we bless the Lord and Jesu, see my panting breast!
Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeSee I pant in thee to rest!
Gladly would I now be clean; Cleanse me now from every sin. ness of God" (NRSV). Certainly not the apostle or we believers! Secondly, from James 3:1-2, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictFix, O fix my wavering mind,
To thy cross my spirit bind; Earthly passions far remove; Swallow up my soul in love. ness. For all of us make many mistakes" (NRSV). We! Who?
Not the apostles nor true believers but those who were to "be judged with greater strictness" because of those many mistakes. No, thirdly, the verse itself proves that the phrase
"all of us make many mistakes" cannot be spoken either of Collection, #340, stanzas 1-3 all people or of all Christians. This is so because the verse goes on to contrast the "all of us" with the one who "makes no mistakes" and is declared "perfect.""
But Saint John himself says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,"® and, "If we say we have not sinned, we make him [God] a liar, and his word is not in us."
I answer, (1) 1 John 1:10 establishes the meaning of verse 8. "If we say that we have no sin" in verse eight is explained by "If we say we have not sinned" in verse ten. (2) The point under consideration is not whether we have or have not sinned up to now. Neither of these verses asserts that we do sin, or commit sin now. (3) The ninth verse explains both the eighth and tenth: "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (NRSV). It is as if he had said, "I have affirmed before, the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin." No one can say, "I do not need it. I have no sin from which to be cleansed." "If we say that we have no sin" or that "we have not sinned," we deceive ourselves and make God a liar. But "if we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just" will not only "forgive us our sins" but also "cleanse us from all unrighteousness," that we may "go and sin no more."® Therefore, in conformity to both the doctrine of Saint John and the whole meaning of the New
Testament, we establish this conclusion: A Christian is perfect and does not commit sin.
This is the glorious privilege of every Christian, indeed, even if he is a mere babe in Christ. But it can be affirmed only of mature Christians that they are in such a sense perCome, Holy Ghost, all-quick'ning fire,
Come, and my hallowed heart inspire, fect as to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers.
Sprinkled with the atoning blood; Now to my soul thyself reveal, Thy mighty working let me feel, Consider first what it means to be set free from evil or sinful thoughts. Indeed, where do they come from? "For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come."® If, therefore, the heart is no longer evil, then evil thoughts no longer proceed from it, for "a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit."
And know that I am born of God.
Thy witness with my spirit bear That God, my God, inhabits there, Mature Christians are freed from evil tempers in the same way they are set free from evil thoughts. Every one of them can say with Saint Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." These words clearly describe a deliverance from inward sin as well as outward sin. This is expressed negaThou with the Father and the Son
Eternal light's coeval beam; Be Christ in me, and | in him, Till perfect we are made in one.
Collection, #341, stanza 1 tively: "It is no longer I who live." My evil nature, the body of sin, is destroyed. It is also expressed positively: "It is
Christ," and therefore all that is holy and just and good, "who lives in me." Indeed, that "it is Christ who lives in me" and that "it is no longer I who live" are inseparably connected. For "what communion has light with darkness," or "Christ with Satan?""
He, therefore, who lives in these Christians has "purified their hearts by faith,"" since every one who has Christ, "the hope of glory," purifies himself or herself "even as he [Christ] is pure."'' Because Christ was lowly in heart, he is purified from pride. Because Christ desired to do only the will of his
Father, he is pure from desire and self-will. And because Christ was meek and gentle, he is pure from anger in the common
When wilt thou my whole heart subdue?
Come, Lord, and form my soul anew, sense of the word. I say "in the common sense of the word" because he does have anger toward sin while he is grieved for Emptied of pride, and wrath, and hell; Less than the least of all thy store Of mercies, I myself abhor; the sinner. He feels repulsed at every offense against God, but feels only tender compassion for the offender.
All, all my vileness may I feel.
In this way Jesus saves people from their sins. He saves them not only from outward sins but from the sins of their
Humble, and teachable, and mild, O may I, as a little child, hearts. "True," say some, "but not until death and not in this world." On the contrary, Saint John says, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on My lowly Master's steps pursue!
Be anger to my soul unknown; Hate, envy, jealousy, be gone! the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world."" Beyond all contradiction, the apostle is speaking about himself and other living Christians, whom he clearly affirms are "like their Master" not only at or after death but In love create thou all things new.
Collection, #341, stanza 2 "in this world."
His words in the first chapter correspond to this: "God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all... . If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin."" Also: "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.""* Now, it is clear that John is speaking of a salvation made complete in this world. For he does not say
that the blood of Christ will cleanse (meaning at the hour of death, or in the day of judgment) but that it cleanses us living Christians "from all sin" now. It is equally apparent that Let earth no more my heart divide; With Christ may I be crucified, To thee with my whole soul aspire; Dead to the world and all its toys, if any sin remains, we are not cleansed from all sin. If any unrighteousness remains in the soul, it is not cleansed from Its idle pomp, and fading joys, all unrighteousness.
Be thou alone my one desire.
Do not let anyone say that this relates only to justification or to cleansing us from the guilt of sin. First, this would join together what the apostle clearly separates by saying first
Be thou my joy; be thou my dread; In battle cover thou my head, "will forgive us our sins" and then "and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Secondly, this affirms justification by works in the strongest way possible because it requires all inward and outward holiness to precede justification. For if the cleansing mentioned here is no different from cleansing
Nor earth nor hell I then shall fear; I then shall turn my steady face; Want, pain defy, enjoy disgrace, Glory in dissolution near.
My will be swallowed up in thee; Light in thy light still may I see, us from the guilt of sin, then we are not cleansed from guilt—not justified—unless we first walk "in the light as he himself is in the light."
Beholding thee with open face:
Called the full power of faith to prove, The truth remains, however, that Christians are saved in Let all my hallowed heart be love, And all my spotless life be praise. this world from all sin, from all unrighteousness. They are now perfect in such a sense as to not commit sin and to be freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers.
Come, Holy Ghost, all-quick'ning fire, My consecrated heart inspire, I expected that ideas such as these would cause offense. After Sprinkled with the atoning blood; all, they directly contradict the beliefs of many of even the best
Christians. For if these things are true, those people are not ChrisStill to my soul thyself reveal,
Thy mighty working may I feel, And know that I am one with God! tians at all. Therefore, I expected much hostile criticism. But, happily, I was disappointed. I do not know that any appeared, so I went quietly on my way.
Collection, #341, stanzas 3-4
Endnotes . Ephesians 4:21
. James 2:10
. Philippians 2:5 oa.
Acts 24:16, NRSV Nehemiah 10:29
Matthew 6:10
. 1 John 2:6
40.
. 2 Corinthians 7:1
41.
42.
. See Ephesians 4:23.
Romans 12:1
1 Corinthians 10:31
43.
. Matthew 5:48
44.
. Romans 13:10
Deuteronomy 6:7
. 1 Timothy 1:5
45.
Colossians 3:17, NRSV Hebrews 12:1
Matthew 6:19, NRSV 46.
. Matthew 22:38
Oo ON NN FF WN . Philippians 4:8, NRSV 47.
. Mark 12:30, NRSV 48.
See Matthew 12:36.
Ephesians 4:29
49.
. See Philippians 2:5.
. 1 John 1:3
Ephesians 4:29, NRSV 50.
Philippians 4:8, NRSV . 1 Corinthians 6:17
Sale . John 5:30; 6:38
Dee Titus 2:10
Hebrews 7:25
Duke . 1 Corinthians 10:31
. Philippians 2:5
Philippians 3:21, NRSV Matthew 10:24
54.
. Hebrews 10:22
Sy)"
. Philippians 3:12
See 1 John 3:9.
56.
. Psalm 73:25, NRSV Proverbs 24:16
Dive Ecclesiastes 7:20
58. ab P . Psalm 73:26
. 1 John 4:18
1 John 5:18, NRSV 60.
Zechariah 12:8, NRSV . 1 Peter 1:3-4, NRSV . 2 Kings 20:19; Isaiah 39:8
61.
James 3:2, NRSV 62.
. 1 Peter 4:19
James 3:1-2, NRSV . Philippians 4:6
1 John 1:8
63.
1 John 1:10
64.
. 1 Thessalonians 5:17, NRSV . Hebrews 11:27
65.
John 8:11
Mark 7:21, NRSV Matthew 7:18
. Matthew 22:37-40 66.
. Matthew 5:44
67.
. Matthew 5:8
68.
Galatians 2:19-20, NRSV 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 . See Proverbs 13:10.
69.
70.
. Colossians 3:12, NRSV Acts 15:9
. John 6:38
1 John 3:3
Pelle . Matthew 6:22, 5:14-15 Vids 1 John 4:17, NRSV . See Galatians 6:2.
1 John 1:5, 7 tas . Matthew 12:33
74.
1 John 1:9, NRSV WwWwwWwwwwowWw wwnrd Kv KY KY KY KY KY KY WKY KL KKK KK KF RK eK NINN PWNHR CTW WAN HANA WHR CWO HON HD WN BPW NW a2