The Relevance of John Wesley's Message for Today
The Relevance of John Wesley's Message for Today~ William R. Davies Are there people who think John Wesley's message irrelevant today? The very title of,this article may imply that the case for relevance needs to be proved. Certainly there are few who would agree that his message as we find it in his sermons can stand exactly as it is. Apart from anything else, the language is archaic and some of his vocabulary would not be understood by modern readers. Others, and these would comprise a considerable number, would say that his message is relevant but needs reinterpreting, that the heart of it is true, but how we express and apply it needs a face-lift. Others, none Methodist, one hopes, would say his message is no longer relevant either because they do not believe in God anyway or because they would argue that God does not reveal himself in so personal a way as Wesley claimed to have experienced.
It is impossible to review the whole of his message, but certain major strands of it may be discussed in order to affirm the proposition that Wesley's message is not only relevant, but was never needed so much as it is today, even though there may be the need for reinterpretation. The doctrines to be looked at are those of salvation, assurance, scriptural holiness and social righteousness. é Salvation Whether one reads Wesley's sermon on 'Salvation by Faith' or that on "The Marks of the New Birth', there is no doubt that he believed it possible for a person, on hearing the good news of God's love and forgiveness, to exercise faith in Jesus and thereby
The Relevance of John Wesley's Message for Today
experience a radical change. He describes such a change in a variety of ways: salvation by faith, justification by faith, being reconciled to God, being born again — born of God, etc.'
By faith in Jesus there could be a change of mind, heart and will which resulted in a changed life-style. It is expressed very much in black and white terms and something he apparently regarded as instantaneous. Today, whilst there is recognition of the significance of crisis moments, there would be a healthy scepticism of anything to suggest that so complete a change happened as instantaneously as the one Wesley described in his sermon on "The Marks of the New Birth'. What committed Christian would claim to have complete power over sin, constant peace and hope and be so filled with God's love as to love one's neighbour as oneself?'*
Even Wesley's Aldersgate experience, crisis though it was and significant though it proved, was not a complete and instant change, for Wesley himself expressed doubt about its validity later on. We find him writing on 4 January 1739, some seven months after Aldersgate Street, 'My friends affirm I am mad because I said I was not a Christian a year ago. I affirm I am not a Christian now... . Despite what Wesley said about his state of grace before Aldersgate Street there is no doubt that he had faith, even though it had not yet touched the whole of his personality. He gave mental assent to the saving truths of the Gospel and led a righteous life. In fact, what we see in his search before Aldersgate Street and his questioning afterwards is a man in the state of spiritual growth within which there was a most important crisis-experience.
St Paul's dramatic experience on the Damascus Road, crisis though it may have been, was the culmination of an inner conflict which had been going on for some considerable time since he witnessed the stoning of Stephen, whose faith in life and forgiveness of his murderers at the point of death, left a lasting impression. That does not rule out the significance of the crisis.
William James's often quoted book Varieties of Religious Experience has much to say about the once-born and the twice-born, but in the end it matters little whether a person's saving faith in Jesus grows gradually, whether it comes in a dramatic, momentary fashion, or whether there is crisis within growth. What matters is its reality.
There is still the need to preach about a saving faith as long as it is clearly understood and made explicit that both growth and
John Wesley: Contemporary Perspectives crisis are equally valid and that, indeed, for some types of personality, the crisis of the moment will not be their experience.
Recently, in a Sheffield church, an older man responded to the invitation for public commitment to Christ. Afterwards he said that he had known faith in Jesus for many years. He could point to no crisis experience but he knew that his faith was real. His response to the appeal was simply to register the reality of what had been a gradual growth in faith. a Assurance In Wesley's own description of what happened at Aldersgate
Street on 24 May 1738 he writes: 'an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death'.* Wesley's sermon on the "The Witness of the Spirit' seems to reflect such assurance, for in it he describes the testimony of the Spirit as 'an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God directly witnesses to my spirit, that lam a child of God; that Jesus Christ hath loved me, and given himself for me; and that all my sins are blotted out, and I, even I, am reconciled to God'.° Though this may appear to be subjective,
Wesley applied objective tests: in essence, the fruit of the Spirit would be outward evidence of the inward reality. Wesley was most concerned that the witness of the Spirit should not be confused with the voice of a person's own imagination, and both his sermons on this topic illustrate that concern.
Indeed, Wesley questioned his own assurance. On 4 January 1739, he is writing that he does not have the fruit of the Spirit, yet in the entry immediately preceding, for 1 January 1739, he writes
— of a love-feast in Fetter Lane when 'the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground'.® Such questioning is surely a healthy sign and not unlike the experience of Jesus himself. At his baptism, having experienced the Holy Spirit descending upon him and having heard God's voice from heaven saying "Thou art my beloved Son', he is led into the wilderness where the devil's first words are 'If you are the Son of God... .' It could be argued that the first temptation was not 'stones into bread' but that of self-doubt.
In Christian experience, the fact that one's assurance is sometimes assailed by questioning and doubt is a healthy sign. It
The Relevance of John Wesley's Message for Today
demonstrates that what a person has is assurance and not presumption, and in such circumstances doubt may be the reflex action of faith.
How relevant is such assurance for Christians today? In view of the well-nigh universal craving for inner peace, a sense of wellbeing, of the desire to be accepted and of knowing one is accepted and loved, it is very relevant indeed.
Paul Tillich wrote of a certainty which no argument of reason could give but which 'dwells in those who have the Spirit .
. ." their 'eternity is present to them'.® Elsewhere he writes that when grace strikes, 'at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: You are accepted
. by that which is greater than you.
. .'? Both statements are really concerned with this question of assurance.
In the modern charismatic movement this concept has much relevance.
Michael Harper, writing of himself and other Christians who have had the charismatic experience of being filled with the Spirit, says: 'We may hear no voice from heaven, but we do receive a deeper assurance of God's love for us and of our status as His children.''° Here are two writers expressing in different ways the possibility and reality of assurance. Even if there are times when such assurance is assailed by questioning, there can be no doubt of its value. For the sake of health and well-being, if for no other reason, this message of knowing that we are loved and accepted by God is important and relevant. In a world of stress, pressures and selfdoubt, to know this is a blessing indeed.
'Scriptural Holiness'
The Deed of Union says that 'in the Providence of God Methodism was raised up to spread Scriptural Holiness through the land'.'' Scriptural Holiness is variously described as Christian
Perfection, Entire Sanctification and Perfect Love.
In his sermon on Christian Perfection John Wesley describes in what sense Christians are not perfect (not free from ignorance, mistake, infirmities or temptations) and in what sense they are perfect (they do not commit sin, do not continue in sin, are made free from outward sin, are freed from evil thoughts and tempers and are delivered from all other inward sin such as pride, anger and self-will).'?
John Wesley: Contemporary Perspectives Wesley used the term 'second blessing' for this experience,' thus implying an instantaneous experience subsequent to new birth. Elsewhere he qualified this by writing: 'there is a gradual work, both before and after that moment, so that one may affirm the work is gradual, another it is instantaneous, without any manner of contradiction'. '* R. N. Flew was critical of Wesley's teaching and argued that sin could not be expelled or rooted out like a cancer ora rotten tooth, but was more like a poison which was in every part of a man's system. He went on to say: 'Whilst it is therefore possible, and even likely, that a complete emancipation from certain lower and easily recognizable kinds of sin will be gained by anyone who has entered into a new and transforming experience of God, it is not so likely that the subtler sins of Pharisaism will be once and for ever uprooted in that same spiritual crisis.''? A number of Christians today, with the exception of certain holiness sects, would probably agree with that viewpoint. They would want to go along with the idea of the work of sanctification beingsa life-long process with crisis experiences within it in which a person became aware of definite spiritual advance, perhaps in the overcoming of known and obvious sins. This is more a doctrine of relative Christian
Perfection: that is, whatever perfection there may be is related to an awareness of conquering known wrong; there will be much wrong to be dealt with of which one is unaware.
One clue about our understanding of Wesley's doctrine of Scriptural Holiness today is to accept W. E. Sangster's description of it as 'the vision of a goal'.'®° Whatever one's present personal condition, that is the end in view.
Another clue is to follow Wesley's understanding of it as perfect love, 'that love of God and our neighbour which implies deliverance from all sin' and 'loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength' which implies 'no wrong temper' and by which all thoughts, words and actions are governed by pure love.'7 Here, the emphasis will be not on the implied deliverance from all sin but on loving God and our neighbour with heart, soul, mind and strength. In other words, the positive attitude of love, no matter that we slip and make mistakes, is of prime importance.
Life is about relationships, and any doctrine which encourages us to build bridges, be sensitive to others' needs, to relate well to people of all backgrounds and origins must be good news. The
The Relevance of John Wesley's Message for Today
encouragement to reach out to others in love is far healthier spiritually than to become wholly preoccupied with one's own spiritual condition, which is a form of self-centredness.
Christian perfection may not be attainable in this life except perhaps in a relative sense, but it is the goal to which all Christians look, it can inspire within us a positive attitude of love towards
God and neighbour, and remains a main plank of our faith.
Social righteousness Much modern criticism of traditional Methodism has been that it is too personal and individualistic. In the past there used to be fairly general agreement that to change society, there was the prior need to change people. Today there is a strongly held view amongst some that if political and economic structures were more just and equitable, people would have a healthier and better environment to grow in every way, for what hinders people in personal growth is oppressive political structures and a lack of basic rights. Thus change the structures and you will have better people.
It is a highly debatable question. The truth of the matter is that both individuals and the structures of society need to be changed and these things should be happening in parallel. Wesley was concerned with both personal change (as we have already seen) and social change.
His interest in education is seen in his support of founding schools, to which there are several references in his writings. For example, his Journal contains a short account of the founding of Kingswood School 'to teach chiefly the poorer children to read, write and cast accounts'.'® Wesley's concern for general physical health and well-being is seen in the publication of his Primitive Physick in 1747'9 even though some of his suggested cures may have been quaint and very primitive!
Six references in his Journal refer to his abhorrence of smuggling, referring to it as 'robbing the king. .
. which I could no more suffer than robbing on the highway'."° Today he would probably have felt the same about income tax and other forms of taxation.
Supremely, his social awareness and concern are expressed in his opposition to slavery. In October 1787 he wrote to Granville
Sharp protesting his 'perfect detestation of the horrid
John Wesley: Contemporary Perspectives slave-trade',"' and the last letter Wesley wrote on 24 February
1791 was a final protest against 'that execrable villany, which is the scandal of religion, of England and of human nature'. This letter to William Wilberforce encouraged Wilberforce in the fight against slavery and included this exhortation: 'Go on, in the name of God and the power of His might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.'**
There can be no doubt that for John Wesley his personal religion had to find expression in a social context. For him, social righteousness was the outworking of personal holiness.
Today, there is no problem in reminding Methodism about the relevance of traditional teaching on social righteousness. Perhaps what we need to rediscover with renewed enthusiasm is that the other areas of Wesley's teaching are as much needed today as ever they were.