John Wesley: Christian Perfection In The London Society
Wesley himself strongly affirmed Christian perfection as a real possibility for every Christian who had been justified by the faith. Wesley defined Christian perfection as pure love that reigns alone in the heart and in the life of an individual.
Wesley's emphasis on a Christian perfection that is to love God with one's whole heart soul and mind and to love ones neighbor as yourself can under attack. Many of the disagreements grew out of a misunderstanding of terminology with perfection understood as a finished and even engelic state after entire sanctification. This misunderstanding was promoted by the London Society in the 1760's. Wesley strongly disiplined them, and dismissed their leaders.
In Wesley's mature thought this sort of grace was
that which gives a certain amount of light to every human being and that, which awakens that spiritual sense. It allows Wesley to emphasize God's saving activity and stay out of plegian territory. Understood in wesleyan though as outward signs, words, and or actions that serve as ways channels means by which a person opens himself to god and thus to receiving or preventing justifying or sanctifying grace. Certain activities suggested by Wesley for living the Christian life such as exercise of the presence of God, taking up ones own cross, denying oneself and watching. Those means of grace believed by wesley to be evident in the life of jesus, namely, the lords supper prayer fasting scripture and christian conversation.
Wesley's emphasis on a Christian perfection that is to love God with one's whole heart soul and mind and to love ones neighbor as yourself can under attack. Many of the disagreements grew out of a misunderstanding of terminology with perfection understood as a finished and even engelic state after entire sanctification. This misunderstanding was promoted by the London Society in the 1760's. Wesley strongly disiplined them, and dismissed their leaders.
In Wesley's mature thought this sort of grace was
that which gives a certain amount of light to every human being and that, which awakens that spiritual sense. It allows Wesley to emphasize God's saving activity and stay out of plegian territory. Understood in wesleyan though as outward signs, words, and or actions that serve as ways channels means by which a person opens himself to god and thus to receiving or preventing justifying or sanctifying grace. Certain activities suggested by Wesley for living the Christian life such as exercise of the presence of God, taking up ones own cross, denying oneself and watching. Those means of grace believed by wesley to be evident in the life of jesus, namely, the lords supper prayer fasting scripture and christian conversation.