John Wesley should be known for several things, such as his concern for the poor. During his last days, he supported William Wilberforce's eventually successful fight to make the slave trade illegal. One thing that he is known for is his belief in holiness, his proposal that Christians should be entirely sanctified. His idea of holiness, sanctification, or Christian perfection, didn't mean that Christians, including himself, would never make mistakes. It did mean that it was possible for a Christian, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to refrain from deliberately disobeying God, and to love God appropriately.
A recent post lists Biblical references to what the poster calls Wesley's thirty texts in support of this doctrine. I have used that list, and fleshed it out, from the public domain World English Bible. Here is the list, fleshed out by quotations from that Bible:
Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be
clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all
your idols. 26 I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a
new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 29 I will save you from
all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain, and will multiply
it, and lay no famine on you.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is
perfect.
6:10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on
earth.
22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (Quoting
Deuteronomy 6:5)
John 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who
commits sin is the bondservant of sin. 35 A bondservant doesn’t live in
the house forever. A son remains forever. 36 If therefore the Son makes
you free, you will be free indeed.
17:7 Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth. 20 Not for
these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through
their word, 21 that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me,
and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may
believe that you sent me. 22 The glory which you have given me, I have
given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; 23 I in them,
and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may
know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me.
Romans 2:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is
that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not
from men, but from God.
12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual service. 2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is
the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no
longer I that live, but Christ living in me. That life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself up for me.
Ephesians 3:14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, 3:15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is
named, 3:16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his
glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the
inward man; 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to
the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 3:18 may be
strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and
length and height and depth, 3:19 and to know Christ’s love which
surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of
God.
5:27 that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not
having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish.
Philippians 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, think this
way. If in anything you think otherwise, God will also reveal that to
you.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you
completely. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all
men, 2:12 instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world; 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the
glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; 2:14 who gave himself
for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for
himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of
Christ, let us press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of
repentance from dead works, of faith toward God,
7:25 Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw
near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make
intercession for them.
10:14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being
sanctified.
12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without
which no man will see the Lord,
James 1:4 Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing.
1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from him and announce
to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1:6 If we
say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie,
and don’t tell the truth. 1:7 But 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. 1:8 If we say that we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 1:9 If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
3:3 Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even
as he is pure.
3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning
from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he
might destroy the works of the devil. 3:9 Whoever is born of God doesn’t
commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can’t sin, because
he is born of God. 3:10 In this the children of God are revealed, and
the children of the devil. Whoever doesn’t do righteousness is not of
God, neither is he who doesn’t love his brother.
5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that
you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
Thanks for reading!
Musings on science, the Bible, and fantastic literature (and sometimes basketball and other stuff).
God speaks to us through the Bible and the findings of science, and we should listen to both types of revelation.
The title is from Psalm 84:11.
The Wikipedia is usually a pretty good reference. I mostly use the World English Bible (WEB), because it is public domain. I am grateful.
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The posts in this blog are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You can copy and use this material, as long as you aren't making money from it. If you give me credit, thanks. If not, OK.
Saturday, March 08, 2014
John Wesley's Biblical support for teaching holiness
Labels:
bible study,
entire sanctification,
holiness,
John Wesley,
sanctification,
Wesley
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2 comments:
God words Martin. Appreciate your life.
Thanks, Kerry i am.
As you know, you pointed out the post that is referred to above.
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