John Wesley, Legalism, and Love (part 3)

It is a well known fact that a pitfall of “holiness” traditions (those that trace their spiritual heritage to John Wesley) is legalism.  Rules rule our lives.  We often find “holiness” in a list of what NOT to do.  I’ve heard it said, “don’t drink, smoke, cuss, or chew – or go out with girls [...]

Wesley, Perfection, and Sin (part 2)

One of the biggest sticking points, when people consider Wesley’s teaching on Christian perfection, is the issue of being sinless; living without sin.  The problem seems to be that we all seem to continue to make mistakes in our lives.  This level of perfection – living without sin – seems unattainable. In fact, this should [...]

John Wesley, Christian Perfection, Love (part 1)

I recently read John Wesley’s little book, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, written in 1777 (or 1766??) as a summary of his teaching on Christian perfection (also knows as entire sanctification). As a result of growing up in a Wesleyan denomination (Nazarene) and of my studies as a theology student, I have come to [...]