In the 18th century, John and Charles Wesley
began an evangelism ministry that changed the face
of history.
The majority of church leaders at the time
were hypocrites to the extreme, and they did
very little to promote holy living amongst the
congregation.
Most of the pulpits in the established church
were off-limits to the brothers, so they
began preaching in the fields.
They reached out to the poor and spoke
to people who had never even seen the
inside of a church.
John believed in the deity of Christ, miracles,
and the supernatural.
He fearlessly preached against the many sins of
his time, especially drunkenness and gambling.
He stressed holy living and sought to bring
sinners to conversion.
John Wesley's contribution to England, and to the
entire world, is immeasurable.
By the end of his life, much of
the ignorance, coarseness, brutality, and drunkenness had disappeared
from English living, and a new vitality came
to the Christian church at large.
This is James Christian, inviting you to listen
to John Wesley's complete unabridged sermons for the
benefit of your soul.
May the Lord bless you, and use these
as a means for prompting and continuing in
holiness.
Sermon 1.
Salvation by Faith The following sermon was preached
at St. Mary's Oxford before the university on
June 18th, 1738.
By grace are ye saved through faith.
Ephesians 2.8 All the blessings which God
hath bestowed upon man are of his mere
grace, bounty, or favor, his free, undeserved favor,
favor altogether undeserved, man having no claim to
the least of his mercies.
It was free grace that formed man of
the dust of the ground, and breathed into
him a living soul, and stamped on that
soul the image of God, and put all
things under his feet.
The same free grace continues to us at
this day, life and breath and all things.
For there is nothing we are, or have,
or do, which can deserve the least thing
at God's hand.
All our works, thou, O God, hast wrought
in us.
These, therefore, are so many more instances of
free mercy.
And, whatever righteousness may be found in man,
this is also the gift of God.
Wherewithal, then, shall a sinful man atone for
any of the least of his sins?
With his own works?
No.
Were they ever so many or holy, they
are not his own, but God's.
But, indeed, they are all unholy and sinful
themselves, so that every one of them needs
a fresh atonement.
Only corrupt fruit grows on a corrupt tree,
and his heart is altogether corrupt and abominable,
being come short the glory of God, the
glorious righteousness that first impressed on his soul,
after the image of his great Creator.
Therefore, having nothing, neither righteousness nor works, to
plead, his mouth is utterly stopped before God.
If then sinful man find favor with God,
it is grace upon grace.
If God vouchsafe still to pour fresh blessings
upon us, yea, the greatest of all blessings,
salvation, what can we say to these things
but, thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift?
And thus it is.
Herein God commendeth his love toward us, in
that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
to save us.
By grace, then, are ye saved through faith.
Grace is the source, faith the condition of
salvation.
Now that we not fall short of the
grace of God, it concerns us carefully to
inquire, 1.
What faith it is through which we are
saved?
2.
What is the salvation which is through faith?
3.
How may we answer some objections?
Part 1 What faith it is through which
we are saved?
And first, it is not barely the faith
of a heathen.
Now, God requireth of a heathen to believe
that God is, that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him, and that
he is to be sought by glorifying him
as God, by giving him thanks for all
things, and by a careful practice of moral
virtue, of justice, mercy, and truth toward their
fellow creatures.
A Greek or Roman, therefore, yea, a Scythian
or Indian was without excuse if he did
not believe thus much, the being and attributes
of God, a future state of reward and
punishment, and the obligatory nature of moral virtue.
For this is barely the faith of a
heathen.
Nor, secondly, is it the faith of a
devil, though this goes much farther than that
of a heathen.
For the devil believes, not only that there
is a wise and powerful God, gracious to
reward and just to punish, but also that
Jesus is the Son of God, the Christ,
the Savior of the world.
So we find him declaring, in express terms,
I know thee who thou art, the Holy
One of God, Luke 4.34. Nor can
we doubt, but, that unhappy spirit believes all
those words which came out of the mouth
of the Holy One, yea, and whatsoever else
was written by those holy men of old,
of two of whom he was compelled to
give that glorious testimony, These men are the
servants of the Most High God, who show
unto you the way of salvation.
Thus much, then, the great enemy of God
and man believes, and trembles in believing, that
God was made manifest in the flesh, that
he will tread all enemies under his feet,
and that all Scripture was given by inspiration
of God.
Thus far goeth the faith of a devil.
Thirdly, the faith through which we are saved,
in that sense of the word which will
hereafter be explained, is not barely that which
the apostles themselves had while Christ was yet
upon earth, though they so believed on him
as to leave all and follow him.
Although they had then power to work miracles,
to heal all manner of sickness and all
manner of disease, yea, they had then power
and authority over all devils, and, which is
beyond all this, were sent by their Master
to preach the kingdom of God.
What faith is it then through which we
are saved?
It may be answered, first, in general, it
is a faith in Christ.
Christ and God through Christ are the proper
objects of it.
Herein, therefore, it is sufficiently, absolutely distinguished from
the faith either of ancient or modern heathens.
And from the faith of a devil it
is fully distinguished by this.
It is not barely a speculative, rational thing,
a cold, lifeless assent, a train of ideas
in the head, but also a disposition of
the heart.
For thus saith the Scripture, with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness, and, if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thy heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.
And herein does it differ from that faith
which the apostles themselves had while our Lord
was on earth, that it acknowledges the necessity
and merit of his death, and the power
of his resurrection.
It acknowledges his death as the only sufficient
means of redeeming man from death eternal, and
his resurrection as the restoration of us all
to life and immortality, inasmuch as he was
delivered for our sins, and rose again for
our justification.
Christian faith is, then, not only an assent
to the whole gospel of Christ, but also
a full reliance on the blood of Christ,
a trust in the merits of his life,
death, and resurrection, a recumbency upon him as
our atonement and our life, as given for
us, and living in us, and, in consequence
hereof, a closing with him, and cleaving to
him, as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
or, in one word, our salvation.
What salvation it is which is through this
faith is the second thing to be considered.
And first, whatsoever else it imply, it is
a present salvation.
It is something attainable, yea, actually attained, on
earth, by those who are partakers of this
faith.
For, thus saith the apostle to the believers
at Ephesus, and in them to the believers
of all ages, not, Ye shall be, though
that is also true, but, Ye are saved
through faith.
Ye are saved, to comprise all in one
word, from sin.
This is the salvation which is through faith.
This is that great salvation foretold by the
angel before God brought his first begotten into
the world, Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their
sins.
And, neither here, nor in any other parts
of holy writ, is there any limitation or
restriction.
All his people, or, as it is elsewhere
expressed, all that believe in him, he will
save from all their sins, from original and
actual, past and present sin, of the flesh
and of the spirit.
Through faith that is in him, they are
saved both from the guilt and from the
power of it.
First, from the guilt of all past sin,
for, whereas all the world is guilty before
God, insomuch that, should he be extreme to
mark what is done amiss, there is none
that could abide it, and, whereas by the
law is only the knowledge of sin, but
no deliverance from it, so that, by fulfilling
the deeds of the law, no flesh can
be justified in his sight, now the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus
Christ, is manifested unto all that believe.
Now they are justified freely by his grace,
through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
Him God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare
his righteousness for, or by, the remission of
sins that are past.
Now hath Christ taken away the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us.
He hath blotted out the handwriting that was
against us, taking it out of the way,
nailing it to his cross.
There is, therefore, no condemnation now to them
which believe in Christ Jesus.
And, being saved from guilt, they are saved
from fear, not indeed from a filial fear
of offending, but from all-servile fear, from
that fear which hath torment, from fear of
punishment, from fear of the wrath of God,
whom they now no longer regard as a
severe master, but as an indulgent father.
They have not received again the spirit of
bondage, but the spirit of adoption, whereby they
cry, Abba!
Father!
the spirit itself also bearing witness with their
spirits that they are the children of God.
They are also saved from the fear, though
not from the possibility, of falling away from
the grace of God, and coming short of
the great and precious promises.
Thus have they peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
They rejoice in hope of the glory of
God, and the love of God is shed
abroad in their hearts through the Holy Ghost
which is given unto them.
And hereby they are persuaded, though perhaps not
at all times, nor with the same fullness
of persuasion, that neither death, nor life, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate them from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Again, through this faith, they are saved from
the power of sin, as well as from
the guilt of it.
So the Apostle declares, Ye know that he
was manifested to take away our sins, and
in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.
Again, little children, let no man deceive you.
He that commiteth sin is of the devil.
Whosoever believeth is born of God, and whosoever
is born of God doth not commit sin,
for his seed remaineth in him, and he
cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Once more, we know that whosoever is born
of God sinneth not, but he that is
begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked
one toucheth him not.
1 John 5.18 He that is by
faith born of God sinneth not, 1.
by any habitual sin, for all habitual sin
is sin reigning, but sin cannot reign in
any that believeth, nor 2.
by any willful sin, for his will, while
he abideth in the faith, is utterly set
against all sin, and abhorreth it as deadly
poison.
nor 3.
by any sinful desire, for he continually desireth
the holy and perfect will of God, and
any tendency to an unholy desire, he by
the grace of God stifleth in the birth.
nor 4.
doth he sin by infirmities, whether an act,
word, or thought, for his infirmities have no
concurrence of his will, and without this they
are not properly sins.
Thus, he that is born of God doth
not commit sin, and though he cannot say
he hath not sinned, yet now he sinneth
not.
This, then, is the salvation which is through
faith, even in the present world, a salvation
from sin, and the consequences of sin, both
often expressed in the word justification, which, taken
in the largest sense, implies a deliverance from
guilt and punishment by the atonement of Christ
actually applied to the soul of the sinner
now believing on him, and a deliverance from
the power of sin through Christ formed in
his heart.
So that he who is thus justified, or
saved by faith, is indeed born again, he
is born again of the Spirit unto a
new life which is hid with Christ in
God, and, as a newborn babe, he gladly
receives the Adolin sincere milk of the word,
and grows thereby, going on in the might
of the Lord his God from faith to
faith, from grace to grace, until, at length,
he come unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ.
The first usual objection to this is that
to preach salvation or justification by faith only
is to preach against holiness and good works,
to which a short answer might be given.
It would be so if we spake, as
some do, of a faith which was separate
from these, but we speak of a faith
which is not so, but productive of all
good works and all holiness.
But it may be of use to consider
it more at large, especially since it is
no new objection, but as old as St.
Paul's time.
For even then it was asked, do we
not make void the law through faith?
We answer, first, all who preach not faith
do manifestly make void the law, either directly
and grossly, by limitations and comments that eat
out all the spirit of the text, or
indirectly, by not pointing out the only means
whereby it is possible to perform it.
Whereas, secondly, we establish the law both by
showing its full extent and spiritual meaning, and
by calling all to that living way whereby
the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled
in them.
These, while they trust in the blood of
Christ alone, use all the ordinances which he
hath appointed, do all the good works which
he had before prepared that they should walk
therein, and enjoy and manifest all holy and
heavenly tempers, even the same mind that was
in Christ Jesus.
But does not preaching this faith lead men
into pride?
We answer, accidentally it may, therefore ought every
believer to be earnestly cautioned in the words
of the great apostle.
Because of unbelief the first branches were broken
off, and thou standest by faith.
Be not high-minded, but fear.
If God spared not the natural branches, take
heed lest he spare not thee.
Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God,
on them which fell severity, but towards thee
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise
thou also shalt be cut off.
And, while he continues therein, he will remember
those words of St. Paul foreseeing and answering
this very objection, Romans 3.27. Where is
boasting then?
It is excluded.
By what law?
Of works?
Nay, but by the law of faith.
If a man were justified by his works,
he would have whereof to glory.
But there is no glorying for him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly.
Romans 4.5. To the same effect are
the words both preceding and following the text,
Ephesians 2.4. God, who is rich in
mercy, even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ.
By grace ye are saved, that he might
show the exceeding riches of his grace in
his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves.
Of yourself cometh neither your faith nor your
salvation.
It is the gift of God, the free
undeserved gift, the faith through which ye are
saved, as well as the salvation which he
of his own good pleasure, his mere favor,
annexes thereto.
That ye believe is one instance of his
grace, that believing ye are saved, another.
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For all our works, all our righteousness, which
were before our believing, merited nothing of God
but condemnation.
So far were they from deserving faith, which,
therefore, whenever given, is not of works.
Neither is salvation of the works we do
when we believe, for it is then God
that worketh in us.
And therefore, that he giveth us a reward
for what he himself worketh, only commendeth the
riches of his mercy, that leaveth us nothing
whereof to glory.
However, may not the speaking thus of the
mercy of God as saving or justifying freely
by faith only encourage men in sin?
Indeed, it may and will.
Many will continue in sin that grace may
abound, but their blood is upon their own
head.
The goodness of God ought to lead them
to repentance, and so it will those who
are sincere of heart.
When they know there is yet forgiveness with
him, they will cry aloud that he would
blot out their sins also through faith which
is in Jesus.
And if they earnestly cry and faint not,
if they seek him in all the means
he hath appointed, if they refuse to be
comforted till he come, he will come and
will not tarry.
And he can do much work in a
short time.
Many are the examples in the Acts of
the Apostles of God's working this faith in
men's hearts, even like lightning falling from heaven.
So in the same hour that Paul and
Silas began to preach, the jailer repented, believed,
and was baptized.
As were three thousand by St. Peter on
the day of Pentecost, who all repented and
believed at his first preaching.
And, blessed be to God, there are now
many living proofs that he is still mighty
to save.
Yet to the same truth placed in another
view, a quite contrary objection is made.
If a man cannot be saved by all
that he can do, this will drive men
to despair.
True, to despair of being saved by their
own works, their own merits or righteousness.
And so it ought, for none can trust
in the merits of Christ till he has
utterly renounced his own.
He that goeth about to establish his own
righteousness cannot receive the righteousness of God.
The righteousness which is of faith cannot be
given him while he trusteth in that which
is of the law.
But this, it is said, is an uncomfortable
doctrine.
The devil spoke like himself, that is, without
either truth or shame when he dared to
suggest to men that it is such.
It is the only comfortable one.
It is very full of comfort to all
self-destroyed, self-condemned sinners, that whosoever believeth
on him shall not be ashamed that the
same Lord over all is rich unto all
that call upon him.
Here is comfort, high as heaven, stronger than
death.
What?
Mercy for all?
For Zacchaeus, a public robber?
For Mary Magdalene, a common harlot?
Methinks I hear one say, then I, even
I, may hope for mercy.
And so thou mayest, thou afflicted one, whom
none hath comforted?
God will not cast out thy prayer?
Nay, perhaps he may say the next hour.
Be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven
thee.
So forgiven, that they shall reign over thee
no more.
Yea, and that the Holy Spirit shall bear
witness with thy spirit that thou art a
child of God.
O glad tidings, tidings of great joy, which
are sent unto all people.
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to
the waters, come ye and buy, without money
and without price.
Whatsoever your sins be, though red like crimson,
though more than the hairs of your head,
return ye unto the Lord, and he will
have mercy upon you, and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon.
When no more objections occur, then we are
simply told that salvation by faith only ought
not to be preached as the first doctrine,
or at least not to be preached at
all.
But what saith the Holy Ghost?
Other foundation can no man lay than that
which is laid, even Jesus Christ.
So then, that whosoever believeth on him shall
be saved, and must be the foundation of
all our preaching, that is, must be preached
first.
Well, but not to all.
To whom, then, are we not to preach
it?
Whom shall we accept?
The poor?
Nay, they have a peculiar right to have
the gospel preached unto them.
The unlearned?
No, God hath revealed these things unto unlearned
and ignorant men from the beginning.
The young?
By no means.
Suffer these, in any wise, to come unto
Christ, and forbid them not.
The sinners?
Least of all.
He came not to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance.
Why then, if any, we are to accept
the rich, the learned, the reputable, the moral
men.
And it is true they too often accept
themselves from hearing.
Yet we must speak the words of our
Lord, for thus the tenor of our commission
runs, Go and preach the gospel to every
creature.
If any man rest it, or any part
of it, to his destruction, he must bear
his own burden.
But still, as the Lord liveth, whatsoever the
Lord saith unto us, that we will speak.
At this time, more especially, will we speak,
that by grace are ye saved through faith.
Because never was the maintaining this doctrine more
seasonable than it is at this day.
Nothing but this can effectually prevent the increase
of the Romish delusion among us.
It is endless to attack one by one
all the heirs of that church.
But salvation by faith strikes at the root,
and all fall at once where this is
established.
It was this doctrine which our church justly
calls the strong rock and foundation of the
Christian religion that first drove popery out of
these kingdoms.
And it is this alone can keep it
out.
Nothing but this can give a check to
that immorality which hath overspread the land as
a flood.
Can you empty the great deep drop by
drop?
Then you may reform us by dissuasives from
particular devices.
But let the righteousness which is of God
by faith be brought in, and so shall
its proud waves be stayed.
Nothing but this can stop the mouths of
those who glory in their shame and openly
deny the Lord that bought them.
They can talk as sublimely of the law
as he that hath it written by God
in his heart.
To hear them speak on this head might
incline one to think they were not far
from the kingdom of God.
But take them out of the law into
the gospel.
Begin with the righteousness of faith, with Christ,
the end of the law to everyone that
believeth, and those who but now appeared almost,
if not altogether Christians, stand confessed the sons
of perdition.
As far from life and salvation, God be
merciful unto them, as the depth of hell
from the height of heaven.
For this reason the adversary so rages whenever
salvation by faith is declared to the world.
For this reason did he stir up earth
and hell to destroy those who first preached
it.
And for the same reason, knowing that faith
alone could overturn the foundations of his kingdom,
did he call forth all his forces and
employ all his arts of lies and calumny
to affright Martin Luther from reviving it.
Nor can we wonder threat, for as that
man of God observes, how would it enrage
a proud, strong man armed to be stopped
and set at naught by a little child
coming against him with a reed in his
hand.
Especially when he knew that little child would
surely overthrow him and tread him underfoot.
Even so, Lord Jesus, thus hath thy strength
been ever made perfect in weakness.
Go forth then, thou little child that believest
in him, and his right hand shall teach
thee terrible things.
Though thou art helpless and weak as an
infant of days, the strong man shall not
be able to stand before thee.
Thou shalt prevail over him, and subdue him,
and overthrow him, and trample him under thy
feet.
Thou shalt march on under the great captain
of thy salvation, conquering and to conquer, until
all thine enemies are destroyed, and death is
swallowed up in victory.
Now, thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, to
whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
be blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving,
and honor, and power, and might, for ever
and ever.
Amen.
Hi, this
is James Christian.
I hope you have enjoyed what you just
heard.
If you have been listening to Volume 1
of the John Wesley Sermon, we are currently
working to put all of Mr. Wesley's sermons,
along with many other classic Christian texts, into
audiobook form.
This media form will excite a new generation
to hearing these messages.
Please visit www.jameschristian.com.
That's www.jameschristian.com.
And may the Lord bless you.