This is an excerpt from Wesley’s journal where he writes a letter confronting the idea that if a person has doubts, he/she can’t also have faith at the same time. Until a person gets rid of all doubt (they said), things that look like faith (like praying, taking communion, or even going to church), are of no real value. Wesley disagreed. Read on…
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In about September, 1739, while my brother and I were absent, certain men crept in among them unawares, greatly troubling and subverting their souls; telling them, they were in a delusion; that they had deceived themselves, and had no true faith at all. “For,” said they, “none has any justifying faith, who has ever any doubt or fear, which you know you have; or who has not a clean heart, which you know you have not: Nor will you ever have it, till you leave off using the means of grace; (so called;) till you leave off running to church and sacrament, and praying, and singing, and reading either the Bible, or any other book; for you cannot use these things without trusting in them. Therefore, till you leave them off, you can never have true faith; you can never till then trust in the blood of Christ.”
And this doctrine, from the beginning to this day, has been taught as the doctrine of the Moravian Church. I think, therefore, that it is my bounden duty to clear the Moravians from this aspersion; and the more, because I am perhaps the only person now in England that both can and will do it. And I believe it is the peculiar providence of God that I can: That two years since the most eminent members of that Church should so fully declare both their experience and judgment, touching the very points now in question.
The sum of what has been asserted, as from them, is this:—
(1.) That [a person] cannot have any degree of justifying faith, till he/she is wholly freed from all doubt and fear; and till he/she has, in the full, proper sense, a new, a clean heart.
(2.) That [a person] may not use the ordinances of God, the Lord’s Supper in particular, before he has such a faith as excludes all doubt and fear, and implies a new, a clean heart.”
In flat opposition to this, I assert,
(1.) That [a person] may have a degree of justifying faith, before he/she is wholly freed from all doubt and fear; and before he/she has, in the full, proper sense, a new, a clean heart.
(2.) That [a person] may use the ordinances of God, the Lord’s Supper in particular, before he/she has such a faith as excludes all doubt and fear, and implies a new, a clean heart.”
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That’s it for this week. Chime in? What do you make of this question, and of Wesley’s push-back? Comment below and join me in dialogue.
Taken from: Wesley, J. (1872). The Works of John Wesley, Volumes 1–4 (Third Edition., Vol. 1, pp. 81–82). London: Wesleyan Methodist Book Room. *Wesley and his contemporaries used “man” and “men” interchangeably with the word or concept of “people” or humans. I have substituted these occurances with “people” or “a person” or “he/she” where applicable. ********
Learn more about John Wesley here.
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That’s outrageous. Fear is a lie, and one of the HUGE things Christians are called to is walking in the truth, so I can see how fear would even be considered a sin. But if I was never afraid (which I’ve recently learned that I am nearly ALWAYS afraid), I would never need to say with such desperation and deliberation, “Satan, you don’t get to lie to me! I don’t believe you! My God is bigger than you, and He already went before me, and He’s coming up behind me, and He already said everything there is to say about who I am!” I would never need to pursue God’s presence, I would never ask for the truth if I was never afraid. I would never beg God to rise up and let His strength be made perfect in my weakness if I wasn’t weak. That is true for any sin (if fear and doubt is a sin – it might not be, or it might be only sometimes). Faith is the fruit of the Spirit. Who needs the Spirit if they are truly fearless? Who is truly fearless without the Spirit? No one that isn’t in denial!
Allyson, all I know is that your name is awesome. Best name ever.
Ally – good stuff. Fear is a core human emotion, as well as a primary source of struggle in our walk with Jesus. The psalmist wrote, “WHEN I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” (Ps. 56:3). It is in our moments of doubt and fear that we need to run to prayer, to the table of bread and wine, to the hymnal, to the church gathered for prayer and worship, and to God’s word (when alone, and with God’s people). I love Wesley’s push-back that essentially says… “When you’re having doubts, that’s the time to run to God and it doesn’t mean that you have NO faith, or that the faith you do have (even if it’s the size of a mustard seed) is of no value.
To break it down simply – yes,if a person has doubts (s)he can have real faith. The first “communion” was served to disciples by Jesus BEFORE He was taken prisoner and tried illegally, before the cock crowed three times, before Jesus declared, “It is finished.” Those very disciples went on to bring the gospel to the world, and 10 of them died a martyr’s death.
Grace – LOVE IT! It’s true that we live with both faith and doubt pretty constantly. “Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief” (Mk. 9:24). I’m grateful for Wesley’s shepherdly voice is so encouraging to those who doubt.
I like Wesley too – I tell my Methodist daughter if I were a Methodist I would be a Weslyian
Not being, in the technical sense, a “true believer” I suppose it is a good thing I don’t depend on my own faith for salvation, rather on the faithfulness of God.
I love the history of Wesley and the Moravians. A group of Moravians showed Wesley what true faith was, sparked his personal revival and, in a sense, the Great Awakening itself. Glad he could contribute some correction when it was needed.