WHAT WESLEY PREACHED

SECOND IN OUR REPORT ON RECLAIMING THE WESLEYAN TRADITION.

The second sermon in this series is deals directly with sin, that which defaces God’s image in us. As the one thing needful is to restore us more nearly to the Godly image in which we were originally created, so the means to that is to overcome sin in us.

Wesley preached that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Sin is an inescapable product of the power which God gave us to choose. We often talk of original sin. Wesley came to speak of "inbeing sin," in that "the issue of guilt [is located in] pour own sins rather than the sins of our ancestors." While God wanted us to choose harmony with Him, and His creation, man has consistently chosen to pursue human-defined goals, which separate us from God, being based on our desire to be our own gods. This has led to pride and self-will. God calls and we do not answer. We seek happiness rather than joy; we search for the moment and not eternity.

The solution to the problem of sin, Wesley taught, is salvation – reconciliation with God, which comes through faith, also a gift of God, available here and now. Faith enables God to save us from the power of sin, past, present, and future. Instead of fear of punishment – we all know that to do wrong brings a price – we are given assurance of the abiding security of being restored to the joy of being in the Lord. Our faith is in Jesus Christ and his atonement on our behalf.

Wesley’s sermon spoke of the biblical human condition, preaching from Gen. 6:5, "every inclination of [human] hearts was only evil continually." He spoke of modern man: "…humanity is blind to the things of God and is not sensible to its spiritual needs." Finally he stated again "the great end of true religion is to renew our hearts in the image of God, to repair that total loss of righteousness and true holiness which we sustained by the sin of our first parent."

How God provides the opportunity and power to overcome our sin, and to be restored, is the subject of sermons to be reported. Stay tuned! Good news coming!