Continuing to review Section 25, I would briefly highlight question 20:
“Q. 20. May not some of them have a testimony from the Spirit, that they shall not finally fall from God?
A. They may. And this persuasion, that neither life nor death shall separate them from Him, far from being hurtful, may in some circumstances be extremely useful. These therefore we should in nowise grieve, but earnestly encourage them to ‘hold the beginning of their confidence steadfast to the end.’”
Very briefly, this is a key distinction between Wesley and those who hold to eternal security or unconditional election. Wesley admits the continual possibility of a person to fall away from God. Jacob Arminius teaches on this point in much more detail. However, we must understand that admitting the possibility of falling away is vastly different from actually falling away. Admitting the possibility is properly apprehending that we retain a degree of freedom in our will to reject God.
This is where we need the work of the Holy Spirit, namely, in our motives. If we are continually seeking the Holy Spirit to renew our hearts and minds and bear fruit through our motives, it is very unlikely that we will fall away. Those who do fall away have ceased allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their hearts, most likely due to allowing some unconfessed sin to fester and grow.
In the answer to question 32, Wesley provides the instruction we should heed if we are to grow in the Holy Spirit and avoid falling away, “Watch and pray continually against pride.” This admonition we find in a beautiful hymn entitled Christian, Seek Not Yet Repose. See also Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38, and Luke 21:36.
The answer to question 33 is also deserving of better understanding. Enthusiasm in Wesley’s day did not have the meaning we ascribe to it today. We think of ardent zeal. However, Wesley is referring to what we would now call emotionalism, superstition, and fanatical. The greatest problem in enthusiasm was “the false or deluded claim to have received divine communications or private revelations.” (Encyclopedia.com)
Properly understood, enthusiasm has staged a comeback today, and it is steering many unsuspecting individuals off course. The term is often ascribed to sectarianism and instigating schisms inside a church. A person may become zealous toward a particular cause and create dissension within the church. At the root is a refusal to submit to the authority of the pastor and church leaders. Such actions stir disunity and tend to exhibit pride. Today, the practice of speaking in tongues and televangelists claiming to have special knowledge directly from God are modern expressions of enthusiasm.
In question 34, Wesley discusses Antinomianism, which he describes as avoidance of law. This was the error of the Gnostics, who believed obedience to any regulation of behavior was unnecessary. Eternal security is today a doctrine which may tend to embrace Antinomianism, for there is less a need for law and regulation if we know we are permanently saved and cannot ever fall away. This is an expression of pride, which is the number one warning Wesley offers us. The heart of Christian perfection is regulation of behavior, and the regulation we follow is the law of faith in Christ.
The advice given in the answer to question 38 should be our aim if we intend to or claim to believe on Christ. I will leave you to read the question and answer on your own time. Turned into a prayer, we will regulate our conduct through the Holy Spirit if we pray this daily for ourselves and earnestly strive to live it out.
Two I would highlight in particular are the following:
“God does nothing but in answer to prayer; and even they who have been converted to God without praying for it themselves, (which is exceeding rare,) were not without the prayers of others. Every new victory which a soul gains is the effect of a new prayer.” We only gain victory through prayer, which means if we are not praying we are not growing or gaining ground. Prayer remains the most vital spiritual practice we can maintain. If we are not gaining ground in Christ, we are likely losing ground unawares.
“As the most dangerous winds may enter at little openings, so the devil never enters more dangerously than by little unobserved incidents, which seem to be nothing, yet insensibly open the heart to great temptations. It is good to renew ourselves, from time to time, by closely examining the state of our souls, as if we had never done it before; for nothing tends more to the full assurance of faith, than to keep ourselves by this means in humility, and the exercise of all good works.” I can relate to Wesley’s analogy of wind. Hurricanes do not demolish a house all at once. The wind begins to enter a crack, and the force of the wind begins to expand the crack. As the crack expands, the structure weakens. Usually, some parts of the structure will begin to fly away, until all at once, the structure completely fails. Those who fall away from God do not fall all at once. They were not careful to watch and guard against small things.
Do beware of self-examination. We are not good judges of ourselves, and our tendency will always be to excuse our shortcomings. Any self-examination must begin by opening ourselves up to the examination of the Holy Spirit and allowing Him the freedom to bring to mind anything in our lives which does not belong. Self-examination is only completed once we jettison those things the Holy Spirit brings to mind and continually surrender those areas to the Holy Spirit, being careful to watch that they do not return.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to be sensitive to sin and quick to confess sin, no matter how trivial. When your still, small Voice enters my mind, help me in that moment to respond to You in surrender. Grant me a heart that desires to live in Christian perfection. This I understand requires trust and rest in You. Help me, Father, to rest in You as sufficient for all I need. Amen.
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