WHY DID JOHN WESLEY BEGIN THE METHODIST MOVEMENT?

A MOVEMENT THAT BEGAN INSIDE THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

We have followed several groups that disagreed about how the church should be governed.

The Presbyterians favored connected assemblies of elders.

The Congregationalists emphasized the responsibility of each local congregation.

The Baptists questioned infant baptism and the relationship between personal faith and church membership.

Now we come to a movement that began with a different concern.

John Wesley did not set out to establish a new denomination.

He was an Anglican minister. He believed the Church of England needed more than changes in its organization. He wanted people to hear the gospel, respond to it personally, and live as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The movement that grew from his preaching and organized groups became known as:

METHODISM.

But as it developed, it raised questions about salvation, holiness, assurance, perseverance, and the relationship between a religious movement and the church from which it came.

Those questions deserve the same careful examination we have given every other movement.

1. WHO WAS JOHN WESLEY?

John Wesley was born in England in 1703.

His father, Samuel, was an Anglican minister. His mother, Susanna, played an important role in the religious education of their children.

John studied at Oxford and was ordained in the Church of England. His younger brother Charles also became an Anglican minister and later wrote many hymns associated with the Methodist movement.

John Wesley remained an Anglican priest throughout his life. He died in 1791.

That last fact matters.

WESLEY DID NOT BEGIN BY ANNOUNCING THAT THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND WAS NO CHURCH AT ALL.

He wanted to awaken people within it—and beyond it—to a living faith expressed in everyday conduct.

2. WHY WERE THEY CALLED “METHODISTS”?

At Oxford, Charles Wesley helped organize a small group of students who met regularly for Bible study, prayer, and mutual encouragement.

John joined the group and became one of its leaders.

They also visited prisoners and helped people in need.

Their disciplined way of life attracted nicknames. One was Methodists, referring to their methodical approach to religious duties.

The name began as a nickname, not as the title of a new church.

Notice what they were trying to do.

They did not merely want to attend a service and then forget about their faith for the rest of the week.

They wanted to read Scripture, pray, serve others, and examine their own conduct.

That brings us to a New Testament question:

IS CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP SOMETHING WE DO ONLY WHEN THE CHURCH ASSEMBLES?

3. WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT DAILY DISCIPLESHIP?

Luke tells us:

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” — Acts 2:42, KJV

Read Acts 2:44–47.

Their life together extended beyond a single weekly meeting.

Paul instructed Christians:

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” — Colossians 3:17, KJV

He also wrote:

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” — 2 Corinthians 13:5, KJV

The New Testament does not present Christian living as a ceremony performed once a week.

It calls believers to continue in Christ’s teaching and put that teaching into practice.

But there is a distinction we must preserve.

A regular method may help Christians obey a command.

THE METHOD ITSELF DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY BECOME A COMMAND FROM GOD.

A Bible-reading schedule may help someone study.

A prayer group may encourage faithfulness.

A weekly conversation about Christian conduct may help believers care for one another.

But Scripture does not require every Christian to adopt the particular schedule or organization developed at Oxford.

4. DID WESLEY ALWAYS FEEL CERTAIN OF HIS OWN SALVATION?

No.

Wesley was already an ordained minister when he traveled to the colony of Georgia in 1735. His ministry there was troubled, and he returned to England in 1738.

He continued to struggle with questions about faith and assurance.

On May 24, 1738, he attended a religious meeting in Aldersgate Street in London. While someone read from Luther’s preface to Romans, Wesley recorded a powerful new assurance of his trust in Christ.

That experience became an important turning point in his preaching.

But a person’s experience, however important to that person, is not the standard by which we determine what Scripture teaches.

Wesley’s experience helps us understand his history.

TO EXAMINE HIS TEACHING, WE MUST RETURN TO THE TEXT.

5. WHAT DOES SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT ASSURANCE?

John wrote:

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.” — 1 John 5:13, KJV

Paul wrote:

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” — Romans 8:16, KJV

Wesley emphasized the believer’s assurance of God’s forgiveness and acceptance through Christ.

But how should we understand that assurance?

Read 1 John as a whole.

John speaks about believing in Jesus Christ, keeping His commandments, loving fellow believers, and refusing to make sin the pattern of our lives.

Now read Romans 8:12–17.

Paul speaks of the Spirit, adoption, and the believer’s relationship with God. He also speaks about putting to death the deeds of the body.

We must not separate the comfort of these passages from their calls to continued faithfulness.

ASSURANCE IS NOT THE SAME THING AS SAYING OUR FUTURE FAITH AND CONDUCT NO LONGER MATTER.

Nor should we conclude that every believer must have an experience identical to Wesley’s before trusting God’s promises.

6. WHY DID WESLEY BEGIN PREACHING OUTDOORS?

In 1739, George Whitefield encouraged Wesley to preach outdoors near Bristol.

Whitefield was another Anglican minister involved in the evangelical revival. He and Wesley both preached to large crowds, including people who might not attend regular parish services.

Wesley initially hesitated about preaching outside a church building.

Then he did it.

And he continued doing it.

The question for us is not whether outdoor preaching seemed unusual in eighteenth-century England.

The question is:

DOES PREACHING THE GOSPEL REQUIRE A CHURCH BUILDING?

Jesus taught crowds outdoors.

Read Matthew 5:1–2.

Philip spoke with the Ethiopian traveler along a road.

Read Acts 8:26–39.

Paul taught in synagogues, homes, and other settings.

Read Acts 17:1–4 and Acts 20:20.

The location did not make the message true.

A building may be useful.

It may be convenient.

It may protect people from the weather.

But:

THE NEW TESTAMENT DOES NOT MAKE A SPECIAL BUILDING A REQUIREMENT FOR PREACHING CHRIST.

7. WHY DID METHODISTS FORM SOCIETIES AND CLASSES?

Wesley’s preaching brought together people who wanted continued instruction and encouragement.

He organized societies and smaller classes.

Class members met regularly, encouraged one another, and discussed how they were living out their faith.

These arrangements helped the movement grow while maintaining personal contact and accountability.

The groups were not originally intended to replace every function of the Church of England.

They were designed to nurture people within a wider movement of Christian renewal.

Now compare Hebrews 10:24–25:

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” — Hebrews 10:24–25, KJV

The passage calls Christians to encourage one another.

It does not prescribe a particular number of people in each meeting.

It does not require the name class or society.

It does not establish Wesley’s particular system.

The Methodist arrangement was one way of seeking to fulfill a biblical responsibility.

Again:

WE MUST DISTINGUISH THE RESPONSIBILITY CHRIST GIVES FROM THE METHOD CHRISTIANS DEVELOP TO CARRY IT OUT.

8. WHAT WERE WESLEY’S THREE GENERAL RULES?

Wesley gave Methodist societies three broad rules.

They are commonly summarized as:

DO NO HARM.

DO GOOD.

ATTEND UPON THE ORDINANCES OF GOD.

His examples included public worship, prayer, searching the Scriptures, the Lord’s Supper, fasting, and helping people in need.

Now read Galatians 6:9–10.

Paul told Christians not to grow weary in doing good and to do good to others as they had opportunity.

Read James 1:27.

James connected pure religion with caring for the vulnerable and remaining unspotted from the world.

And remember Acts 2:42.

The first Christians continued in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.

The activities Wesley encouraged were not foreign to the New Testament.

But what about his particular system of rules and class meetings?

A congregation may organize regular opportunities for Christians to encourage one another.

Yet it must distinguish between what Christ commands and the method it chooses to help Christians obey Him.

IF OUR METHOD BECOMES A DIVINE REQUIREMENT, WE NEED BIBLICAL AUTHORITY FOR MAKING IT ONE.

9. WAS METHODISM A RELIGION OF GOOD WORKS?

Wesley strongly emphasized holy living and practical service.

But it would misrepresent him to say he taught that people could earn salvation by accumulating enough good deeds.

Wesley taught salvation by God’s grace through faith in Christ.

He also taught that genuine faith produces a changed life.

Now read Ephesians 2:8–10.

Paul says:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith.” — Ephesians 2:8, KJV

Then:

“Not of works, lest any man should boast.” — Ephesians 2:9, KJV

But Paul does not stop there:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” — Ephesians 2:10, KJV

The order matters.

Good works are not presented as a way to put God in our debt.

They are part of the life for which God created His people in Christ.

Now read James 2:14–26.

James challenges a claim to faith that produces no corresponding action.

We must ask what Paul means by works in his argument and what James means in his.

WE MUST NOT USE GRACE TO ERASE OBEDIENCE.

AND WE MUST NOT USE OBEDIENCE TO ERASE GRACE.

10. WHY DID WESLEY DISAGREE WITH GEORGE WHITEFIELD?

George Whitefield was a prominent preacher in the evangelical revival and an important early colleague of the Wesleys.

But Whitefield held Reformed views of election and predestination.

John Wesley rejected unconditional election—the teaching that God had selected particular individuals for salvation in such a way that His saving choice did not depend upon their response.

Their disagreement became public, especially after Wesley preached Free Grace in 1740.

The revival consequently developed distinct Calvinistic and Wesleyan streams.

We have already examined the underlying dispute in our studies of Calvin and Arminius.

Wesley emphasized God’s saving grace offered to all.

Whitefield emphasized God’s sovereign election and saving purpose.

Neither position is established merely by attaching a famous preacher’s name to a Bible verse.

Read John 3:16–18.

Read Ephesians 1:3–14.

Read Romans 8–11.

Read 1 Timothy 2:1–6.

Then ask what each passage says in its own context and how those passages fit together.

The Wesley-Whitefield disagreement reminds us again:

PEOPLE MAY SHARE A DEEP COMMITMENT TO PREACHING CHRIST AND STILL DISAGREE ABOUT HOW SALVATION WORKS.

11. WHAT DID WESLEY MEAN BY GRACE THAT COMES BEFORE FAITH?

Wesley taught that fallen human beings cannot turn to God through their own unaided ability.

He emphasized God’s grace working before a person responds in faith.

This is commonly called:

PREVENIENT GRACE.

The word prevenient means coming before.

In Wesleyan theology, God’s grace awakens and enables a person to respond without making that response unavoidable.

Now examine John 6:44:

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” — John 6:44, KJV

Jesus clearly teaches that the Father’s action is necessary.

But does this verse, by itself, explain whether every person receives that drawing?

Does it explain whether that drawing can be resisted?

Read John 6:35–45 as a whole.

Then read Acts 7:51, where Stephen told his hearers:

“ye do always resist the Holy Ghost.” — Acts 7:51, KJV

Those passages raise related questions, but we must not simply assume they describe exactly the same aspect of God’s work.

PREVENIENT GRACE IS A THEOLOGICAL EXPLANATION.

The term itself does not appear in Scripture.

That does not automatically make the idea wrong.

The question is whether the explanation accurately accounts for the biblical evidence.

12. WHAT DID WESLEY MEAN BY “CHRISTIAN PERFECTION”?

This teaching has often been misunderstood.

Wesley taught that Christians should continue growing in holiness and love.

He also taught that by God’s grace a believer could reach a condition in which love for God and neighbor governed the heart.

He called this Christian perfection or perfect love.

He did not mean that the Christian became all-knowing.

He did not mean a person could never make a mistake.

He did not mean freedom from every human weakness or temptation.

Wesley continued to speak of growth even after this experience. He also believed a person could fall from it. His own explanations therefore should not be reduced to the idea that a Christian becomes incapable of further growth or failure.

But we still have to examine the biblical argument.

Jesus said:

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” — Matthew 5:48, KJV

Read Matthew 5:43–48.

Jesus is teaching His disciples to love not only their neighbors but also their enemies.

The Father’s love is the example.

So what does perfect mean in that setting?

Does Jesus call His disciples to complete, impartial love?

Does the verse establish a particular second experience in which a believer reaches Christian perfection during this life?

Those are not necessarily the same conclusion.

We must allow the context to define the language.

13. DID PAUL CLAIM TO HAVE REACHED PERFECTION?

Paul wrote:

“Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.” — Philippians 3:12, KJV

He continued by describing his determination to press forward.

Read Philippians 3:7–16.

Paul is discussing knowing Christ, sharing in His sufferings, and attaining unto the resurrection of the dead.

He does not present himself as someone who has already reached the final goal.

Yet a few verses later he says:

“Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded.” — Philippians 3:15, KJV

That should immediately make us careful about the word perfect.

Paul can deny that he has already been perfected in one sense and then speak of mature Christians as perfect in another sense.

Context matters.

Now read 1 John 1:8–2:2.

John warns:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” — 1 John 1:8, KJV

But John also writes:

“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” — 1 John 2:1, KJV

Any teaching about Christian perfection must account for both.

THE CALL TO HOLINESS IS REAL.

SO ARE THE WARNINGS ABOUT SIN, CONFESSION, AND OUR CONTINUING NEED FOR CHRIST.

We must define the doctrine before deciding which passages support or challenge it.

14. DID WESLEY BELIEVE A CHRISTIAN COULD FALL AWAY?

Yes.

Wesley rejected the claim that every person who has truly believed is unconditionally guaranteed to persevere regardless of whether that person later abandons faith.

He taught the necessity of continuing in faith.

We examined this question earlier.

Jesus said of His sheep:

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” — John 10:28, KJV

That is a powerful promise.

But Hebrews warns:

“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” — Hebrews 3:12, KJV

Then:

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.” — Hebrews 3:14, KJV

Paul also warns Gentile believers:

“Be not highminded, but fear.” — Romans 11:20, KJV

And:

“otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” — Romans 11:22, KJV

The interpretive question is how the promises and warnings fit together.

Wesley gave one answer.

Reformed theologians gave another.

Neither conclusion becomes biblical merely because a theological system has given it a name.

15. DID WESLEY REJECT INFANT BAPTISM?

No.

Although Wesley emphasized personal faith and conversion, he remained an Anglican minister and continued to practice infant baptism.

He understood baptism as a means of grace and retained important elements of Anglican sacramental teaching.

That is worth noticing after our studies of the Anabaptists and early English Baptists.

Wesley emphasized the necessity of a personal response to Christ.

But he did not conclude that baptism should therefore be restricted to those who could personally profess faith.

Other Christians did reach that conclusion.

Again, we return to the text.

Read Acts 2:38–41.

Read Colossians 2:11–12.

Read the household baptism accounts.

Read Jeremiah 31:31–34.

THE HISTORICAL FACT THAT WESLEY BAPTIZED INFANTS NEITHER PROVES NOR DISPROVES INFANT BAPTISM.

His interpretation, like every other interpretation, must be tested against Scripture.

16. WHY DID WESLEY USE LAY PREACHERS?

As the movement grew, Wesley increasingly relied upon preachers who were not ordained Anglican priests.

These men traveled, taught, and preached under the movement’s organization.

Their work helped Methodism reach communities that could not be served regularly by Anglican clergy.

Now read Acts 8:1–4.

When persecution scattered the Jerusalem Christians:

“they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” — Acts 8:4, KJV

The apostles remained in Jerusalem.

The passage does not say that everyone who spread the gospel was an ordained church officer.

Read Acts 18:24–28.

Priscilla and Aquila helped Apollos understand the way of God more perfectly.

The New Testament describes Christians teaching and spreading the gospel beyond the work of apostles and elders.

But it also gives qualifications and responsibilities for recognized church leaders.

Read 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9.

So we need another distinction.

A PERSON MAY TEACH SCRIPTURE WITHOUT CLAIMING AUTHORITY OVER A CONGREGATION.

And being an effective preacher does not automatically make someone qualified to serve as an elder.

17. WHY DID METHODISTS DEVELOP A CONNECTIONAL SYSTEM?

Wesley’s societies were linked through traveling preachers, shared rules, conferences, and Wesley’s own leadership.

This arrangement became known as a connexion, or connectional system.

It allowed Methodists in different places to coordinate preaching, support one another, and maintain common teaching and discipline.

But it also created an organization extending beyond any single local society.

Here is our familiar question again:

WHEN DOES COOPERATION BECOME GOVERNMENT?

A preacher may travel from one congregation to another.

Congregations may support shared gospel work.

Christians may meet to discuss problems and encourage one another.

But does the New Testament establish a permanent organization authorized to appoint ministers to congregations or impose binding decisions upon them?

That question must be answered from the biblical text.

A system may help Christians accomplish useful work without every feature of that system being a command from Christ.

If its leaders claim binding religious authority, the biblical basis for that authority deserves examination.

18. HOW DID A MOVEMENT INSIDE THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BECOME A SEPARATE CHURCH?

This is where the history becomes especially interesting.

Wesley wanted Methodists to remain connected with the Church of England.

But his societies had their own preachers, meetings, discipline, and organization.

As Methodism spread in North America, the American Revolution disrupted its connection with the Church of England.

Many American Methodists lacked regular access to Anglican clergy who could administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

After American independence, Wesley concluded that new arrangements were necessary. In 1784 he set apart Thomas Coke for the American work and ordained Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey. Coke went to America, where Francis Asbury joined him in leadership.

At the Christmas Conference in Baltimore in 1784, the Methodist Episcopal Church was formally organized. (The United Methodist Church)

Notice the sequence.

A movement began to encourage spiritual renewal within an existing church.

It developed its own organization.

Historical circumstances increased its independence.

Eventually a separate denomination was organized.

A MOVEMENT DOES NOT HAVE TO BEGIN WITH A PLAN TO ESTABLISH A NEW DENOMINATION IN ORDER TO BECOME ONE.

19. WHY DID METHODISTS HAVE BISHOPS?

The American Methodist Episcopal Church adopted episcopal terminology for its leaders.

But there is an interesting historical detail here.

Wesley called Coke and Asbury general superintendents. The title bishop came into use in American Methodism, and Wesley objected to it. (The United Methodist Church)

That makes our biblical question even more interesting.

In Acts 20:17 and 28, the elders of Ephesus are called overseers.

In Titus 1:5–7, Paul moves from elders to a bishop while discussing the same leadership.

In 1 Peter 5:1–2, elders are instructed to shepherd God’s flock.

The New Testament uses these terms in describing local church leaders.

The later Methodist bishop, however, exercised responsibilities extending across many congregations.

So we must distinguish:

THE NAME OF AN OFFICE

from:

THE AUTHORITY AND WORK ACTUALLY GIVEN TO THAT OFFICE.

Calling someone a bishop does not, by itself, prove that he occupies the office described in the New Testament.

Nor does calling someone a superintendent automatically make his work unbiblical.

We must examine what the person actually does and what authority he claims.

20. WHO SHOULD CONTROL ACCESS TO BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER?

The difficulty American Methodists faced after the Revolution was partly a problem of access to baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Many wanted these practices but lacked regular access to Anglican priests.

Wesley’s response helped create an independent Methodist ministry. The new American church established rules for its ministers and for administering the sacraments. (The United Methodist Church)

We have encountered this issue before in our study of bishops and church authority.

If a church organization controls who may administer baptism and the Lord’s Supper, it may also control who has access to them.

But what does the New Testament establish?

Jesus commanded:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them.” — Matthew 28:19, KJV

The Jerusalem Christians:

“continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” — Acts 2:42, KJV

Paul gave the Corinthians instructions about the Lord’s Supper.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:17–34.

We should examine who administered these practices, what responsibilities the apostles assigned, and what requirements the text actually states.

A later church’s rules about ordination and sacramental administration may reflect its understanding of Scripture.

BUT THOSE RULES MUST NOT BE TREATED AS APOSTOLIC COMMANDS WITHOUT EXAMINING THEIR BIBLICAL FOUNDATION.

21. DID METHODISM SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF CHRISTIAN DIVISION?

No.

Methodism itself eventually developed several branches.

Some disagreements concerned doctrine.

Others concerned church government, leadership, worship, race, slavery, and other questions.

American Methodism, for example, experienced major divisions during the nineteenth century. Some Methodist bodies later reunited, while others remained separate. (The United Methodist Church)

That should not surprise us.

The movement emphasized grace, holiness, preaching, and Christian fellowship.

But its members still had to interpret Scripture.

They still had to make organizational decisions.

And they still had to address disagreements.

The same challenges faced by earlier reform movements remained.

A MOVEMENT MAY BEGIN WITH A DESIRE FOR RENEWAL AND STILL FACE THE QUESTION OF HOW CHRISTIANS SHOULD REMAIN UNITED WHEN THEY DISAGREE.

22. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM WESLEY?

Wesley’s history brings several important questions together.

Does a Christian’s life show evidence of continuing faith?

How do grace and obedience relate?

What assurance does Scripture give believers?

What does it mean to grow in holiness?

Can a believer fall away?

May Christians organize additional meetings to encourage one another?

What authority may a movement’s leaders exercise over congregations?

And when does a movement seeking renewal become a separate church organization?

Wesley offered answers to these questions.

Other Christians offered different answers.

Our task is not to adopt or reject an entire system because we admire or disagree with its founder.

WE MUST EXAMINE EACH TEACHING IN THE CONTEXT OF SCRIPTURE.

Whatever church background we come from, none of us is exempt.

23. WHERE DO WE GO NEXT?

One of Methodism’s most influential teachings concerned holiness.

Wesley believed that God’s grace did more than forgive past sins. He taught that God continued working in believers to transform their hearts and lives.

Later Christians developed these teachings in different ways.

Some emphasized a distinct experience of sanctification.

Others connected holiness with new forms of revival preaching and organized movements.

Those developments helped produce the nineteenth-century Holiness movement, which would later influence several Pentecostal traditions.

Before we reach those movements, however, we need to examine what Wesley meant by Christian perfection and whether the passages used to support it establish that conclusion.

That takes us to our next study:

CAN A CHRISTIAN BECOME PERFECT IN THIS LIFE?

TEXT B4 TRADITION

Read First. Conclude Later.

RETURN TO MAIN SERIES: ONE CHURCH, SO MANY DIVISIONS—WHAT HAPPENED?

NEXT STUDY: CAN A CHRISTIAN BECOME PERFECT IN THIS LIFE?