The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 01 (of 32)

by John Wesley

Repent and believe the gospel.

1. IT is generally supposed, that repentance and faith are only the gate of religion; that they are necessary only at the beginning of our Christian course, when we are setting out in the way to the kingdom. And this may seem to be confirmed by the great apostle, where exhorting the Hebrew Christians, to go on to perfection, he teaches them to leave these first principles of the doctrine of Christ; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and faith toward God: which must at least mean, that they should comparatively leave these, that at first took up all their thoughts, in order to press forward toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

2. And this is undoubtedly true, that there is a repentance and a faith, which are more especially necessary at the beginning: a repentance which is a conviction of our utter sinfulness, and guiltiness, and helplessness: and which precedes our receiving that kingdom of God, which ourLord observes is within us; and a faith, whereby we receive that kingdom, even righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

3. But notwithstanding this, there is also a repentance and a faith, (taking the words in another sense, a sense not quite the same, nor yet entirely different,) which are requisite after we have believed the gospel: yea, and in every subsequent stage of our Christian course, or we cannot run the race which is set before us. And this repentance and faith are full as necessary, in order to our continuance and growth in grace, as the former faith and repentance were, in order to our entring into the kingdom of God.

But in what sense are we to repent and believe, after we are justified? This is an important question, and worthy of being considered with the utmost attention.

I. And first, In what sense are we to repent?

1. Repentance frequently means, an inward change, a change of mind from sin to holiness. But we now speak of it in a quite different sense, as it is one kind of self-knowledge, the knowing ourselves sinners, yea guilty, helpless sinners, even tho’ we know we are children of God.

2. Indeed when we first know this, when we first find redemption in the blood of Jesus, when the love of God is first shed abroad in our hearts and his kingdom set up therein, it is natural to suppose that we are no longer sinners, that all oursins are not only covered but destroyed. As we do not then feel any evil in our hearts, we readily imagine, none is there. Nay some well-meaning men have imagined this, not only at that time, but ever after: having persuaded themselves, that when they were justified, they were entirely sanctified. Yea, they have laid it down as a general rule, in spite of scripture, reason, and experience. These sincerely believe and earnestly maintain, that all sin is destroyed when we are justified, and that there is no sin in the heart of a believer, but that it is altogether clean from that moment. But tho’ we readily acknowledge, he that believeth is born of God, and he that is born of God doth not commit sin: yet we cannot allow, that he does not feel it within: it does not reign, but it does remain. And a conviction of the sin which remains in our heart, is one great branch of the repentance we are now speaking of.

3. For it is seldom long, before he who imagined all sin was gone, feels there is still pride in his heart. He is convinced, both that in many respects he has thought of himself more highly than he ought to think, and that he has taken to himself the praise of something he had received, and gloried in it as though he had not received it. And yet he knows, he is in the favour of God. He cannot and ought not to cast away his confidence. The Spirit still witnesses with his Spirit, that he is a child of God.

4. Nor is it long before he feels self-will in his heart, even a will contrary to the will of God. A will every man must inevitably have, as long as he has an understanding. This is an essential part of human nature, indeed of the nature of every intelligent being. Our blessed Lord himself had a will as a man: otherwise he had not been a man. But his human will was invariably subject to the will of his Father. At all times, and on all occasions, even in the deepest affliction, he could say, Not as I will, but as thou wilt. But this is not the case at all times, even with a true believer in Christ. He frequently finds his will more or less exalting itself against the will of God. He wills something because it is pleasing to nature, which is not pleasing to God. And he nills (is averse from) something because it is painful to nature, which is the will of God concerning him. Indeed (suppose he continues in the faith) he fights against it with all his might. But this very thing implies, that it really exists, and that he is conscious of it.