Christian Perfection is "holiness of heart and life." It is "walking the talk." John Wesley expected Methodists to do not only "works of piety" but "works of mercy"--both of these fused together put a Christian on the path to perfection in love.
John Wesley believed that Christians could become perfect in this life; they did not have to wait for eternal life. In the holiness tradition of Methodism, which Wesley initiated, sanctification is another word for perfection. Wesley said that being perfect meant:
"to be 'sanctified throughout;' even 'to have a heart so all-flaming with the love of God,' (to use Archbishop Usher's words,) 'as continually to offer up every thought, word, and work, as a spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God through Christ.' In every thought of our hearts, in every word of our tongues, in every work of our hands, to 'show forth his praise, who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light.' O that both we, and all who seek the Lord Jesus in sincerity, may thus 'be made perfect in one!'"
One of the early Methodist bases for works of piety and mercy was the Foundery in London (see drawing below). The main room of the building was large enough to seat 1500 people.
At one time, the Foundery had been a place for casting cannon. After a serious explosion in 1716, the weapons operation moved to Woolwich. The Foundery remained damaged and unused until 1738 when John Wesley either rented or purchased it. He organized the Methodist Society there. In addition to religious services, other ministries occurred on the premises such as a school for children and the dispensing of money from a loan fund for poor people to help prevent them from paying exhorbitant interest to others.
The Foundery's ministry carried on until 1779. Of its ending Wesley wrote, "What hath God wrought there for 40 years!"
Wesley believed that Christians could be perfected in love before death. Christians could never be free of errors or mistakes; they could become complete in love of God, neighbor, and self. No one was without sin in their entire life's history, but sin could be ended in this lifetime.
Wesley's doctrine of Christian Perfection was very controversial in his day and continues to be. In defense of his position, he wrote a book called A Plain Account of Christian Perfection.Do you believe you will ever be perfect, without sin? How do you define "perfection"? Do you agree with Wesley's ideas? Why or why not?
A Plain Account of Christian Perfection
John Wesley's book on this topic.
Christian Perfection
A one-page summary excerpted from John Wesley's A Plain Account of Christian Perfection
On Perfection
A sermon by John Wesley
Sermon on the Mount, III
A sermon by John Wesley that explores the meaning of love of God, neighbor, and self.
Social Principles of The United Methodist Church
38 Questions and Answers about Christian Perfection
These questions are excerpted from Wesley's book on Christian Perfection and are different questions and answers from the selection below. When you click on a question with your mouse, the hyperlink will take you to John Wesley's answer to the question.
Questions and Answers on Christian Perfection
These questions were also excerpted from John Wesley's book on the same topic, but are briefer than "38 questions"--you may want to begin here!
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John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life
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Wesleyan Steps to Christian Perfection
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John Wesley and Women
| Introduction | Susanna Wesley | Jane Cooper | Grace Murray |
Other Methodist Historical Resources
| JW's Sermons | CW's Hymns | Methodist History | Wesleys & Their Times |
Graphics
The drawing near the top of most the web pages for Holiness of Heart and Life depicts the Reverend John Wesley (1703-1791) at age 48. All of the black and white drawings have been scanned by Nancy A. Carter for the General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church from public domain nineteeth century or early twentieth century Methodist history books. Please acknowledge this web site, John Wesley: Holiness of Heart and Life, http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/wesley/, if you reproduce these. We now have some graphics available in high resolution format, suitable for print media.
