Treatise Principles Of A Methodist
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | treatise |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-treatise-principles-of-a-methodist-002 |
| Words | 390 |
This I
allow. For I am firmly persuaded, that every man of the off
spring of Adam is very far gone from original righteousness,
and is of his own nature inclined to evil; that this corruption
of our nature, in every person born into the world, deserves
God’s wrath and damnation; that therefore, if ever we receive
the remission of our sins, and are accounted righteous before
God, it must be only for the merit of Christ, by faith, and not
for our own works or deservings of any kind. Nay, I am per
suaded, that all works done before justification, have in them
the nature of sin; and that, consequently, till he is justified, a
man has no power to do any work which is pleasing and accept
able to God. 3. To express my meaning a little more at large: I believe,
three things must go together in our justification: Upon God’s
part, his great mercy and grace; upon Christ's part, the satis
faction of God’s justice, by the offering his body, and shedding
his blood; and upon our part, true and living faith in the
merits of Jesus Christ. So that in our justification there is not
only God’s mercy and grace, but his justice also. And so the
grace of God does not shut out the righteousness of God in
our justification; but only shuts out the righteousness of man,
that is, the righteousness of our works. 4. And therefore St. Paul requires nothing on the part of
man, but only a true and living faith. Yet this faith does not
shut out repentance, hope, and love, which are joined with faith
in every man that is justified. But it shuts them out from the
office of justifying. So that although they are all present toge
ther in him that is justified, yet they justify not all together. 5. Neither does faith shut out good works, necessarily to be
done afterwards. But we may not do them to this intent,-to be
justified by doing them. Our justification comes freely, of the
mere mercy of God; for whereas all the world was not able to
pay any part towards their ransom, it pleased him, without any
of our deserving, to prepare for us Christ’s body and blood,
whereby our ransom might be paid, and his justice satisfied.