Wesleyans believe that not only can people know that they are saved, but we also affirm that people can be saved to the uttermost. John Wesley referred to it as “full salvation.” Christian perfection is our hallmark – a salvation in which we are not only saved “from sin,” but also saved “for righteousness.” This, of course, does not mean that we can be perfect, sinless human beings in this life. Nor does it mean that we can attain our own righteousness by our own cunning. Only one man is known to have been without sin in his life, and that was Jesus of Nazareth. He was able to live a life of true perfection because his nature was significantly different from ours. Yes, Jesus was fully human like us, but in addition to being fully human he was also fully divine. He was man and God, two natures fused together for the only time in our known history. In his lifetime Jesus illustrated what is humanly possible when we fuse our own human nature with God’s divine nature. It doesn’t happen as easily or as naturally for us as it did with Jesus. But, Jesus did tell us that we could be more than we ever thought possible.
One time he said of those who would believe in him, “I
have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” Another
time Jesus said to his followers, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has
faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater
things than these, because I am going to the father.” In his Sermon on
the Mount Jesus instructed his listeners, “Be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect.” Why would Jesus say things like these if it were
not possible for us to live into that reality? Jesus knew we would
never be perfect in the same way God is perfect. But He was trying to
tell us something that was within the realm of our possibility.
Jesus was saying that we could be sanctified, which
means we could be set apart in holiness for God’s usage. In other words
we could respond to God’s grace in such a way that both the breadth and
depth of our lives are devoted to God.
This experience of faith happens uniquely in the life
of a believer. But when it happens there is no mistaking it. Whether it
happens in a moment of complete surrender, or over the course of many
faithful and prayerful years, it will be followed by a deepening
devotion for the remainder of one’s life. There is no turning back from
this place of complete and utter surrender, where a person feels
perfectly in love with God and possesses a certain God-like love for
fellow human beings. This cleansing and consecration John Wesley calls
“holiness of heart and life.” It is that life in Christ where a
person’s inner life and outer life are both in harmony with that Spirit
that Jesus Christ left for us when he went to be with the Father in
heaven.
What is sad is that many believers in the Wesleyan
tradition think this level of spiritual maturity is optional, and only
a few select individuals will aspire toward it in their lifetime. The
truth is that God in Christ intended all believers to live life to the
full and to “be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.” The
invitation is extended to all who have ears to hear, eyes to see, and
hearts of understanding. Jesus Christ did not die just to provide you
with fire insurance from the fires of hell. Jesus Christ died and was
raised again that you might be saved to the uttermost, not just part of
the way. Pastor Neil
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