Category: Sanctification

John Wesley, in his theology of salvation, made a clear distinction between justification and regeneration. He referred to them as the two general parts of salvation and, while they work in conjunction with one another, they are two different aspects of Christian salvation. Justification and regeneration both have some similar features, but they operate differently and they each have a different role in the overall salvation process. The greatest source to discover John Wesley’s definitions of justification and regeneration and how they function in the process of salvation is his 43^rd sermon, “The Scripture Way of Salvation.” However, other primary and secondary sources will be used as well.

Justification

Justification is a synonym for pardon and “is the forgiveness of all our sins.”[1] This forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the Cross. Justification is the initial work of salvation and occurs instantly when one becomes a believer and forms a relationship with Christ. Some of the effects of justification can be seen immediately, such as peace, hope, and joy.[2] This justification comes only by the grace of God who freely forgives the sins of humanity.[3] A simpler way of stating it is that justification comes from God through Christ to humanity. Wesley believed one could not read Scripture without coming into contact with the doctrine of justification.[4] Justification is seen throughout the whole of the Bible because it is in God’s character to forgive His people of their sins against him.

Now that justification has been defined, it is important to understand how it works in the salvation process. John Wesley’s doctrine of salvation can easily be seen in his sermons. In his sermon “Salvation by Faith,” he uses Ephesians 2:8 as the guiding text: “By grace are ye saved through faith.” Salvation begins with God’s grace. He even says, “Grace is the source, faith the condition, of salvation.”[5] Karl Barth would agree as he believed that justification occurs by grace through faith and is not compatible with human initiative; it is solely the work of God.[6] Thus, salvation is dependent upon the grace of God and humanity’s faith in Him. Further, in “The Almost Christian,” Wesley says, “He that hath the form of godliness uses also the means of grace; yea, all of them, and at all opportunities.”[7] Wesley describes what salvation through faith is in “Salvation by Faith.” Salvation through faith is present, from sin and its consequences (justification), a deliverance from guilt and punishment by Christ’s atonement, deliverance from the power of sin “through Christ formed in his heart.”[8] Salvation necessitates God’s grace and is effected through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross. Salvation cannot occur without both God’s grace and Christ’s atonement. In fact, without God’s grace, Jesus Christ would not have even been sent for us. Justification has a role to play in this process. It begins with sin. Sin necessitates justification. Without sin, there is no need to be justified. Once this sin and the need for reconciliation with God are recognized, one comes to faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross and they are justified by God’s grace.

Regeneration

Regeneration is the second part of John Wesley’s two general parts of salvation. It is also known as the new birth. “Regeneration is the birthing work of God the Spirit by which the pardoned sinner becomes a child of God, loving and serving God with the affections of the heart, so as to receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we are enabled to say, ‘Abba, Father.’”[9] While justification occurs in an instant and at one specific moment of time in a believer’s life, regeneration is a process that occurs throughout the remainder of a Christian’s life. It is the very beginning of sanctification. Thomas C. Oden quotes Wesley, “He that is ‘born of a woman,’ then begins to live a natural life; he that is ‘born of God,’ then begins to live a spiritual.”[10] Prior to justification, one lives only their physical existence; however, once one enters into regeneration after justification, they have a spiritual existence as well. There is a distinction to be made between the physical and spiritual lives of an individual. While humans grow physically, reach their prime, and then begin to degenerate, the spiritual life is not the same. The spiritual life of an individual continues to grow throughout the duration of their life; they have just hit their prime when they have finished the race and entered heaven!

Justification enables the new birth and sanctification enables the process of growth.[11] Without justification there can be no new, spiritual birth and without sanctification there can be no growth. The Christian faith and life is a continuous movement toward holiness – toward becoming more and more set apart for God’s purposes. The way to holiness is through regeneration. “Regeneration is the birthing work of God the Spirit by which the pardoned sinner becomes a child of God, loving and serving God with the affections of the heart, so as to receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we are enabled to say, ‘Abba, Father.’”[12] It is by the process of regeneration that Christians are adopted into son-ship and made “co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Regeneration brings with it a new spiritual nature that ushers in a new will and a new beginning.[13]

Justification and regeneration work in tandem with one another, but it begins with grace. Christ’s work on the cross expresses God’s act for humanity while the new birth accomplishes the outworking of this act of God in his people. Justification modifies the believer’s relation to God while new birth refines the believer’s motivation and disposition of the soul. Justification reinstates the whole person by pardon to God’s favor while new birth regenerates the whole person by faith to God’s image. And, finally, justification removes the guilt of sin while new birth removes the power of sin.[14] Neil Cole says it well, “Regeneration is an ongoing process of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, so that each of us should be more like Christ this year than we were the year before.”[15]

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[1] John Wesley, “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-43-the-scripture-way-of-salvation, I 3.

[2] Ibid.

[3] John Wesley, “Righteousness of Faith,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-6-the-righteousness-of-faith, I 2.

[4] Chris Lohrstorfer, “Know Your Disease, Know Your Cure: A Critical Analysis of John Wesley’s Sources For His Doctrine of Original Sin,” (PhD diss., University of Manchester, 2006), 121.

[5] John Wesley, “Salvation by Faith,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020,  http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-1-salvation-by-faith, 3.

[6] William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Faith and Apologetics (3^rd ed.) (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), chap. 1, iBooks.

[7] John Wesley, “The Almost Christian,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-2-the-almost-christian, II 7.

[8] Wesley, “Salvation by Faith,” II 7.

[9] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), chap. 8, iBooks.

[10] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), chap. 9, iBooks.

[11] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), chap. 3, iBooks.

[12] Ibid., chap. 8, iBooks.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Neil Cole, Search & Rescue: Becoming a Disciple Who Makes a Difference (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008), chap. 2, iBooks.