I see a good amount of continuity between many of the sermons we read this week. It feels as if Wesley meant for these sermons to be grouped together in order to allow them to be a continuation of thought from one to the other. I see, not progress, but continuation or expansion of his thought between ‘Original Sin,’ ‘The New Birth,’ and ‘On Sin in Believers.’

In ‘Original Sin,’ Wesley begins by describing humans as “atheists in the world” (p330). We are all prideful human beings and bear the image of Satan in our hearts within our self-will. If we somehow manage to leave the image of Satan behind, we run into love of the world. We cannot escape it, even if we think we despise these worldly pleasures. We are, by nature, beasts, and are captive to our sensual appetites. As he moves to the inferences at the end of the sermon, Wesley also notes the differences between Christianity and heathenism. The last of these inferences is Jesus as the Great Physician, who heals our sicknesses and restores our human nature from total corruption. By our faith we are healed. If humankind were not fallen, we would have no need for this. The sermon concludes with Wesley asserting the new birth as the solution to this fallen nature and struggle with our original sin. We are all born into sin, and therefore must be born again.

There is a continuation of the theme of humankind’s fallen nature in “The New Birth.” Wesley explains that humans were made to be immutable, are created to stand but are also liable to fall. In what seems like a very pessimistic and bold statement, Wesley proclaims that in eating the forbidden fruit, humankind ignored God’s command, and therefore died to God, lost the life of God within them, and were separated from God. The knowledge and love of God were both lost in that moment. This was a moment not of bodily death, but spiritual death. Therefore, everyone who comes into the world is spiritually dead, dead in sin, and void of the life of God and the image of God. This emphasizes many of the same themes expressed in “Original Sin.” This original sin, this spiritual death, is the foundation of the new birth. The first sermon lays the foundation for the need for a new birth. With new birth comes an opening of eyes that have been blind, and an opening of ears that were unable to hear. When a person if born of God, there is a total change that occurs. We are now able to hear the inward voice of God and feel the graces of the spirit at work in our hearts. Proceeding from this is an intercourse between God and the person. In this way, the life of God in the soul is sustained.

Lastly, in “On Sin in Believers,” Wesley seems to add some nuance to his understanding of sin. Wesley states that even following justification, there is sin in a person’s heart. He expresses this specifically in relation to Christ, when he explains that Christ can live in the same heart that also contains sin. If a heart contains sin and Christ also lives there, this must be the case because otherwise that heart could never be saved. Where there is sickness, there must be a physician. Where Wesley fully explains this distinction is on p.363, when he says, “Christ indeed cannot reign where sin reigns; neither will he dwell where any sin is allowed. But he is and dwells in the heart of every believer who is fighting against all sin.” When this is the case, when a sinner’s eyes have been opened to their sin and they are thus fighting against it because of their new birth, sin remains but does not reign. This is Wesley’s main point about sin within a believer, that it is able exist, but is unable to reign, because the sinner has been made aware of their sin through new birth and are actively fighting against it.

I appreciate that we read these sermons in conjunction and thus are able to track the progression of Wesley’s thought. I specifically needed to hear his distinction between sin existing within a believer and sin’s inability to reign in order to fully understand Wesley’s picture of sin. Much of his thought as expressed in this week’s reading was particularly informative for my understanding of his overall theology, and also contributed to my own memories of growing up in the United Methodist Church. I hear resonances of what I remember from childhood that are starting to come together and make more sense. Because I continue to go back to my home church and preach, this is important information for me to be clear on, so that I don’t say anything contrary to their theology in my sermons, especially because I am a guest preacher.