These are the tradition's own historic confessions, as its members would recognise them. Every tradition varies internally.
TEACHING AND SCRIPTUREWhat Wesley restored — and where Methodism stopped
The Methodist revival went further than the Reformation. The Reformation restored first of all justification by faith and the authority of Scripture. The Wesleyan movement again placed a strong accent on the personal experience of the Holy Spirit’s action and on real holiness of life.
PART ONE
What was restored
01Personal assurance of salvation
WESLEYANISM RESTOREDFaith is not only assent to correct teaching. The Holy Spirit bears witness to a person that he belongs to God.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSRomans 8:15–16We have received the Spirit of adoption and cry “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.Galatians 4:6God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
Restored truthWesley returned to the Church not only sound teaching on justification, but the living witness of the Spirit that a person belongs to God.
Salvation can be known not only as doctrine, but as the Holy Spirit’s witness in the heart.
02New birth as a real inward change
WESLEYANISM RESTOREDChristianity must change a person’s heart and life.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSJohn 3:3–8Unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.2 Corinthians 5:17“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”
Restored truthThe Wesleyan revival refused a Christianity that is only outward church membership. New birth is a real change.
Being born again changes the heart and the life, not only a person’s status before God.
03Holiness as the real aim of Christian life
WESLEYANISM RESTOREDSalvation is not only the justification of the sinner, but his actual sanctification.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS1 Thessalonians 4:3“This is the will of God, your sanctification.”Hebrews 12:14Strive for holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
Restored truthThe Reformation restored justification. Wesley returned to the Church that God desires not only to forgive, but to make holy.
Justification is the beginning. Holiness is the goal God sets before the saved.
04Entire consecration to God
WESLEYANISM RESTOREDThe Wesleyan tradition restored the expectation of a deep work of grace in which a person gives himself wholly to God.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSRomans 12:1–2Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God; do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of the mind.
Restored truthEntire consecration is not human strain added on top of grace, but a response to the grace by which God takes the whole person.
God calls not to partial religion, but to a life wholly given to Him.
05The Spirit’s action as a lived reality
WESLEYANISM RESTOREDFaith became again not only a system of theology, but a lived life with God.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSRomans 8:14All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.Galatians 5:25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.Acts 2:17“I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.”
Restored truthThe Wesleyan revival restored the expectation that the Holy Spirit acts in a person so that this can be known, not only confessed.
The Holy Spirit is not only a dogma about the Third Person of the Trinity, but the Living One who leads, fills and bears witness.
THE TURNWhat opened through Wesley — and where they stopped
Wesley placed a great accent on this: after justification God desires to lead a person further — into a sanctified life and the fullness of love.
This became a decisive step toward restoring the truth: God does not only forgive a person — He desires to change, cleanse and fill him.
The later Wesleyan movement linked this experience still more clearly with baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Yet the Wesleyan movement concentrated the Holy Spirit’s action first of all on sanctification → cleansing of the heart → perfect love → power for holy life.
But the picture in Acts is wider. There baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit are bound not only to the cleansing of character, but also to power from on high → prophecy → other tongues → healings → miracles → supernatural gifts → power to witness.
Acts 1:8; 2:1–4, 17–18; 10:44–46; 19:6.
PART TWO
What still remained to restore
01The fullness of the Spirit’s gifts
WHERE IT STOPPEDThe Wesleyan tradition strongly restored the fruit of the Spirit and sanctification, but the fullness of the Spirit’s gifts did not become the norm of church life.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS1 Corinthians 12:7–11The Holy Spirit gives the Church prophecy, healings, miracles, tongues, interpretation and other gifts — to each for the common good.
Gospel truthThe fruit of the Spirit is necessary. But Paul speaks not only of fruit, but of all the gifts by which the Spirit acts in the body.
Sanctification does not replace the gifts; the apostolic Church knew both holiness and the fullness of the gifts.
02Other tongues as a living New Testament gift
WHERE IT STOPPEDIn much Wesleyan and Methodist practice other tongues did not become a normal gift of the Church.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSActs 2:4The believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.Acts 10:46They speak in tongues and magnify God.Acts 19:6After the Holy Spirit comes upon them, the believers speak in tongues.1 Corinthians 14:39“Do not forbid speaking in tongues.”
Gospel truthOther tongues in Acts and in Paul are not a periphery, but part of being filled with the Spirit.
The gift of tongues belongs to the New Testament Church; its absence cannot be presented as Wesleyan fullness of the Spirit.
03Prophecy as the Church’s ordinary life
WHERE IT STOPPEDWesleyan sanctification restored the expectation of the Spirit’s action in the heart, but prophecy as a living gift of the Church was largely not restored.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSActs 2:17–18“I will pour out My Spirit… and they shall prophesy.”1 Corinthians 14:1“Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”1 Thessalonians 5:19–21“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things.”
Gospel truthProphecy is the norm of the Spirit’s outpouring, not a rare exception of holiness.
Holiness of heart does not cancel prophecy; the apostolic response is not a ban, but testing.
04Gifts of healing and miracles
WHERE IT STOPPEDPrayer and the pursuit of holy life remained, but gifts of healing and miracles as standing gifts of the Spirit usually did not become part of ordinary church life.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS1 Corinthians 12:9–10Among the Spirit’s gifts are named gifts of healing and workings of miracles.
Gospel truthHoliness and prayer are good. The New Testament also speaks of gifts by which God heals and acts supernaturally in the Church.
Healings and miracles are part of the apostolic norm, not an extra that holiness makes unnecessary.
05The apostolic pairing of holiness and power
WHERE IT STOPPEDThe Wesleyan movement concentrated the Spirit’s action first of all on the cleansing of the heart and on power for holy life. Holy character does not replace the power of the Spirit, and the power of the Spirit does not replace holy character.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSActs 1:8“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses.”Galatians 5:22–23The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.1 Corinthians 4:20“The kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.”
Gospel truthActs does not choose between a cleansed heart and power from on high. The apostolic Church knows both fruit and power.
Holiness without power is not yet Acts. Power without holiness is not yet the gospel. Both are needed.
06The fullness of the fivefold ministry
WHERE IT STOPPEDMethodist church form largely reduced this to pastors, teachers and episcopal oversight. Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYSEphesians 4:11–13Christ gave the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers — until we all attain to the unity of the faith and to the fullness of Christ.
Gospel truthPastors and teachers are biblical ministries. But Paul also names apostles and prophets among Christ’s gifts to the Church.
Christ gave the Church five ministries until she comes to His fullness; to shorten that list is to narrow what He Himself established.
If the Reformation restored:
Scripture → grace → justification by faith,
then the Wesleyan revival went further and restored:
new birth → the witness of the Spirit → sanctification → entire consecration → the expectation of the Holy Spirit’s real action.
But apostolic fullness goes further still:
sanctification + baptism and filling with the Holy Spirit + power from on high + living gifts + prophecy + tongues + healings + miracles + every ministry Christ gave the Church.
Methodism became an important bridge between the Reformation and the later Pentecostal revival: it restored the expectation of experienced holiness and of the Spirit’s deep action, but the fullness of the charismatic life of Acts opened much more widely in the movements that followed.
COMPARED WITH ACTS
How it differs from the apostolic church
01The authority of Scripture
In several large Methodist churches experience and culture have come to decide questions where Scripture speaks plainly — marriage, for example. The apostolic church ‘devoted itself to the apostles’ teaching’ and tested everything by the Scriptures.
Acts 2:42 · 17:11The revival fire has cooled
Early Methodism knew strong manifestations of the Spirit at Wesley's meetings. Today most congregations do not expect gifts and signs, though in Acts they are part of ordinary life.
Acts 4:31 · 5:12Pastors are appointed from above
A bishop appoints pastors and moves them between churches. In Acts elders are appointed in each church from among its own people.
Acts 14:23 · 20:17, 28