Wesley's Definition of Justification (Sermon #1)

In Wesley’s sermon titled “Salvation by Faith” (the first sermon in the Standard Sermons), a Wesleyan definition of justification is explicitly given:

“We have been considering the present day salvation that comes through faith. This salvation delivers us from sin and its consequences. We often refer to this work of God as justification. Understood in its largest sense, justification means deliverance from guilt and punishment through the atonement of Christ, which is applied to the soul of the sinner who trusts in him. This trust leads to deliverance from the power of sin, through Christ who lives in the heart. Those who are justified in this way—that is, saved by faith—are truly born again of the Spirit into a new life.” - Modern English translation by Kinghorn

There are a few key points to pull out of this understanding of justification. First, Wesley refers to justification as “the present day salvation that comes through faith.” In Wesleyan theology, we don’t just stop at the door of salvation. In fact, biblically, a salvation is referred to in multiple, process-oriented ways. A person can be saved, being saved, and will be saved all at the same time. Justification happens to represent the present-day salvation—that initial change in status from “guilty” to “not guilty” in Christ.

Second, “this salvation delivers us from sin and its consequences.” It’s a trust that “leads to deliverance from the power of sin, through Christ who lives in the heart.” Although Wesley speaks more eloquently regarding deliverance from guilt and past sins in his sermon titled “The First-Fruits of the Spirit” (Sermon #8), there is in this first sermon (“Salvation by Faith”) a Wesleyan emphasis on the freedom from the power of sin, all through the power of Christ who now lives in the heart of the born-again believer. This emphasis of freedom from sins power distinguishes Wesleyan Christians from many other Christian traditions. Namely, we uphold and stand upon the doctrine of Christian perfection and the promise/hope/confidence that grace is always greater than sin.

Third, Wesley makes an important statement in that last quoted sentence above: “Those who are justified in this way—that is, saved by faith—are truly born again of the Spirit into a new life.” In this statement, Wesley distinguishes justification and new birth as two distinct works of God’s transforming grace. And yet, Wesley also identifies that they occur at the same time. We can think of this in the same way we think of a marriage ceremony. When a couple gets married, they become legally united with a new name and a new public identity (this is like justification). That couple also becomes something new in nature that they were not before: a family (this is like new birth).