Wesleyan Theology

Definition and Meaning

Wesleyan theology is a theological tradition that follows the teachings of John Wesley (1703–1791). Churches and individuals who follow this tradition are called Wesleyans. Its principal teachings are as follows:

• Prevenient grace: the grace by which God draws near to people before they seek Him, enabling them to respond
• Justification: being forgiven of sin and accounted righteous through faith
• Assurance of salvation: the witness of the Holy Spirit in the heart that one has been saved
• Sanctification and Christian perfection: the teaching that believers grow in holiness of life and may come to love God and neighbor perfectly

Wesleyan theology affirms human response and free will in salvation. In this respect it stands close to Arminianism and is frequently contrasted with the Calvinist doctrine of predestination (see Predestination and Free Will). Critics in the Reformed tradition have argued that the doctrine of "perfection" risks treating sin too lightly. Wesleyans respond that the doctrine refers not to a state entirely free of sin but to a state in which love has been made perfect.

Biblical and Historical Background

Wesley was a priest of the Church of England. He recorded that in 1738, at a meeting on Aldersgate Street in London, he felt his heart "strangely warmed." He went on to lead the Methodist movement, preaching in the open air and organizing believers into small groups. Passages frequently cited as the biblical basis for sanctification include Matthew 5:48 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The nineteenth-century Holiness movement in the United States inherited this teaching and emphasized "entire sanctification."

Practice in Korean Churches

• Methodism: Methodism in Korea began in 1885 with the arrival of American Methodist missionaries, including Henry Appenzeller and William Scranton. The Korean Methodist Church maintains class meetings (sokhoe), which carry on Wesley's small-group tradition. It has emphasized social engagement alongside personal sanctification.
• Holiness Church: The Holiness Church traces its origins to the Gospel Mission Hall opened in Seoul in 1907 by Kim Sang-jun and Chong Bin with the support of the Oriental Missionary Society. The Holiness Church has adopted the Fourfold Gospel as the central watchword of its faith. The Fourfold Gospel consists of regeneration (receiving forgiveness of sins and being born anew), sanctification (holiness through cleansing from sin), divine healing (healing by God), and the Second Coming (the return of Jesus Christ). The Fourfold Gospel is understood to have been formulated under the influence of the Holiness movement, and it is confessed by both the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church and the Jesus Korea Sungkyul Church.
• Other denominations: The Korea Nazarene Church and The Salvation Army Korea Territory also belong to the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. Pentecostalism is generally understood to have emerged from the Holiness movement and thus shares roots with Wesleyan theology.