Wesleyan Grace

Some time ago I heard an hour long sermon which was filled with "oughts" and "shoulds."  It was a sermon which was filled with such despair over sin and the judgment which awaited us all that I felt like I was walking in a great darkness when I left.  As I thought about the sermon, I realized it was a sermon empty of grace.  It was not that the preacher said things which were untrue, but that the spirit of grace had no room to work.  One of the things I have learned about my changing theology is that I am more aware than ever of the way the grace of God undergirds and overshadows everything.   

My recent Wesley readings remind me that Wesleyan theology is at its core a word about grace.  In the first sermon he preached after Aldersgate entitled "Salvation by Faith"  Wesley preached, "Grace is the source and faith the condition of our salvation."  A couple of verses worthy of memorization stand under this statement.  One is Romans 5:8 which says, "But God proves His love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us."  A second is found in Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."     

More and more I am drawn to that verse about the over abounding and all sufficient grace of God.  John Wesley spoke a profound truth when he struck those words about grace being the source.  It is the source of everything.  What is it that I rightly deserve because of my goodness?  What is it that I have earned from all my service and preaching?  The answer is, of course, nothing.  Any blessing I have received in the course of my days is all about grace.  It is about receiving from my Creator that which can only be understood as a merciful gift.  Thanks be to God for His goodness!