Something to Chew On

The following excerpt is taken from a sermon in a collection published by John Wesley in 1771 under the title Sermons, On Several Occasions.


“The more any believer examines his own heart, the more will he be convinced of this: That faith working by love excludes both inward and outward sin from a soul watching unto prayer; that nevertheless we are even then liable to temptation, particularly to the sin that did easily beset us; that if the loving eye of the soul be steadily fixed on God, the temptation soon vanishes away: But if not, if we are exelkomenoi , (as the Apostle James speaks,  James 1:14 , ) drawn out of God by our own desire, and deleazomenoi , caught by the bait of present or promised pleasure; then that desire, conceived in us, brings forth sin; and, having by that inward sin destroyed our faith, it casts us headlong into the snare of the devil, so that we may commit any outward sin whatever.

From what has been said, we may learn, secondly, what the life of God in the soul of a believer is; wherein it properly consists; and what is immediately and necessarily implied therein. It immediately and necessarily implies the continual inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit; God’s breathing into the soul, and the soul’s breathing back what it first receives from God; a continual action of God upon the soul, and a re-action of the soul upon God; an unceasing presence of God, the loving, pardoning God, manifested to the heart, and perceived by faith; and an unceasing return of love, praise, and prayer, offering up all the thoughts of our hearts, all the words of our tongues, all the works of our hands, all our body, soul, and spirit, to be a holy sacrifice, acceptable unto God in Christ Jesus.

And hence we may, thirdly, infer the absolute necessity of this re-action of the soul, (whatsoever it be called,) in order to the continuance of the divine life therein. For it plainly appears, God does not continue to act upon the soul, unless the soul re-acts upon God. He prevents us indeed with the blessings of his goodness. He first loves us, and manifests himself unto us. While we are yet afar off, he calls us to himself, and shines upon our hearts. But if we do not then love him who first loved us; if we will not hearken to his voice; if we turn our eye away from him, and will not attend to the light which he pours upon us; his Spirit will not always strive: He will gradually withdraw, and leave us to the darkness of our own hearts. He will not continue to breathe into our soul, unless our soul breathes toward him again; unless our love, and prayer, and thanksgiving return to him, a sacrifice wherewith he is well pleased.”


In the analogy of our life in Jesus as the “life of God in the soul of a believer”, Wesley deals with the nuts and bolts of the “biology” of the spiritual new man- in order to stay alive and thrive, he has to breathe both in and out. Respiration is required for all life, both physical and spiritual. Our life in Christ is far more than a conversion experience, correct beliefs, or even a touch from God; it also crucially involves our response to that touch. When living things stop breathing, or breathe irregularly, things do not go well for them. In the same way, our relationship with Christ cannot be merely receiving; we must be continually giving back to Him in order to experience a healthy life in Him. Only when we are pouring ourselves out in prayer and service do we find that the inflowing Spirit is limitless in both scope and power, and is never lacking to fill us when we simply feel the need to allow Him in.

-Chris Wagner