The answer to these questions depends on your theological perspective, but I would suspect the average person in the pew would say, “No!” to both questions. Here’s why.
Some preachers tend to take Bible verses out of context to prove a point and to reinforce the fallacy that Christianity is a powerless lifestyle, at least when it comes to overcoming sin. So, they’ll quote Romans 7:14-23, Romans 3:23, and others, claiming a constant struggle with sin is the normal Christian experience. And few congregants would dare argue with their pastors! To be honest, many welcome this interpretation because it alleviates any responsibility on their part to change their behavior or to overcome sins that they kind of enjoy. A sinning religion doesn’t interfere with their lives; they can pretty much keep doing what they’ve been doing, add Jesus and a little bit of church-going, and be assured they’re still going to make it to heaven.
But let’s look at these verses for just a minute. Romans 3:23 (“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”) is proclaimed in the context of Paul’s argument about our need of salvation. He isn’t making a statement about our perpetual state after coming to Christ. We have a sin problem that can’t be solved by merely following the Law, says Paul. No amount of good works can get us into heaven. We need Jesus. Everyone needs Jesus, no matter how “moral” an upbringing they’ve had or how religious they’ve been. Prior to coming to Jesus in faith, we all stand alike in absolute need, sentenced to condemnation. This is what Paul is saying in Chapter 3. But now, says Paul in 3:21-22, a righteousness apart from the law has been given to us by God, and it comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
Likewise, in Romans 7:14-23, Paul reveals the continual defeat he experienced trying to live by the Mosaic Law apart from the empowering grace that comes through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Whereas he was once “unspiritual” and a “slave to sin,” with “sin living in me,” and being a “prisoner of the law of sin,” after coming to Christ, the opposite is true. Look at the verses immediately following Romans 7:14-23.
Romans 7:24-25a – “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Romans 8:2-4 – “…because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
And notice these verses in the next chapter…
Romans 8:9 – “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”
Romans 8:13 – “For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
If you read Romans 6-8 in its entirety in one sitting, you’ll see immediately the argument Paul is making. Prior to salvation, we are dead in our sins and powerless to do anything about it. After entering into a saving relationship with Jesus, we are set free from sin and it no longer has control over us. In fact, we are expected to live in victory over sin.
Now, let me warn you right here that there are those who teach the “righteousness” Jesus brings is merely imputed to us. God, they say, looks at us and sees only the righteousness of Jesus, not the sinfulness of our actions. It’s as if God is wearing rose-colored glasses and doesn’t see things as they are, but as He has decreed them to be. We can’t ever truly become righteous, they say. We all sin every day in word, thought, and deed. And we’ll never overcome that state until we get to heaven. Our spirits may be willing, but our bodies are weak. The answer to the question, “Is there a cure for sinning,” for these people is, “No, not until we get to heaven.”
I can’t state emphatically enough how contrary this view is to the Word of God and to Wesleyan/holiness theology. But it has crept into our holiness churches very subtly. And its effects can be seen everywhere, from the “Sinning Pastor Phenomenon” I wrote about recently, to the acceptance of perverse lifestyles as normal, to the general level of comfort with sin among Christians in our churches. “You’re not OK; I’m not OK, and we’re all OK with that,” has become the implied theology of the day, as we seek to have “conversations” about sin and to excuse it when we personally know some “very nice” people who practice it. We have taken love to its unintended conclusion: accept everyone as they are, don’t make anyone feel guilty for their sin, and God will sort it all out in the end and save those who are meant to be saved (or He’ll just save everyone). Love wins!
If that sounds a little Calvinistic to you, then you’ve hit the nail on the head. I realize many of you reading this article don’t even know what Calvinism is. And many of you might not even have a strong understanding of Wesleyanism. But these competing belief systems have actual consequences in how we live out the Christian life. And it’s critical that you know the difference between the two in order to have a correct theological framework with which to understand Scripture and the Christian life God expects of you.
What you believe matters because it influences how you live. And how you live has eternal consequences.
You probably don’t hear much about theology these days because most churches and Christians don’t care much about theology. Churches care about church growth, helping the poor, evangelism, and trying to be “liked” by the world so they have the opportunity to be a witness to the world. They’re preoccupied with church buildings, finances, staffing ministries, and creating “cool and relevant” worship experiences week after week. Who has time for theology when “life” is more important? After all, isn’t believing in Jesus the only thing that matters? Don’t all these other theological positions amount to insignificant arguments that are unimportant compared to the eternal truth of the Gospel?
I would posit here that these “insignificant” theological arguments are anything but insignificant. They make all the difference in the world, and they could directly affect someone’s “salvation.” Souls are at stake. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. Let’s look at some of the fundamental differences between Calvinism and Wesleyanism. Take a few minutes to read through this chart before continuing.
God is absolutely sovereign, but He is not arbitrary.
Quite a few years ago, when my husband and I were co-pastoring a Wesleyan church up north, one of our church members came to us with a Bible study he wanted to teach to adults in a Wednesday night or Sunday morning setting. We took some time to read through it before ultimately refusing the request. What was wrong with the Bible study? While we couldn’t disagree with most of the statements made on the pages of the workbook, something bothered us about all of it. Why did God create the world, the text asked. “Because God is sovereign and He can do anything He wants to do,” was the answer. Why did God destroy the world in a flood? “Because God is sovereign and He can do anything He wants to do.” Why did God choose Isaac over Ishmael?” “Because God is sovereign and He can do anything He wants to do.” And ultimately, why are some people saved and some people not? “Because God is sovereign and He can do anything He wants to do.”
Yes, God is sovereign and can do anything He wants to do, but is that really the prevailing attribute that dictates everything God does? He is just. He is holy. He loves His people. He hates sin. Wesleyanism contends that everything God does flows from His holiness (which is the sum total of His justice, love, mercy, righteousness, goodness, etc.). Calvinism, on the other hand, starts from the presupposition that God is sovereign, and everything He does flows from that sovereignty alone. It makes God somewhat arbitrary in His decisions and actions and, frankly, somewhat cruel. And it strips away any responsibility on our part to seek to please or to emulate Him.
Humanity is depraved, but not beyond God’s grace to renew and restore human nature in response to faith.
Calvinism also holds that human nature is utterly and completely depraved. There is nothing good in humankind at all! So, since people have no capacity to ever, on their own, reach out to God for salvation, God must determine who will be saved and who will not be saved. He does this by divine decree, because He is sovereign and He can do anything He wants to do. Even once people are “saved,” there is no cure for that sinful human nature. God, though, chooses to see Jesus’ righteousness instead of our sinfulness. There is no moral responsibility to avoid sin, because it is impossible for people to not sin.
In contrast to Calvinism’s bleak view of human nature, his student Jacob Arminius sought to better explain the relationship between God’s sovereignty and Spirit-enabled free will. Arminius taught that God initiates a relationship with people and also gives them the grace to respond in faith. God is still sovereign, but salvation isn’t by decree; it is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There is a human responsibility to respond in order to be saved.
This is also what John Wesley and his followers taught. Salvation is offered to all, grace is extended to all to make faith possible, and “whosoever will” may come to Christ by a free-will choice. Wesley taught that we move “from grace to grace” (John 1:16). God’s grace extended to prompt our faith is also working to renew and restore His image in us. He gives us the grace to say no to ungodliness and yes to righteousness (Titus 2:12) through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. As our love for God grows, so does our desire to obey Him and to please Him in all we do. There is constant growth in our Christian walk, with definitive steps of faith to give the Holy Spirit greater control over our hearts and lives. The changes He makes in us are real, with tangible consequences.
God pours His love into us, enabling us to love not only Him, but also others. It is that love for others that dictates our actions toward them. We actually become righteous through God’s empowering grace. This is not a “works salvation.” Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). But God’s grace actually does something in us. It transforms us. We begin to look more like Jesus every day. Our heart’s desire is to please God and to obey Him and to love like He does. We’re not left in our sin. God sets us apart as His own and begins a recreation process in us. Our marred human nature can be restored to one that is “all in” with Jesus. We can become pure and holy and love-filled as we go from grace to grace and deepen our faith. The bottom line is that we are delivered from sin. It no longer enslaves us. It is possible not to sin.
Salvation isn’t a one-time act but a lifelong relationship.
There is a tendency in Calvinism to think of faith as a “thing” that is received at a moment in time (in the past). But believing is always used in a progressive present tense in the Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written). Belief or faith, resulting in a realignment of our lives to please God, is dynamic and ongoing. Instead of looking backward to a single momentary act of faith in our past, Wesleyans look forward and upward to grow in grace every day. “Salvation” includes everything from that first awakening of the soul to our need of Christ (prevenient grace) to the time we step foot on heaven’s shore. We are daily being saved. The Christian life is a relationship, not a “thing” to be possessed, like a “get out of hell free” card. Salvation is living in communion with God and responding to the Holy Spirit moment by moment.
Assurance of salvation is possible.
Most people look to Calvinistic teachings because they think it gives them more assurance of salvation than Wesleyanism. Calvinists believe once people are “saved” (either by the decree of God or by a one-time act of faith that proves you are one of the elect), they can never lose that salvation, no matter what they do here on earth. They are eternally secure. After all, God is sovereign, and salvation is based on what He says, not on what man does. Or so the theological “logic” contends.
The problem is that, with Calvinism, you never really know whether or not you are one of the elect. That means you never really know for sure if you’re going to heaven.
Contrast that with Wesleyanism’s “conditional security.” As my father used to say continually (after he was saved at the age of 36), “I’m eternally secure as long as I abide in Christ.” The Word of God is clear that there is an “if” to all God’s promises (see Isaiah 55:7, 1 John 1:7-9, John 6:37; Romans 10:9; John 1:12; John 3:16; Colossians 1:23; Romans 11:22-23). The Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16), and you can know with certainty that you are at any given moment “saved” from sin and death (1 John 5:13). Eternal life is something you become a partaker in right now; it’s not just some reward you receive after you die. You have assurance in your salvation because you are living it out every day. You hear the voice of the Spirit and you want to follow. Your perfect love for Jesus and for others casts out all fear of coming judgment (1 John 4:8). You know that you know that you know you are a child of God!
The bottom line…
It would be impossible for me to fully describe all the elements of Calvinism and Wesleyanism in one short article, just as it would be impossible for me to do a full study of Scripture here. If you would like to explore the Bible a little more, consider downloading the free Bible study on holiness I’ve provided on this site.
The bottom line for those from the Wesleyan/holiness theological perspective is this. Is there a cure for sin? Absolutely! Does it matter? Absolutely. You can’t live in sin and walk with God at the same time. Your belief or faith isn’t a one-time act but a lifelong walk, so that you are daily “being saved.” If you are ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit and Jesus isn’t working in you and through you to increase your love for God and others and you are not obeying Jesus’ commands in the Bible, then how could you consider yourself in a saving relationship with Him? God is certainly gracious and forgiving when we fail, but if our sin is defiant and willful, then we need to seriously consider if Christ is indeed living in us.
God, in His grace, has made it possible for us to not sin. And He expects us to live lives of obedience and love, where we put pleasing God above any other earthly pursuit. Our deepening faith and obedience will lead us to experience salvation in its fullness.
Christian, you don’t have to live a defeated Christian life. Your walk doesn’t have to be a rollercoaster ride. You can, by faith, allow God full control of your life. His grace is able to keep you from sinning day by day and hour by hour if you will respond in obedience to the Holy Spirit. He has given you the grace and power to do just that every time! But don’t be fooled into thinking that a one-time act (be it a salvation experience or a sanctification experience) will remove all temptation or any need for further growth. God’s Spirit continually works in us until the day we die. Is it possible for you to sin? Yes. But it’s also possible for you to not sin.
Here’s what you can do now…
- Ask God to show you how your theology may be hindering a right understanding of (and living out of) salvation. Ask God what He wants to do in your heart and life.
- Read copious amounts of Scripture in context. The failure of Calvinism is that it’s a system devised by logic, not Scripture. That’s why Calvinists often resort to proof-texting to prove a point. Read biblical books in their entirety so you gain a correct understanding of theological concepts.
- Search your heart. Ask God to show you if there is anything unclean that needs to be removed. Ask Him to show you if you haven’t been walking in a daily love relationship with Jesus.
- Confess your sins and receive the grace God has made available to you to cleanse you from all sin.
- Seek to daily grow in grace. Grace is an empowerment to do something, not simply a cover your sins. God’s grace makes it possible for you to live in a way that pleases Him.
- Walk in obedience to everything God asks you to do, even if it doesn’t make sense. If you follow the Spirit faithfully, God will do an unbelievable work in your heart and life as you continue to mature.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for the assurance of full salvation.
Source for this article: Wynkoop, Mildred Bangs. Foundations of Wesleyan-Arminian Theology, (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press), 1967.
