The "4 Alls" of Methodism
Created | Updated Jun 19, 2004
Although the Methodist Church does not have a simple doctrinal statement to wave at people, the essence of Methodist teaching has often been expressed in the "4 All's". These are slogans rather than detailed theological pronouncements, but provided that this limitation is remembered they are quite useful. For the record, the "4 All's" are:
• All need to be saved
• All can be saved
• All can know themselves to be saved
• All can be saved to the uttermost
Unless you already know what these slogans mean, you're probably not much wiser, so let me explain.
All need to be saved (The doctrine of "Original Sin")
This has been called the only Christian doctrine for which there is empirical evidence. Everyone knows that things are not what they could be. The Christian word for the fault-line that we see running through human life is sin, the determination shared by all people everywhere to pursue our own interests and to take God's place as the centre of our universe. Sin is "I" against God."Original Sin" doesn't mean sin that nobody else has thought of. It is a way of saying that sin is something that all people are born into; in every age and place men and women have found it easier to do wrong than to do right. St Paul expressed it this way: "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." (Letter to the Romans, chapter 7 vss 18,19)
Sin may not be a popular word, but most people will recognise the experience that Paul describes. If you doubt it, check out the number of "self-help" guides available in every book shop. We know we can be better than we are. For Christians, the solutions to this problem do not lie within us, but in the love and mercy of the God who made and sustains us.<P>
All can be saved (Salvation by grace)
Is salvation for all people, or are some people excluded from God's promises? After all, the Bible speaks often of God's people being chosen. As anyone who has ever played football in a school yard knows, every time one person is chosen another is left behind. Is that how the salvation of God works? Methodists, following Wesley, have always asserted that salvation was on offer for all and not simply to the few for whom it was predestined. It is this belief that has given, and still gives, the Methodist Church its missionary purpose.
All can know themselves to be saved (The doctrine of assurance)
The first two Methodist emphases point to objective realities - human seperation from God and God's action in Jesus to restore us to a relationship with him. This third emphasis is more subjective; not 'are you saved?' but 'do you feel saved?' Wesley first taught that this feeling of salvation came automatically to all believers, but he later came to realise his mistake. Assurance is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is shared with the people of God, but which is not experienced by everyone all of the time. Even the most faithful Christians know 'the dark night of the soul' at some time in their lives. Certainty of salvation and the joy that comes with it is a privilege for which we should be grateful.
All can be saved to the uttermost (Christian Perfection)
Of all of Methodist teaching, this is probably the most controversial. Wesley taught that the Christian life was a process of growth in holiness and that this process could be completed in perfection during a believer's lifetime. He did not claim this perfection for himself. Though at first sight it may seem ridiculous, it is important not to jump to conclusions about what is meant by Christian Perfection. Here there is only the space to say that by Christian Perfection we mean perfection of attitude towards God and neighbour, a perfection of the will directed in love.This means that this is not a matter of self-fulfillment or individualism. Since love is all about relationships, Christian Perfection is essentially a social matter. As Wesley himself put it, the gospel has "no holiness but social holiness".
• All need to be saved
• All can be saved
• All can know themselves to be saved
• All can be saved to the uttermost
Unless you already know what these slogans mean, you're probably not much wiser, so let me explain.
All need to be saved (The doctrine of "Original Sin")
This has been called the only Christian doctrine for which there is empirical evidence. Everyone knows that things are not what they could be. The Christian word for the fault-line that we see running through human life is sin, the determination shared by all people everywhere to pursue our own interests and to take God's place as the centre of our universe. Sin is "I" against God."Original Sin" doesn't mean sin that nobody else has thought of. It is a way of saying that sin is something that all people are born into; in every age and place men and women have found it easier to do wrong than to do right. St Paul expressed it this way: "I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." (Letter to the Romans, chapter 7 vss 18,19)
Sin may not be a popular word, but most people will recognise the experience that Paul describes. If you doubt it, check out the number of "self-help" guides available in every book shop. We know we can be better than we are. For Christians, the solutions to this problem do not lie within us, but in the love and mercy of the God who made and sustains us.<P>
All can be saved (Salvation by grace)
Is salvation for all people, or are some people excluded from God's promises? After all, the Bible speaks often of God's people being chosen. As anyone who has ever played football in a school yard knows, every time one person is chosen another is left behind. Is that how the salvation of God works? Methodists, following Wesley, have always asserted that salvation was on offer for all and not simply to the few for whom it was predestined. It is this belief that has given, and still gives, the Methodist Church its missionary purpose.
All can know themselves to be saved (The doctrine of assurance)
The first two Methodist emphases point to objective realities - human seperation from God and God's action in Jesus to restore us to a relationship with him. This third emphasis is more subjective; not 'are you saved?' but 'do you feel saved?' Wesley first taught that this feeling of salvation came automatically to all believers, but he later came to realise his mistake. Assurance is a gift of the Holy Spirit that is shared with the people of God, but which is not experienced by everyone all of the time. Even the most faithful Christians know 'the dark night of the soul' at some time in their lives. Certainty of salvation and the joy that comes with it is a privilege for which we should be grateful.
All can be saved to the uttermost (Christian Perfection)
Of all of Methodist teaching, this is probably the most controversial. Wesley taught that the Christian life was a process of growth in holiness and that this process could be completed in perfection during a believer's lifetime. He did not claim this perfection for himself. Though at first sight it may seem ridiculous, it is important not to jump to conclusions about what is meant by Christian Perfection. Here there is only the space to say that by Christian Perfection we mean perfection of attitude towards God and neighbour, a perfection of the will directed in love.This means that this is not a matter of self-fulfillment or individualism. Since love is all about relationships, Christian Perfection is essentially a social matter. As Wesley himself put it, the gospel has "no holiness but social holiness".
