A review by misstessamaye
A Plain Account of Christian Perfection by John Wesley

2.0

This was an intriguing read for me. I read it with an open mind because I hadn't studied this doctrine heavily at all, but when I finished it I was quite confused. I think if Wesley had chosen a word other than “perfection” to describe what he is alluding to, it would be much less of an issue. He never states that some Christians are incapable of making mistakes; in fact, he blatantly states that he does not believe that. But the word “perfection” definitely leaves that impression if not explained fully and thoroughly; even then, sometimes it was confusing. He says that Christians are not infallible but are sinless, only to later say that perfection is not necessarily sinless. I don’t know if he fully understood what he was teaching or if he had fully processed it before he published it. I don’t know what I believe about Wesley’s definition of perfection in Christians, and reading his work didn’t help me form an opinion because I was confused by a few contradictions he made.

A life lived in love is pleasing to the Lord, even if mistakes are made in it, because it is a life lived with Him. I think this was Wesley’s main conclusion, and I concur with it wholeheartedly.