Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:6)
To say that we abide in Christ—that we have lasting knowledge of him, constant communion with him, and hearts full of him—is nothing more than vain words unless we walk as he walked.((Wesley, Notes, 632.)) Wesley expanded on this in his sermon “Scriptural Christianity.” He said the Holy Spirit was given to Christians in order that we have the mind which was in Christ. Thus, the emphasis is not on the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit but on the fruit of the Spirit. The result of that inward change is outward righteousness—to walk as Christ also walked.((Wesley, “Scriptural Christianity,” Sermon #4, §4.))
Wesley also warned against fanaticism:
Beware you do not run with the common herd of enthusiasts, fancying you are a Christian when you are not. Presume not to assume that venerable name unless you have a clear, scriptural title thereto; unless you have the mind which was in Christ, and walk as he also walked.((Wesley, “The Nature of Enthusiasm,” Sermon #37, §37.))
He explained:
And except a man be thus born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. But all who are thus born of the Spirit have the kingdom of God within them. Christ sets up his kingdom in their hearts—righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. That mind is in them which was in Christ Jesus, enabling them to walk as Christ also walked. His indwelling Spirit makes them both holy in heart and holy in all manner of conversation.((Wesley, “On the Death of George Whitefield,” Sermon #53, 3.4.))
The real question is whether this statement in 1 John 2:6 is describing all true Christians or only those who are entirely sanctified. In “The General Spread of the Gospel,” Wesley explained, “This holiness is the mind that was in Christ, enabling us to walk as Christ also walked.” His next statement is that “No man can be thus sanctified till he is justified.”((Wesley, “The General Spread of the Gospel,” Sermon #63, §13.)) But does Wesley mean initial or entire sanctification? In another sermon Wesley again employs 1 John 2:6 to describe “real Christians.”((Wesley, “On Divine Providence,” Sermon #67, §18.)) Again, he states that it is impossible to be a Christian unless empowered by the Holy Spirit. In this context, he again cited Philippians 2:5 and 1 John 2:6.((Wesley, “On Riches,” Sermon #108, §4.))
Wesley cites 1 John 2:6 thirteen times in his sermons—usually combined with Philippians 2:5, which refers to the mind of Christ. Yet the context does not explicitly deal with entire sanctification. Has Sangster misread Wesley in categorizing 1 John 2:6 as a Christian perfection proof text? In Wesley’s sermon “On the Wedding Garment,” he describes holiness as the wedding garment. He cited the command to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. “In a word, holiness is having the mind that was in Christ, and the walking as Christ walked.”((Wesley, “On the Wedding Garment,” Sermon #127, §17.))
At this point Adam Clarke is helpful. He says to be in Christ is to be converted to the Christian faith and to have received the remission of sins. To abide in Christ is to continue in salvation, growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.((Clarke, Commentary, 6:906.)) If “holiness” is categorized as a second crisis, 1 John 2:6 does not actually address the subject. But if we understand “holiness” as a lifestyle, this verse describes the Christian walk as a journey that will inevitably go deeper. It does not supply much detail regarding how we will be taken deeper, but it does provide the standard—that we should be more like Christ.
Sermon Suggestions
This practical description of the Christian walk as Christlikeness may be connected with 1 Peter 2:21, which states that Christ left us an example and that we should follow in his steps. In 1471 Thomas à Kempis wrote The Imitation of Christ. Wesley reprinted it in four forms and at least 120 editions.
Wesley began reading Thomas à Kempis in 1725, about the time he was ordained. “I began to see that true religion was seated in the heart and that God’s law extended to all our thoughts as well as words and actions. I was, however, very angry at Kempis for being too strict.”((Wesley, Journal, 24 May, 1738, §4))
Wesley had a great admiration for Kempis, but in a letter to his mother, he objected to the position of Kempis that God has decreed we should be miserable in the world. Wesley also objected to his contentions that “mirth is vain and useless.”((Wesley, Letter to Susanna Wesley, 28 May 1725.)) However, Wesley ultimately rejected the emphasis of Kempis because it led to “self-denigration aimed merely at total resignation which becomes a kind of detached fatalism.((Tuttle, Mysticism in the Wesleyan Tradition, 106–107.)) P. T. Forsyth concluded that the monks lost the way of life by focusing more on imitating Christ than on trusting Christ.((Forsyth, Christian Perfection, 97.))
Perhaps the starting point should be our concept of Jesus Christ. A distorted view of Jesus will lead to a stifling view of holiness. The key to understanding the holy life is to grasp the character and priorities of Jesus.