The Great Privilege of Those That Are Born of God · §19 · John Wesley

While he keeps himself

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

Now one who is so born of God, as has been described above, continually receives into his soul the breath of life from God, the gracious influence of his Spirit, and continually renders it back. He believes and loves. By faith he perceives the continual actings of God upon his spirit, and by a kind of spiritual reaction he returns the grace he receives, in unceasing love, and praise, and prayer. Such a one not only does not commit sin while he thus keeps himself. So long as this seed remains in him, he cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 John 3:9).

1771 text

Now one who is so born of God as hath been above described, who continually receives into his soul the breath of life from God, the gracious influence of his Spirit, and continually renders it back: one who thus believes and loves; who by faith perceives the continual actings of God upon his spirit; and by a kind of spiritual re-action, returns the grace he receives in unceasing love, and praise, and prayer; not only doth not commit sin, while he thus keepeth himself; but so long as this seed remaineth in him, he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Report a mistake in this passage

About this text

On 1 John 3:9: what it means to be born of God, how it differs from being justified, and why whoever is born of God does not commit sin.

EditionPrinted in Wesley's 1771 Works, which do not say when he preached it

Wesley's own sermon in updated English wording. The 1771 panel is the text of the Works Wesley himself had printed in 1771. It is public domain.

Reference

Sermon 19 in the 1771 Works. First John 3:9.

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We put this English text into updated wording with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open the 1771 text under any part to compare.

Report a mistake