Dr Paul Allen

The New Testament teaches that Jesus was entirely free from sin (John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 John 3:5). This assertion means not only that He never disobeyed His Father, but that He loved God's law and found whole-hearted joy in keeping it. In fallen human beings there is always some reluctance to obey God, and sometimes resentment amounting to hatred at the claims He makes on us (Rom. 8:7).  But Jesus' moral nature was unfallen, as was Adam's prior to his sin, and in Jesus, there was no prior inclination away from God for Satan to exploit, as there is in us. Jesus loved His Father and His Father's will with all His heart, mind, soul, and strength. Heb. 4:15 says that Jesus was "in every respect ... tempted as we are," though without sin. The temptations we face-temptations to wrongfully indulge natural desires, to evade moral and spiritual issues, to cut moral corners and take easy ways out, to be less than loving and sympa...

Wesley used his observations of contemporary experience and his reflections on the lives of past Christians to shape his understanding of God’s will, he nevertheless held God’s Word as ultimate and authoritative. He refused to consider seriously any teaching unless it could stand its ground under the pure light of revelation. No Christian leader has ever been more faithful in bringing all observation, experience, and rational conclusions to the Scriptures for final judgment. “If by catholic principles,” he said on one occasion, “you mean anything other than scriptural, they weigh nothing with me. I allow no other rule, whether of faith or practice than the Holy Scriptures.” At the same time, he insisted that God’s truth was given to us to be translated into life and could be if it were received and believed.  Therefore, to understand salvation fully, one must take into account the knowledge of God given to those who were honestly seeking His will and experiencing His gra...