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They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Acts 2:42 NRSV)
Dr. Robert Tuttle is an awesome man; noted professor and author and firm believer in Christ Jesus. He served on the faculty of Asbury Theological Seminary on their Orlando, Florida campus. I had the pleasure of knowing him when I served on their board of directors and so once a year I had the chance to visit him and get to know him better. Nellie also befriended him and he handed her a copy of his outline and rough draft of one of his books set to be published. What an honor! Sadly, now he's battling advanced Alzheimer's and requires 24/7 care. His son, Eric started a GoFundMe to help offset medical expenses for his treatment. But one of Dr. Tuttle's favorite questions was to ask everyone, "How is it with you soul?" I caught on and the next time we met I beat him to it, and he did a sudden move back and grabbed his chin and looked up and then said, "That a good question. Such a good question. Thank you for asking me that.." and proceeded to tell me how it was with his soul. That question came straight from the man himself, The Rev. John Wesley, founder of Methodism.
John Wesley lived in a time of extremes. On one side were those who emphasized works-based religion—following rules, performing rituals, doing good deeds to earn God's favor. This is legalism: the belief that our works save us, that we can earn our way to Heaven through righteous living. It is still around and going stronger than ever, dear friends!
On the other side were those who said that since we're saved by grace through faith alone, our works don't matter at all. If salvation is a gift, they argued, then how we live makes no difference. This is antinomianism: faith without works, belief without behavior, grace without transformation. And? Venture a guess as to what has happened to this side? Yes, you're right; still around and still as strong as in Wesley's day.
But guess what? Wesley rejected both extremes. He called the Methodist way "faith that works by love." It's a beautiful balance that honors both Scripture and experience:
We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone—our works cannot earn salvation But true faith always produces works of love—genuine faith transforms how we live We work not to be saved, but because we are saved—love compels us to serve. Wesley understood something profound: the kind of faith that saves is the kind of faith that changes us. It's not a dead, intellectual agreement with doctrine. It's a living, breathing, active trust in Christ that transforms our hearts and our hands.
Think of it this way: If someone says they love you but never shows it—never spends time with you, never helps when you're in need, never sacrifices for you—would you believe their words? Love isn't just words; it's action. Love does.
The same is true of faith. Faith isn't just mental assent to theological propositions. Faith is a living relationship with Christ that produces the fruit of love in our lives. As Wesley said, we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone—it's always accompanied by love and good works.
Wesley warned against falling into either ditch on the road to Heaven:
Ditch #1: Works Without Faith (Legalism) This is the exhausting treadmill of trying to earn God's approval through religious performance. It's checking off boxes, following rules, doing good deeds to rack up points with God. It leads to:
Pride when we succeed ("Look how good I am!")
Despair when we fail ("I'll never be good enough")
Comparison with others ("At least I'm better than them")
Missing the joy of relationship with God
The problem? We're trusting in ourselves instead of Christ. We're trying to be our own savior. And it never works because we can never be good enough on our own.
Ditch #2: Faith Without Works (Antinomianism) This is the lazy assumption that because we're saved by grace, how we live doesn't matter. "I've said the sinner's prayer, so I'm going to Heaven no matter what I do." It leads to:
Spiritual complacency ("I'm fine just as I am")
Unchanged lives that don't reflect Christ
No growth in holiness or love
A mockery of the grace that saved us
The problem? This isn't the faith the Bible talks about. True faith transforms us. If there's no change, no fruit, no works of love, then James asks the hard question: "Can such faith save?" His answer is clear: No, because it's not real faith—it's dead faith, empty profession without genuine trust.
Wesley's path walks right down the middle of the road:
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ—this is our foundation. We contribute nothing to our salvation. Christ did it all. We simply receive the gift by faith. True faith produces transformation—the Holy Spirit comes to live in us, changing our desires, renewing our minds, empowering us to live differently. We're not just forgiven; we're being made new.
Love compels us to serve—out of gratitude for what Christ has done, out of love for God and neighbor, we joyfully serve. Not to earn anything, but to express everything we've already received.
Works are the evidence of genuine faith—they don't save us, but they show that we're saved. They're the fruit that proves the tree is alive and healthy.
As Wesley famously said: "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." Not to earn salvation, but because we're saved. Not out of obligation, but out of love.
This is why Methodists have always emphasized both personal piety and social holiness. We study Scripture and pray—not to earn favor, but to deepen relationship. We serve the poor, visit the sick, fight for justice—not to rack up points, but because love demands action. We pursue holiness—not to become acceptable to God, but because we're already accepted and being transformed.
Our faith is alive because it works through love. It prays and it serves. It worships and it works. It believes and it acts. It receives grace and it gives grace away.
So examine your own heart today:
Are you trying to earn God's love through works? Rest in grace. You're already loved, already accepted, already saved through faith in Christ.
Are you claiming faith but living unchanged? Let that faith come alive. Let the love of Christ compel you to serve. Let the grace you've received overflow into works of love.
The Methodist way is neither legalism nor license—it's faith that works by love. It's receiving God's grace with empty hands, then using those same hands to serve others. It's trusting in Christ alone for salvation, then living a life that reflects His love to the world.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You that I am saved by grace through faith alone—never by my works, always by Your finished work on the cross. But thank You also that true faith transforms me, that Your love compels me to serve, that Your Spirit empowers me to live differently. Save me from both the pride of legalism and the laziness of empty faith. Give me a living, active, working faith—faith that loves, faith that serves, faith that changes the world because it has first changed me. In Your name, Amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, put your faith into action. Choose one specific act of love—visit someone lonely, serve at a food bank, help a neighbor in need, give generously to someone struggling. Do it not to earn God's favor, but to express the love you've already received.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and you matter to me! Part of your purpose is to reach others.
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
