History
In July 1505, a law student named Martin Luther was caught in a violent storm near Stotternheim. Terrified, he cried out to St.…
Calling · Fear · Grace
Luther · Romans 1
History
A heart strangely warmed
John Wesley, journal, 24 May 1738
John Wesley was already an ordained priest, a missionary, and a man of severe discipline when he went unwillingly to a meeting on Aldersgate Street on 24 May 1738. Someone read from Luther’s preface to Romans. Wesley later wrote that about a quarter to nine he felt his heart “strangely warmed.” He trusted Christ, he said, and an assurance was given that Christ had taken away his sins. The man who had been working for peace received it as a gift. Methodism’s fire starts in a heart that stopped trying to earn its own warmth.
How you’d preach it
Use when religious competence has become a hiding place. Wesley did not need more effort. He needed Christ for him. Distinguish assurance from emotionalism: the warmth mattered because it was attached to a promise.
- Conversion
- Faith
- Grace
Wesley · Romans 5 · Romans 8
Romans 5:1; Romans 8:16