John Wesley on Justification
Forensic — righteousness imputed, not infused
"The plain scriptural notion of justification is pardon, the forgiveness of sins." — Justification by Faith, §II.5. "It is not the being made actually just and righteous. This is 'sanctification'... a distinct gift of God, and of a totally different nature."
THE POSITION
Pardon, not transformation — a declared change of legal status, sharply distinguished from sanctification even though the two begin in the same moment. States the distinction as a category error to blur: justification does not make a person actually righteous, only forgiven and accepted.
5 However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
18 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Anglican priest and founder of the Methodist movement. His Standard Sermons and Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament are Methodism's own doctrinal standards. The map's first researched Arminian figure, set against an otherwise Reformed-heavy list — his signature move is prevenient grace: total depravity by nature, but no one actually left in that bare state, because grace merited for everyone reaches everyone first.
Cite this page
"John Wesley on Justification", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/wesley/justification (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/wesley/justification).