John Wesley’s 1738 Definition of a Christian

On October 30, 1738, John Wesley set down a line that has echoed through evangelical history: “By a ‘Christian,’ I mean one who so believes in Christ as that sin hath no more dominion over him.” Written in the months following his Aldersgate experience in London, the sentence pressed past religious vocabulary and demanded a living faith—one that rests on Christ and bears visible fruit. Wesley’s concern was not to lower the bar to mere sincerity, but to lift hearts to the liberty promised in the gospel.

Aldersgate and the Birth of Assurance

Wesley’s Aldersgate awakening (May 24, 1738) occurred during a meeting where Luther’s preface to Romans was read. He testified that his “heart was strangely warmed,” gaining assurance that Christ had taken away his sins. That moment did not end struggle, but it clarified the ground of peace: not self-effort, not clerical status, but the saving work of Jesus received by faith. His October letter shows him applying that assurance to daily obedience, insisting that true trust in Christ breaks sin’s claim to rule.

Sin’s Dominion and Gospel Freedom

Wesley’s phrasing reflects the apostolic pattern: pardon and power belong together. “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). Faith is not merely agreement with facts; it is a Spirit-given union with Christ that changes what a person loves, chooses, and pursues. Wesley called believers to courageous repentance—turning from cherished sins—because grace is not permission to remain bound, but God’s strength to walk in newness of life.

Methodist Witness and Holy Living

From London’s societies to the open-air preaching fields of England, Wesley urged disciplined devotion, accountability, works of mercy, and fearless proclamation. The heroism he commended was not self-made moralism, but steadfast reliance on God amid opposition, temptation, and weariness. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). His 1738 words still summon the church to joyful assurance in Christ, and to holy living that proves the gospel is real.