Francis Asbury (1745–1816)

Francis Asbury was a British-born Methodist preacher who became one of the chief shepherds of early American Methodism. Small in stature but unyielding in spirit, he traveled by horseback over rough roads and across swollen rivers, preaching in cabins, courthouses, and open fields. He preferred the life of an itinerant—going to the people rather than waiting for them to come—believing the gospel belonged on the frontier as surely as in the city. His leadership helped knit scattered societies into a disciplined, Scripture-shaped movement marked by prayer, repentance, and plain obedience.

January 26, 1779—A Journal Counsel

On January 26, 1779, during the turbulence of the Revolutionary era, Asbury recorded a line of counsel that has steadied many consciences: “We should so work as if we were to be saved by our works; and so rely on Jesus Christ, as if we did no works.” The sentence presses two truths together without letting either fall. Believers are called to earnest, costly obedience, yet never to move their confidence off Christ. Asbury’s aim was not moral striving for acceptance, but holy labor flowing from faith.

Frontier Circuits and Revolutionary Upheaval

Choosing to remain in America during the war, Asbury faced suspicion, isolation, and frequent hardship, especially in the Middle Atlantic colonies where loyalties were scrutinized. His “heroism” was quiet and pastoral: staying when leaving would have been easier, preaching when gatherings were risky, and insisting on integrity when fear could have excused compromise. He urged converts to live visibly different lives—truthful, temperate, merciful, and steadfast—while continually pointing them back to the only sure ground of salvation.

Faith, Works, and the Finished Work of Christ

Asbury’s counsel harmonizes the biblical pattern: grace first, then obedience. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet real faith cannot remain fruitless: “So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.” (James 2:17). Work with all your strength—pray, repent, forgive, serve, endure—but rest your hope entirely on Christ, whose finished work alone can carry a soul through life, death, and judgment.