WHEREAS there has been among second-blessing holiness churches a serious deviation from the scriptural teaching developed by John Wesley and early Methodist writers, and
WHEREAS this has led to a shallow preaching of the new birth and consequently, a confusion has developed concerning Christian experience that is quite distressing, and
WHEREAS this unscriptural teaching has led many to profess salvation without victory over the power of sin nor a direct witness of the Holy Spirit; and others to profess entire sanctification without being made perfect in love, and
WHEREAS we, a group of concerned Christian ministers, seeing a need for a fellowship that will teach and promote scriptural holiness as taught by John Wesley and the early Methodists, do hereby pledge our prayers and help to each other, and adopt the following Statement of Faith.
WE BELIEVE there is but one living and true God, everlasting, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. And in unity of this Godhead there are three persons of one substance, power, and eternity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost being one, is the same as the Spirit of God or Spirit of Christ, these being simply different expressions for the Holy Ghost (Ephesians 3:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 12:14).
WE BELIEVE in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the Scriptures; that the Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and correct even when they speak on points of history, science and philosophy; that they are the sole and final authority in faith and practice.
WE BELIEVE that all men are born totally depraved; that they are unable to do anything acceptable to God without the help of the Holy Spirit; that all men need to be born again and that this is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart. The entrance into this experience is initiated by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, whereby the believer is delivered from the guilt and power of sin (1 Corinthians 12:13; Romans 5:5; Titus, 3:5-7; Acts 2:38).
WE BELIEVE that there is yet in the believer the “remains of sin” even after he has been born of the Spirit; and that he may be cleansed from this by the work of the Spirit in his heart as a second work of grace, whereby the believer is perfected in love (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 3:19; Hebrews 6:1; 2 Corinthians 13:9; Matthew 4:48; 1 John 4:18; Romans 6:6).
WE BELIEVE justification and entire sanctification are works of the Holy Spirit wrought in the heart by grace through faith.
WE BELIEVE further that this faith is a gift of God given to all who truly repent and hunger and thirst after righteousness (2 Peter 1:3; Colossians 2:12; Galatians 2:16, 20; Ephesians 2:8; Hebrews 11:1), and that this saving faith is always accompanied by the witness of the Spirit (1 John 5:10; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Romans 8:15-16; Hebrews 10:22).
WE BELIEVE that all of life is a state of probation and that there is no state of grace from which we may not fall.
WE BELIEVE in the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the judgment of all mankind at the last day; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; they that done evil unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29).
WE BELIEVE that the Church is the sole institution that God has left upon the earth to preach and teach salvation by grace through faith to a lost world, and that we are to labor with the hope that God will answer the prayer that he taught us to pray (Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven) by the preaching of the gospel; and that the only hope of redemption of a lost world is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SYNOPSIS
The Fundamental Wesleyan Society was organized in 1979. The founding resolution stated there had been a serious deviation from the scriptural teaching developed by John Wesley and early Methodist writers, which had led to a shallow preaching of the new birth. As a result confusion had developed concerning Christian experience led many to profess salvation without victory over the power of sin nor a direct witness of the Holy Spirit; and others to profess entire sanctification without being made perfect in love.
This group of concerned Christian ministers, many who had been influenced by A. J. Smith, saw the need for a fellowship that would teach and promote scriptural holiness as taught by John Wesley. Their statement of faith declares the inerrancy of Scripture, total depravity, the necessity of the new birth through the baptism with the Holy Spirit whereby the believer is delivered from the guilt and power of sin, that faith is a gift of God given to all who truly repent and is always accompanied by the witness of the Spirit, that there is yet in the believer the “remains of sin” even after he has been born of the Spirit and that he may be cleansed by the perfecting work of the Spirit.
The Fundamental Wesleyan Society 