Fleeing the Wrath to Come

In the first generations of Methodism people entering the movement were described as "fleeing the wrath to come." That line comes from Wesley's reading of Matthew 3 (KJV, of course):

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that
was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the
same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins;
and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and
all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in
Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits
meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham
to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up
children unto Abraham.

John the Baptist is preaching. His audience is not pagans, heathens, unbelievers: his audience is his own people, the people of Israel. He's talking to God's chosen people. His "flee the wrath to come" language is addressed to the leaders of God's people. John sees that wrath is coming and they, in spite of their being leaders of God's people, are not immune to it.

John Wesley's preaching was addressed, primarily to the English, residents of his own country. Nearly all of them had been baptized. Nearly all of them were on rolls of churches. Nearly all would identify themselves as Christians. And yet Wesley assumed that John the Baptist's call to repentance in the face of coming judgment was a message they needed to hear.

We almost never talk about coming wrath or judgment. Well, at least not as it pertains to us. Sure, God will be sending wrath on other people, the ones who are sinners and stand against God. But surely God would never send his wrath or exercise his judgment on us – we're HIS people after all!

And yet here we have the witness of original Methodism that all of us will be held to account. Just because we're church people – maybe even devout and committed church people – the message of repentance is still for us. We never get past the need to hear and respond.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Rev. Richard Heyduck