“Religion is the love of God and our neighbour; that is, every man under heaven. This love rul[es] the whole life, animat[es] all our tempers and passions, direct[s] all our thoughts, words, and actions”.1
To me, being a Methodist means emulating Wesley and loving God and our fellow man.
The love of God and that of man are not mutually exclusive. Rather, as the Apostle reminds us, “whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 Jn 4:21). Wesley similarly advocates for “lov[ing] thy neighbour for God’s sake”,2 describing said love as “pure and universal”.3 The converse is also true: an absence of love for one’s neighbour is no love for God at all (1 Jn 4:20). Thus, loving God is inextricably linked to loving our neighbours, and it is at the core of Methodism.
Two examples of loving our neighbours are evangelism and encouragement. God’s will and love for the world are the reasons we have the Gospel. What greater love can we show apart from sharing God’s love? Wesley preached everywhere he could, even out in the open, to reach as many as he could. Like Paul, he went out of his comfort zone to save souls. As Christians and Methodists, we should do the same.
The Word tasks us to encourage and build each other up (1 Th 5:11). Wesley did so as he ministered to the poor and encouraged honesty and prudence, resulting in great improvements in their economic lives.4 Today, we have the same “Swiss Army knife” Wesley had—Scripture. Being rooted in God’s Word, we can minister to, encourage and bless those around us, especially the less fortunate, in love.
Therefore, to me, loving God through tangible love for our fellow man is what it means to be a Methodist.
1 John Wesley, “The Important Question”, The Sermons of John Wesley – 1872 Edition, ed. Thomas Jackson, Wesley Center Online, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-84-the-important-question/.
2 John Wesley, “On Love”, The Sermons of John Wesley – 1872 Edition, ed. Thomas Jackson, Wesley Center Online, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-139-on-love/.
3 John Wesley, “1 John 4:21”, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament (1755–1756). Public domain.
4 Carles White, “John Wesley’s Church Planting Movement: Discipleship That Transformed a Nation and Changed the World”, https://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/john-wesleys-church-planting-movement.
Xavier Tan worships and serves at Ang Mo Kio Chinese Methodist Church. He is currently pursuing an LL.B. at NUS Law / Photo courtesy of Jerry Tay