Wesley for Wednesday

Wesley’s sermon ‘Salvation by Faith’ opens like this:

All the blessings which God hath bestowed upon man, are of his mere grace, bounty, or favor; his free, undeserved favor, favor altogether undeserved; man having no claim to the least of his mercies. It was free grace that “formed man of dust of the ground, and breathed into him a living soul”, and stamped on that soul the image of God, and “put all things under his feet”. The same free grace continues to us, at this day, life and breath, and all things. For there is nothing we are, or have, or do, which can deserve the least thing at God’s hand. “All our works, thou, oh God, has wrought in us.” These, therefore, are so many more instances of free mercy; and, whatever righteousness may be found in man, this is also the gift of God….

If then sinful men find favor with God, it is “grace upon grace”…Grace is the source, faith is the condition, of salvation.

It’s tough to argue with the Bible, or Wesley’s exegesis.