A Wesleyan Theology Of Baptism

Arguing from tradition, apostolic practice, and a theology of covenant, John Wesley insisted on infant baptism as the ordinary means of salvation consisting of both outer sacrament and inner regeneration. To adults, however, he also preached the possibility of a conscious conversion, an experience of inward regeneration that may not necessarily be tied to the sacrament. Wesley's understanding of baptism not only formed the basis for the Methodist movement, but also contributed to a variety of Holiness denominations, which, in turn, contributed to the early twentieth-century Pentecostal movement. John Wesley (17031791) believed baptism to be the ordinary means of salvation. By baptism we enter into covenant with God, are admitted into the church, and are made children of God. To be sure, Wesley distinguished between baptism and the new birth. Not the mere outward washing, but the inward grace added thereto makes baptism a means of saving grace (Works of John Wesley, vol. 6 [reprint;…