Hymn of the Month
February 2012
Let Us Plead For Faith Alone (UMH 385)
by Charles Wesley in 1740
Let us plead for faith alone,
Faith which by our works is shown;
God it is who justifies,
Only faith the grace applies.
Active faith that lives within,
Conquers hell and death and sin,
Hallows whom it first made whole,
Forms the Savior in the soul
These lines from Charles Wesley describe the life into which God invites us. Faith is the heart of this life. This understanding of faith defines our salvation. Faith is how we live with the God who comes to us in Jesus Christ. Such a faith is belief, trust, and hope in God – the God who is revealed in the history of the people of Israel; in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and in the life of the church. Faith in this God is a living and active faith that is shown by how we live and love in the world.
This faith is a gift from God; it is grace applied to life. Such faith gives freedom to love. As we grow in loving God and those whom God loves, our character is formed more and more into the character of Christ. Active, living, vital faith “forms the Savior in the soul.” There are few hymns or sermons of either Charles or John Wesley that more compactly capture the essentials of Wesleyan theology.
