How to be a Christian: Wesley's General Rules

John Wesley, several decades after first
writing the General Rules

How does someone become a Christian? Is it only a matter of saying a creed, thereby meeting the minimum requirements of Romans 10:9?:

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (NLT)

Well, even that seemingly simple formula requires the interaction of heart and mind -- that is, the seats of both emotion and reason. John Wesley's concern for the group of people called Methodists was that they would let God purify their hearts and minds, which would lead to increasingly Godly actions in their daily lives. As more men and women responded to the spiritual awakening that was being unleashed in England and elsewhere in the middle of the 18th century, they wanted to know how to be true Christians. Was it enough to be baptized into the Church of England? Was their salvation contingent on regular attendance at worship services in the local parish each week?

As these early Methodists began to ask John and his brother Charles how to grow in their commitment to Christ, the Wesleys responded by organizing them into groups, also known as Societies. These Societies grew into different forms as the movement spread into different areas: there were classes of initial followers (or what we might call seekers today), bands for the more serious, and even select societies for the leaders of the classes and bands. The point was that these early Methodists should be connected to each other -- Christian discipleship is not intended to be a solo journey. The connection between these groups was a bedrock of the growing movement, and the classes and bands in the same geographical region would even meet together as United Societies for fellowship and worship.

In order to keep that connection unified, the Wesleys established three sets of guidelines, known as the General Rules, that kept everyone moving toward the same goals. Here is how John Wesley described the three rules as a fundamental way to understand the expectations of a faithful Christian life:

There is only one condition previously required of those who desire admission into these societies: "a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins." But wherever this is really fixed in the soul it will be shown by its fruits.

It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind...

Secondly: By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men...

Thirdly: By attending upon all the ordinances of God 

Check out the link above to read all the details of each of the three rules. Wesley didn't just say "do no harm" -- he specified that Christians should not fight, gamble, or own slaves. Likewise, "doing good" was spelled out as feeding the hungry, visiting those in prison, and helping others. The third rule declared that Methodists should attend worship services (especially Communion), read the scriptures, and pray.

The Wesleys' system of organization into small groups, guided by simple and powerful spiritual guidelines, helped provide a foundation for spiritual growth that combined the emotions of the era's spiritual revivals with the strong doctrine of the Church of England. It's no wonder that the United Societies became so effective that their members started to see them as a form of church itself rather than just a supplement to their own local parish services. Wesley never meant for the Methodists to strike out on their own and separate from the Church of England, but the forces of history in the colonies set the Methodists, and later The Methodist Episcopal Church, on its own path. Today's United Methodists still hold to the General Rules. Anyone seeking to live faithfully in service to Christ would do well to start with these three simple rules.