Becoming Holy with Richard Hooker

A wh ile ago, I met a newcomer at the Free Methodist Church I attend who was very excited about John Wesley. Wesley’s teaching matched what he saw in the Bible. Additionally, a few years before, he had undergone a powerful conversion, and his experience of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling convinced him that his works contributed to his growth in holiness. He believed the Bible corroborated his experience—but the churches he had attended taught the opposite. He had been taught that nothing we do can make us holier, and that any progress in holiness was purely the work of the Spirit. Wesley, on the other hand, believed in growth in holiness. As I listened, Richard Hooker’s Learned Discourse of Justification Works, and How the Foundation of Faith is Overthrown immediately came to mind. Hooker articulates a Reformed position affirming the place of works in sanctification in contrast to some other Reformed Christians that my acquaintance had met. Because of this, understanding Hooker’s Learned Discourse is crucial for pastors, and it can calm troubled hearts and reinvigorate the spiritual disciplines. Read Full Article »