The Answer Is Grace

The Holy Spirit and the Power of Pentecost

October 14, 2024 /
Blue sky with puffy white clouds over Pacific Ocean.
Blue sky with white clouds over ocean. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

A Jewish son tells his father he is moving out. The son returns a year later and tells his father that he has converted to Christianity. The father is upset and calls his friend who is also Jewish. “You won’t believe this; my son David moved out for a year and came back and told me he converted to Christianity.” His friend says, “you won’t believe this…my son Benjamin moved away for a year, and when he came back, he converted to Christianity too”!

Both upset, they call their rabbi and explain what happened. The rabbi says, “You won’t believe this, my son Joshua moved away, and when he came back, he told me he converted to Christianity too”! So the rabbi suggests they call God and tell him. The rabbi tells God that all three men had sons who moved away and converted to Christianity and they don’t know what to do. God says to them, “you won’t believe this…”

We’re going to look at the early history of the Christian church. Specifically, a day when many Jews converted to Christianity.

Pentecost – the day the Holy Spirit came to the disciples and the Church was born. You could also say it’s the Church’s birthday.

We find the account of Pentecost in the book of Acts. Luke wrote the book of Acts, the same Luke who wrote the Gospel of Luke. Tradition maintains that Luke wrote Acts as a sequel to his Gospel and that the two should be read as a single book.[1]

Some Bibles have the book of Acts listed as “Acts of the Apostles.” After a careful reading of the book, you may agree with me that a more accurate title is “Acts of the Holy Spirit.”

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Who is the Holy Spirit anyway? He is the third person of the Trinity. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity is equal to the others because God is not inferior to Himself.[2]

It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. Because he is God and God is eternal, we know the Holy Spirit has always existed, just like the other two persons of the Trinity. Here are just a few places where we see the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:

He was at Creation: Genesis 1:1-2 – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

He was there when Samuel anointed David as king over Israel: 1 Samuel 16:13a – “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.”

He was there when the Lord appeared to Elijah: 1 Kings 19:11-12 – “The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” That gentle whisper was the Holy Spirit.

Events Leading up to the Coming of the Holy Spirit

Before we get to the big event in Acts, we need a little bit of context.

After Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday, the temple curtain tore from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). This shows us that God came down from Heaven. Before Jesus, God’s presence was located in a special place in the temple, the Holy of Holies. That was the only place to gain access to His presence, and not just anyone could enter the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year, on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. When the temple curtain tore, God’s presence went out from the Holy of Holies. Remember this. We will come back to it shortly.

After Jesus resurrected at Easter, he appeared to the disciples before ascending to Heaven. He told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem:

Acts 1:4-8 – “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ So when they met together, they asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”

Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem and to wait for the gift God the Father would send and that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He also told the disciples they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then Jesus ascended to Heaven.

We know the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost, so what is “Pentecost?” The word “Pentecost” is Greek for “50th.” The Jews celebrated their harvest festival, the Feast of Weeks, 50 days after Passover. Many Jews had already gathered in Jerusalem (scholars believe about 150,000) who had traveled from all over to celebrate the Feast of Weeks. There were a lot of extra people everywhere.

The events we will read about in Acts 2 are what transformed Pentecost into a Christian holiday.[3]

The Holy Spirit Comes!

Acts 2:1-4

“When the day of Pentecost came, they [the disciples] were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

Has the sudden crack of thunder during a thunderstorm ever startled you? It can be frightening for a second. Can you imagine sitting in your house and then “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house”? This makes a crack of thunder seem like silence. Not only could the disciples hear the violent wind, but they could also physically feel it as it filled the house.

Then Luke says the apostles “saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.”

This is the part that really gets me. After this violent wind fills the whole house, these tongues of fire descend and come upon them. What. In. The. World. I honestly don’t know if I would know what to think in that moment.

Luke says in verse 4 that “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Yay! The Holy Spirit is here! God’s promised gift has been delivered! The Church is born! God’s presence that went out from the Holy of Holies in the temple had landed among the disciples and filled them.

The first thing we see the Holy Spirit do through the disciples is enable them to speak different languages. Remember, this is during the Feast of Weeks; there are Jews gathered from all over, and they speak many different languages.

Acts 2:5-13

“Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’ Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’”

There’s always a skeptic, isn’t there? The point is, the Holy Spirit came, filled the disciples, and brought the gift of tongues. As the disciples spoke, the Jews who had gathered from everywhere heard them speaking in their own language. There is no way this could happen even if people had had too much to drink. When have you ever known that to happen among drunk people? I’ve heard lots of stories about things that have happened while people have been drunk, but suddenly speaking new, real languages has never been one of them.

Peter Addresses the Crowd and Shares the Gospel

The next event that occurs is the apostle Peter addresses the crowd. Do you remember Peter? He’s the one who saw Jesus walking on water. When Jesus called him, he got out of the boat, started walking on water toward Jesus, and began to sink. At Jesus’ Transfiguration, he’s the one who, when he saw Moses and Elijah next to Jesus, said he would make tents for each of them. He’s also the one who said he would never betray Jesus and then proceeded to deny him three times right after the Last Supper. It’s this same Peter who wrote the letters of First and Second Peter.

His name was Simon before Jesus renamed him Peter, which means “rock.” In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said to him, “On this rock I will build my church.” We will see this in a minute.

It’s this Peter who stands up and speaks to the crowd that just witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:14-21

“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”’”

Peter tells the crowd, made predominantly of Jews who would have been just as familiar with Joel’s prophecy as he was, that this prophecy has begun to come to fruition. God’s Spirit is here, has been poured out, and indeed, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Immediately after this, Peter shares the Gospel.

Acts 2:22-36

“Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Peter shared the Gospel with the crowd. They had just witnessed one of the most amazing miracles recorded in Scripture. Peter took the opportunity to explain everything to them. What happens next is also incredible.

The Church Grows

Blades of combine threshing wheat.
Combine blades threshing wheat. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

Acts 2:37-41

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.”

Between the miracle the crowd witnessed and Peter’s sermon, 3,000 people became Christians and were filled with the Holy Spirit that day. I encourage you to read the rest of the book of Acts to see what other miracles happen and how the Church continues to grow after that.

It’s important to note that when the crowd asked Peter what they should do, his response was, “Repent and be baptized every one of you.” The invitation to follow Jesus was given to all. There were no conditions or requirements. Peter offered it to anyone who wanted to accept.

The same is true today. The invitation to follow Jesus is given to all. There are no conditions or requirements. It is offered to anyone who will accept a relationship with Him and put their faith in Him.

Conclusion

Since Pentecost, we have never been without the Holy Spirit.[4]

Theologian Thomas C. Oden notes that “On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit would empower the mission to make known the good news of the Father’s sending of the Son through the power of the Spirit.”[5]

It is through the Holy Spirit that we know God personally and are united with Christ. It is our personal encounters with the Holy Spirit that lead to radical transformation.[6] We cannot have an encounter with God and not be changed. Once we accept Jesus’ invitation to enter into a relationship with him as our Savior, we are transformed.

The Holy Spirit we have today is the same one we just read about. It’s the same Holy Spirit who empowered Peter to boldly share the Gospel with the crowd, out of which 3,000 became Christians immediately. We can share the Gospel just as boldly today as Peter did 2,000 years ago.

Living in Pentecost

There is frequently talk of what is holding the American Christian church back, why it’s shrinking, and what’s keeping it from growing. Some say it’s strategy. Others, that we aren’t culturally relevant enough. I’m sure you’ve heard other excuses as well. In a recent episode of the Life-Changing Discipleship podcast, Dr. Matt Friedeman states that what is holding the Church back is that we keep living between Easter and Pentecost.[7] I happen to agree with him. We live in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ but not in the filling of the Holy Spirit. Easter is definitely a cause for celebration, don’t get me wrong. It’s one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar, but it isn’t the end.

If we look at the disciples before and after the filling of the Holy Spirit, we see two different sets of people. Christian missionary and author, E. Stanley Jones, says before the filling of the Holy Spirit, what we see in the disciples is inadequacy, defeat, and fear. After the filling of the Holy Spirit, we see certainty, courage, adequacy, and victory.[8]

In that same podcast episode of Life-Changing Discipleship, Dr. Friedeman also said, “Every church I know of makes their biggest day Easter, and I think, theologically, that’s not good. I think we need to push past Easter and get to Pentecost because if we have Easter without Pentecost, what do we have? We have fumbling, hesitancy, inadequacy, and defeat. But, if you get along with that the poured-out Spirit into your life so that it fills you to the uttermost, then what you can have is all the rest, and all the rest is the best: certainty, courage, adequacy, and victory.”[9]

Be Filled with the Spirit

In order to be filled with the Spirit, we have to empty ourselves and allow Him to fill us. Imagine you’re a cup. Pour everything out of yourself. Everything. And give it to God. We need to give all of ourselves to God: our jobs, our money, our family, our future, our past. Once we have done that, we don’t clean the cup. God will do that for us, he will fill us with the Holy Spirit, and we will receive power.

Imagine we saw an army sitting down before a granite fort, and they told us that they intended to batter it down. We might ask them, “How?” They point to a cannonball. “Well, there is no power in that: it’s heavy, but if all the men in the army hurled it against the fort, they would make no impression.” They say, “No, but look at the cannon.” “But there is no power in that: a child may ride on it; a bird may perch in its mouth; it’s a machine and nothing more. “But look at the powder.” “There is no power in that: a child may spill it; a sparrow may peck it.”

Yet this powerless powder and powerless ball are put in the powerless cannon: one spark of fire enters it; and then in the twinkling of an eye, that powder is a flash of lightning, and that cannonball is a thunderbolt, which strikes as if it had been sent from heaven. So it is with our church machinery: we have all the instruments necessary for pulling down strongholds.[10] The Holy Spirit is the spark we need.

Live Filled with the Spirit

The American Christian Church has been living like the disciples in Jerusalem, waiting for the Holy Spirit to come. We have been living in inadequacy, defeat, and fear. We need to live like the disciples after the coming and filling of the Holy Spirit, in certainty, courage, adequacy, and victory.

The mission Jesus gave the disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” is the same mission Jesus has for us today. We cannot complete the mission unless we are truly living in Pentecost. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to be witnesses of God’s Kingdom to a broken, hurting world.

[1] Ted Cabal, ed., The Apologetics Study Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1619.

[2] Thomas C. Oden, Classic Chrisitanity: A Systematic Theology (New York: HarperOne, 1992), 501.

[3] T. Alton Bryant, ed., The New Compact Bible Dictionary (Minneapolis: The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1967), 446.

[4] Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology (New York: HarperOne, 1992), 501.

[5] Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology (New York: HarperOne, 1992), 686.

[6] Matt Ayars, “Holiness, the Holy Spirit, and the Glory of God (Introduction),” August 23, 2015, video, 0:50, https://youtu.be/R3SUMe_2ipE?si=fFZNmyJdLnqOheMr

[7] Dr. Matt Friedeman, “Counting to… Pentecost,” podcast episode, Life Changing Discipleship, Spotify, May 13, 2024, audio 5:08, https://open.spotify.com/episode/2HZ3raP0brYtjwvaOILYGT?si=jXbJdYBuQo-daP8N0dmIwA

[8] Friedeman, “Counting to… Pentecost.”

[9] Friedeman, “Counting to… Pentecost.”

[10] Elon Foster, 6000 Sermon Illustrations: An Omnibus of Classic Sermon Illustrations (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1952), 351.

Grace: Experiential and Applicable (Ephesians 2:1-10)

October 18, 2023 /
Lake with people kayaking.
Liberty Lake on summer day. Photo credit: theanswerisgrace.

The Apostle Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians to Gentile Christians in the church at Ephesus to remind them of the new life they have in Christ and the hope they have in Him. Paul planted this church during his third missionary journey and spent three years there,[1] so it’s safe to say he cared deeply for them. He wrote the letter from Rome, hundreds of miles away, while in prison for spreading the Gospel.[2]

Paul wrote this letter to strengthen the faith of the Ephesians and to remind them that their salvation is dependent on faith, not works. “The Christian community was strong but faced many external challenges because of the prominence of pagan practices.”[3] Paul reminded them that the Gentile (non-Jewish) believers were included with the Jews in salvation; the whole community of faith included both Jews and Gentiles.

Grace Transforms

Read Ephesians 2:1-10.

Paul begins with reminding the Ephesians that prior to Christ, they were dead in sin and that they had new life in Christ. Let’s take a closer look and read verses 1-2 and 4-5. Paul knew this well because he had experienced it himself. Prior to his conversion, Paul was a Jewish Pharisee whose name was Saul. He led the persecution against Christians and even gave approval to the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr.

God transformed Saul from his life of sin into the Apostle Paul, who went on to become one of the most prominent Christian leaders of all time. Paul’s conversion illustrates that “Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are free from sin and are united with him. We can rest securely, knowing that, through Jesus, God has adopted us into his family.”[4] If Christ can transform Paul’s life, imagine what he can do with yours.

Even though we were once dead in our sins, we are now made alive through Christ by grace through faith. It’s important to define the word “grace”: “God’s ability working in man, making him able to do what he cannot do in his own ability.”[5] Grace is a pivotal concept in Christianity and a key function of Paul’s letters: nearly two-thirds of all uses of the Greek word for grace are found in Paul’s letters.[6]

Grace Distinguishes

C.S. Lewis attended a British conference on comparative religions with experts from around the world. They were debating what belief was unique to Christianity. Lewis entered the room, asked what they were debating, and they told him they were discussing Christianity’s unique contribution among the world’s religions. He responded, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”[7] Grace is the theological concept that distinguishes Christianity from all other world religions.

God is the one who does the work by his grace according to our faith. Let’s look at Romans 3:22-25. Here Paul explains that all have sinned, but all are also justified by grace through faith.

Later in Romans 4:13-16, Paul reminds us of the grace God showed to Abraham back in Genesis.

Let’s break this down. God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations and his descendants would be so numerous they couldn’t be counted. God made this promise to Abraham before he gave Moses the law. Abraham was a righteous man, had great faith, and was shown grace even before there was a law to follow. Later, God gave the Israelites the law so they would know what sin was and so they would know how to obey God. “Salvation must depend on grace and not on works, for if salvation comes by grace then it depends on God and is therefore certain.”[8]

Stand in Grace

Paul also explains in Romans 5:1-2. Through Christ, not only do we have access to grace by faith, but we stand in grace! What does it mean to stand in grace? It means that we have sure footing and an anchor from God to withstand opposition.

To illustrate this, I want to share a story about Corrie Ten Boom. Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their home during the Holocaust, she was imprisoned and eventually sent to a concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who died there just days before Corrie’s release on December 31, 1944. Corrie went on to travel as a missionary, preaching God’s forgiveness and the need for reconciliation. Her moral principles were tested when, by chance, she came face to face with one of her former prison guards in 1947. This is an excerpt from her autobiography:[9]

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him, a balding heavy-set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives…And that’s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights, the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor, the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin…

Betsie and I had been arrested for concealing Jews in our home during the Nazi occupation of Holland; this man had been a guard at the Ravensbruck concentration camp where we were sent… “You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk,” he was saying. “I was a guard in there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well” …his hand came out… “will you forgive me?”

And I stood there – I whose sins had every day to be forgiven – and could not. Betsie had died in that place – could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could not have been many seconds that he stood there, hand held out, but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it – I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses…”

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion – I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus, help me!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand, I can do that much. You supply the feeling.”

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!” For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. Corrie and the prisoner both stood in grace that day.

Saved by Grace

Reservoir with pine trees in foreground and mountains in background.
Cascade Reservoir. Photo credit: Tessa Mahoney.

We are saved by grace through faith, not works. We cannot earn our salvation, but God grants it to us when we have faith in Christ. Let’s take another look at Ephesians 2:4-5. In these two verses Paul explains that it is only because of God that we are brought from death in sin to life in Christ. He says that it is because of God, who is rich in mercy and has great love for us, that he makes us alive in Christ.

This is the Gospel! We are dead in our sin, but we have hope in Christ and we are saved by His grace through faith. I like how Paul says it in Romans 5:6. “At just the right time…” God is always on time. He never shows up too early or too late. His timing is perfect. Paul also says in Ephesians 1:7-8. We are redeemed and forgiven according to God’s grace. Our redemption and forgiveness are not dependent on anything we can do for ourselves. We are completely dependent on God and his grace.

Now look at what Paul says in Ephesians 4:7 and in 2 Corinthians 12:9. Christ “apportioned” grace. “Apportion” means “to divide and share out according to a plan.” Grace is given to us according to plan! Not only is God’s grace given to us according to plan, but Paul also says God told him his grace was sufficient. If God’s grace is sufficient for Paul, the man who led the persecution of Christians, his grace is sufficient for us, too.

Good Works

Now let’s look at Ephesians 2:8-10. We are God’s workmanship. He created us to do good works and to walk in good works. Additionally, look at what Paul says in Colossians 1:10.

There’s a line in the Disney movie Meet the Robinsons that this verse always reminds me of. The teacher, Mr. Willerstein, says, “Let us conduct ourselves in a way that we’ll all be proud of tomorrow.” Too often, I think we forget or neglect, to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” We get busy, distracted, etc. and don’t stop to think about how we ought to act in a given situation. We allow our sinful human nature to take over instead of taking a moment to stop and think about what we’re doing and how it will either please or displease God, and whether it will harm or benefit those around us.

Perhaps the most important of the good works in which we are to walk is grace. In the Christian band Relient K’s song “Be My Escape,” there’s a line that says, “The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.”[10] Grace essentially means that people don’t get what they deserve. What we deserve because of our sinful nature is an eternity in hell, but God has given us salvation by grace through faith. We are also to extend that grace to others even though we may not think they deserve it.

Showing grace is hard and it takes work on our part because it goes against our sinful nature. Do we always get it right? No, we don’t, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t working on it. This is also why we need God’s grace. Nowhere in Scripture does it say it’s supposed to be easy, but we know that it is worth it. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate example of grace and I’m sure that wasn’t easy either, but to him it was worth it.

Extend Grace

What are we to do then? How do we show grace to those around us? We are presented with opportunities all the time. You may have already had an opportunity or two today. If you’re active on social media, I’m sure you have opportunities to show grace every time you log in. In this day and age, we are constantly faced with ideas and opinions that are counter to our Christian faith. We are never short on opportunities to show grace to others.

When faced with a difference of opinion or some sort of difficulty this week, I challenge all of us, myself included, to stop and consider how we might extend grace.

To learn more about grace, please read my post The Means of Grace.

[1] Ted Cabal, ed., The Apologetics Study Bible: Understand Why You Believe (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1761.

[2] Doris Rikkers and Jeannette Taylor, The Wayfinding Bible (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2013), 1299.

[3] Rikkers and Taylor, 1301.

[4] Rikkers and Taylor, 1299.

[5] Dr. James B. Richards, Grace: The Power to Change (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1993), 22.

[6] Myers, 437.

[7] Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 45.

[8] James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans (Peabody; Hendrickson Publishers, 1992), 124.

[9] “The Question of God: Other Voices – Corrie Ten Boom,” PBS, accessed June 23, 2023, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/questionofgod/voices/boom.html#:~:text=%22I%20forgive%20you%2C%20brother!,intensely%20as%20I%20did%20then..

[10] Relient K, “Be My Escape,” written by Matthew Thiessen, November 2, 2004, song, 4:00, MMHMM.

The Means of Grace

February 4, 2023 /
Small rainbow in gray sky over maple trees.
Small rainbow. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

“He is always ready, always able, always willing to save.” – John Wesley, The Means of Grace

One of the theological concepts often associated with John Wesley is the means of grace. They are a “regular means of connecting with God’s grace.”[1] In his sixteenth sermon, The Means of Grace, Wesley says that they are outward signs, words, or actions through which God issues preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace. Specifically, this happens through prayer, searching the Scriptures, and receiving the Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist.[2]These are the three primary ways in which God imputes his grace upon believers. They are vehicles of grace that “help ensure that you stay surrounded by God and others who deeply care about you.”[3] It is important to remember that “the function of the means of grace is to ‘advance inward holiness, to conduce to knowledge and love of God.’ They are ordained ‘not for their own sake, but in order to the renewal of your soul in righteousness and true holiness.’”[4] The means of grace are not an end in and of themselves, but a means to an end – inward holiness.

God works in our lives through these means to draw us closer to Himself. It is important to note that Wesley also states we cannot profit from these at all apart from the Spirit of God. We must engage in all three of these means regularly; we are called to do these in Scripture both individually and corporately. These are the ways in which we interact with the life of God, and it is through the means of grace that God leads us to entire sanctification.[5]

What, then, is grace? In his book, Grace: The Power to Change, Dr. James B. Richards defines grace as “God’s ability working in man, making him able to do what he cannot do in his own ability.”[6] We do not have the ability to change our nature – only God does. This is what the means of grace seek to accomplish. They are tools for us to use to allow God to do a work that only he can do in our lives. 

Prayer

The first of the three means of grace Wesley mentions is prayer. He says, “We must infer that all who desire the grace of God are to wait for it in the way of prayer.”[7] Believers must wait on the Lord in prayer; Jesus directs his followers to use prayer (Matthew 7:7-11), and he promises that it will be effective for them to receive the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Prayer is an absolute necessity for believers. If we lack prayer, we cannot adequately listen to the voice of God, understand what He is speaking to us, or obey Him. It is difficult for believers to be obedient to God if they do not know what he is saying to them. We should pray regularly in order to be faithful and obedient to God’s calling on our lives. 

Searching the Scriptures

All who desire the grace of God are to wait for it in searching the Scriptures. God gives, confirms, and increases wisdom through His Word. It is profitable not only for Christians, but also for those who do not yet know Christ. As Paul says in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” When the seed of the Word of God is planted in a non-believer, the other means of grace serve to fertilize it.[8]

We are to search the Scriptures because they testify of Jesus Christ as Lord, that we may believe in Him. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that it is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Studying and meditating on the Scriptures are necessary to live the Christian life, so we need to do it and do it regularly. 

Receiving the Lord’s Supper

All who desire an increase of the grace of God are to wait for it in partaking of the Lord’s Supper (also known as the Eucharist). Jesus gives this as an explicit command during the Last Supper in Matthew 26:26-29.

Wesley notes that receiving the Lord’s Supper is also interpreted to mean worship. This is the way we wait on God’s grace. It is the way we wait for growth – and it should not be rushed. This is also the way we wait for sanctification and full salvation. “Wait” here is not meant to be a passive waiting – sitting on the couch “waiting” for something miraculous to happen. No – it is an active waiting. We wait on God’s grace while actively participating in a lifestyle of worship which includes the Eucharist.

There is no order to adhering to the means of grace. We are simply to pray, search the Scriptures, and receive the Lord’s Supper while waiting on God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit.

In his sermon The Means of Grace, Wesley notes in II.5 that a large proportion of Christians abuse the means of grace. Yikes! How might that be true of each of the means of grace? Is it true in your life? What can be done to combat this in your life, or in the lives of others?

To learn more, I encourage you to read John Wesley’s sermon “The Means of Grace” and my blog post, “The Answer is Grace.”

[1] Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer, “The Way of Grace,” Residency Faculty Lecture (Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, MS, October 15, 2012).

[2] John Wesley, “Sermon 16 – The Means of Grace,” The Wesley Center Online, last modified 1999, accessed July 21, 2022, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-16-the-means-of-grace/.

[3] Dr. Matt Friedeman, “Surrounded,” Wesley Biblical Seminary Compass, June 2022, 18.

[4] Harald Landström, quoting John Wesley, “Sermon 16 – The Means of Grace,” Wesley and Sanctification: A Study in the Doctrine of Salvation, (Wilmore: Francis Asbury Press, 1998), 122.

[5] Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer, “The Way of Grace,” Residency Faculty Lecture (Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, MS, October 15, 2012).

[6] Dr. James B. Richards, Grace: The Power to Change, (New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1993), 22.

[7] John Wesley, “Sermon 16 – The Means of Grace,” The Wesley Center Online, last modified 1999, accessed July 21, 2022, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-16-the-means-of-grace/.

[8] Dr. Chris Lohrstorfer, “The Way of Grace,” Residency Faculty Lecture (Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, MS, October 15, 2012).

Behave Into a New Way of Thinking?

July 29, 2022 /
Orange sunset over field.
Sunset over field. Photo credit: Tessa Mahoney.

One of the podcasts I occasionally listen to is The Transformative Leader Podcast. The host often says to “behave your way into a new way of thinking.” Being the Bible nerd I am, naturally I asked myself, “How does this apply to discipleship? Or does it?”

When I started looking into this, I didn’t know if this would be a circular argument, so I kept an open mind. I had some preliminary ideas, but wanted to allow Scripture to speak for itself without imposing my own meaning into it.

Jesus’ thoughts on the subject

The first passage I found that discusses both thought and behavior is Matthew 22:36-40:

But when the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

In the two greatest commandments, the first priority is loving God with our heart, soul, and mind. Second is loving our neighbor. Both commandments are important as they are the summary of all 613 commandments in the Old Testament. However, it is significant that Jesus said the “greatest and first” commandment is to love God and that loving our neighbor came second. We cannot love our neighbor to the degree God calls us to without first loving God.

When Jesus says, “love your neighbor,” the Greek word used for love is “agape,” which is a verb. Loving our neighbor is a love in action – this type of love is not an emotion. Here we see that our thinking changes first when we love God with our mind (along with our heart and soul). A change in our actions or behavior follows a change in our thinking.

What does Paul have to say about this?

Romans

Romans 8:5-8 is another passage that supports our thinking changing prior to our actions:

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

At first glance, this one may seem like a bit of a stretch. However, in his commentary on Romans, James R. Edwards notes that in the original Greek the word translated “thought” conveys “the idea of the sum total of inner dispositions, literally a ‘mindset’ that leads to a goal.”[1] This implies the mindset of the Spirit occurs prior to meeting a goal, and goals are only met through actions. Therefore, in this example, our thoughts again change before our behavior.

A few chapters later, in Romans 12:2, Paul tells the church “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We see here that the renewing of our mind will transform us and that we will discern God’s will. In Edwards’ commentary on Romans, he agrees that “transformation by God begins by the renewing of your mind.”[2] Again, we see our thoughts must change prior to behavior.

Letters to other churches

Further evidence is found in Ephesians 3:2-5a: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you…” Real transformation begins with our mind. Our minds must change first. It is only then that we can change and “put to death what is earthly.” We cannot truly change our behavior unless our minds have first been remade.

Paul again confirms that thinking changes prior to actions in Philippians 4:8 when he says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” If we set our minds on these things, our behavior will follow.

Conclusion

In my research, I found no evidence that we can “behave our way into a new way of thinking” in our spiritual lives. In fact, every passage of Scripture I found supports the opposite – that it is our minds that change first and then our behavior follows. To borrow the language from the podcast, we think our way into a new way of behaving.

I am not completely disagreeing with the recommendation that people “behave their way into a new way of thinking.” That idea is intended to be part of a leadership philosophy and I am looking at it through the lens of discipleship. Whether or not this idea is accurate in the realm of leadership is for someone else to decide. However, it made me think, and it gave me something to research in Scripture which I found interesting. I hope it has also provided you with some food for thought.

If you find any Scriptural evidence to support the “behave your way into a new way of thinking” philosophy, please let me know in the comments! I look forward to seeing what you may find.

Please check out The Transformed Life of a Disciple for more on this topic.

[1] James R. Edwards, New International Commentary: Romans (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1992), 204.

[2] Edwards, 285.

Game Over…Or Is It?

April 28, 2022 /
Game over
Game over. Credit: cottonbro studio.

What are some of the core features that comprise the typical video game?

Despite what type of game it is (platformer, adventure, role playing game, etc.), most video games have the same core elements:

  • Main characters
  • Storyline and plot
  • Lives
  • Continues
  • Game overs

How do you feel when you’re on your last continue, you make a mistake, your character dies, and you get a game over? If you are anything like me, you get frustrated – frustrated with the game, yourself, or possibly both. You spent a lot of time getting to that point, and now you’re either going to have to start back at the beginning of the game (let’s hear it from the old-school gamers in the back!), or your last save point. If you lost any essential items or power ups, you may need to collect those again, and depending on the game, this could take a significant amount of time. Sometimes it is a long, hard journey to get back to where you were! When you get a game over, you go backward before you can continue going forward.

Life Like a Video Game

Isn’t that similar to life? Again, if you’re anything like me, this has happened to you. You made a mistake, wanted to let it go, but didn’t. You kept it in, it kept bothering you, embarrassed you, made you mad, (or insert other negative emotions), and you let it fester and boil inside. This is going backward instead of forward. When you hang on to these types of emotions, it prevents you from living your best life.

This sometimes happens to us in our spiritual lives as well. We sin, either intentionally or unintentionally, and once we realize our actions were against God’s will, we take those feelings about our sin (anger, resentment, etc.) and lock them away. Maybe it’s because we don’t think God is capable of forgiving us because the sin is “too big” to be forgiven. Or maybe we think we are beyond redemption. Whatever the reason, that isn’t the way it works. Let’s take a look at Psalm 103:11-12:

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

God has compassion on his people as sinners. Christ is ready to forgive us of our sins. Whatever it is you have done is what has separated you from God and He is ready to reconcile you back to Himself. He is ready to wipe the slate clean. He is ready to take all of the corrupted files from your hard drive, move them to the trash, and empty the trash so they are no longer recoverable. He is ready to give you more continues with no more game overs. He is ready to renew you.

Unlimited Continues

There is a retro video game arcade near where I live that has no game overs! All of the games are set to free play and there are unlimited continues! You can regenerate and continue playing even if you die hundreds of times!

This is also like our spiritual life! Even though we’ve made mistakes, we’ve sinned, and we’ve separated ourselves from God, it doesn’t have to be the end of the story. We can move forward and find life! However, we need Christ in order to do it. To be renewed, we need to repent of our sins, allow Christ to forgive us, and then move in another direction away from sin.

Sin and Grace

What is important to remember, though, is that we should not intentionally sin in order to receive God’s grace and forgiveness. Paul speaks of this in his letter to the Romans. In Romans 6:1-2, Paul says, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” When we repent of our sin, we move in another direction and strive to continue living without that sin. We can do this because when we repent, we give that sin over to God and it has no more power over us. Dr. James Edwards puts it this way, “Since Christ has broken the claim of sin over our existence, sin no longer determines our existence.”[1] This is freedom in Christ!

Keep Going!

German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer discusses this in his classic book The Cost of Discipleship. In it, he distinguishes between cheap grace and costly grace: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance…Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.”[2] God’s grace increases where sin increases. However, what cheapens the grace is when we believe that “it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.” The kind of grace the Apostle Paul and Bonhoeffer are referring to is the grace we seek by following Christ and laying down our lives for him.

When we make mistakes in a video game, we can keep going. When we run out of lives, the game over is not final. We will get another chance. When we sin, we can keep going when we turn to Christ and allow God’s grace to cover it.

———-

Please check out my blog post Justification and the New Birth for more on the topic of forgiveness of sin.

I highly recommend reading Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship. His writing is difficult for many, but I encourage you to work through it, perhaps reading it a little at a time or along with others so you can discuss it together.

I encourage you to listen to “East to West” by Casting Crowns. It aligns well with this message and paints a word picture for Jesus’ forgiveness of sin.

[1] James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1992), 159.

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (revised) (New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976), 47.

Entire Sanctification

April 7, 2022 /
Sunrise over mountains with clouds.
Sunrise over mountains in central ID. Photo credit: Tessa Mahoney.

If you are unfamiliar with the term “entire sanctification,” there may be different reasons for that. One may be that the term is not often discussed from the pulpit, particularly if you are part of a church that is not part of the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. Another may be that it is an unpopular topic in the current cultural climate in which many churches seek to be “relevant” (whatever that means, but that’s a topic for another day). Still another reason may be that you are unfamiliar with the theology of John Wesley. Entire sanctification is unique to his theology. Other theologians studied and discussed sanctification, but John Wesley is the only one who saw that Christians could become entirely sanctified. He discerned “that salvation was the central theme of biblical theology and sanctifying grace was the essence of salvation.”[1]

Sanctification is God’s will for the Christian, and is the process of becoming more like Christ. It begins with justification (see Justification and the New Birth) and initial sanctification. Sanctification is “a calling to align yourself with God’s will and cleanse yourself from sin.”[2] It is also known as Christian perfection or holiness. The Christian who has been sanctified has been “made free from outward sin.”[3] This process begins when one enters into salvation. They are cleansed from sin and the length of time it takes from salvation to sanctification varies from person to person. It can happen in an instant, it can take years, or any length of time in between.

Entire sanctification is “full salvation, the perfection of love that so fills the heart that there is no more room for sin.”[4] In order to be entirely sanctified, a Christian must be “strong in the Lord, and ‘have overcome the wicked one.’”[5] His heart must be so close to God that temptations are no longer such an intense battle, and because “his heart be no longer evil, then evil thoughts can no longer proceed out of it.”[6] He is both outwardly and inwardly sinless. The entirely sanctified Christian enjoys a freedom from evil in his heart because he has purified his heart by faith (Acts 15:9). His soul is cleansed from all unrighteousness.[7]

It can take much difficulty and refining to become entirely sanctified and cleansed from all unrighteousness. The Christian must “’wrestle with flesh and blood,’ with an evil nature, as well as ‘with principalities and powers.’”[8] This wrestling would cause the believer to abandon many of their old ways in pursuit of new ways. The old, worldly self would disappear to leave only the new, holy, and perfect self. This means the Christian must fight against their sinful nature to follow God’s will. It can involve many different decisions, but ultimately the Christian must fight against many cultural norms and, at best, may be considered “weird;” at worst, there will be persecution and even martyrdom.

One way in which we can effectively understand sanctification is to remember “that the Holy Spirit intends to transform our behavior, not partially but completely.”[9] After one enters into salvation, entire sanctification becomes the goal during the Christian life. Many people come to Christ during a time of crisis and what they need most during that time is hope. They need to know that there is something better for them and that their life does not have to stay the same. The Holy Spirit can change their heart and heal them; He can lead them on the path to sanctification and to entire sanctification. This, of course, it not necessarily easy, but it is possible. In fact, if one becomes a Christian there is something wrong if their life is not changed and they remain in the state in which they were before they became a Christian!

Entire sanctification can be a pretty hard pill to swallow. It is not easy for most people. Wesley said it is “all the mind which was in Christ enabling us to walk as Christ walked. It is the circumcision of the heart from all filthiness, from all inward as well as outward pollution.”[10] We are comfortable in our sin and in our culture. It is uncomfortable to “go against the grain” of our culture. If you follow the crowd, you will end up where the crowd ends up. Look at the crowd. Is that really where you want to be? Sanctification is counter-cultural, and we would do well to follow that path. What is pleasing in our culture provides only a momentary pleasure that is often quickly followed by regret.

Journeying toward entire sanctification, in my experience, provides joy and peace. There are activities and desires I have left behind, but I have had no regrets in doing so. I have found that I really do not need what I have left behind. It may be difficult to change course at first, but it is worth it.

There is much more that can be said, and has been said, about both sanctification and entire sanctification. If you are interested in learning more about them, please see the references below, John Wesley’s sermons in particular.  

[1] Harald Lindström, Wesley and Sanctification: A Study in the Doctrine of Salvation (Wilmore: Francis Asbury Press, 1998), Forward.

[2] “Sanctification,” Bible Study Tools, accessed September 17, 2021, https://www.biblestudytools.com/search/?s=references&q=sanctification.

[3] John Wesley, Sermon 40 – “Christian Perfection,” General Board of Global Ministries, accessed September 17, 2021, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-40-christian-perfection, II 3.

[4] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 101.

[5] Ibid., II 21.

[6] Ibid., II 22.

[7] Ibid., II 28.

[8] John Wesley, Sermon 13 – “On Sin in Believers,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed September 27, 2021, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-13-on-sin-in-believers/, I 2.

[9] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2: Christ and Salvation (Grand Rapids, Zondervan: 2012), 429 iBooks.

[10] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2: Christ and Salvation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 432 iBooks.

The Transformed Life of a Disciple

April 1, 2022 /
Maple trees changing colors in fall.
Maple trees in fall. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

In Romans 12:1-15:13 Paul addresses three religious issues with his audience of both Jewish and Gentile believers in the Roman church. These same issues are present in many Christian churches today, so Paul’s advice is applicable for us as well. First, he gives instructions about living a life of sacrifice to the Lord. Second, he gives practical advice on how to live like a disciple. Third, he explains to the Jewish believers that Gentiles are included with the Jews in God’s plan of salvation. Paul spoke directly to the church about his concerns, their failures, and opportunities for improvement in their thinking about and understanding of salvation. The Roman church needed some theological help, which he provided. He was very honest, but loving, in correcting them where they needed it.

Instructions about living a life of sacrifice to the Lord (12:1-8)

Arguably, Paul’s first and second points regarding living a life of sacrifice and how to live like a disciple are closely related and likely difficult to distinguish because, by definition, the life of a disciple is a life of sacrifice to the Lord. However, in the first eight verses of chapter 12, Paul does specifically tell the church “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” He then instructs them more specifically on how to do that.

First, it is important to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” so as to discern God’s will (v. 2). How is this accomplished? It is not done completely by our own efforts. It begins with the Holy Spirit’s involvement in helping us change the way we think. When we receive the Holy Spirit, our minds begin a transformation. He helps us change what we desire to expose our minds to (music, movies, books, podcasts, friends, etc.) and how we think. What we consume affects how we think and when we change what we consume, our way of thinking will also shift.

Second, Paul tells them not to think of themselves more highly than they should, but rather “to think with sober judgment.” We are to think of ourselves in a humbler fashion than that of the world. Our culture places value on pride and arrogance, but Paul explains that this should not be the case for the disciple of Christ. We should not elevate ourselves above others, but put others ahead of ourselves. He then uses an analogy comparing the Church to the human body, (this is the same analogy he uses in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Just like every human body part has an important function, so does every member of the Church. Everyone has something to contribute. Some contributions are more public or highly praised than others, but they are no more important than the less public or less praised contributions. All contributions from the Body of Christ for the Kingdom are valuable. After the analogy, Paul lists gifts of the Spirit and says those who have such gifts ought to use them with gusto because those gifts have been given for the purpose of building the Kingdom.

Practical advice on how to live like a disciple (12:9-15:3)

Paul uses the majority of 12:1-15:13 to give the Roman church practical advice on how to live like a disciple. We are to love with authenticity (12:9-21). It should come as no surprise this is first in his list under the heading “Marks of the True Christian” (English Standard Version (ESV)) since love is the fulfillment of the Law (13:8-14). Love is also the first item in Paul’s list of Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. It is through our love that the world will know we are disciples of Christ (John 13:35).

Paul also explains that disciples are to submit to the authorities (13:1-7). God has appointed the authorities to their positions, and a failure to submit to or respect the authority God has put in place would tarnish our witness. Disciples of Christ are to be law-abiding citizens unless the law commands evil and the governing authority expects the Christian to act in a way that is inconsistent with the teachings of Scripture. There are several examples of civil disobedience in the Bible, and I will briefly highlight two of them from the Old Testament. In Exodus 1, the Egyptian Pharaoh commanded the Hebrew midwives to kill all of the male Jewish babies. Instead of obeying Pharaoh, they lied to him and allowed the babies to live. God blessed the midwives, and Moses was one of the babies they spared. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s false idol, so he had them thrown into the fiery furnace and God proceeded to save them. They were not harmed in any way despite the flames. Paul’s next point is that disciples are not to judge others (14:1-12).

In the context of the passage, Some of the Jewish believers thought they should remain kosher, but others disagreed and since this issue is not a moral issue (and Jesus declared all foods clean in Matthew 15:11 and Mark 7:19), Paul told them to decide for themselves. When he says not to judge others, Paul means “mature Christians have a responsibility not to flaunt what they are free to do before God in ways that harm other Christians.”[1] Christians are still to hold one another accountable for sin. The last item Paul lists is that disciples are to live cautiously around others so we don’t cause them to stumble (14:13-23). For example, if you are aware of another believer who is working to overcome an alcohol addiction and you go out to dinner with them, don’t order an alcoholic beverage, because it may tempt them to order one as well. This is a small sacrifice to show love and concern for another believer because “it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble” (14:21).

Gentiles are included with Jews in salvation (15:4-13)

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to both Jews and Gentiles. One of the purposes of this letter was to address the issue of salvation – who is included? The Jewish believers, being part of God’s chosen people from the beginning, believed they were the only ones who could be saved and that Gentiles were not covered by Jesus’ blood. However, Paul gently corrects them. If we look back at Romans 11:11-24, he explains that the Gentiles have been grafted into salvation with the Jews. Another way to look at it is as adoption. The Jews are God’s original children and the Gentiles have been adopted into the family. They will receive the same love and care as the Jews. They will also receive the same inheritance. In 15:4-13, Paul further explains the Gentiles have been part of the plan since the beginning. In verses 9-12, he quotes four verses from the Old Testament the Jews would have known that point to salvation for the Gentiles: 2 Samuel 22:50, Deuteronomy 32:43, Psalm 117:1, and Isaiah 11:1. Jesus did not pick and choose those for whom he died. Salvation is for all.

Paul’s instructions to the Church are clear. He gives practical instructions for Christian living and discipleship: We are to use the gifts God has given us through his grace (12:4-8), love with authenticity (12:9-21), submit to the authorities (13:1-7), not judge others (14:1-12), and live cautiously around others so we don’t cause them to stumble (14:13-23). Ultimately, we are to live by Christ’s example (15:1-7).

[1] Ted Cabal, ed., The Apologetics Study Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 1702.

Justification and the New Birth

January 4, 2021 /
Summer sunset over city.
Summer sunset. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

John Wesley, in his theology of salvation, made a clear distinction between justification and regeneration. He referred to them as the two general parts of salvation and, while they work in conjunction with one another, they are two different aspects of Christian salvation. Justification and regeneration both have some similar features, but they operate differently and they each have a different role in the overall salvation process. The greatest source to discover John Wesley’s definitions of justification and regeneration and how they function in the process of salvation is his 43rd sermon, “The Scripture Way of Salvation.” However, other primary and secondary sources will be used as well.

Justification is a synonym for pardon and “is the forgiveness of all our sins.”[1] This forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the Cross. Justification is the initial work of salvation and occurs instantly when one becomes a believer and forms a relationship with Christ. Some of the effects of justification can be seen immediately, such as peace, hope, and joy.[2] This justification comes only by the grace of God who freely forgives the sins of humanity.[3] A simpler way of stating it is that justification comes from God through Christ to humanity. Wesley believed one could not read Scripture without coming into contact with the doctrine of justification.[4] Justification is seen throughout the whole of the Bible because it is in God’s character to forgive His people of their sins against him.

Now that justification has been defined, it is important to understand how it works in the salvation process. John Wesley’s doctrine of salvation can easily be seen in his sermons. In his sermon “Salvation by Faith,” he uses Ephesians 2:8 as the guiding text: “By grace are ye saved through faith.” Salvation begins with God’s grace. He even says, “Grace is the source, faith the condition, of salvation.”[5] Karl Barth would agree as he believed that justification occurs by grace through faith and is not compatible with human initiative; it is solely the work of God.[6] Thus, salvation is dependent upon the grace of God and humanity’s faith in Him. Further, in “The Almost Christian,” Wesley says, “He that hath the form of godliness uses also the means of grace; yea, all of them, and at all opportunities.”[7] Wesley describes what salvation through faith is in “Salvation by Faith.” Salvation through faith is present, from sin and its consequences (justification), a deliverance from guilt and punishment by Christ’s atonement, deliverance from the power of sin “through Christ formed in his heart.”[8] Salvation necessitates God’s grace and is effected through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross. Salvation cannot occur without both God’s grace and Christ’s atonement. In fact, without God’s grace, Jesus Christ would not have even been sent for us. Justification has a role to play in this process. It begins with sin. Sin necessitates justification. Without sin, there is no need to be justified. Once this sin and the need for reconciliation with God are recognized, one comes to faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross and they are justified by God’s grace.

Regeneration is the second part of John Wesley’s two general parts of salvation. It is also known as the new birth. “Regeneration is the birthing work of God the Spirit by which the pardoned sinner becomes a child of God, loving and serving God with the affections of the heart, so as to receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we are enabled to say, ‘Abba, Father.’”[9] While justification occurs in an instant and at one specific moment of time in a believer’s life, regeneration is a process that occurs throughout the remainder of a Christian’s life. It is the very beginning of sanctification. Thomas C. Oden quotes Wesley, “He that is ‘born of a woman,’ then begins to live a natural life; he that is ‘born of God,’ then begins to live a spiritual.”[10] Prior to justification, one lives only their physical existence; however, once one enters into regeneration after justification, they have a spiritual existence as well. There is a distinction to be made between the physical and spiritual lives of an individual. While humans grow physically, reach their prime, and then begin to degenerate, the spiritual life is not the same. The spiritual life of an individual continues to grow throughout the duration of their life; they have just hit their prime when they have finished the race and entered heaven!

Justification enables the new birth and sanctification enables the process of growth.[11] Without justification there can be no new, spiritual birth and without sanctification there can be no growth. The Christian faith and life is a continuous movement toward holiness – toward becoming more and more set apart for God’s purposes. The way to holiness is through regeneration. “Regeneration is the birthing work of God the Spirit by which the pardoned sinner becomes a child of God, loving and serving God with the affections of the heart, so as to receive the Spirit of adoption by whom we are enabled to say, ‘Abba, Father.’”[12] It is by the process of regeneration that Christians are adopted into son-ship and made “co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Regeneration brings with it a new spiritual nature that ushers in a new will and a new beginning.[13]

Justification and regeneration work in tandem with one another, but it begins with grace. Christ’s work on the cross expresses God’s act for humanity while the new birth accomplishes the outworking of this act of God in his people. Justification modifies the believer’s relation to God while new birth refines the believer’s motivation and disposition of the soul. Justification reinstates the whole person by pardon to God’s favor while new birth regenerates the whole person by faith to God’s image. And, finally, justification removes the guilt of sin while new birth removes the power of sin.[14] Neil Cole says it well, “Regeneration is an ongoing process of the Holy Spirit working in our lives, so that each of us should be more like Christ this year than we were the year before.”[15]

[1] John Wesley, “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-43-the-scripture-way-of-salvation, I 3.

[2] Ibid.

[3] John Wesley, “Righteousness of Faith,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-6-the-righteousness-of-faith, I 2.

[4] Chris Lohrstorfer, “Know Your Disease, Know Your Cure: A Critical Analysis of John Wesley’s Sources For His Doctrine of Original Sin,” (PhD diss., University of Manchester, 2006), 121.

[5] John Wesley, “Salvation by Faith,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020,  http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-1-salvation-by-faith, 3.

[6] William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Faith and Apologetics (3rd ed.) (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), chap. 1, iBooks.

[7] John Wesley, “The Almost Christian,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed December 8, 2020, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-2-the-almost-christian, II 7.

[8] Wesley, “Salvation by Faith,” II 7.

[9] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), chap. 8, iBooks.

[10] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), chap. 9, iBooks.

[11] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 2 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), chap. 3, iBooks.

[12] Ibid., chap. 8, iBooks.

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Neil Cole, Search & Rescue: Becoming a Disciple Who Makes a Difference (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2008), chap. 2, iBooks.

The Answer is Grace

December 3, 2020 /
Sunset over bluff in winter with evergreen trees in foreground.
Sunset over bluff in winter. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

Grace is what distinguishes Christianity from all other world religions and it never ceases to amaze me. I would like to take a look at how Paul addresses the concept of grace in Romans 5:1-21. As with most of Paul’s writings, there is a lot packed into these 21 verses, so this is by no means intended to be a comprehensive study of the passage, or of grace itself.

Romans 5:1-7

In the first seven verses, Paul explains that through Christ, we access grace through faith. It is through faith in Christ that we are covered by God’s grace. Because of our sin, we are separated from God and our relationship with him is broken. In order to restore that relationship and have reconciliation with God, we need to have faith in Jesus Christ who suffered and died on the cross to provide salvation for us. Jesus is the only one who can bridge the gap between us and God that is caused by our sin. There is nothing we can do by our own efforts to earn God’s grace or to earn salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God when we put our faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8). We are reminded for whom Christ died when we read verses 6 and 7: “Christ died for the ungodly.” The object of God’s love through Christ is the ungodly. We are the object of God’s love even though we are unworthy and do not deserve it. Since we have received God’s love and grace, should we not show that same love and grace to others?

Romans 5:8-11

In the next five verses, verses 8-11, Paul explains that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (v. 8). He was willing to save us even though we were sinning and separating ourselves from God! Paul also explains this in Ephesians 2:4-5: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved.” What if God had looked at us and only seen our sin? What if He only saw the bad in us, and not the good? We would have no hope of salvation. Zero. None. Fortunately, that is not the case, as Jesus states in John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” While we were in our sinful state and at enmity with God, he chose to reconcile us, or make us right, with him through Christ.

Reconcile, or katalasso in Greek, means, “the exchange of hostility for a friendly relationship”[1] or “the restoration of a harmonious relationship between two parties.”[2] The use of katalasso with reference to humanity’s relationship with God is unique to Paul’s writings. It is used twice in Romans 5:10 to explain that God reconciled humanity while it was still at enmity with him, and that humanity is saved by the life of Christ after his death. Paul uses it in the next verse as well, as something they have already received from God.

In order for us to be reconciled to God, to exchange our hostility for friendly relationship or to bring us into harmonious relationship with him, requires repentance. Our sin separates us from God and creates a chasm between us and God. God gives us prevenient grace (the grace that “goes before” and enables us to turn to him), but we have to truly repent of our sin before the chasm can close and we have reconciliation with God. We have to acknowledge our sin, ask forgiveness for our sin, and turn away from sin.

Romans 5:12-17

We must turn to Christ for forgiveness of sin and salvation. There is no other way. In Verses 12-17, Paul reminds us that we are in total depravity because of the Fall of Adam. Sin entered the world through Adam’s sin and sin spread throughout all of humanity. We are made aware of our sin through the Old Testament law, but the law is powerless to save (8:3). However, just as death was brought by one man, grace was also brought by one man. Adam and Christ brought opposite conditions. Adam brought death, but Christ brought salvation. There is a link between Adam’s sin and death for all, but there is also a link between Christ’s death and salvation for all. The link between Christ’s death and salvation for all is grace. Without Christ, our sin brings judgment from God and no forgiveness. With Christ, we are justified and forgiven by grace through faith. Jesus paid the ultimate price by laying down his life for all of humanity.

Romans 5:18-21

In the final verses of chapter 5, verses 18-21, Paul explains that while sin reigned in death, grace abounded where sin increased. There is no limit to God’s grace – it is always sufficient. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer distinguishes between two types of grace – cheap grace and costly grace: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance…Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.”[3] God’s grace increases where sin increases, however it is cheap grace when we have an attitude of “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission,” which Paul addresses in 6:1-2 (“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”). The kind of grace the Apostle Paul and Bonhoeffer refer to is the grace we seek by following Christ and laying down our lives for him. Costly grace is not taken for granted.

We are changed through grace as God draws us to himself. It is not through laws that we are changed, but through grace. Laws may attempt to force us to be good, but grace makes us want to be good. Grace means that there is nothing we can do by our own power to make God love us more, but it also means that there is nothing we can do that will make God love us less. God loves us, and the grace he extends to us through salvation in Jesus Christ is a gift from him to us. It is up to us to receive it and to live a life worthy of it.

[1] Frederick William Danker, ed., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd Edition (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), 521.

[2] Allen C. Myers, ed., The Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987), 875.

[3] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (revised) (New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976), 47.

Gnosticism & Enlightenment: Maintaining Faith Among Skeptics

October 3, 2020 /
Country field with mountains in background.
Country field. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

I would like to examine two different philosophical movements, and two key theologians who refuted them: the Apostle Paul addressed Gnosticism in the 1st Century and John Wesley addressed the Enlightenment in the 18th Century. Both of these theologians responded to the philosophy of their day using reason and theology.

During the 1st Century while Christianity was growing, there was another philosophical and religious movement spreading throughout the Roman Empire: Gnosticism. Gnosticism is salvation by knowledge rather than by faith. The Gnostics claimed to be Christians so they were in the Christian circle, but they did not believe everything Christians believed, which put them outside the Christian circle. Although they claimed to be Christians, they denied the Incarnation, which then denies the effectiveness of the atonement since the atonement hinges on Jesus Christ’s divinity.[1] Gnostic beliefs were similar enough to Christian beliefs that less mature Christians could be easily led astray, yet their beliefs were different enough that more mature Christians could recognize them as heretics. Gnostics believed that hope was only available for those affiliated with a spiritual elite.[2] Paul addresses this issue in his letter to the Ephesians:

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” [Ephesians 2:4-10, NIV 1984]

The key word in this passage, which Paul uses three times within the seven verses, is grace. It is interesting to note that two of those three uses are due to Paul using the same phrase twice (in verses 5 and 8): “it is by grace you have been saved.” While the Gnostics believed they were saved through knowledge, Paul addressed the issue with the Ephesian church (along with the other churches among which the letter was circulated) and reinforced the truth that salvation comes by grace through faith and not by any other means. It especially does not come from any of our own efforts. He says in verses 8 and 9 that salvation (by grace through faith) is the gift of God, and that salvation is not by our own efforts so that no one can boast. There is no “special knowledge” required and there is no “spiritual elite” to which salvation is exclusively extended. Salvation is the free gift of God offered to all. James R. Edwards articulates it well: “The gospel is salvation without limits, a universal promise for everyone who believes.”[3]

Sixteen centuries after Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians, philosophers began to take a different turn in their thinking that still affects us today. Led by René Descartes and his Discourse on Method in 1637, the Enlightenment era, also known as the Age of Reason, began in which humanism from the Reformation era became secularized.[4] Descartes’ Discourse presented a growing suspicion of external authorities, distinctly emphasized the individual, and in it he articulated the foundation of modern philosophy: “I think therefore I am.”[5] To put it bluntly, he was a skeptic. He believed humans could only attain certain knowledge if they began to doubt everything.[6] Descartes’ philosophy helped to begin the shift in thinking from God to the individual. During this time, deism was regarded by the intellectual elite as “the true religion.”[7] Deists believed that after creation there was no divine activity and therefore they could not accept God’s supernatural involvement in the world.

The Enlightenment used reason and experience as a basis for knowledge, and held that all knowledge is empirical, or comes from the senses. This likely influenced John Wesley’s approach to Scripture and theology since he lived and ministered during the Enlightenment era. In his thinking of the authority of Scripture, Wesley used reason and experience, along with tradition, to form his Quadrilateral method of theology (“the authority of Scripture understood in the light of tradition, reason, and experience”)[8]. Wesley used Scripture as a foundation, but he interpreted it through experience.[9] This was fitting for the Enlightenment era and its emphasis empiricism.

Although Wesley’s approach to Scripture and theology may have been influenced by the Enlightenment and its emphasis on reason and experience, he refuted the philosophy of the Enlightenment in his theology. In his sermons and writings, the doctrine of prevenient grace is one on which he placed much emphasis. It is crucial to his belief that all people can be saved by faith in Christ. Prevenient grace is grace that “goes before.” It is a grace that comes from God, is at work before one is even aware of it, allows people to have a sense of right and wrong, and enables them to do the good works he has called them to do (Ephesians 2:10; 1 John 4:19). God’s grace is at work in people’s lives even before they realize it. It is prevenient grace that enables people to pray for the grace that is necessary for repentance and faith. Humanity is desperate in sin, but God has already extended the grace they need in order to reach him. While the philosophy of the Enlightenment rejects God’s involvement in the world and emphasizes individualism, Wesley’s theology of prevenient grace shows us that it is because of God’s involvement that we have the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ.

We can learn a lot from how the Apostle Paul and John Wesley used Scripture to address the religious and philosophical movements of their time. Like the Gnostics, there are still people who choose to believe some parts of Christianity, but not all of it, and tend to lead less mature Christians astray, as during the Apostle Paul’s time. There are still people who use reason as a basis for not believing in God, as in John Wesley’s day. How do we shield ourselves from being led astray by those who only believe God’s truth in part, and those who use reason as a basis for not believing in God? Pray and read God’s Word daily. Study it. Talk to mature Christians about what you are reading, studying, discovering, and about questions that arise. Take direction from the Apostle Paul and John Wesley and use reason and experience to interpret Scripture.

[1] Matt Slick, “Gnosticism,” Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, accessed August 13, 2020 (https://carm.org/gnosticism).

[2] William C. Placher, A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1983), 47.

[3] James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1992), 255.

[4] Dr. Carey Vinzant, “Post-Reformation” (online lecture for HT604 History of Christian Thought at Wesley Biblical Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi, Fall 2013).

[5] Ibid.

[6] Placher, Christian Theology, 238.

[7] Ted Cabal, “Notable Christian Apologist: Joseph Butler,” in The Apologetics Study Bible, ed. Ted Cabal (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2007), 844.

[8] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), Interlude iBooks.

[9] Harald Lindström, Wesley and Sanctification: A Study in the Doctrine of Salvation (Nappanee: Francis Asbury Press, 1980), 5.

Essay on Wesley’s Quadrilateral

August 4, 2020 /
Water tower in country field.
Water tower. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

This post is an essay I wrote in seminary on, you guessed it, the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. This is the essay I submitted in a course titled Theology of John Wesley and has not been edited or updated since its original submission. It provides an introduction to and foundation for Wesley’s theology.

John Wesley had a unique approach to theology, and perhaps the most unique and misunderstood aspect of his approach is known as the Quadrilateral. The quadrilateral method is “the authority of Scripture understood in the light of tradition, reason, and experience.”[1] Each of the four parts work together as a cohesive unit; if one part is removed, the other three are incomplete. The metaphor of a quadrilateral has historical roots. It refers to four walls or bulwarks in defensive military strategy and has occasionally been interpreted as the four permissions or the four open doors.[2] This is the opposite of defense! A proper understanding of Wesley’s quadrilateral method, how the authority of Scripture is understood using tradition, reason, and experience, is crucial to understanding his systematic theology.

Authority of Scripture

To understand the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, it is imperative to begin with the authority of Scripture because it “is the fundamental premise of the other three.”[3] Without Holy Scripture, there is no way to compare Christian tradition, reason, and experience with that of first century Christianity. Scripture guides Christian tradition, reason, and experience. One cannot understand and apply Scripture without first reading and meditating on it.[4] “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). After one has read and understood Scripture in its context and applied reason to that understanding, their spiritual experience will further confirm or clarify that understanding. Wesley said, “When plain facts run counter to their predictions, experience performs what reason could not, and sinks them down into their senses.”[5]

Tradition

The next aspect of the quadrilateral is tradition. Scripture is confirmed by the apostolic tradition.[6] Tradition cannot be separated from Scripture. Wesley believed that the doctrine he taught could be proven by Scripture, reason, and antiquity because he viewed the original apostolic preaching in the New Testament as “awakening an ongoing tradition of accurate and reliable reconnection of the events of salvation surrounding the history of Jesus of Nazareth.”[7] In his sermon “The Way to the Kingdom,” Wesley says, “But true religion, or a heart right toward God and man, implies happiness as well as holiness. For it is not only ‘righteousness,’ but also peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. What peace? ‘The peace of God.’”[8] Wesley, in his concern with apostolic tradition, has as his goal to return to the “religion of the primitive church” as preserved in the New Testament and in the ancient Christian writers as well.[9]

Sun shining over country home.
Summer sun over country home. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

Reason

After tradition is reason. John Wesley placed high esteem on man’s ability to reason. He said, “To renounce reason is to renounce religion.”[10] He believed it was impossible to prove or disprove anything without reason. It is God’s gift.[11] Reason works in conjunction with Scripture and in using both together, the Christian can find “the plain scriptural rational way.”[12] Even though reason and Scripture can be employed together, there is a chasm between rational and spiritual. Reason cannot directly lead one to faith, hope or love.[13] One can know Christianity to be true because of the authority of Scripture and reason. For example, Thomas Aquinas also believed that reason was a God-given instrument to be used, so he employed faith and reason to develop an explanation for the existence of God. It is known as his Five Ways.[14]

Experience

The final piece of John Wesley’s quadrilateral method is experience. Experience brings further validation to the authority of Scripture, tradition, and reason. In his sermon “The Nature of Enthusiasm,” Wesley states, “When plain facts run counter to their predictions, experience performs what reason could not, and sinks them down into their senses.”[15] Experience often completes what has already begun in one’s heart through Scripture, tradition, and reason. When a Christian experiences God’s love and grace in their life, even if they have read about it, practiced it in tradition (perhaps in the Eucharist), and reasoned that God must be full of love and grace, that it becomes more real. Oden notes, “Reason and experience work together inwardly to confirm saving faith.”[16]

In these four bulwarks, the authority of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, John Wesley’s systematic theology is defended against notions of unbelief. Each one of these four parts can be taken individually and in conjunction with faith, but it is when all four are taken together that they operate best.

[1] Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 107 iBooks.

[2] Ibid., 107-108.

[3] Ibid., 108.

[4] John Wesley, “The Nature of Enthusiasm,” The Wesley Center Online, last modified 1999, accessed January 22, 2015, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-37-the-nature-of-enthusiasm/.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Oden, 109.

[7] Ibid., 110.

[8] John Wesley, The Way to the Kingdom,” General Board of Global Ministries, accessed January 22, 2015, http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-7-The-Way-to-the-Kingdom.

[9] Oden, 109.

[10] Ibid., 124.

[11] Ibid.

[12] John Wesley, “The Nature of Enthusiasm,” The Wesley Center Online, last modified 1999, accessed January 22, 2015, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-37-the-nature-of-enthusiasm/.

[13] Oden, 133.

[14] William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth in Apologetics, 3rd ed. (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 208), 124 iBooks.

[15] John Wesley, “The Nature of Enthusiasm,” The Wesley Center Online, last modified 1999, accessed January 22, 2015, http://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-37-the-nature-of-enthusiasm/.

[16] Oden, 152.

« Older posts

© 2024 The Answer Is Grace

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions