The Answer Is Grace

Author: Jessica (Page 2 of 2)

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.

Gnosticism

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]

The Enlightenment

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.

Dirt path through tall grass.
Path. Photo credit: the answer is grace.

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.

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