Wesleyan Theology

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Wesleyan Theology

• Part Four Means of Grace and Doctrine of Church

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Christ as the Only Source of Grace

• There can be no merit in the works of humankind.
  Only Christ can serve as the sufficient means of
  Grace within Protestant traditions.
• So what did Wesley understand by the term Means
  of Grace?

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Means of Grace

• By means of grace I understand outward
  signs, words or actions ordained by God, and
  appointed to this end, to be the ordinary or
  historical channels whereby He sic might
  convey to men sic preventing, justifying or
  sanctifying grace.
• - John Wesley, Means of Grace Sermon 16, 1872
  edition

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Two Categories of Means of Grace

• Instituted (those means established by Jesus
  hence, non-changing)
• Prudential (variable or conditional means)

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Instituted Means of Grace

• Prayer
• Searching the Scriptures
• The Lords Supper
• Fasting
• Christian Conference

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Instituted Means of Grace Prayer

• Prayer considered key to Christian life
• Understood as our Spiritual Breath
• Through prayer the believer maintains their
  relationship with the Divine One
• Failure to pray manifests the Wilderness
  experience of the believer.
• Prayers must express the full dimension of life.

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Instituted Means of Grace Prayer

• Prayers of Deprecation (awareness of sin)
• Prayers of Petition
• Prayers of Intercession
• Prayers of Thanksgiving
• Prayers of Invocation
• Prayers of Adoration

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Instituted Means of Grace Prayer

• Prayers should be both private, communal
  (family) and public (congregational)
• Prayers much originate from a purity of intent or
  sincerity.
• One must pray without ceasing. Prayer
  maintains the constant company of Christ.

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Instituted Means of Grace Scripture

• Read Scripture with regularity
• Believer must know the entire Revelation
• Believer must apply Scripture to life
• One must avoid proof-texting knowledge of
  historical and theological context must be taught
  and practiced.
• Jesus demonstrated extensive knowledge of Hebrew
  Scriptures.

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Instituted Means of Grace Fasting

• Since Jesus practiced fasting, so should the
  People Called Methodists.
• Friday considered by Wesley the day of fasting.
• Purpose of fasting to wean the soul from earthly
  things and remain mindful of our spiritual
  destiny

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Instituted Means of Grace Christian Conference

• Based on his reading of the New Testament and
  knowledge of Patristic Literature, Wesley
  believed it imperative that believers gather on a
  regular basisin small groupsfor fellowship,
  nurture and accountability.

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Instituted Means of Grace Christian Conference

• For this reason, Wesley understood his Class
  Meetings as an essential means of Grace (a means
  he thought missing among the Anglican Communion)
• Christians also called to witness their faith to
  others. The ability to order your conversation
  right the second dimension of Christian
  Conference.

13
Prudential Means of Grace

• While small groups served as Instituted Means of
  Grace, their structure and organization would
  vary or change over time. For this reason,
  Wesley spoke of Prudential Means of Grace.

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Prudential Means of Grace

• The Methodist Societies are a company of men
  sic having the form and seeking the power of
  godliness, united in order to pray together, to
  receive the word of exhortation, and to watch one
  another in love, that they may help each other
  work out their salvation.

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Prudential Means of Grace

• Disciplines of Members
• Doing no harm (abstaining from swearing,
  drunkenness, smuggling, extravagant dress,
  useless diversions, self-indulgence and
  miserliness)
• Doing good (care from ones own body and the body
  of others, caring for the sick and distressed,
  providing exhortation and reproof

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Prudential Means of Grace

• Disciplines of Members
• Attending to all ordinance of God (liturgy,
  sacraments, study, appropriate ministry of the
  Word, prayers and mutual encouragement)
• Regular attendance to morning and evening prayer
  services
• Attendance to particular BANDS Married men,
  married women, single men, single women

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Prudential Means of Grace

• Disciplines of Members
• Reading Christian books and Scripture
• Clear moral standard
• Definite structuring of ones time

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Prudential Means of Grace

• But remember, Discipline does not merit grace.
  The Means of Grace only serve as historically
  recognized ways in which the Holy Spirit performs
  its work in the world.
• Only God can initiate the relationship with the
  human works cannot serve to establish a
  relationship with the Divine One.

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Doctrine of the Church

• The visible Church is a congregation of faithful
  men sic in which the pure Word of God is
  preached and the sacraments be duly administered
  according to Christs ordinance in all those
  things that of necessity are requisite to the
  same.
• Article XIII

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Living Faith
• Preaching
• Due Administration of Sacraments and Liturgy

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Essence of the Visible Church

• But what priority should be given to these
  elements?
• Classical Protestants place emphasis on the
  second item while Catholics stress the third
  element
• Like other Reformers, Wesley places great
  emphasis on the preaching and hearing of the Word.

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Yet, Wesley also affirmed in importance of Living
  Faith
• a congregation of faithful men sic
  recognizes Living Faith as a necessary element of
  Church.

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Wesley also maintained a strong emphasis on the
  administration of the sacraments and the Liturgy
• Could overcome the unfaithfulness of the pastor
• Could serve as a means of grace
• Recognized the Sovereignty and freedom of Christ
  to work through more than preaching
• Emphasized that holiness of Church can be
  mediated through the sacraments rather than
  clergy.

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Essence of the Visible Church

• By granting weight to all three essentials of
  the Visible Church, Wesley attempted to suggest
  the unity of Church as a vital aspect of the
  Churchs mission.
• Maintained the vertical relationship of
  believer to God and horizontal relationship
  of believer to the world tension.

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Essence of the Visible Church

• The holiness of the Church seen by Wesley in two
  forms
• Subjective Holiness (the relationship of the
  Believer to God that emerges from Objective
  Holiness)
• Objective Holiness (maintained through the
  sacraments, Word and liturgy)

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Small Group fellowship necessary for maintaining
  the balance between Subjective and Objective
  Holiness.
• The form for small groups emerges as Prudential
  Means of Grace although Wesley understood the
  need for such a gathering as the Instituted Means
  of Grace known as Christian Conference.

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Such small groups should be fashioned as
  eclesiolae gathered in ecclesia multitudinous
  sacred assemblies within the larger
  congregation of the baptized.
• Eclesiolae provides mutual encouragement,
  examination, service, prayer, growth and
  discipline.

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Wesley attempted to highlight three critical
  dimensions of the Church
• Unity of Purpose (through the Three Essentials)
• Mission (through Subjective and Objective
  Holiness)
• Renewal (through small groups)

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Essence of the Visible Church

• Doctrine that must be preached to all
  non-believers
• Original Sin
• Justification by Faith
• Sanctification
• Trinity
• Atonement

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Essence of the Visible Church

• These essential doctrine would bind most
  Classical Protestants to one another while
  allowing for disagreement between specific
  traditions on several matters (i.e.
  Predestination)
• One should maintain a Catholic Spirit regarding
  those doctrinal issues that divide traditions
  (while never surrendering their own doctrinal
  position)