The Wesleyan Way Of Salvation Theology Religion Essay Example

John from preaching any longer, he took it upon himself to spread this message on the streets. His teachings emphasized the significance of internal piety and purity of heart while also advocating for outward demonstrations of this purity. He stressed that such purity is not solely derived from understanding Scripture but also stems from personal experience, oral history, tradition, and reason.

The Methodist Analogy of Faith, which emphasizes that the Bible should interpret itself, is determined by a set of rules. These rules guide us in proclaiming the word, whether through written or unwritten means, discouraging mere stringing together of words for aesthetic purposes. As members of the Methodist Church, we adhere to John Wesley's teachings and the Doctrinal Standards outlined in The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church. The Wesleyan Way of Salvation encompasses various stages ranging from the creation narrative to the introduction of sin and death, total corruption, moral guidance, anticipatory grace, the cross, justifying grace, sanctifying and perfecting grace. These beliefs and forms of grace are foundational elements within Methodism.

According to Genesis 1:27, God initiated the process of redemption by creating man in his own image. He made them male and female. By creating the world and all its contents, God established goodness when he observed its quality. Nevertheless, with mankind's disobedience in consuming from the forbidden tree within the Garden of Eden, evil infiltrated our existence. Scholars and theologians refer to this act of defiance as The Fall.

The separation of humanity from the Godhead, known as Entire Depravity, is considered the worst possible scenario. It resulted from the autumn of humanity and caused a severe disconnection from God. The

inability to communicate with the Godhead and feel His presence has enfeebled humanity immensely. However, this complete corruption is not what God desires for humanity.

God desires a world without evil and wants humanity to remain as originally created. God chose to have a world that is free from wickedness, a world that he created and declared as good. This initial act of grace by God was his decision to shape the world in his own likeness. However, the fall of humanity occurred, prompting a second act of grace: unearned forgiveness. Prevenient Grace is necessary to come and liberate us from evil.

The Bible teaches that all individuals have sinned and failed to meet God's glory. The consequence of wickedness is death, but God provides eternal life as a gift through Jesus Christ. Despite our sinful nature, God demonstrated His love by sending Christ to perish on our behalf. Nonetheless, the chance to attain eternal life in Christ remains open for us. Nevertheless, accepting this gift necessitates belief in the Analogy of Faith, which asserts that the Bible should interpret itself. This entails acknowledging that our inherent free will is not natural.

According to Methodists, people do not have inherent free will to choose to follow Christ on their own. However, they can use their free will to accept him with the help of prevenient grace, which is given through Christ's sacrifice on the cross. This grace is offered universally and regardless of one's belief in Christ. Unlike other beliefs, anticipatory grace is available to all individuals and not just a few. God influences everyone's life and guides them towards salvation from birth. However, salvation can only be

achieved if one is willing to acknowledge Christ as their Lord and Savior, have faith in his position as the only Son of God who died for their sins, and repent for their wrongdoings. It should be noted that recognizing Christ does not happen independently.

According to Article eight of Methodism, believers reject the idea of natural free will because it suggests that humans can save themselves, which is false. Due to the fall of man, we are unable to choose God on our own and are lost in this understanding. However, through Christ's sacrifice, our ability to connect with divinity has been restored. His sacrifice grants us the grace to open our hearts and minds to God's desires for us. The empowerment given by God enables humans to have a relationship with Him as we can now choose Him. Methodists believe that divine grace rather than our natural state grants us free will.

Methodists hold the belief that when we are separated from the Godhead, we lose our understanding of why we are holy and distinct from evil. This disconnect leaves us vulnerable to un-Christlike influences. Likewise, if we fail to acknowledge the inherent image of God in nature and politics, our ability to advocate for social justice becomes limited. We are unable to speak out against injustice or combat wrongdoing within society. Accepting Christ leads us towards repentance, which involves experiencing deep remorse and sorrow.

This powerful expression of grief ultimately prompts a revelation or awakening. In the fall season, we have become disconnected from the concept of God. The concept of God encompasses moral, natural, and political aspects. Without a tangible connection to the inherent

presence of God, we lose our freedom and ability to distinguish right from wrong. Our actions no longer align with the divine essence. God bestowed upon us his natural image to grant us freedom, and without it integrated with our moral compass, we are liberated from nothingness.

We need help to rebuild what has been lost due to a lack of control. Although all the concepts of God, morality, politics, and nature remain intact, we are unable to stop evil from seeping in. When restoration occurs, we become conscious of the wickedness and misconduct that we have participated in. This realization is demonstrated through different means like shouting, groaning, or swaying at historical camp meetings.

Both internally and externally, these symbols or actions were viewed as indications of the presence of God, or the Holy Spirit at work. However, it is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that serves as the basis for rebuilding humanity's ethical, natural, and political values. We can only be considered blameless when we have completely restored our moral likeness to God. This pursuit of perfection is a goal sought after by all Methodists; nevertheless, it is not as straightforward as it seems.

Salvation can be achieved through the Restoration of moral, natural, and political values in humanistic disciplines. Wesley believed that sanctification is the key to restoring flawlessness. He emphasized to his followers that the cross symbolizes grace in the life of a Christian and that Jesus is present in the roles of the prophet, priest, and king in Christology. These roles all share the purpose of informing people about God's will.

The priest acts as a mediator for the people, asking God to forgive

their wrongdoing, while the male monarch guides the people in a way that aligns with God's expectations. According to Methodists, redemption is achieved through a personal relationship or agreement with God. To be redeemed, we must have faith in Jesus Christ as God's only son and his sacrifice on the cross for the sins of everyone. We also believe in his resurrection after three days, overcoming death and the grave. Through his sacrifice, Christ forgave our sins. This means that salvation is available to all, but we must accept this truth without question. We don't believe in earning salvation through good deeds, but we recognize that Christ chose to die on the cross voluntarily. As he taught his followers, anyone who wants to follow him must also be ready to carry their own burdens.

This does not mean the wooden cross in the literal sense. The cross represents the ongoing struggle between good and evil. Every day, saints wrestle with their old selves and the new creation brought about by the Holy Spirit. By accepting Christ, we are brought back into God's family of believers.

Humanity was created by God within a context that brings them back to the same context. For Christians, their main priority is to prevent themselves from being consumed by evil. However, due to God's immense love for mankind, he made the decision to sacrifice his son's life on our behalf even before we came into existence. All of our faith is rooted in God's love.

"For God so loved the universe, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not die, but have eternal life. For God did

not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

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(John 3:16-17) In His immense love for us, God desires to save us from our sins and prevent our destruction. Presently, the Methodist denomination holds a prominent position worldwide.

The Methodist tradition includes various branches in Southern Africa, Great Britain, Ireland, and India as well as the World Methodist Council, the AME Church, the AME Zion Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the CME Church, and the Free Methodist Church. The United Methodist Church Universal is also part of this tradition. Despite non-denominational churches gaining popularity and a decrease in numbers, Methodism continues to have a significant global influence. It is important to recognize that Wesley's Way of Salvation may seem lengthy and demanding but it acknowledges the challenges individuals face as they navigate life and resist temptations that could lead them astray from their faith in Christ and loyalty to this specific denomination.