John & Charles Wesley were the founders of the Methodist Movement within the Anglican Church in England during the 18th century. This movement emphasized “works of piety” (working with the Holy Spirit to grow in a personal relationship with God) and “works of mercy” (working with the Holy Spirit to help others grow in relationship with God by addressing their spiritual and physical needs). The doctrines and beliefs that came from John (primarily) and his brother Charles through this movement have become the Wesleyan Doctrines of churches such as the Global Methodist Church, the United Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and the Salvation Army (yes, they really are a denomination and not just a compassionate ministry.)
Grace has been defined as the “unmerited favor” and love of God which we all experience whether we realize it or not. In other words, this is the love that God demonstrates to each and all of us, even though we do not deserve it because of the sinful nature. John Wesley believed that this one grace affects us in primarily three (3) different ways - Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, & Sanctifying Grace. And we will cover those more in the coming pages. But for now, consider this short explanation. Modern Methodists often speak of a “convincing grace” that is situated between prevenient grace and justifying grace. And we will deal with that a bit later on in this section.
This is the first manifestation of the divine love of God that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses and actions that may occur of our own strength and power. This is the action of God taking the initiative to pursue a relationship with us and urging us to turn towards God and to repent so that we may enter a right relationship with God and be delivered from the bondage of sin and the curse of eternal death and hell. We need God to take the initiative because our fallen nature and human state prevents us from being able to turn to God on our own.
Prevenient Grace as a theological matter is not unique to expressions of God’s love as demonstrated to us by sending His Son Jesus in the New Testament. This grace is seen in the Old Testament as well.
Consider these Scriptures passages pertaining to Prevenient Grace:
Ephesians 2:4-10: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Psalm 23: Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
(NLT, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Romans 5:8: But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
1 John 4:19: We love because [God] first loved us.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Wesleyan theology teaches that God reaches out to any believer who is willing to be reconciled to God. This is a grace that is sufficient because of the atoning sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ. In justification, we turn to participate in God’s ways and are, through faith alone, forgiven and restored to God’s favor through the action and example of Jesus Christ. Consider these Scriptures passages pertaining to Justifying Grace:Galatians 3:10-14: For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NRSV)Romans 3:21-26: But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (or through the faith of Jesus Christ) for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. . . . (NRSV)
John & Charles Wesley were the founders of the Methodist Movement within the Anglican Church in England during the 18th century. This movement emphasized “works of piety” (working with the Holy Spirit to grow in a personal relationship with God) and “works of mercy” (working with the Holy Spirit to help others grow in relationship with God by addressing their spiritual and physical needs). The doctrines and beliefs that came from John (primarily) and his brother Charles through this movement have become the Wesleyan Doctrines of churches such as the Global Methodist Church, the United Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and the Salvation Army (yes, they really are a denomination and not just a compassionate ministry.)
Grace has been defined as the “unmerited favor” and love of God which we all experience whether we realize it or not. In other words, this is the love that God demonstrates to each and all of us, even though we do not deserve it because of the sinful nature. John Wesley believed that this one grace affects us in primarily three (3) different ways - Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, & Sanctifying Grace. And we will cover those more in the coming pages. But for now, consider this short explanation. Modern Methodists often speak of a “convincing grace” that is situated between prevenient grace and justifying grace. And we will deal with that a bit later on in this section.
This is the first manifestation of the divine love of God that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses and actions that may occur of our own strength and power. This is the action of God taking the initiative to pursue a relationship with us and urging us to turn towards God and to repent so that we may enter a right relationship with God and be delivered from the bondage of sin and the curse of eternal death and hell. We need God to take the initiative because our fallen nature and human state prevents us from being able to turn to God on our own.
Prevenient Grace as a theological matter is not unique to expressions of God’s love as demonstrated to us by sending His Son Jesus in the New Testament. This grace is seen in the Old Testament as well.
Consider these Scriptures passages pertaining to Prevenient Grace:
Ephesians 2:4-10: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Psalm 23: Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
(NLT, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Romans 5:8: But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
1 John 4:19: We love because [God] first loved us.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Wesleyan theology teaches that God reaches out to any believer who is willing to be reconciled to God. This is a grace that is sufficient because of the atoning sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ. In justification, we turn to participate in God’s ways and are, through faith alone, forgiven and restored to God’s favor through the action and example of Jesus Christ. Consider these Scriptures passages pertaining to Justifying Grace:Galatians 3:10-14: For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NRSV)Romans 3:21-26: But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (or through the faith of Jesus Christ) for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. . . . (NRSV)
What we believe and how we live out our faith...
We believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and have faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. We believe that God's love is realized through the activity of the Holy spirit. We recognize the reign of God as both a present and future reality and the authority of Scripture in matters of faith and practice. We celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion.
Grace is central to our understanding of the Christian faith and life. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, described God’s grace as threefold: prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace.
We understand the Christian life as one in which faith and love are put into action, and we insist that faith and good works belong together. Because of what God has done for us, we offer our lives back to God through a life of service. Methodists maintain a balanced view in their ways of thinking through Christian doctrine, believing that the living core of the Christian faith is revealed in scripture, illumined by tradition, enlivened by experience, and confirmed by reason.
A lot of times it’s hard to see what a section might look like on your website. This longer paragraph is here to help. Replace this text with your own. The rest of this longer paragraph is also filler text. So don’t use this on your real website or people might be confused. It’s always best to write your own.
That being said, sometimes it’s necessary to use filler words to say something that you don’t quite have the words for yet. That makes it more helpful to make decisions on content length.
So, you’re welcome for this, but we should stop now. You can take it from here and make your bold move!
John & Charles Wesley were the founders of the Methodist Movement within the Anglican Church in England during the 18th century. This movement emphasized “works of piety” (working with the Holy Spirit to grow in a personal relationship with God) and “works of mercy” (working with the Holy Spirit to help others grow in relationship with God by addressing their spiritual and physical needs). The doctrines and beliefs that came from John (primarily) and his brother Charles through this movement have become the Wesleyan Doctrines of churches such as the Global Methodist Church, the United Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), the Christian and Missionary Alliance, and the Salvation Army (yes, they really are a denomination and not just a compassionate ministry.)
This is the first manifestation of the divine love of God that surrounds all humanity and precedes any and all of our conscious impulses and actions that may occur of our own strength and power. This is the action of God taking the initiative to pursue a relationship with us and urging us to turn towards God and to repent so that we may enter a right relationship with God and be delivered from the bondage of sin and the curse of eternal death and hell. We need God to take the initiative because our fallen nature and human state prevents us from being able to turn to God on our own.
Prevenient Grace as a theological matter is not unique to expressions of God’s love as demonstrated to us by sending His Son Jesus in the New Testament. This grace is seen in the Old Testament as well.
Consider these Scriptures passages pertaining to Prevenient Grace:
Ephesians 2:4-10: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Psalm 23: Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.
(NLT, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Romans 5:8: But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
1 John 4:19: We love because [God] first loved us.
(NRSV, underline to show emphasis of Prevenient Grace)
Wesleyan theology teaches that God reaches out to any believer who is willing to be reconciled to God. This is a grace that is sufficient because of the atoning sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ. In justification, we turn to participate in God’s ways and are, through faith alone, forgiven and restored to God’s favor through the action and example of Jesus Christ. Consider these Scriptures passages pertaining to Justifying Grace:Galatians 3:10-14: For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law; for “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, “Whoever does the works of the law will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NRSV)Romans 3:21-26: But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (or through the faith of Jesus Christ) for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. . . . (NRSV)
Wesleyan Theology sees God’s grace and human activity working together in the relationship of faith and good works. God’s grace calls forth human response and spiritual discipline as appropriate signs of faith. This can be seen through works of piety (our working with the HolySpirit to grow in our personal relationship with God) and works of mercy (our working with the Holy Spirit to help others grow in relationship with God by addressing their spiritual and physical needs).
Wesleyan Theology insists that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world. Scriptural holiness entails more than personal piety. Love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice, and renewal in the life of the world. The works and the service are not capable of “saving” us through doing them. Rather, they are a demonstration that we are saved and that we love God and that we love others as God loves us.
Finally, Wesleyan Theology emphasizes the nurturing and serving function of Christian fellowship in the church. The worshiping community nourishes the personal experience of faith. A Wesleyan understanding of Christian life and service would fully expect one to be a willing servant in the kingdom of Christ here on earth through the church. And it would expect that we would be constant in our desire to support the Kingdom pf God here on earth.
Wesleyans hold that water baptism “is a symbol of the new covenant of grace and signifies acceptance of the benefits of the atonement of Jesus Christ. By means of this sacrament, believers declare their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.” Methodist doctrine does not require immersion and accepts sprinkling and pouring equally. Typically, you will hear it described as “an outward sign of an inward work of God.”
First-time baptism is available to all who profess a faith in Christ and seek to truth and follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We baptize infants if the parents will agree to raise the child so that by teaching and witness the child will one day confirm the faith for himself or herself.
Because the congregation agrees to support the new believer in his or her faith or to raise the child in the faith, we will baptize only those who want to be part of this community of believers.
Wesleyans see the Bible as the inspired Word of God, inerrant and superior to all human authority. Scripture contains all instruction necessary to salvation. Methodist doctrine does not subsribe to a King James only view of Scripture.