Perhaps you’ve read this before.*

With Christians of other communions, we confess belief in the triune God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This confession embraces the biblical witness to God’s activity in creation, encompasses God’s gracious self-involvement in the dramas in history, and anticipates the consummation of God’s reign. The created order is designed for the well-being of all creatures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God. As sinful creatures, however, we have broken the covenant, become estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one another, and wreaked havoc throughout the natural order. We stand in need of redemption.*

We hold in common with all Christians a faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. At the heart of the gospel of salvation is God’s incarnation in Jesus of Nazareth. Scripture witnesses to the redeeming love of God in Jesus’ life and teachings, his atoning death, his resurrection, his sovereign presence in history, his triumph over the powers of evil and death, and his promised return. Because God truly loves us in spite of our willful sin, God judges us, summons us to repentance, pardons us, receives us by that grace given to us in Jesus Christ, and gives us hope of life eternal.*

We share the Christian belief that God’s redemptive love is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both in personal experience and in the community of believers. This community is the church, which the Spirit has brought into existence for the healing of the nations. Through faith in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, reconciled to God, and transformed people of the new covenant. “Life in the Spirit” involves diligent use of the means of grace such as praying, fasting, attending to the sacraments, and inward searching in solitude. It also encompasses the communal life of the church in worship, mission, evangelism, service and social witness.*

Although Wesley shared with many other Christians a belief in grace, justification, assurance and sanctification, he combined them in a powerful manner to create distinctive emphases for living the full Christian life. Grace pervades our understanding of Christian faith and life. By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. While the grace of God is undivided, it precedes as ‘prevenient grace,’ continues in ‘justifying grace,’ and is brought to fruition by ‘sanctifying grace.’ We assert that God’s grace is manifest in all creation even though suffering, violence, and evil are everywhere present. The goodness of creation is fulfilled in human beings, who are called to covenant partnership with God. God has endowed us with dignity and freedom and has summoned us to responsibility for our lives and life of the world.*

Despite our brokenness, we remain creatures brought into being by a just and merciful God. The restoration of God’s image in our lives requires divine grace to renew our fallen nature:

1. Prevenient grace

2. Justification and Assurance

3. Sanctification and Perfection

4. Faith and Good Works

5. Mission and Service

6. Nurture and Mission of the Church

No motif in the Wesleyan tradition has been more constant than the link between Christian doctrine and Christian living. Methodists have always been strictly enjoined to maintain the unity of faith and good works through the means of grace, as seen in John Wesley’s Nature, Design, and General Rules of the United Societies. (1743) The coherence of faith with ministries of love forms the discipline of Wesleyan spirituality and Christian discipleship. Wesley insisted that the evangelical faith (creedal faith) should manifest itself in evangelical living. He spelled out this expectation on the three-part formula of the Rules:

“It is therefore expected of all who continue therein that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation,

First: by doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind…,

Secondly: by…doing good in every possible sort, and, as far as possible to all…,

Thirdly: by attending upon all the ordinances of God which are:

1. Faith in the Holy Trinity

2. Of the Word, or Son of God, Who was made Very Man

3. Of the Resurrection of Christ

4. Of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)

5. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

6. Of the Old Testament

7. Of Original or Birth Sin

8. Of free will

9. Of the Justification of Man

10. Of Good Works

11. Of the Works of Supererogation

12. Of Sin after Justification

13. Of the Church

14. Of Purgatory

15. Of Speaking in the Congregation in Such a Tongue as the People Understand

16. Of the Sacraments

17. Of Baptism

18. Of the Lord’s Supper

19. Of Both Kinds

20. Of the Oblation of Christ, Finished on the Cross

21. Of the Marriage of Ministers

22. Of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church

23. Of the Rulers of the United States of America

24. Of Christian Men’s Goods

25. Of a Christian Man’s Oath

26. Of Sanctification

27. Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority

Theology is our effort to reflect upon God’s gracious action our lives. In response to the love of Christ, we desire to be drawn into deeper relationship with ‘faith’s pioneer and perfecter.’ Our theological explorations seem to give expression to the mysterious reality of God’s presence, peace and power in the world. The theological task, though related to the Church’s doctrinal expressions, serves as a different function. Our doctrinal affirmations assist us in the discernment of Christian truth in ever-changing contexts. Our theological task includes the testing, renewal, elaboration, and application of our doctrinal perspective in carrying out our calling to “spread scriptural holiness over these lands.”*

Maybe you’ve never read these excerpts or perhaps you read them..but they vanished from your frontal cortex. I was encouraged to ‘brush up’ on these words every so often, especially when teaching Confirmation. What I shared with you above are important principles and articles of our Methodist faith. I was tested on these and was expected to recite them to the professor upon memory when called on. Seems militant now…almost like I lived a separate life in antiquity! I wanted you to see the backbone of our Wesleyan doctrine. I wanted you to see it, read it and digest it. Yes, it’s a lot to take in but it shouldn’t be…at least for me. I need to ‘brush up’ on these words. Be reminded of their weight and correction and conviction. I recognize how easily it is to take phrases out of context or use them in reference to building an argument against them. It seems selfish but it is true—words can and will be used against us in a court of law…or public opinion…or for a church vote to separate. I need to be careful here—because I am part of the problem which means I can also be part of the solution. We need to help chart our course. We have the opportunity to do that as we emerge from the COVID-19 world. I pray you will help do whatever you can to make sure our steps are clear and precise. The EVIDENCE is all around us. What we do now makes all the difference.

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:3-6 NIV)

*Paragraphs 102--104 (pages 49-79) The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, 2016.

Pastor Jen