Christianity In John Wesley's The Almost Christian

After firmly establishing the importance of love in every aspect of the Christian’s life (including worship), Paul then returns to his discussion of the spiritual gifts in chapter 14, with the unspoken assumption that even the exercise of spiritual gifts must be grounded in

Being called to love can be summed up by Jesus’s words in Matthew 22:37-40, when he says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” My understanding of how to love God and love my neighbor has certainly been shaped by the material in this course thus far, especially by the consistent prayerful attitude discussed in Liturgy of the Ordinary. By implementing spiritual disciplines such as lectio divina and close reading, I have been able to center myself on this prayerful attitude and more effectively live out my call to love God and others.

This passage models the expectations for those who minister, both pastors and lay ecclesial ministers, to the faithful. We are called to lead the faithful to deeper love and knowledge of the Lord. We must be ready to forgo our preferences and desires for the needs of those we minister to. Compelled to share eternal life with all, we

We are babies, born again, and as we mature in faith we move closer to the likeness of Christ. Assurance to Wesley was the belief that man could know they were saved. Wesley did not use the word conversion a lot. It is when a person goes from being a "child of the world" to a "child of God." This occurs due to a person's response to prevenient grace. Once a person realizes they are in need of God and have sin in their lives they are led to repentance. At this moment the person is justified. This is evident when regeneration occurs and the person is born again. All of this is a gift from God. This all begins the process of sanctification. A person then is aware of sin in their lives and the battle it brings and wants to continue to be in the peace of God that comes at justification. Repentance and the works suitable for repentance fills the person's life. It is the acts that causes the person to know they need Christ. Being in a regenerated state, a complete renewal of the inside, the person moves into being an Altogether Christian, totally committed to God and relationship with Him. The Spirit of Adoption is present in the life of the person. Praise the

As he continues to discuss “Christian Behavior,” Dr. Lewis now talks about charity; it is one of the three theological virtues mentioned earlier in this writing. He tells us that charity has now come to mean alms-giving to the poor, but it should be more than that. It is a state of “will” that folks have about other people — the same kind of will people have for themselves. If a person has a natural affection for someone, it is easy to feel charity toward them, however; Christian standards dictate that believers are to possess this feeling charity toward all people — even those they do not actually like. Although this is true, Dr. Lewis says that Christians should not try to remedy the problem by attempting to brew up affections for someone. Nevertheless, if folks would simply treat others as if they do have that natural affection toward them, they will eventually find themselves gradually coming to like them.

John Wesley has been recognized for his holy life and his good works for the poor. His heart was transformed through his conversion experience, which became a momentum to pursue good works in order to be accepted in God’s eyes. He and the Methodist communities reached out to those in need, providing their physical and spiritual needs by feeding the hungry, clothing the needy and spreading the gospel.

This paper is centered around Dr. Cobb’s essay, “Wesley the Process Theologian”, and matched with notes on John Wesley from Dr. Hughes lectures in Protestantism in the Modern World. Through the course of this paper, the concept of process theology will be discussed along with how John Wesley’s own thoughts and ideas compare to process theologies conceptions. Through comparing these two individual ideas, I will add my own insights and thoughts on the possibility of common ground between the two; from the view of an outsider whose own beliefs have been shaped considerably by my own experiences. Though I am in no way an authority on any of these subjects, I hope that my point of view will be enlightening. Along with this, I’ll strive to support many of my claims about God through scripture, regardless of man’s interpretation of the Bible, because it’s one of Christianity’s main sources of authority.

All this time we are striving to become more like Jesus in our lives but its hard graft; we’re constantly fighting against our sinful nature and the corruption of the world we live in. But John seems to be speaking here of a moment of transformation - when our lives are renewed in a way we can’t imagine and all that is imperfect is gone. In the meantime, John emphasizes that we – as children of God – shouldn’t be continuing in sin. This seems obvious but I definitely need this kind of reminder, as sin often becomes so ingrained that we barely notice its presence in our lives. John returns to his exhortation to love one another; Jesus said this was the most important commandment. This is because if we love someone completely then everything else falls naturally into place, for love is part of all the rest of the fruits of the Spirit. In this respect, John points out that if we claim to have love but our actions belay that, then we are deceiving ourselves. Love isn’t a passive feeling; it should influence everything we do. John ends with a reassurance to those who feel condemned in their hearts. God is greater than our hearts. He knows us completely and still chooses to live in us through His Holy Spirit.

“Circumcision of the Heart” – This is one of Wesley’s earlier sermons from 1733 that serves as an introduction to what he calls “Christian Perfection” (a different sermon in of itself), or the doctrine of holiness. This circumcision of the heart is most profoundly manifested in the love that the Christian has for God and neighbor. Furthermore, the love that Wesley describes is the mark of a true Christian. The circumcision is not brought about by some outward act like baptism, but rather it is the embracing and accepting of certain internal qualities such as humility, faith, hope, and love being the most important. The true Christian has an unclouded knowledge of himself, recognizing his lowliness outside of Christ and therefore realizing his desperate need of Christ. Once humbled, the faith in Christ is what guides the Christian in day-to-day life, all the while having the assurance that Christ’s sacrifice atones for his own sins. All of this is to say that love is the most crucial affection of the heart that Christians must possess.

MIT: Paul was teaching the church of Philippi that the path to greatness is found in being like Jesus through humility and servanthood.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul defines what a true Christian is. He further exposes the disorders

One can characterize the Christian in-group can as those who follow Christianity and live a “Christian life”. The “Christian life” is being receptive of Jesus into one’s life, seeing Him as the ultimate sacrifice made for all of humanity. With such knowledge, Christians are joyful for the sacrifice made for them, and they choose to live their lives with such knowledge guiding and motivating them (Novello, 2014, p.324-326). With this knowledge guiding their lives, Christians hold a strong set of values that they try

Practicing Jesus’s teachings and realizing that he is your savior is what makes you Christian. In Romans 8:9 God says “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ”. Having the Spirit is what makes a person a Christian. Being a Christian means that you have put your faith and trust in Jesus, not that you have to accept Jesus as the Almighty God. Christianity is the belief and similarity to Jesus in the way we conduct ourselves and the way we think. While attending church and serving others less fortunate than yourself does not necessarily make someone a Christian, they are following in Jesus’s footsteps and accepting his will. Having Jesus as an ethical teacher and agreeing with his teachings and using it in your life makes you a Christian. In Christianity today, those who don’t accept Jesus as the Almighty God are given scrutinized and judged. While you can be a Christian and not accept Jesus as the Almighty God, it is not regarded highly within the

The men who preached at these meetings often stayed at the Studd residence while in town. Much to the disliking of C.T. one of the less popular visitors stopped Him one day and asked if he was a Christian. “I am not what you call a Christian. I have believed on Jesus Christ since I was knee high. Of course, I believe in the Church, too,” was the response the gentleman received. Yet that answer did not satisfy the intentions of the preacher. By the end the conversation C.T. had received Jesus Christ‟s gift of salvation.

Wesley emphasized the importance of justification, and the confidence of salvation is grounded in the righteousness of Christ. He considers the progression of sanctification as one of making the person admirable of salvation. “I am first to inquire wherein that circumcision of the heart consists which will receive the praise of God.” This