Transcript Calvin vs Wesley: Bringing Belief in Line with Practice

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Bishop’s Brown Bag Book Study
Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church
Bishop Mike Lowry, Winter 2015
Humanity: More Freedom
than Predestination
• Bringing Belief in Line with Practice
• A secular echo
• choice vs. determinism;
• nurture vs. nature
A Sort of Common Starting Point
Created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27)
Fallen creation and the reality of sin
Calvin – a hereditary depravity
and corruption of nature
(Galatians 5:19)
Wesley – an image of God
that is corrupt
What is Sin?
To miss the mark (the true man Jesus)
Original Sin
People’s fault yet within
the providence of God
God’s self-restriction of
divine control
Humans received the
ability but not the will
God permits, by grace,
to have/exercise
freedom of will
The mystery of God
(hidden or secret plan)
How do you understand sin?
Do you include yourself
in that definition?
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Both believed in predestination –
related to Sovereign care of world and
people known as “providence.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
Difference is in extent and degree of
providence
Calvin = everything! “meticulous”
God wills that people want to act
the way they are fore-ordained to act –
“compatibilist freedom”
The Hidden Enemy
Can you save yourself or do you need Christ?
The Great Gulf
Pelagius’ answer
• People naturally exercise free will
• Try harder theology
• High responsibility, potentially
high morality, little (if any) grace
The Hidden Enemy
Can you save yourself or do you need Christ?
The Great Gulf
Wesley’s answer
•
•
•
•
Because of sin, no ability to earn salvation
Argues that much of modern self help
movement does not take sin seriously
Calvin narrows theological options too much
Following the Great Church’s historic
understanding (pg. 35)
Double Predestination
•Some elect, some damned
•Romans 9 - 11
•Trust God and beware of trying to
understand it all
Single Predestination = some elect, some passed over?
The Hidden Enemy
Can you save yourself or do you need Christ?
The Great Gulf
Wesley’s answer (Part 2)
• Diminished sovereignty of God by negating
other attributes
• General will for all people, rather than
specific will (pg. 37)
• The key = human will is compatible with
divine sovereignty
Free Will = Free Grace
“free in all, and free for all”
Not cause of humans, but effects
Sufficient freedom to choose by God’s grace!
One divine power is at work
Synergism = together + work
The benefits of both (pg. 41)
Salvation in terms of
causation
or
Salvation in terms of
relationship
For Consideration
How do you understand
salvation? (#3)
How freed do you think
people are? For salvation?
For day-to-day life? (#5)
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Final Thoughts
Revisited
See You in Two Weeks
Reminder that our next
meeting will be
Thursday, February
(not next week!)
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Bishop’s Brown Bag Book Study
Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church
Bishop Mike Lowry, Winter 2015