Currently I am reading Randy L. Maddox’s book, Responsible Grace: John Wesley’s Practical Theology (Kingswood Books, 1994). Maddox is one of the currently premier interpreters of John Wesley’s theology. Maddox’s work is quite comprehensive yet captivating as well. So over time I will provide varied reflections from these readings. Thus far (at ch 6 out of 9 chs) one running theme I have noticed is that Wesley possessed a good and true catholic orientation that enabled him to perceive both limitations and strengths implicit in Protestant, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theological and doctrinal nuances. This is particularly evident (and relevant for many issues today) in what these three traditions respectively stress in areas such as anthropology (e.g., human being-ness and current fallen-ness) and the nature of sin, and hence the atonement, and the meaning and divine provisions of salvation altogether. Let’s consider some examples, beginning with how we understand the human problem and salvation (namely, God’s means for our salvation). We may characterise Western models, particularly evident in Reformed categories, as stressing a juridical emphasis on guilt and human need for absolution from guilt before God. Coinciding with this is the Western (and again, especially Reformed) forensic perception of Jesus’ atonement, and finally human impotence before God— both of which conversely lead to a stress on imputed righteousness. Carried to an extreme, the problem of “sin” is primarily or exclusively understood in judicial categories, human guilt in need of forgiveness, and utter human impotence that makes it impossible for humans to respond to God’s initiatives, and hence God’s “irresistible grace” towards the “elect.” In contrast, Eastern Orthodox models of salvation stress therapeutic concerns for healing of our sin-diseased existence. Hence, a therapeutic remedy to sin provided through the atonement, which points to the gradual healing and restoration of humankind to God-likeness through divine means of grace availed in Christ through the empowering of the Spirit; hence, as both Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox traditions have stressed— life-long impartation of therapeutic grace— “imparted righteousness.” As I understand Maddox, Wesley did not wholly dismiss the Western orientation. Yet saw its limitations and perceived that a robust and thoroughly Christian understanding of God, humankind, sin, and salvation necessitates bringing these varied nuances together. And this why Maddox titled his book, “responsible grace:” to stress Wesley’s conviction that God has created humankind in such a way that even while un-regenerate— human life is already “graced,” and humans are hence, “response-able.” Whereas traditional Protestant and especially Reformed teaching has predominately defined “grace,” as pardon from sins, Wesley recognised that even more— God’s grace is a healing power towards our infirmities, available yet working in tandem to our cooperating response to God’s involvement within our lives. To illustrate Wesley’s idea of “restoring grace,” Maddox draws attention to the following quote, in which Wesley incorporates the traditional Protestant stress on “pardon” within the broader Eastern stress on God’s therapeutic healing and empowerment of human nature (which incidentally stresses how this is achieved through the empowering of the Holy Spirit): “By the ‘grace of God’ is sometimes to be understood that free love, that unmerited mercy, by which I, a sinner, through the merits of Christ am now reconciled to God. But in this place it rather means that power of God the Holy Ghost which ‘worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.’ As soon as ever the grace of God (in the former sense, his pardoning love is manifested to our soul, the grace of God (in the latter sense, the power of His Spirit) takes place therein. And now we can perform through God, what to [ourselves] was impossible . . . a recovery of the image of God, a renewal of soul after His likeness.” [John Wesley, Sermon 12, “The Witness of Our Spirit,” in The Works of John Wesley. Wesley recovery of the therapeutic nature of God’s grace, mediated throughout human life through varied “means of grace,” led Wesley to also share the Eastern understanding of salvation as a life-long “journey” into godliness— hence, the “way of salvation.” Maddox thus draws attention to Wesley’s 1765 sermon, “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” and with this I will close for now: “What is salvation? The salvation which is here spoken of is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness. . . It is not a blessing which lies on the other side of death . . . it is a present thing . . . [it] might be extended to the entire work of God, from the first dawning of grace in the soul till it is consummated in glory.” [John Wesley, “Sermon 43, “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” in The Works of John Wesley. amazon/Responsible-Grace-Practical-Theology-Kingswood/dp/0687003342
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:18:40 +0000