===================================================================== Vol. 3 Issue #7 The Edifier Online ISSN: 1521-9178 October, 1998 ===================================================================== Contents: Calvin and Wesley on the Christian Life by Richard M. Riss I Know It by Joshua Smith Times of Refreshing Music Ministry - Tom Mackey THE MARKED TRUTH by eljay ALOT ON MY MIND by eljay A Sacred Assembly - A Year in Review by David Staley God's Blessings On My Life (with Poem: Talents) by Janae L Ivie SWEET JESUS by Janae L Ivie A Song of Unity by Anonymous Final Words ===================================================================== Calvin and Wesley on the Christian Life by Richard M. Riss RRISS@drew.edu Glenwood Presbyterian Church, Glenwood Landing, NY Meeting jointly with The United Methodist Church of Sea Cliff, NY August 2, 1998 With respect to the Christian life, most of what John Wesley said in the eighteenth century was in perfect agreement with what John Calvin had said two centuries previously during the time of the Reformation. In fact, on this topic, the comments of these two towering figures were very similar in many respects to what was said by many of the other well known devotional writers of history. One of them, Martin Luther, had such a profound effect upon Wesley that Wesley said on a number of occasions that his conversion experience of May 24, 1738, the famous Aldersgate experience, was a direct result of the reading aloud of Luther's PREFACE TO THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE ROMANS. Here's what Wesley said about this: "In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." Luther's PREFACE to the book of Romans, is, of course, still extant, and it does say some things about the change that God works in the heart through faith in Christ. In this work, Luther wrote, "to fulfill the law, we must meet its requirements gladly and lovingly; [and] live virtuous and upright lives without the constraint of the law, . . . as if neither the law nor its penalties existed. But this joy, this unconstrained love, is put into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Chapter 5." Further on, Luther writes, "Faith, however, is something that God effects in us. It changes us, and we are reborn from God, John [chapter] 1." He goes on to say that faith is a confidence in God's grace which "makes us joyful, high-spirited, and eager in our relations with God and with all mankind. That is what the Holy Spirit effects through faith." For Luther, "righteousness . . . is God's gift, and shapes a man's nature to do his duty to all. . . . His own righteousness, which He confers through the medium of faith, is our only help." It would appear from John Wesley's JOURNAL that at the society meeting at Aldersgate Street, God did bring about a change in Wesley's heart similar to what Luther describes in these passages from his PREFACE that were read at that meeting. There was, however, a theological difference. This became clear in 1740 when Wesley preached and published a protest against what he felt was an overemphasis upon predestination on George Whitefield's part. Wesley felt that Whitefield's Calvinistic emphasis constituted a denial of free will, and that it was an unnecessary encouragement to people to relax Christian discipline. This brought about what has been described as an irreparable breach between Wesley and Whitefield. Interestingly enough, however, it was not Calvinism, so much as Lutheranism, that was vulnerable to the second of these two criticisms. Calvinism, in its understanding of the "third use of the law," did emphasize and successfully maintain Christian discipline in its effort to avoid criticisms of this very kind that had been brought to bear against Luther and the theology of the Reformation. The first of these two concerns of Wesley's, with respect to the question of free will, was eloquently expressed by Wesley's mother, Susanna Wesley, who wrote to him in 1725 to the effect that if the individual has no choice as to whether he or she is a recipient of the saving grace of God which transforms the heart, and if, as a consequence, some people are irretrievably bound up in sinfulness, with the effect that they are predestined to hell, then, "it directly charges the most high God with being the author of sin, . . . For 'tis certainly inconsistent with the justice and goodness of God to lay any man under . . . a . . . necessity of committing sin, and then to punish him for doing it." For this reason, she felt that "the doctrine of predestination as maintained by the rigid Calvinists is very shocking, and ought utterly to be abhorred." While the rigid Calvinists of the eighteenth century may have held such views, what about John Calvin himself? It is instructive to make careful comparisons between John Calvin and John Wesley on these issues, especially since Calvin is considered the fount and source of nearly all that is believed and practiced by Presbyterians, while Wesley was the founder of Methodism. Calvin is often criticized for his stance on justification by faith alone, as though, according to his understanding, good works were irrelevant. However, Calvin states quite clearly in his INSTITUTES, Book III, Chapter 9, section 1, that "The faith by which alone, through the mercy of God, we obtain free justification, is not destitute of good works." This, of course, makes perfect sense, since the change that is wrought by God in the heart of man, if it is genuine, will normally result in acts of kindness, benevolence, and altruism. On the other hand, Wesley is often criticized for an opposite stance on the same issue. It is often argued that Wesley believed that good works are necessary to justification, and that he therefore held to a form of "works-righteousness," according to which the individual must earn the right to justification by performing good works. However, Wesley's comments specifically indicate that good works are not always necessary to justification. For example, in a sermon entitled "The Scripture Way of Salvation," Part III, section 2, he wrote, "Therefore both repentance and fruits meet for repentance are in some sense necessary to justification. . . . Those fruits are only necessary conditionally, if there be time and opportunity for them." It would seem quite clear from these passages that both of them believed that justification is by faith alone, but that the faith that justifies is never alone whenever it is given the opportunity for expression in actions. But what about the issue of predestination? Once again, the viewpoints of Wesley and Calvin are remarkably similar. In his sermon on Predestination, Wesley expresses sentiments which closely parallel Calvin's INSTITUTES, Book III, Chapter 21. In both of these works, there is a great deal of emphasis upon the importance of understanding that God's foreknowledge of who will be saved is not the cause of election. Wesley writes, "God foreknew those in every nation who would believe, from the beginning of the world to the consummation of all things. . . . All time, or rather all eternity . . . being present to Him at once, he does not know one thing before another, or one thing after another, but sees all things in one point of view, from everlasting to everlasting. . . . But observe: we must not think they ARE because he KNOWS them. NO; he knows them because they are. . . . What he knows, whether faith or unbelief, is in no wise caused by his knowledge. . . ." Then, in section 14 of the same sermon, Wesley writes, "As all that are called were predestinated, so all whom God has predestinated he foreknew. He knew, he saw them as believers, and as such predestinated them to salvation, according to his eternal decree." In a similar vein, Calvin wrote, "The predestination by which God adopts some to the hope of life, and adjudges others to eternal death, no man who would be thought pious ventures simply to deny; but it is greatly caviled at, especially by those who make prescience its cause. We indeed ascribe both prescience and predestination to God; but we say that it is absurd to make the latter subordinate to the former. When we attribute prescience to God, we mean that all things always were, and ever continue, under his eye; that to his knowledge there is no past or future, but all things are present, and indeed so present, that it is not merely the idea of them that is before him . . . but that he truly sees and contemplates them as actually under his immediate inspection." Both Wesley and Calvin make it abundantly clear that they believe in predestination as it is taught in the Pauline epistles, and both understand that the foreknowledge of God does not cause this predestination. Is there any real difference, then, between Wesley and Calvin on this issue? If there is a distinction to be made between them, then it would be that Wesley emphasized the freedom of the will while Calvin emphasized man's inability, in and of himself, to choose to repent and believe the gospel. Wesley wrote, "Indeed if man were not free he could not be accountable either for his thoughts, words, or actions. If he were not free, he would not be capable either of reward or punishment. He would be incapable either of virtue or vice, of being either morally good or bad. If he had no more freedom than the sun, the moon, or the stars, he would be no more accountable than they. On supposition that he had no more freedom than they, the stones of the earth would be as capable of reward and as liable to punishment as man--one would be as accountable as the other. Yea, and it would be as absurd to ascribe either virtue or vice to him as to ascribe it to the stock of a tree." But unlike many Calvinists, Calvin himself did believe in free will, but he felt that it was necessary to emphasize that we cannot make proper choices without supernatural help. In a work entitled "The Necessity of Reforming the Church," he wrote, "though we deny not that man acts spontaneously, and of free will, when he is guided by the Holy Spirit, [we] maintain that his whole nature is so imbued with depravity, that of himself he possesses no ability whatever to act aright." What, then, did Wesley think about depravity as it is described here? In his sermon entitled "Original Sin," Wesley wrote that "the first, grand, distinguishing point between heathenism and Christianity" is that the heathen "knew not that all men were empty of all good, and filled with all manner of evil. They were wholly ignorant of the entire depravation of the whole human nature, of every man born into the world, in every faculty of his soul." When all is said and done, we must be prepared for the likelihood that by and large, Wesley and Calvin were saying basically the same things. This should not come as a great shock to us if we remember that both of them carefully studied the Bible and church history and took both very seriously. Yes, there were differences in emphasis, but even within the sixty-six books of the Bible there are differences in emphasis. So then, it should not be surprising to us if we find that John Wesley's sermon on "Self-Denial" bears a close resemblance to Calvin's INSTITUTES. In Book III, Chapter 7 of the INSTITUTES, Calvin states that "we are not to seek our own, but the Lord's will. . . . For when Scripture enjoins us to lay aside private regard to ourselves, it not only divests our minds of an excessive longing for wealth, or power, or human favor, but eradicates all ambition and thirst for worldly glory . . . ." Wesley said it this way: "But what is self-denial? Wherein are we to deny ourselves? And whence does the necessity of this arise? I answer, the will of God is the supreme, unalterable rule for every intelligent creature." There is no question that both Wesley and Calvin would have agreed that to be able to defer to the will of God in those cases in which it would seem to be to our disadvantage to do so would be an impossibility apart from the active work of God in our hearts and minds, causing us to be willing to do so. May God grant that He might give us new hearts and put a new spirit within each of us; that He might remove the heart of stone from us and give us a heart of flesh, as the prophet Ezekiel says. May He put His Spirit within us and cause us to walk in His statutes, so that we will be careful to observe His ways. This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. ==================================================================== I Know It by Joshua Smith jdsmith@georgefox.edu http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4529 The emptiness, the heartache, I know them. The pain, the suffering, I know them. You are not alone in your strife, for I felt it too. I died horridly. I was hated. I was mocked. I was scorned. What did you do? I was beaten. I was bruised. I was broken. I was torn. Where were you? They beat you, they mock you, I know it. They curse you, they tear you, I know it. I died for you. You hated me. You mocked me. You scorned me. Did I turn away? You beat me. You bruised me. You broke me. You tore me. Did I leave you? Why would I leave you now? I wouldn't. Why would I turn away? I couldn't. There is a peace for you if you will seek it in me. It was always there. Give the pain, the hurt, the scars, the tears to me. I am always here. ==================================================================== Times of Refreshing Music Ministry All were blessed... BEAUTIFUL! ...BREATHTAKING... exquisite! Faith renewing... God-honoring... I wept into worship... TOUCHES THE HEART... unique... moving service... VERY INSPIRATIONAL! We thoroughly enjoyed... WONDERFUL PRESENTATION... WOW! How splendid! These are a few of the words of appreciation received from those who have been blessed by our music ministry, especially the unique musical blend of "A Classical Tapestry Concert", a participating worship experience. But words alone are wholly inadequate to express the joy of entering the Lord's presence in worship... and that is always our goal. WANT TO KNOW MORE? Please send your name, church, address and phone. We'll gladly send you more info at your request. Yours because we're HIS, Tom Mackey (740) 366-5928 temackey.jn17.21@juno.com Times of Refreshing Music Ministry 127 Price Road Newark, OH 43055 ===================================================================== THE MARKED TRUTH by eljay eljay@mcn.org The marked truth, behind any lie, can redeem you. The blade cutting, the fire scorching, the hammer smashing, the flood covering: cause fear dear. Hotcakes in the pan, flaming fruit in a bowl, torrential downpour from the sky. The marked truth behind these I cannot tell you. The darting derelict in the alley, the mocking magician and his tricks. To saw a man in two would be quite a trick. Still, we hold these truths to be self-evident. The marching band, the tambourine cry, the churchbells. The churchbells ringing. Yes, churchbells ringing unto God. ==================================================================== ALOT ON MY MIND by eljay eljay@mcn.org Alot on my mind, it's Christmas Time. Presents to buy, loved ones to see. Who wants what, oh what will it be? One brother wants something for his boat. And which friend will I see? Maybe just a gift certificate, and take the pressure: and the fun out of the buying. And after the holiday is over, and we all have gone back home, there's still things to plan for, still things to get done. If I buy the gifts I want to buy, my savings will be depleted, I suppose I must be more modest, something personal, (and more cheap). Don't get me wrong, I do not begrudge the holiday. I love giving. I love seeing all those who I love from a distance the rest of the year. I love celebrating the birth of Christ. I do. I wish I had more to give. Maybe I should spread some of the "giving" throughout the year. ===================================================================== A Sacred Assembly - A Year in Review by David Staley the_edifier@hotmail.com http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5268 October 4, 1997 - October 4, 1998 October 4, 1997 will be a day that I will always remember. In Issue #5 of The Edifier Online I submitted a testimony of my experience at the Sacred Assembly of Christian men that gathered at the nation's capital that day. An entire year has passed since the experience of having my face flat on the churned up ground of the National Mall in Washington, DC. Over the last year a lot has happened in my life. A lot has also occurred in the lives of my companions that I attended the event with too. Some of it good and some rather tragic. On the year anniversary, I seriously contemplated what had gone on during the previous 12 months. I can say that spiritually, I have grown more than previous years! I was concerned that the event would be just that, 'an event' that would rank up there with my trip to Dinosaur National Park when I was a kid. The Sacred Assembly was much more than just another day to me though. It was a marker in my life. I can honestly say that after that day, over the months that followed, I began to deal with certain situations more differently than I had ever dealt with them before attending the Sacred Assembly. It's hard to really put into words, for the days and months, and now year has had more impact on me than just an experience. I believe that what took place there on the ground in Washington, DC was an awesome display of the power of God. So many things have been impacted because of that day, my relationship with my wife, my Church life, my relationship with God and with others...I can say that God used the Sacred Assembly to impact every facet of my life with a great change for the good and glory of God! For all but one in our group, I can say that I have seen some degree of what I speak about above in their lives too! For one of our group, the Sacred Assembly appears to have been just another trip to an event at the Nation's Capitol. I can't seem to fathom how this can be at times though, how something so powerful can be 'just another day'? I pray that as the years go on my friend and brother in the Lord will see how God moved that day, and that he will have a 'Sacred Assembly' before the Lord that will impact him forever. I can't remember too much of the talks there, the music, and most of my pictures didn't really come out to show the magnitude of the crowd. I do have a corner of The Washington Post dated October 4, 1997, that was near me on the ground of the National Mall where my face was in the dirt. In fact, some of the dirt is on the paper. My wife laminated it for me, and I have it in my Bible as a reminder of that day. A day that I will never forget. But much more than the trivial trinket, I have a life that was touched by God in a mighty way! Praise the Lord! ===================================================================== God's Blessings On My Life (with Poem: Talents) BY Janae L Ivie janaeivie@juno.com http://members.tripod.com/~Christianpoetry/index.html As a young child, I always went to church with my parents and had heard the story of Jesus. One particular day, I was more attentive in listening to the story of how Jesus had died on the cross for my sins and how He loved me so much. I was telling my mom about it and she helped me by answering any other questions I had. After that, I let her lead me to Christ when I was six or seven.. Since I have had Jesus in my life, I have been blessed with lots of good things. For example, God has given me the gift of writing poetry. Because of this talent, I have been published a few times. Another way that God has blessed me is by giving me a heart for helping disabled people. I used to judge them and wonder why these people were different. In eighth grade, my view totally changed. I started to get involved helping students with disabilities at my school. I continued to help the disabled throughout high school. Now that I am in college, I don't have as much of an opportunity to, but I look forward to any chance I may get to help the disabled community. They are a part of me and I will never judge a person with a disability. In the past year, my dad has seen my faith grow a lot. For example, I have been opening up and sharing my faith more with people. All I do is sow the seed and let God do the rest . Can you relate to any of this? This poem goes along with the testimony. Talents Do you have a talent or know what your talents are? Talents are special abilities that we enjoy doing Talents can be playing a musical instrument or drawing pictures Talents are a way to show others what we are good at God has given me the talents of writing poetry, playing the flute and piano, and helping the disabled. Talents are a gift that God gives each of us. If you have something (s) that you like to do, then that is your talent! =================================================================== SWEET JESUS BY Janae L Ivie janaeivie@juno.com http://members.tripod.com/~Christianpoetry/index.html Sweet Jesus, my loving Savior and precious Lord Sweet Jesus,You love me so much with Your arms open wide Sweet Jesus, my best friend nothing can take the place of you in my life Sweet Jesus, I am waiting for Your return so I can see you in all Your glory! =================================================================== A Song of Unity Adapted from some posts to the Christian Unity discussion list. The Christian Unity Homepage http://www.inlink.com/~cc3c/cuc/ Dave Hiatt's Salvation Webpage http://members.tripod.com/~edge777/track.html Sometimes we Christians tire of hearing the scriptures that at one time first lead us to salvation in Jesus. We've already heard the call and accepted it. Because we know these scriptures, or think we do, it's easy to forget how precious they are. We're already born again in Jesus, and growing up into Him who is the Head. We seem to have matured in our dietary habits as children of God. We've moved on to more meaty matters. But let us never forget how sweet the milk is to the babe in Christ. These scriptures must never grow old in our memories. We need to repeat the salvation message from the Bible and hear it continually, anytime the world may be listening in. It is the very gospel, the "good news" to the world that Jesus is the way out of sin. The repetition of the several scriptures on salvation, is neither noise nor a song of single note. These scriptures, and scriptures like them, constitute a musical reprise of verse in the song of Christian unity: a chorus of the gospel of the common salvation. Part of a song with verses and melody known to all who have accepted that salvation, and in which every member of the body of Christ can give voice by the power and life of the Holy Spirit in which all members share. In the song of Christian unity, the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ is the refrain which will be sung over and over again, until it is eventually heard by an entire world without ears to hear, whether they like the music or not. (Mat 24:14 KJV) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Isa 45:23 KJV) I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. The hymnal of salvation is the first music we ever really heard when we became Christians. And if we stand near enough to those inter-denominational walls, and listen carefully, we can hear it again, and know who's on the other side. Because all our brothers and sisters in Christ have learned it, too. They may seem to us to be only little ones in their understanding of the words, but if younger, yet no less deserving of our Father's love. And our love as well. (Mat 18:6 KJV) But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea Now we need only learn to sing it in unison, and let the world hear the harmony and love we share together in the family of God. To let the sweet sound of salvation in Jesus be heard over the din of doctrinal disagreement. Then the world will know that we are the disciples of the only begotten Son of the one true God. (Rom 5:8 KJV) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (John 15:13 KJV) Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:14 KJV) Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. (John 13:34 KJV) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:35 KJV) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. It's a familiar tune, that goes something like this: James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." The Bible says that everyone sins. Everyone is imperfect and requires God's grace--His gift of salvation, to enter Heaven: Romans 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:10-11 "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.'" 1 John 1:8-10 "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." Isaiah 64:6 "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." You must be born again. To receive Jesus into your heart and receive the Holy Spirit is an amazing thing. The old sinful self is erased, and a new, clean person is born. You have a clean slate, like starting over. A transformation into a man/woman of God begins. If this truly happened, you will lose desires to sin and look toward God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" John 3:3 "In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'" John 1:13 "children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 3:5 "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." John 14:6 "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" To accept Christ, you must repent; acknowledge you are a sinner, admit you need and want God's help, and ask forgiveness. God will forgive!!! He does because he loves you more than you can possibly ever imagine. More than any human can love...more so even than a mother. Infinite love. Acts 17:30 "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent." Luke 13:3 "I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish." Hebrews 8:12 "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 1:10-12 "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--" God is faithful. He keeps his promises. If you do this, he will forgive you and you will receive salvation. Please do it...Christ is the ONLY way!!! John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." Romans 10:9-13 "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" John 3:35 "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." 1 John 5:13 "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." You can pray a very simple prayer to accept Christ, if you have chosen to do so. Pray this: "Dear Heavenly Father: I am a sinner. I need your help. I accept your grace and want you to enter my heart. Please forgive me of my sins, and fill me with your Spirit. Wash away my sinful ways and transform me. I accept Jesus Christ into my heart today. In Christ's name, AMEN." ==================================================================== Final Words I pray that you will be encouraged and edified by this issue of The Edifier Online. There is a lot of great stuff that I really believe were made for this issue. I have lots of poems that are still slotted for future issues or perhaps even a special issue dedicated to just poetry. You may have noticed that The Edifier Online has been assigned an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). Although, The Edifier has existed fine without one, I thought it would be a nice thing to do for this publication. FYI, the ISSN number is: 1521-9178 Feel free to send in some feedback to either me or the authors of the various pieces you find in this or other issues of The Edifier Online! Your input would be greatly appreciated! Finally, as I always say, if you haven't submitted anything to The Edifier Online, but would like to, please do so. Just send your submission to me, David Staley, at: the_edifier@hotmail.com or if you have any questions please email me and ask. Until next issue, until the Lord returns, may God bless you and keep you! In Christ, David Staley The Edifier Online: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/6749 Email: the_edifier@hotmail.com ====================================================================