Wednesday with Wesley: Disciplines, the Spirit, and Scripture

This post is slightly modified from original published on February 24, 2010. This post is being re-posted based on a discussion on what is mysticism on Rachel Held Evan’s blog.

John_WesleyI am currently taking a class on Spiritual Formation. Some of the texts used in the class are Willard’s Spirit of the Disciplines (SD) and Foster’s Celebration of the Disciplines (CD).

In CD Foster says that the “great writers of the devotional life” range from “St. Augustine to St. Francis, from John Calvin to John Wesley, from Teresa of Avila to Juliana of Norwich”. Continue reading

Evangelistic Prayer

We all have people in out lives who are not followers of Jesus. They have neither called on nor accepted Jesus as Lord and they do not believe that He is raised him from the dead (Rom 10:9, 13). Paul shares the anguish and concern that he has for the lost in his letter to the Romans (Rom 9:1-3). He earnestly prayed for the salvation of others (Rom 10:1):

my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

As I lay convicted of my own prayer life in this area, I began to think through how I might specifically pray for the lost that Jesus came ‘to seek and to save’. Continue reading

Watson: On Grace

Aside

Richard Watson (1781-1833) was an Arminian theologican. This is the entry on Grace in his Dictionary. 

This word is understood in several senses: for beauty, graceful form, and agreeableness of person, (Proverbs 1:9; 3:22). For favour, friendship, kindness, (Genesis 6:8; 18:3; Romans 11:6; 2 Timothy 1:9). For pardon, mercy, undeserved remission of offences, (Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 1:6). For certain gifts of God, which he bestows freely, when, where, and on whom, he pleases; such are the gifts of miracles, prophecy, languages, &c, (Romans 15:15; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 3:8, &c). For the Gospel dispensation, in contradistinction to that of the law, (Romans 6:14; 1 Peter 5:12). For a liberal and charitable disposition, (2 Corinthians 8:7). For eternal life, or final salvation, (1 Peter 1:13).

In theological language grace also signifies divine influence upon the soul; and it derives the name from this being the effect of the great grace or favour of God to mankind. Austin defines inward actual grace to be the inspiration of love, which prompts us to practise according to what we know, out of a religious affection and compliance. He says, likewise, that the grace of God is the blessing of God’s sweet influence, whereby we are induced to take pleasure in that which he commands, to desire and to love it; and that if God does not prevent us with this blessing, what he commands, not only is not perfected, but is not so much as begun in us.

Without the inward grace of Jesus Christ, man is not able to do the least thing that is good. He stands in need of this grace to begin, continue, and finish all the good he does, or rather, which God does in him and with him, by his grace. This grace is free; it is not due to us: if it were due to us, it would be no more grace; it would be a debt, (Romans 11:6); it is in its nature an assistance so powerful and efficacious, that it surmounts the obstinacy of the most rebellious human heart, without destroying human liberty.

There is no subject on which Christian doctors have written so largely, as on the several particulars relating to the grace of God. The difficulty consists in reconciling human liberty with the operation of divine grace; the concurrence of man with the influence and assistance of the Almighty. And who is able to set up an accurate boundary between these two things? Who can pretend to know how far the privileges of grace extend over the heart of man, and what that man’s liberty exactly is, who is prevented, enlightened, moved, and attracted by grace?