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The Evangelical Methodist Church

catechism the journey of faith __________

“We should so work as if we were to be saved by our works; And so rely on Jesus Christ, as if we did no works.” —Francis Asbury: God’s Circuit Rider (1745-1816)

The Evangelical Methodist Church

CATECHISM Published by the authority of the 30th General Conference of the Evangelical Methodist Church, held in Indianapolis, Indiana March 12-15, 2010 General Editor: Dr. Edward W. Williamson, General Superintendent Department of Publications Editor: Mrs. Peggy Trim, Deaconess

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the Department of Publications. All Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted. Printed in USA by 48HrBooks (www.48HrBooks.com)

Evangelical Methodist Church International Headquarters P. O. Box 17070 Indianapolis, IN 46217 Location: 6838 South Gray Road Indianapolis, IN 46237

Additional copies of this publication may be ordered by contacting the Department of Publications at:

Phone: 317-780-8017 Email: publications@emchurch.org www.emchurch.org

Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................. 6 Lesson 1: Our History and Commitment ............................... 7 Lesson 2: The Articles of Religion ....................................... 15 Lesson 3: A Biblical View of the Scriptures ........................ 39 Lesson 4: A Biblical View of God and Humanity ................. 41 Lesson 5: A Biblical View of Sin and Redemption .............. 47 Lesson 6: A Biblical View of God’s Plan for Salvation ........ 51 Lesson 7: Sanctification ..................................................... 55 Lesson 8: A Biblical View of the Church and the Sacraments ......................................................... 59 Lesson 9: A Biblical View of Eternity .................................. 65 Lesson 10: Missions ............................................................ 69 Lesson 11: Our Government: Congregational and Connectional ............................................... 79 Lesson 12: Membership Responsibility ………. .................... 83 Lesson 13: Membership ...................................................... 89 Membership Covenant ...................................... 90 Appendix A: John Wesley’s The Scripture Way of Salvation A Break-Through Sermon .................................... 91 Appendix B: The Scripture Way of Salvation, John Wesley’s Sermon in Modern English … ............... 99 Appendix C: Explanatory Notes, Evangelical Methodist Articles of Faith ……………………… ................. 113 Appendix D: Basic Denominational Principles .................. …..127 Answers to Lesson Questions ................................................ 129

Forward The General Board of Christian Education congratulates you for taking this step in expanding your knowledge of the basic doctrinal teachings to which the Evangelical Methodist Church adheres. The EMC is Wesleyan in doctrine which promotes purity of heart and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the desire of this Board that as you embark upon your journey through this study you will come to know the EMC better and appreciate its stand for holiness. While this study perhaps will not answer all your questions, it will serve as a foundation upon which you, as a student, may build your understanding of the Wesleyan tradition. As you work your way through this study, you will not only develop a better understanding of what the EMC is, but also establish personal disciplines of study which will serve you well as you grow in your personal relationship with the Lord. While this study gives you a basic understanding of the EMC, it also gives you information for becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. Another study, Discipleship Training, A Venture in Learning and Accountability offered by the General Board of Christian Education, will help you become more disciplined in your daily walk with the Lord. It will also give you tools to disciple others, thus fulfilling the Great Commission that Jesus gave the Church while it waits for His return. The pastor and lay leaders will enlarge and supplement this material to accommodate their local church mission statement and unique missional ministries. 2010-2014 General Board of Christian Education Members: Rev. Debbie Miller, Chair Rev. Dan Cottrell Dr. William Dean Rev. John Gentry Mr. Benoit Kitenge Rev. Robert Perkins Rev. Daniel Stiles

esson 6 A Biblical View of God’s Plan for Salvation

God’s plan is and always has been to make us like Him. God made a plan for man’s redemption before the foundation of the world. God’s desire was to take man out of his rebellious, fallen state, which was the result of his disobedience, and give him another chance to be obedient to God. God’s plan was to send a perfect man, His Son, who would be obedient to Him and pay the price that God required to buy back mankind from their disobedient state. Throughout the Old Testament God required obedience. The Ten Commandments, the sacrifices and offerings of animals were designed to take away the consequences of man’s disobedience. But sacrifices and offerings of animals were not enough to satisfy God’s requirement for holiness. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to become the perfect sacrifice. By willingly laying down His life on a cross, in complete obedience to God, He paid the price for man’s disobedience. This satisfied God for the disobedience (sin) that man had done (Hebrews 9:26). Any person, by putting their faith in Christ’s death on the cross as payment for man’s sin, can be cleansed and freed from the power of sin. How can people experience the reuniting of themselves to God when they have disobeyed Him? All humans are in sin or disobedient to God. They need to get into a right relationship with God in this earthly life. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, stated that “…no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). Jesus went on to say that it is not enough to be born in the natural sense, but we need also to be born in the spiritual sense by faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said that “God so loved” the people in this natural world that He gave his 51

only Son as a sacrifice for sin so that if we humans believe and receive His love and His sacrifice for us on the cross we can have eternal life. As the Bible says in 1 Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” God made things right between man and Himself by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross; and now we can, by trusting in His provision for us, experience a right relationship with Him here as well as in the next life. Man experiences this salvation by faith in Jesus’ death on the cross as a sacrifice for sin, thus cleansing us from sin. “…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” Psalm 103:12. When we believe in Jesus Christ and accept His sacrifice for sin, our sin is taken away. Those of us who experience this are called Christians. The Bible also calls us Children of God because we are not only born naturally, but are born spiritually by God’s love, mercy and grace. The Bible calls us saved, redeemed, justified by faith by what Christ did, but not by what we did. Ephesians 2:8-9 speaks of the fact that “…it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” What if we sin? One of the issues that is often presented to us is if we sin, do we lose our salvation? John says in his first letter, 1 John1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” To continue to be clean from sin a Christian must confess that he has been disobedient (has sinned) and accept forgiveness from God. In 1 John 2:1, John addresses his letter to his dear children, those who have become Christians. He wishes that they would not sin but, if they do, they have one, Jesus Christ, who acts as their defense lawyer before God, the Father. Jesus can defend us since He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. What is the Gospel? The message of the gospel, as stated in Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, is assigned to the church to be spread through the world. The gospel that was preached and written in Scripture

is a gift from God. It does not depend on our own works to get rid of sin or to become good enough. We must repent and receive forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47), believing that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins when He died on the cross. By accepting His sacrifice we are made right with God. Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could do the right things to take away our sin, but Jesus died on the cross and took away our sins. In Scripture we read how Jesus washed away our sin. (1 Peter 1:18, 19; Revelation 1:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11) ADOPTION Salvation received by faith brings us to the state of adoption into a new family; that is the family of God. This family is made up of all who believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation. The idea of being born again puts us into a spiritual family that accepts us. (John 1:12-13) WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT Paul writes in Romans 8:15-16 that the Holy Spirit reveals the plan of salvation to those in need of a spiritual birth. The Holy Spirit that comes into us at the point of salvation impresses our inner spirit that we are the children of God. (Galatians 4:6) The witness of the Holy Spirit to our hearts and lives gives us the assurance that we are God’s children beginning now in this life and throughout eternity. GLORIFICATION Glorification occurs when Jesus comes back to take His children to heaven to be with Him. Paul mentions this in his letter to the church at Corinth. “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

SUMMARY: Man is lost in sin.

God's Holy Spirit provides prevenient grace; conviction; convincing us of our state of sin; the ability to believe and call upon Christ.

Man believes and calls upon Christ for salvation.

God, in Christ, gives justification, salvation, sanctification. The Holy Spirit provides…the witness of the Spirit/Assurance.

Man pursues a life of holiness/groaning after perfection.

God gives entire sanctification, Christian perfection, empowerment of the Spirit.

Man lives and grows in sanctification as Christ’s witness to the world. Then death and the resurrection.

God gives glorification.

Lesson 6 – REVIEW A Biblical View for God’s Plan of Salvation 1. How can a person be reconciled to God? _____________________ _______________________________________________________ 2. Ephesians 2:8-9: It is by __________________ you have been saved. 3. Through glorification we will be raised _________________________ ______________________________.