Teolojia ya Kiwesley na Fundisho la Wokovu — Sehemu ya 8: Njia ya Wokovu: Mpangilio wa Wokovu kwa WesleyWesleyan Theology and the Doctrine of Salvation — Unit 8: The Way of Salvation: Wesley's Order of Salvation

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Mkamilishe wokovu wenu wenyewe kwa kuogopa na kutetemeka; kwa maana ndiye Mungu atendaye kazi ndani yenu, kutaka kwenu na kutenda kwenu, kwa kusudi lake jema." (Wafilipi 2:12-13, SUV)"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12-13, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kutaja hatua kuu za njia ya wokovu ya Wesley na kusema kwa ufupi nini hutokea katika kila moja.1. Name the main stages of Wesley's way of salvation and say briefly what happens in each.

2. Kueleza kwa nini wafuasi wa Wesley huzungumza juu ya wokovu mmoja uliopita, wa sasa na wa baadaye.2. Explain why Wesleyans speak of one salvation that is past, present and future.

3. Kueleza picha ya Wesley ya ukumbi, mlango na nyumba.3. Describe Wesley's picture of the porch, the door and the house.

4. Kueleza jinsi kazi ya Mungu na jibu letu zinavyokutana, kwa kutumia Wafilipi 2:12-13.4. Explain how God's work and our response fit together, using Philippians 2:12-13.

5. Kueleza kwa haki pingamizi za Wareformed (Reformed), za Wakatoliki na za "ngazi ya matendo," na kutoa jibu la Wesley kwa kila moja.5. State fairly the Reformed, Roman Catholic and "ladder of works" objections to the Wesleyan way of salvation, and give the Wesleyan answer to each.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Course

Kozi hii imeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Wesley kwa wanafunzi wa Wesley. Ni ya kihafidhina kiteolojia: Biblia ni mamlaka iliyovuviwa na ya mwisho, na Mungu ni Mungu mmoja katika nafsi tatu. "Sisi" inamaanisha makanisa ya kiinjilisti ya Wesley-Utakatifu (Wesleyan-Holiness) na ya Methodisti. Wakristo wengine huona mambo haya kwa njia tofauti, na tunaeleza mawazo yao kwa haki kabla ya kutoa jibu letu. Maandiko yanasema, "Jaribuni mambo yote; mkamateni sana lililo jema" (1 Wathesalonike 5:21).This course is written from inside the Wesleyan tradition for Wesleyan students. It is theologically conservative: the Bible is the inspired and final authority, and God is one God in three persons. "We" means the evangelical Wesleyan-Holiness and Methodist churches. Other Christians see these matters differently, and we state their views fairly before giving our answer. Scripture says, "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

Vipindi vya 2 hadi 7 vilisoma sehemu za wokovu moja baada ya nyingine. Kipindi hiki kinarudi nyuma na kuutazama wokovu mzima. Historia ya jinsi Wamethodisti wa kwanza walivyoishi na kufundisha njia hii ya wokovu ilisimuliwa katika Kozi ya 1, na hatuirudii hapa.Units 2 to 7 studied the parts of salvation one by one. This unit steps back and looks at the whole. The history of how the first Methodists lived and taught this way of salvation was told in Course 1, and we do not repeat it here.

Kwa Nini Kusema "Njia"?Why Speak of a "Way"?

Watu wanapouliza, "Je, umeokolewa?" mara nyingi wanatarajia ndiyo au hapana moja. Biblia inatoa picha kamili zaidi. Paulo anaandika, "Maana mmeokolewa kwa neema, kwa njia ya imani" (Waefeso 2:8). Wokovu ni kitu ambacho kimetokea. Hata hivyo pia anaandika kwamba "neno la msalaba ni upumbavu kwao wanaopotea; bali kwetu sisi tunaookolewa ni uweza wa Mungu" (1 Wakorintho 1:18). Wokovu pia ni kitu kinachoendelea. Na Paulo anasema mahali pengine kwamba wokovu wetu u karibu nasi kuliko tulipoamini kwanza (Warumi 13:11). Pia ni kitu ambacho kitakamilika.When people ask, "Are you saved?" they often expect a single yes or no. The Bible gives a fuller picture. Paul writes, "For by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is something that has happened. Yet he also writes that "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). Salvation is also something that is going on. And Paul says elsewhere that salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11). It is also something that will be completed.

John Wesley aliliona hili waziwazi. Alihubiri mahubiri yaitwayo "Njia ya Maandiko ya Wokovu" (The Scripture Way of Salvation), na akachukua Waefeso 2:8 kama andiko lake. Ndani yake alifundisha kwamba wokovu si wakati wa kwanza wa msamaha tu. Ni kazi nzima ya Mungu, kutoka msukumo wa kwanza wa neema moyoni hadi utukufu wa mbinguni. Kwa hiyo wafuasi wa Wesley huzungumza juu ya "njia" au "mpangilio" wa wokovu. Hatumaanishi ngazi ngumu ambayo kila mtu huipanda kwa njia ile ile na kwa mwendo ule ule. Tunamaanisha mtindo ambao Maandiko huonyesha katika jinsi Mungu anavyoshughulika na wenye dhambi, na ambao wachungaji wanaweza kuutumia kama ramani.John Wesley saw this clearly. He preached a sermon called "The Scripture Way of Salvation," and he took Ephesians 2:8 as its text. In it he taught that salvation is not only the first moment of pardon. It is the whole work of God, from the first stirring of grace in the heart to the glory of heaven. Wesleyans therefore speak of a "way" or "order" of salvation. We do not mean a rigid ladder that every person climbs in the same way and at the same speed. We mean the pattern that Scripture shows in God's dealing with sinners, and which pastors can use as a map.

Hatua za NjiaThe Stages of the Way

Hii ndiyo ramani kwa namna rahisi. Nyingi kati ya hizi zina vipindi vyake katika kozi hii, kwa hiyo tunatoa maelezo mafupi tu ya kila moja.Here is the map in simple form. Most of these have their own units in this course, so we give only a short description of each.

Neema itangulizayo. Neema ya Mungu huwatangulia wote. Huamsha dhamiri, humwonyesha mwenye dhambi hitaji lake, na hufanya iwezekane kuitikia (Kipindi cha 3). Neema hii ni kwa watu wote kwa sababu Kristo alikufa kwa ajili ya wote (Kipindi cha 2).Prevenient grace. God's grace goes before everyone. It awakens the conscience, shows the sinner his need, and makes it possible to respond (Unit 3). This grace is for all people because Christ died for all (Unit 2).

Toba. Mwenye dhambi hugeuka kutoka dhambini, huona hatia yake, na anajua kwamba hawezi kujiokoa (Kipindi cha 5). Yesu alianza mahubiri yake kwa maneno, "Tubuni, na kuiamini Injili" (Marko 1:15).Repentance. The sinner turns from sin, sees his guilt, and knows he cannot save himself (Unit 5). Jesus began His preaching with the words, "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

Kuhesabiwa haki. Kwa imani katika Kristo, Mungu humsamehe mwenye dhambi na kumpokea kama mtoto. Hiki ni kile Mungu anachofanya kwa ajili yetu (Kipindi cha 5).Justification. Through faith in Christ, God pardons the sinner and receives him as a child. This is what God does for us (Unit 5).

Kuzaliwa upya. Wakati huo huo Mungu hutoa uzima mpya wa kiroho. Hiki ni kile Mungu anachofanya ndani yetu (Kipindi cha 6).The new birth. At the same moment God gives new spiritual life. This is what God does in us (Unit 6).

Uhakika wa wokovu. Roho Mtakatifu hushuhudia pamoja na roho zetu kwamba sisi ni watoto wa Mungu (Kipindi cha 7).Assurance. The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are God's children (Unit 7).

Utakaso. Mungu anaendelea na kazi yake, akimfanya muumini kuwa mtakatifu katika moyo na maisha. Huanza wakati wa kuzaliwa upya na hukua katika maisha ya muumini. Kozi ya 3 inaisoma kwa undani.Sanctification. God continues His work, making the believer holy in heart and life. It begins at the new birth and grows through the believer's life. Course 3 studies it in detail.

Kutukuzwa. Wakati wa ufufuo, Mungu hukamilisha kazi yake. Muumini hufanywa mfano wa Kristo kikamilifu (1 Yohana 3:2). Paulo anaandika kuhusu hili katika Warumi 8:30.Glorification. At the resurrection, God completes His work. The believer is made fully like Christ (1 John 3:2). Paul writes of this in Romans 8:30.

Katika maisha ya kawaida hatua hizi huingiliana. Kuhesabiwa haki na kuzaliwa upya hutokea pamoja. Toba huendelea baada ya kugeuka, kwa kuwa muumini ataendelea kutubu dhambi maisha yake yote. Utakaso huanza mara moja. Mchungaji hapaswi kutumia ramani kusisitiza kwamba uzoefu wa kila mtu lazima uonekane sawa. Wengine humjia Kristo katika wakati mmoja baada ya mapambano marefu. Wengine hukua katika imani na hawawezi kutaja siku.In ordinary life these stages overlap. Justification and the new birth happen together. Repentance continues after conversion, since a believer will go on repenting of sin all his life. Sanctification begins at once. A pastor should not use the map to insist that everyone's experience must look the same. Some come to Christ in a moment after long struggle. Others grow up in the faith and cannot name a day.

Ukumbi, Mlango na NyumbaThe Porch, the Door, and the House

Wesley mara nyingi alitumia picha rahisi kueleza njia. Alisema kwamba dini ya kweli ni kama nyumba. Toba ni ukumbi. Imani ni mlango. Utakatifu, au upendo moyoni na maishani, ndiyo nyumba yenyewe, dini ambayo tumeitwa kukaa ndani yake.Wesley often used a simple picture to explain the way. He said that true religion is like a house. Repentance is the porch. Faith is the door. Holiness, or love in the heart and life, is the house itself, the religion we are called to dwell in.

Picha hii humsaidia mchungaji kwa njia tatu. Kwanza, inaonyesha kwamba toba na imani si mwisho. Mtu anayesimama kwenye ukumbi hajaingia nyumbani. Pili, inaonyesha kwamba toba huongoza kwenye imani, na imani huongoza kwenye maisha matakatifu, ili hakuna sehemu iruke. Tatu, inaweka lengo mbele ya macho. Lengo la wokovu si kusamehewa na kwenda mbinguni tu. Ni kufanywa kama Kristo na kumpenda Mungu na jirani. Picha hii inatoka katika maandishi ya Wesley mwenyewe, ingawa hakumaanisha kwamba mtu hawezi kamwe kurudi kwenye ukumbi. Waumini bado hutubu, na bado hutegemea, wanapoishi ndani ya nyumba.This picture helps a pastor in three ways. First, it shows that repentance and faith are not the end. A person who stands on the porch has not entered the house. Second, it shows that repentance leads to faith, and faith leads to a holy life, so that no part is skipped. Third, it keeps the goal in view. The goal of salvation is not only to be forgiven and go to heaven. It is to be made like Christ and to love God and neighbor. The picture comes from Wesley's own writings, though he did not mean that a person never returns to the porch. Believers still repent, and still trust, as they live in the house.

Imani, Matendo na Wokovu MzimaFaith, Works and the Whole of Salvation

Swali la kawaida ni: Je, tunaokolewa kwa imani au kwa matendo? Jibu la Wesley, ambalo wafuasi wa Wesley hulifuata, ni jibu la Maandiko. Tunaokolewa kwa neema kwa njia ya imani, na "wala si kwa matendo, mtu awaye yote asije akajisifu" (Waefeso 2:9). Imani peke yake ndiyo sharti ambalo Mungu humhesabia haki mwenye dhambi. Hakuna wingi wa matendo mema unaoweza kupata msamaha.A common question is: Are we saved by faith or by works? Wesley's answer, which Wesleyans follow, is the answer of Scripture. We are saved by grace through faith, and "not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:9). Faith alone is the condition on which God justifies the sinner. No amount of good deeds can earn pardon.

Lakini Maandiko pia yanasema kwamba "imani pasipo matendo imekufa" (Yakobo 2:26), na kwamba tuliumbwa "katika Kristo Yesu, kwa matendo mema" (Waefeso 2:10). Wesley alifundisha kwamba matendo mema hayapati wokovu kwa kustahili. Yanatokana na imani, na ni tunda ambalo kwalo imani hai hujulikana. Pia alifundisha kwamba utakatifu ni wa lazima kwa wokovu endelevu, kwa kuwa Maandiko yanatuita kwenye "utakatifu ambao hapana mtu atakayemwona Bwana bila huo" (Waebrania 12:14). Hakumaanisha kwamba utakatifu hubadilisha imani. Alimaanisha kwamba imani, ikiwa hai, huongoza kwenye utakatifu.But Scripture also says that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26), and that we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works" (Ephesians 2:10). Wesley taught that good works do not earn salvation. They come out of faith, and they are the fruit by which a living faith is known. He also taught that holiness is necessary for continued salvation, since Scripture calls us to "holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). He did not mean holiness replaces faith. He meant that faith, if living, leads to holiness.

Mungu Hufanya Kazi, na Sisi PiaGod Works, and We Work

Mstari mkuu wa kipindi hiki unaweza kuonekana kuwa wa kutatanisha mwanzoni. Paulo anawaambia Wafilipi "wakamilishe" wokovu wao wenyewe, kisha anaongeza, "kwa maana ndiye Mungu atendaye kazi ndani yenu." Yote mawili yanawezaje kuwa kweli?The key verse for this unit may seem puzzling at first. Paul tells the Philippians to "work out" their own salvation, and then adds, "for it is God who works in you." How can both be true?

Wesley alihubiri mahubiri juu ya andiko hili, "Juu ya Kukamilisha Wokovu Wetu Wenyewe" (On Working Out Our Own Salvation). Jibu lake ni rahisi. Mungu hufanya kazi kwanza, na Mungu hufanya kazi ndani yetu. Ndiyo maana tunaweza kufanya kazi hata kidogo. Bila neema ya Mungu tusingeweza kufanya chochote. Kwa kuwa Mungu hufanya kazi ndani yetu, tunaweza, na kwa hiyo tuna wajibu, kushirikiana. Mkulima hawezi kufanya mbegu ikue, lakini lazima aipande, aimwagilie na kung'oa magugu. Ukuaji ni zawadi ya Mungu, na kazi ni yetu.Wesley preached a sermon on this text, "On Working Out Our Own Salvation." His answer is simple. God works first, and God works in us. That is why we can work at all. Without God's grace we could do nothing. Because God works in us, we are able, and therefore we are responsible, to cooperate. A farmer cannot make a seed grow, but he must plant it, water it and pull the weeds. The growth is God's gift, and the labor is ours.

Wanateolojia wakati mwingine hutumia neno "ushirikiano" (synergism) kwa wazo hili kwamba Mungu na muumini hufanya kazi pamoja, huku Mungu akifanya kazi kwanza na sehemu ya muumini ikiwa jibu tu kwa neema. Neno "kazi ya Mungu peke yake" (monergism) hutumiwa kwa fundisho kwamba Mungu peke yake hufanya kazi. Wafuasi wa Wesley hushikilia kwamba wokovu ni wa neema kabisa, na bado kwamba Mungu hutuwezesha kuitikia kisha anatuomba tuitikie. Kwa hiyo tunashikilia neema kwa nguvu kama Wakristo wengine wowote. Tunakataa tu kwamba neema hufanya kazi bila ridhaa ya hiari ya mtu.Theologians sometimes use the word "synergism" for this idea that God and the believer work together, with God always working first and the believer's part only a response to grace. The word "monergism" is used for the teaching that God alone works. Wesleyans hold that salvation is wholly of grace, and yet that God makes us able to respond and then asks us to respond. We therefore hold to grace as strongly as any other Christians. We deny only that grace works without the willing consent of the person.

Wesley pia alifundisha kwamba Mungu ameweka "njia za neema" (means of grace), njia za kawaida ambazo kwazo hutoa neema yake. Hizi ni pamoja na sala, kusoma na kusikia Maandiko, Meza ya Bwana, kufunga na ushirika wa Kikristo. Hatuzitumii kupata upendeleo kwa kustahili, bali kuufungua moyo kwa kile Mungu anachotoa. Kozi ya 3 na Kozi ya 4 zinazishughulikia.Wesley also taught that God has appointed "means of grace," the ordinary ways in which He gives His grace. These include prayer, the reading and hearing of Scripture, the Lord's Supper, fasting, and Christian fellowship. We use them not to earn favor but to open the heart to what God gives. Course 3 and Course 4 take these up.

Pingamizi la 1: Mpangilio wa Wokovu wa WareformedObjection 1: The Reformed Order of Salvation

Mapokeo ya Kireformed pia huzungumza juu ya mpangilio wa wokovu. Yanataja Warumi 8:29-30: "Maana wale aliowajua tangu zamani, aliwachagua tangu zamani, wapate kufananishwa na mfano wa Mwana wake... na wale aliowachagua tangu zamani, hao akawaita; na wale aliowaita, hao akawahesabia haki; na wale aliowahesabia haki, hao akawatukuza." Wengine huita hii "mnyororo wa dhahabu," kwa kuwa viungo havivunjiki. Wareformed hufundisha kwamba Mungu huchagua watu wake bila masharti, huwaita kwa wito unaofanikiwa, huwapa uzima mpya kwanza, na kuwaweka hadi mwisho. Wanahangaikia kwamba ikiwa jibu la mwenye dhambi lina nafasi yoyote katika mpangilio, basi mwanadamu hushiriki sifa na neema inadhoofishwa.The Reformed tradition also speaks of an order of salvation. It points to Romans 8:29-30: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son... Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified." Some call this a "golden chain," since the links cannot be broken. The Reformed teach that God chooses His people unconditionally, calls them effectually, gives them new life first, and keeps them to the end. They are concerned that if the sinner's response has any place in the order, then man shares the credit and grace is weakened.

Jibu letu. Wasiwasi kwa ajili ya utukufu wa Mungu ni sahihi, nasi tunaushiriki. Tunakubali kwamba kila sehemu ya wokovu ni zawadi. Tofauti ni jinsi zawadi inavyotufikia. Wafuasi wa Wesley husoma Warumi 8:29 kwa mwanga wa "alijua tangu zamani": Mungu, anayejua mambo yote, aliona mapema ni nani angempokea Kristo na akawachagua ndani yake (Kipindi cha 4). Jibu la imani si kazi inayopata chochote kwa kustahili. Ni mkono mtupu unaopokea. Wafilipi 2:13 inaonyesha kwamba hata kutaka kwetu ni zawadi ya Mungu, kwa kuwa "ndiye Mungu atendaye kazi ndani yenu, kutaka kwenu na kutenda kwenu." Mungu hutoa mapenzi, nasi tunayatumia. Sifa ni ya Mungu, na wajibu wa kuitikia ni wetu. Maandiko yanashikilia yote mawili pamoja, kama mstari mkuu unavyoonyesha. Kipindi cha 9 kinashughulikia swali la kudumu hadi mwisho, ambapo mnyororo wa Wareformed hukutana na onyo la Wesley.Our answer. The concern for God's glory is right, and we share it. We agree that every part of salvation is a gift. The difference is in how the gift reaches us. Wesleyans read Romans 8:29 in the light of "foreknew": God, who knows all things, foresaw who would receive Christ and chose them in Him (Unit 4). The response of faith is not a work that earns anything. It is the empty hand that receives. Philippians 2:13 shows that even our willing is God's gift, since "it is God who works in you both to will and to do." God gives the will, and we use it. The credit belongs to God, and the responsibility to respond belongs to us. Scripture holds both together, as the key verse shows. Unit 9 takes up the matter of final perseverance, where the Reformed chain meets the Wesleyan warning.

Pingamizi la 2: Mpangilio wa Kikatoliki wa RomaObjection 2: The Roman Catholic Order

Kanisa Katoliki la Roma, hasa katika Baraza la Trento katika karne ya kumi na sita, lilifundisha kwamba kuhesabiwa haki si msamaha tu bali kufanywa mwenye haki, ambapo neema humiminwa ndani ya roho, na kwamba ushirikiano wa muumini na neema ni sehemu ya kukua kwake katika haki. Mafundisho ya Kikatoliki huzungumza juu ya stahili (merit), juu ya sakramenti zinazowasilisha neema, na juu ya Kanisa kama njia ya wokovu. Wasiwasi wa Kikatoliki ni kwamba Waprotestanti wanaweza kutenganisha msamaha na mabadiliko ya maisha.The Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, taught that justification is not only a pardon but a making-righteous, in which grace is poured into the soul, and that the believer's cooperation with grace is part of his growing in righteousness. Catholic teaching speaks of merit, of sacraments that convey grace, and of the Church as the channel of salvation. The Catholic concern is that Protestants may separate forgiveness from change of life.

Jibu letu. Hapa wafuasi wa Wesley wanasimama kati ya makanisa. Tunakubaliana na wasiwasi wa Kikatoliki kwamba wokovu hubadilisha mtu mzima, na Wesley alifundisha kwa nguvu kwamba neema huwafanya watu kuwa watakatifu. Ndiyo maana hakusimama kwenye kuhesabiwa haki. Lakini tunashikilia pamoja na Watengenezaji wa Kanisa kwamba kuhesabiwa haki yenyewe ni msamaha unaopokelewa kwa imani peke yake, kwa msingi wa kazi iliyokamilika ya Kristo, na si kwa stahili yetu. Kisha Roho Mtakatifu hufanya badiliko la ndani ambalo Wesley aliliita utakaso, kama tunda na si bei ya msamaha. Hatufundishi kwamba matendo yetu hupata neema kwa kustahili. Tunaheshimu sakramenti kama njia za neema (Kozi ya 4), lakini tunakataa kwamba mtu huokolewa kwa matendo ya nje peke yake. Msisitizo wa Kikatoliki juu ya maisha matakatifu ni jambo ambalo wafuasi wa Wesley wanashiriki. Fundisho la Kikatoliki la stahili hatulishiriki.Our answer. Here Wesleyans stand between the churches. We agree with the Catholic concern that salvation changes the whole person, and Wesley taught strongly that grace makes people holy. That is why he did not stop at justification. But we hold with the Reformers that justification itself is a pardon received by faith alone, based on the finished work of Christ, and not on our merit. Then the Holy Spirit works the inward change that Wesley called sanctification, as the fruit and not the price of pardon. We do not teach that our works earn grace. We honor the sacraments as means of grace (Course 4), but we deny that a person is saved by outward acts alone. The Catholic emphasis on a holy life is something Wesleyans share. The Catholic doctrine of merit is not.

Pingamizi la 3: Ngazi ya MatendoObjection 3: A Ladder of Works

Pingamizi la tatu linatoka ndani ya ulimwengu wa Kiprotestanti, kutoka kwa wale wanaoogopa kwamba njia ya Wesley huchanganya kuhesabiwa haki na utakaso. Wanasema kwamba "njia" yenye hatua nyingi inasikika kama ngazi ya kwenda mbinguni, na kwamba kufanya utakatifu kuwa wa lazima kunageuza neema kuwa matendo.A third objection comes from within the Protestant world, from those who fear that the Wesleyan way mixes justification and sanctification. They say that a "way" with many stages sounds like a ladder to heaven, and that making holiness necessary turns grace into works.

Jibu letu. Hofu hiyo inaeleweka, na Wesley alilinda dhidi yake. Alisisitiza tofauti iliyo wazi kati ya kuhesabiwa haki, ambacho ni kile Mungu anachofanya kwa ajili yetu, na utakaso, ambacho ni kile Mungu anachofanya ndani yetu. Imani ndiyo sharti pekee kwa ile ya kwanza. Utakatifu ni tunda na lengo la ile ya pili. Njia ya wokovu si ngazi tunayopanda kwenda kwa Mungu bali ni njia ambayo Mungu hutujia na kutembea nasi. Katika kila hatua ni neema ya Mungu inayotubeba.Our answer. The fear is understandable, and Wesley guarded against it. He insisted on a clear difference between justification, which is what God does for us, and sanctification, which is what God does in us. Faith is the only condition of the first. Holiness is the fruit and aim of the second. The way of salvation is not a ladder we climb to God but a path on which God comes to us and walks with us. At each step it is God's grace that carries us.

Wesley pia alilazimika kujibu kosa la upande wa pili, linaloitwa upinga-sheria (antinomianism), lililosema kwamba kwa kuwa tumeokolewa kwa neema, sheria ya Mungu haijalishi tena. Rafiki yake John Fletcher alijibu hili katika Checks to Antinomianism (Vizuizi dhidi ya Upinga-Sheria). Kati ya ngazi ya matendo na neema ya bei rahisi inayopuuza utakatifu, njia ya Wesley inashikilia neema ambayo husamehe na pia hubadilisha.Wesley also had to answer the opposite error, called antinomianism, which said that because we are saved by grace, the law of God no longer matters. His friend John Fletcher answered this in the Checks to Antinomianism. Between the ladder of works and the cheap grace that ignores holiness, the Wesleyan way holds to grace that both pardons and changes.

Mahali Wafuasi wa Wesley WanapotofautianaWhere Wesleyans Differ

Jambo moja zaidi linapaswa kusemwa kwa uaminifu. Wafuasi wote wa Wesley wanakubaliana kwamba Mungu huwaita waumini kwenye utakatifu kamili wa moyo na maisha. Wanatofautiana jinsi unavyopokelewa. Makanisa ya Utakatifu (Holiness), kama Nazarene na Wesleyan, hufundisha "kazi ya pili ya neema" (second work of grace) ambayo ndani yake muumini hutakaswa kabisa katika wakati mmoja. Mtazamo wa Methodisti huona ukamilifu wa Kikristo kama kukua katika upendo kamilifu, ambao unaweza kupokelewa katika wakati lakini hukaribiwa kupitia kazi ya taratibu. Kozi ya 3 inaeleza mitazamo yote miwili kwa haki na kuipima. Kozi hii inaegemea mtazamo wa Methodisti.One further point should be stated honestly. All Wesleyans agree that God calls believers to full holiness of heart and life. They differ on how this is received. The Holiness churches, such as the Nazarene and Wesleyan bodies, teach a "second work of grace" in which a believer is entirely sanctified in a moment. The Methodist view sees Christian perfection as growth in perfect love, which may be received in a moment but is approached through a gradual work. Course 3 sets out both views fairly, and weighs them. This course leans toward the Methodist view.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Kijana mmoja katika darasa la waumini wapya anamuuliza mchungaji wake, "Nilisali kumpokea Kristo mwezi uliopita. Sasa niko hatua gani? Je, nimemaliza?"A young man in a new believers' class asks his pastor, "I prayed to receive Christ last month. Which step am I on now? Am I finished?"

Mchungaji anachukua karatasi na kuchora nyumba yenye ukumbi na mlango. Anaeleza kwamba toba ni ukumbi, imani ni mlango, na nyumba ni maisha ya utakatifu na upendo. Anamwambia kijana kwamba kwa imani ameingia kupitia mlango, kwamba amesamehewa na amezaliwa upya, na kwamba Mungu ameanza kazi ndani yake. Lakini hajamaliza. Yuko ndani ya nyumba, na sasa lazima ajifunze kuishi huko. Kisha mchungaji anampa mazoezi matatu rahisi: asome Injili ya Yohana, aombe kila asubuhi, na akutane kila wiki na kikundi kidogo. Pia anamwambia kwamba bado atahitaji kutubu anapotenda dhambi, na kwamba hili haliondoi wokovu wake bali linamweka akitembea. Anasoma Wafilipi 2:12-13 pamoja naye na kusema, "Mungu anafanya kazi ndani yako. Sasa fanya kazi pamoja naye."The pastor takes a sheet of paper and draws a house with a porch and a door. He explains that repentance is the porch, faith is the door, and the house is a life of holiness and love. He tells the young man that by faith he has entered the door, that he is forgiven and born again, and that God has begun a work in him. But he is not finished. He is in the house, and now must learn to live there. The pastor then gives him three simple practices: read the Gospel of John, pray each morning, and meet weekly with a small group. He also tells him that he will still need to repent when he sins, and that this does not undo his salvation but keeps him walking. He reads Philippians 2:12-13 with him and says, "God is working in you. Now you work with Him."

MuhtasariSummary

Wafuasi wa Wesley hufundisha wokovu mmoja uliopita, wa sasa na wa baadaye. Njia ya wokovu inajumuisha neema itangulizayo, toba, kuhesabiwa haki, kuzaliwa upya, uhakika wa wokovu, utakaso na kutukuzwa. Hatua hizi huingiliana katika uzoefu na si ngazi ngumu. Wesley alitumia picha ya ukumbi, mlango na nyumba: toba, imani na utakatifu. Wokovu ni kwa neema kwa njia ya imani, na matendo mema ni tunda la imani na si bei yake. Mungu hufanya kazi ndani yetu, na kwa hiyo tunaweza na lazima tufanye kazi pamoja naye (Wafilipi 2:12-13). Mnyororo wa Wareformed wa Warumi 8:29-30 unajibiwa kwa kujua tangu awali na kwa neema inayotupa mapenzi ya kuitikia. Msisitizo wa Kikatoliki wa Roma juu ya maisha yaliyobadilika unakaribishwa, lakini fundisho lake la stahili halishirikiwi. Shtaka kwamba njia ya Wesley ni ngazi ya matendo linajibiwa kwa tofauti iliyo wazi kati ya kuhesabiwa haki na utakaso. Wafuasi wa Wesley hutofautiana jinsi utakaso kamili unavyopokelewa, na Kozi ya 3 inalisoma hili.Wesleyans teach one salvation that is past, present and future. The way of salvation includes prevenient grace, repentance, justification, the new birth, assurance, sanctification and glorification. These stages overlap in experience and are not a rigid ladder. Wesley used the picture of the porch, the door and the house: repentance, faith and holiness. Salvation is by grace through faith, and good works are the fruit of faith and not its price. God works in us, and so we can and must work with Him (Philippians 2:12-13). The Reformed chain of Romans 8:29-30 is answered by foreknowledge and by the grace that gives us the will to respond. The Roman Catholic emphasis on a changed life is welcomed, but its doctrine of merit is not shared. The charge that the Wesleyan way is a ladder of works is answered by the clear difference between justification and sanctification. Wesleyans differ on how entire sanctification is received, and Course 3 studies this.

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• John Wesley, mahubiri "The Scripture Way of Salvation" (Njia ya Maandiko ya Wokovu), "On Working Out Our Own Salvation" (Juu ya Kukamilisha Wokovu Wetu Wenyewe), na "The Means of Grace" (Njia za Neema), vyanzo vya msingi.• John Wesley, sermons "The Scripture Way of Salvation," "On Working Out Our Own Salvation," and "The Means of Grace," primary sources.

• John Wesley, The Principles of a Methodist Farther Explained (Kanuni za Mmethodisti Zikifafanuliwa Zaidi), kifungu juu ya ukumbi, mlango na nyumba, chanzo cha msingi.• John Wesley, The Principles of a Methodist Farther Explained, the passage on the porch, door and house, a primary source.

• John Fletcher, Checks to Antinomianism (Vizuizi dhidi ya Upinga-Sheria), chanzo cha msingi.• John Fletcher, Checks to Antinomianism, a primary source.

• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (Maelezo ya Ufafanuzi juu ya Agano Jipya), juu ya Waefeso 2 na Wafilipi 2, chanzo cha msingi.• John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Ephesians 2 and Philippians 2, a primary source.

• Kozi ya 1, Kipindi cha 5 (mzozo na marafiki Wakalvini); Kozi ya 2, Vipindi vya 2 hadi 7; Kozi ya 3, Vipindi vya 2 hadi 4.• Course 1, Unit 5 (the controversy with Calvinist friends); Course 2, Units 2 to 7; Course 3, Units 2 to 4.

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