Human Beings and Faith Essay

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John Wesley define the "means of grace"? What practices or activities does he include among the "means of grace"?

The means of grace are the means by which human beings can become more open to receiving God's grace. In keeping with the philosophy of most Protestant traditions, John Wesley believed that grace was not something which could be won through good works. Only God could bestow grace. Nor could human beings demand or ask for grace, or claim to be worthy of it before God would allow it. But contrary to the philosophy of predetermination, which Wesley opposed, Wesley did believe that people could take positive steps to become more open to grace when it was bestowed through God's mercy. Works of piety, such as praying alone or going to church, and works of mercy, like giving charity and fighting for social justice, were part of the means or path to grace.

Wesley notes that there is a longstanding fear of "popery" in the Protestant church, particularly among Lutherans, to the point that any stress upon any kind of works is avoided (Wesley, 1980, p.45). While Wesley acknowledges the problem with focusing on external actions, and the idea that works can be viewed as a substitute for faith, on the other hand, he feels that some denominations have shifted too far away from instructing believers how to behave.

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The church must not deny the need for human beings to be active in the world and to do conscious, positive acts of goodwill, both sacred and secular. A fear of popery does not mean that social issues of the day or the need to assist the indigent and sick can be ignored. Nor can one "ignore all of the rest of the commandments," because of a fear that the need to honor the benevolent gift of God's grace may be distorted (Wesley, 1980, p. 45).

The means of grace is significant because it stresses that human beings must still remain active in the world and seek out ways to honor the divine in a conscious and meaningful way. For Wesley, faith is never a passive endeavor. Grace may not be given in a tit-for-tat fashion, or by doing a list of holy things. On the other hand, grace can only be perceived by people who are active participants in the world and their church community. Wesley wrote: "If it….....

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