As the semester began, I expected to see and understand that Wesley’s spiritual growth method differs from what many modern-day people experience. I found my assumption to be mostly true. There are aspects of the Christian faith that occur right away. There is also, however, the aspect of spiritual growth that lasts a lifetime.
In the Christian faith, aspects of the have it your way right away are present in justification and regeneration. Justification entails being forgiven of our sins and reconciled with God. Regeneration involves being born again and experiencing a transformation of heart, mind, and spirit through the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
In contrast, sanctification is a process by which a person is transformed by the renewing of their minds. Sanctification is a fundamental change where the Holy Spirit renews our fallen nature. This is the portion of our salvation that does not happen right away. Sanctification is a continual process in which everything about a person changes to align with God’s will.
I expected to learn more about the above concepts, and my knowledge has deepened. It will be helpful as I teach these concepts to my congregation. I didn’t expect some of our teachings and readings in the final weeks. In the last table talk video, Dr. Bounds went into depth on the different levels of perfection. This was brand new to me. Thinking through divine perfection, absolute human perfection, Adamic perfection, and Christian perfection helped me to understand entire sanctification in a new light. It was helpful to realize that the goal is not to achieve divine perfection but rather to restore God’s moral image in our lives. That was a game-changer for me.
In the same video and the readings for the week, it was interesting to learn that the restored creation will be new, better, and different than the original. I am still having a difficult time processing that one. I love the idea. The challenge is thinking through all of the implications. It was in this week that I had an aha moment where I began to realize how little I understand about grace. This concept will help aid in ministering to people who have experienced significant loss. The challenge is to present this concept and not allow for the thought that God allowed the difficulty to happen. Through this part of the class I felt small and deeply loved at the same time. This was very significant for me.
As a result of what I have learned, I will be better able to help people on their journey toward entire sanctification. My grasp of this concept improved significantly when I understood that we are not becoming like God and that our earthly perfection will become perfected following glorification. Praise be to God!
I will also be better able to speak about the unfathomable depth of God’s grace. This may sound like a cop-out. However, I better understand how grace extends to all creation as God is redeeming the world. I have a more profound sense of the immensity of God’s grace and how grace is power, not just pardon.