Chapter 9
Baptism, Salvation,
Grace and Holy Communion
History of Sacraments in
America
In order to look at the practices of
early American Methodist as it came to the administration of the sacraments, we
first need to delve into the mind of John Wesley. From that perspective we can
truly see what he intended for this new movement as it relates to the
administration and the meaning of the sacraments. But from that point we need
to deviate to the actual understanding and practices of the early Circuit Riders,
local Pastors and/ or communities. These two points tend to be in harmony in
the macro sense but could be very much at odds in the micro.
How John Wesley saw it!
There is no question to any who have
studied or have been exposed to John Wesley as to his desire for personal
holiness which included the sacraments. His own Anglican background forms the
basis for much of what he believed, which in the end was tempered by his
experience with the Moravian’s and his own study of the scripture and work in
the field which in and of itself was somewhat unique or even rare for a
traditional Anglican Priest. In order to look at his view on how the sacraments
should be administered, we divide the sacraments into Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper. Of Baptism, there is not a great deal of information from John Wesley.
This may be in part due to his Anglican roots where he may have felt that the
subject of Baptism spoke for itself through the tradition of the church. The
Anglican Church at the time of John Wesley practiced the traditional baptism of
infants and adults. On the subject of adult baptism we find little reference,
but on the subject of infants, John has indicated his belief in its
justification through the power of the Holy Spirit.
“On
balance, then it seems best to say that Wesley remained convinced that infant
baptism conveyed the regenerating Presence of the Holy Spirit, though he
emphasized that the full effectiveness of the gracious Presence emerged
gradually as the developing child responsibly appreciated it.”[i]
On
the subject of communion, his views were greatly influenced by his own desire
for personal holiness. He is quoted as having said that, “The Eucharist does
not itself confer grace, but the Holy Spirit through the sacraments does confer
grace…”[ii]
And we know from his personal accounts that:
“He
communed every week if possible ( a rarity in his day), and often communed
daily in the octave of Easter and the twelve festival days of Christmas…This
helps explain why he encouraged the American Methodists in 1784 to celebrate
the Lord’s Supper weekly…”[iii]
How the American
movement saw it!
From the beginning of the American
movement, it quickly became apparent that different understandings were at work
between what the Anglican Church believed and what the American minister faced
as a daily challenge. Some of them may well have resulted from the desire for
detachment from anything English and others for the necessity of purpose that
would become evident as the movement gathered momentum. “For the early period it
may be concluded the Baptism must have meant less than official definitions and
systematic treatises suggest.”[iv]
In fact, early accounts indicate a lack of ordained elders available and the
complete disregard by Episcopalian leadership to affect any kind of change or
assistance. This led some drastic action by some.
“Although
Strawbridge was not ordained, he believed that those under his spiritual care
needed the sacraments. And so in 1762 or 1763, he performed the first baptism,
that of a child…”[v]
A
need for doctrine of the church was sensed and so in 1773 the following rules
were agreed to at the first conference in America
- “Every preacher who acts in
connection with Mr. Wesley and the brethren who labour in
- No person or persons to be
admitted to our love-feasts oftener than twice or thrice, unless they
become members…”[vi]
But
by the year 1779 when faced with a lack of ordained elders who could administer
the sacraments and facing an increasing need for them, the Conference of
Fluvanna voted 19 to 10 to ordain themselves in order to fulfill two important
requirements of John Wesley, the necessity of communion and the prerequisite of
ordination in order to administer the sacraments. It is interesting that the
very nature of John Wesley’s belief was at the foundation of a break from his
viewpoint on the organization, structure and polity of the early church.
“In
the course of this year (1779) there were great troubles and distresses in the
Methodist connection, both among preachers and private members; owing to an
unhappy division which took place among the traveling preachers.
Many…concluded, that if God had called them to preach, he had called them also
to administer the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”[vii]
Wesley
had sent Joseph Pilmore over in 1770 with instructions on how to perform a
‘love feast’ in an effort to deal with the problem. He introduced to the
American culture the idea of the ‘love feast’ as a way of compromising the
issue of ordination. By 1789 it had become a duty of the ministers to conduct
‘love feasts’ when they visited with the societies and classes throughout their
circuits. “In its most basic form, an American
Methodist love feast consisted of a sharing of bread and water and a time of
testimonies.”[viii]
Communion was typically administered when the presiding Elder arrived during
his quarterly visit. By 1812 local Pastors were ordained in order to provide
sacramental administration. Either communion or the ‘love feast’ was by
invitation only and invitation was restrictive and often difficult to obtain.
This was done in order to allow the attendees the freedom to witness without
fear. Doorkeepers were used to keep people who were not members out. You might
gain admission for two or three times but admission required a ticket or
permission slip for all. During ‘love feasts’, it was a common practice to take
an offering for the poor, hence the connection with the word love. It was also
a time of intense and shared witnessing with some accounts of frenzied
excitement and even visions were reported. The view was that this communion of
fellowship led to personal and communal holiness.
“Early Methodists offered a variety of reasons why love feast
privacy was so important. The most obvious was the desire to safeguard the
atmosphere so participants felt able to speak freely in testimony. In some
ways, personal testimonies were synonymous with the love feast itself, and so
creating the best atmosphere possible for speaking was a self-lefting goal. As
the bishops noted in 1798, including unawakened persons could "cramp, if
not entirely destroy. . . liberty of speech" in love feasts. A particular
concern was preserving the liberty of women members since some non-Methodists
opposed women speaking in the church.”[ix]
So
we can expect then that the earliest forms of communion and ‘love feast’
worship were very spiritual affairs. The very private nature of these events
led to an ability to share one with another of the emotional and intellectual
aspects of delving into the study and understanding of the very nature of God.
In fact we know that the early American movement viewed these events as being a
little bit of heaven on earth.
The Human Need for Grace
We understand our very nature is to be
disobedient to God’s will in our own lives and the life of our communities. “Human beings are sinful and without God
incapable on their own of being righteous, however they are not irredeemably
sinful and can be transformed by God’s grace.”[x] We
believe that we are born into a sinful nature where we desire to exert our will
over the will of God. We spend our life fighting this nature where we each
fight for control of our lives rather than relinquishing that control to God
and seeking discernment for our lives through the Holy Spirit. In that
inescapable nature our doom is assured except for the intervention of God.
Humanity cannot bridge the sinful gap between our own humanity and God. Because
of that, it was necessary for divine intervention in the death of Jesus. John
Wesley summed up our depraved nature in his sermon on the New Birth saying: “And in Adam all died, all humankind, all the
children of men who were then in Adam's loins. The natural consequence of this
is, that every one descended from him comes into the world spiritually dead,
dead to God, wholly dead in sin; entirely void of the life of God; void of the
image of God, of all that righteousness and holiness wherein Adam was created.
Instead of this, every man born into the world now bears the image of the devil
in pride and self-will; the image of the beast, in sensual appetites and
desires. This, then, is the foundation of the new birth, -- the entire
corruption of our nature. Hence it is, that, being born in sin, we must be
"born again." Hence every one that is born of a woman must be born of
the Spirit of God.”[xi] Without divine intervention we would
be incapable of redemption and so God provides the means through Jesus, his
life, death and resurrection.
I have seen in the past several years
the congregations fight to exert their will over the will of God in their
lives. It is a constant struggle to overcome our very natures when faced with
spending the blessing that God has brought to the offering plates as opposed to
saving it for the proverbial rainy day that will never come. Even if it did,
the members would not realize that the God given umbrella needs to be opened at
that moment rather than remain in the Umbrella Holder where it is protected
until eternity comes. And yet they hold on to security blankets rather than
test the Lord as in Malachi 3:10. But I have seen the Holy Spirit work even in
these discussions, by the willingness to share in benevolence needs, affirming
that it is only in the divine grace of God that we receive salvation and it is
in this grace that lives are changed and transformed.
The Kingdom of God
Through the birth, death and
resurrection of Jesus, the Kingdom now exists in the plane of human existence
and is very present in our lives each and every day. It is not fully complete
as Paul says, (1 Corinthians 13:12) “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.
Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully
known.” I agree with
the words of John Wesley, “And this ‘kingdom of God
The
death and resurrection of Jesus is the single most pivotal moment in the
history of the world. That was the pivotal moment when Christ won the victory
over death and took dominion of the world from Satan through his descent into
hell and rising from the dead. “Indeed,
because of Christ, all persons stand before the possibility of a new
relationship to God, whether they recognize and acknowledge it or not.”[xiv] From scripture we
recognize that Jesus, in this resurrected form was physical with divine
capabilities, he could eat and yet walk through walls. Paul through scripture
reminds us that our sin which leads to death comes from Adam and yet through
the resurrection of Jesus we are made whole.
Eternal life is the gift that Jesus’
death and resurrection has given through our reception of Him by our faith. (Mark 10:29) “Jesus said,
"Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake
of the good news, (30) who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age--
houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with
persecutions-- and in the age to come eternal life.” The scripture reminds me that I have
been promised and now have eternal life as a result of the gift of Jesus Christ
and my willingness to follow Him in the ministry in which he called me. As a
result I believe that one day we will shed this earthly vessel and take on a
spiritual one as Paul describes to us in his writings because of God’s grace
through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
Christian Baptism
The meaning and significance of
Christian Baptism begins with the understanding that we are born in sin from
birth by virtue of Adam’s sin. John Wesley stated this in his sermon titled
“New Birth”. And we understand that God’s grace is extended to us through the
sacrament of baptism to bring us into the community of the Body of Christ. “In baptism we are initiated into the
community of Gods people, the body of Christ.”[xv]
In Baptism, it is God’s activity that is paramount. “It is noted previously that he (Wesley) appropriated the definition of
a sacrament as “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace…”[xvi] In
sacraments, the significance is that God is the principle actor. Baptism comes
to us throughout the tradition of early Jewish custom, through the scriptural
teaching of Jesus and the tradition of the church. Water is used in our liturgy
as a reminder of the Old and New Testament cleansing power through water that
cleanses us of original sin. As we recognize the scriptural foundation of
baptism we also recognize that there is no defined method. Methodists recognize
sprinkling, pouring and immersion as acceptable methods of this sacrament.
As United Methodists we should work
hard to lift up those being baptized as being incorporated into the community
of believers and focus on the covenant of the community to share in the growing
journey that begins with Baptism. “…Wesley’s
view that the sacrament is a means, not an end. Baptism, whether of an infant
or an adult, is the foundation, the beginning, but not the end of a process.”[xvii]
And we live out our baptism in our journey as we progress towards justification
for infants and/ or sanctification for adults. It is here that we often part
from other denominations understanding of what baptism means. It is Act of God
that we participate in but do not in and of ourselves have a part that changes
anything. We come willingly as adults or young adults or as infants to be
joined to God’s church. Baptism is not
Salvation!
Salvation, Grace and
Marks of Grace
Runyon says, “Grace is not simply one generous act by a judge but a process involving
the constant presence, recognized or unrecognized, of the Spirit drawing the
person into a relationship that will sustain and reinforce on the way.”[xviii]
From the moment we are born, God’s prevenient grace surrounds us, seeks to call
us to relationship and provides God’s love to us. And into this grace, a grace
that we can never earn, we live our lives in need of repentance which is a
desire to seek forgiveness for our sinful disobedient nature. From the fall of
humans in the garden, our disobedient human nature is in need of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is only achieved through the atonement for our nature by Jesus’
death on the cross. And when we acknowledge that we are in need of forgiveness
and come to God with repentive hearts, we meet God there waiting for us with
grace and love. We seek to be restored to God’s favor since we are unable to
restore ourselves. “In essence,
repentance is our personal acknowledgement of our spiritual need, as we are
awakened to it by the Spirit.”[xix]
Justification is being reckoned
righteous; it is pardon; where we are restored to the right relationship
through the atonement of Jesus’ death. It happens when we acknowledge our need
to be in relationship with God. Regeneration or “New Birth” is that moment when
we receive the power of the Holy Spirit and we are “Born from above” as Jesus
spoke to Nicodemus about. Whether justification and regeneration happen
instantly together or as Wesley believed, justification logically preceded
regeneration; we take the next step on a journey towards perfection in Christ.
“Justification begins the process of
restoring the image of God in us, for our lives are realigned for a purpose:
not only to receive from God but to share what we have received with others.”[xx]
When we are justified and regenerated through our faith, we receive God’s
forgiveness and “…we are made new
creatures in Christ.”[xxi] It
is in the moment that we ask for
forgiveness and are justified that we receive our Salvation and its promise of
Eternal Life. As we continue the journey in faith, God’s grace continues to transform
us in this new creation. At that moment when we are made perfect in the image
of God, Wesley would say that we are sanctified. “In sanctifying us, God gives us power to live a life of love toward God
and neighbor.”[xxii]
When our love for God is with our whole heart, mind and soul and we truly love
our neighbors as ourselves then we are completed. For many of us, this complete
transformation may not occur until after our physical lives are complete. But
our Wesleyan background causes us to ask; “Why not now?”
When we think of the marks of a
Christian life, we look to Wesley who stated in his sermon on “The Marks of the
New Birth” that our transformed lives are inwardly and outwardly visible. That
the fruits of our faith and transformation in our New Birth give us power over
sin. We live in a world where our lives enjoy a peace with the knowledge of
God’s love. In that place there is hope in Christ and it is this hope that we
witness to the world. And most importantly, there is love. In God’s love we find
a constant desire to love our neighbors and are obedient to God. What we desire
comes first through faith and grace and then through Christian discipline.
Communion (The Lord’s
Supper)
The meaning and significance of the
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is relived for us each time we participate in
the communion of Christ through the meal. At the table we remember the stories
of Abraham’s journey, the paschal lamb of Passover and the Supper in the Upper
Room as we await the promise of Isaiah 25 of the feast on the mountain. “The Lord’s Supper is yet another of God’s
gifts that sustains the holy life. It is the successor to the Jewish Passover
meal (Matthew 26:26, Notes) and reminds us of Jesus’ death as the institution
of a new covenant with God (Mark 14:24, Notes).”[xxiii]
We embrace the presence of Christ in the bread and juice as part of the mystery
of the sacrament in communion with those who participate rather than believing
that it is the actual body of Christ or just a remembrance service. We also
hold that this mystery makes this meal sacred, that God is the principle actor
in it. We recognize the importance of the language of “blood’ and ‘covenant’ in
the gospels of Mark, Luke and Paul and its link to the covenant at Sinai. Our
heritage is that the Eucharist is acted out in community and John Wesley
believed it to be a ‘converting means of grace’. “The term Holy Communion invites us to focus on the self giving of the
Holy God, which makes the sacrament an occasion of grace and the holiness, our
communion with God and one another.”[xxiv]
And so, we make it available to everyone allowing God’s grace to work in those
who need the saving grace of Christ.
Questions
1. Now that you have had a chance to hear
the story of John Wesley, what significance does the early American Movement
have on sacraments?
2. How might the idea of a Love Feast be
used or is currently in use in your church?
3. What is your understanding now of our
human nature and how does it influence your thoughts on the need for God’s
grace?
4. Has your view of Baptism been changed
by our discussion and how?
5. Should we baptize infants? Why or why
not?
6. How does our understanding of the
Lord’s Supper impact your own experience?
[ii] Paul
Sanders, The Sacraments in Early American
Methodism in Perspectives on American Methodism ed. Russell E. Richey , Kenneth E. Rowe, Jean Miller (Abingdon Press,
Nashville, TN, 1993) p 80
[iii]
Maddox, p 202
[iv]
Sanders, p 88
[v] Kenneth
Cain Kinghorn, The Heritage of American Methodism, (Abingdon Press,
Nashville, TN, 1999), p23
[vi] Jesse
Lee, A Short History of the Methodists in the United States of America
[vii] Lee, p
63
[viii]
Lester Ruth, A Little Heaven Below: The
Love Feast and Lord’s Supper in Early American Methodism, ed Michael
Mattel, Wesley Center
[ix] Ruth, p
2
[x] Garrett,
Dr. Daniel, 2005/06, n.p.
[xi] Outler,
Albert and Richard Heitzenrater, eds., 1991, page 338
[xii] Outler,
1991, page 128
[xiii] Gutenson,
Dr. Chuck, 2004, n.p.
[xiv] Runyon,
1998, page 54
[xv] Felton,
Gayle Carlton, 2006, page 2
[xvi] Maddox,
1994, page 200
[xvii] Runyon,
1998, page 140
[xix] Maddox,
1994, page 162
[xx] Runyon,
1998, page 42
[xxi] Smith,
2008, page 46
[xxii] Abraham,
William, 2005, page 62
[xxiii] Yrigoyen,
2001, page 33
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