30 Questions from John Wesley

Question 1: Who is God?

God is a personal being, infinite in love, knowledge, and power. He is perfect in wisdom, goodness, righteousness, justice, holiness, and truth. God is both the creator and sustainer of the universe. He is the final goal and judge of the universe, infinite and perfect in all his attributes.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

1 Chronicles 29:10–13

2 Chronicles 20:6

Job 42:2

Psalm 90

Isaiah 44:6

1 Corinthians 1:30

Question 2 How do we know what God is like?

God has made himself known to us in acts of personal self-disclosure. This self-disclosure occurs in two major ways, known as general revelation and special revelation. General revelation refers to all the ways God has universally made himself known to all people in all places and in all times. General revelation, sometimes called natural or universal revelation, has occurred in two major ways. Those two ways are outwardly through the created order and inwardly in the universal presence of human conscience. First, God reveals his presence, character, and attributes through the created order. Through creation we understand that God is a God of order, beauty, and power.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Psalm 19

John 14:9–11

Romans 1:18–20; 2:12–15

1 Timothy 3:16

Hebrews 1:1–2; 4:12

Question 3 What is the Trinity?

Christianity, like all monotheistic religions, asserts that there is only one God. We do not believe in three Gods. However, Christianity is unique in our understanding that the one God exists in three eternal and personal distinctions known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The church has used the word Trinity to capture this great mystery. The word Trinity is a combination of two words, “Tri” and “unity.” The “tri” refers to the three eternal distinctions; the “unity” is to reinforce that we believe in only one God. This is normally expressed by saying that we believe that God is one in essence, but reveals himself through three eternal personal distinctions known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 3:6; 17:1

Psalm 46:10

Isaiah 44:6

Matthew 28:18–20

John 1:1; 1:34; 10:30; 20:28

Acts 5:3–4

Romans 9:5

1 Corinthians 2:9–16

2 Corinthians 3:17; 13:14

2 Thessalonians 1:12

Titus 2:13

1 Peter 1:1–2

2 Peter 1:1

Question 4 Did God create the world and the human race?

The Scripture reveals that God created the heavens and the earth in all its vast array. He created all things visible and invisible. There is nothing in the entire universe, including space and time, which does not have its origin in God’s being and creative acts. God is the first cause of everything. Christians have long distinguished between immediate and mediate creation. Immediate creation means that God creates directly “out of nothing.” He spoke and matter was created. He spoke and order was brought out of chaos, and so forth. God also creates in mediate ways, meaning that he superintends the ongoing creative overflow of the world. This means that God not only started everything by creating time, space, and matter, it also means that he continues to superintend his creation even as we participate with him in creation through childbearing and other kinds of creative acts, including everything from painting a portrait to designing a rocket to creating an electronic circuit for cell phones and personal computers.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 1:1; 14:19

Deuteronomy 10:14

Nehemiah 9:6

Psalm 23

Isaiah 40:28

John 1:1–3; 10:11–15

Colossians 1:16–17

Hebrews 11:3

Revelation 4:11

Question 5 What does it mean that we are created in the image of God?

The Scripture reveals that the created order emerged out of the spoken word of God. However, when God created man and woman, we are told that we were fashioned out of the dust of the earth and that he breathed into us the breath of life. We were “created in his own image.” We should not understand that the “image of God” means that we physically look like God or that God has a physical body like us. The Scripture declares that “God is spirit” (John 4:24).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 1:26–27

1 Corinthians 15:49

2 Corinthians 3:17–18

Question 6 What is the purpose and meaning of life?

One of the most well-known catechisms in Christian history declared that the purpose of our existence is to “love God and to enjoy him forever.” It is one of the most famous and powerful statements about the purpose of life. If we only live for ourselves and our own enjoyment, we experience a nagging sense that we have somehow missed the final purpose of life. We are meant to know God in his beauty, power, love, and majesty. We are meant to find fulfillment and meaning in orienting our lives toward his greater purposes for us and for creation as a whole. There is no greater purpose in life than being bearers of the image of God in the world. Our personal lives have meaning as they are caught up in God’s grand plan and purpose for the universe. He is reconciling all things to himself—so we are ambassadors of reconciliation. He is the author of all creation—so we share in his creativity. He is the source of all life and hope—so we become bearers of that life and hope in the world. All lasting meaning and purpose is ultimately derived from him and his unfolding purpose and plan for the entire creation which, in time, will give birth to the new heavens and the new earth, where all things fully acknowledge his sovereign rule and reign.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Proverbs 19:21

Romans 15:20–21

Ephesians 1:3–14

Question 7 What is sin and how did it enter into the human race?

Sin is all the ways we rebel against God and resist his work in the world. However, sin is not ultimately rooted in our disobedience to a set of commandments. Sin is, at its root, the sign of a broken relationship. We were created to live in perfect harmony with God and our neighbor. Sin manifests itself in a wide array of broken relationships—with God, with our neighbor, and even with creation itself. In one way or another, sin is rooted in putting ourselves first, resulting in our inability to properly love God and our neighbor.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 3:1–19

Romans 5:12–21

Question 8 Why did God call Abraham and enter into a covenant with Israel?

After humanity fell in the garden of Eden and entered into rebellion, God began to unfold a plan of redemption. It involved two key features.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 12:1–3; 17:1–8; 22:1–18; 26:3–5; 28:10–17

Deuteronomy 5:6–21

Question 9 What was the purpose of the Law?

When God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt with “a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,” that deliverance from slavery to freedom became a central orienting event in the minds and hearts of God’s people. The exodus was celebrated and remembered every year at Passover, and it became the focal point of their identity as a people. They were the people whom God had redeemed from slavery, who had experienced the mighty testimony of his judgments against their captors and his miracles of provision on their behalf, and who waited in hope for a Messiah who would bring an even greater deliverance, of which this one was just a forerunner.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Exodus 20:1–17

Deuteronomy 5:1–21

Romans 2:17–3:24

Galatians 3:6–25

Question 10 What was the purpose of the priesthood and the sacrificial system?

God established a priesthood out of the tribe of Levi (one of the twelve tribes of Israel) in order to mediate the Law and forgiveness of God to the people of God. The priests served as a constant reminder of the gravity of sin, the need for redemption, and the power of declared forgiveness. The priests mediated the daily sacrifices and extended the word of forgiveness to the people.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Exodus 29:1–9

Leviticus 1:1–17; 5:14–6:7

Hebrews 4:14–5:10; 7:11–8:2

Question 11 What was the purpose of the temple?

In the garden of Eden, God was fully present with Adam and Eve. The whole of creation was filled with the manifest presence of the glory of God. In a certain sense, the whole of creation was a temple for God’s presence, with his rule and reign extending over all he had made. However, with the entrance of sin, humanity experienced for the first time the absence of God. Sin is, at its root, a broken relationship. To put it another way, whenever we sin we are choosing—at that point—the absence of God in our lives. Sin might be understood as all those places in our lives and in our actions where we have said no to God’s presence and we have shut God out.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

1 Kings 6:1–22

Hebrews 9:1–10:22

Revelation 21:1–5

Question 12 Why did God become a man in Jesus Christ?

Although the triune God is from all eternity, the Scriptures teach that at a certain point in time the second person of the Trinity became a man known as Jesus Christ, or Jesus the Messiah. This is known as the incarnation, which simply means “in the flesh.” We have already noted how the entire human race fell into sin because of Adam’s disobedience. We have also pointed out how the priests, temple, and sacrificial system were not able to fully solve the problem of sin. The principal reason for this is that the entire human race is made up of sinners and there is no one in the human race without sin. As Augustine said, “We are sinners by birth and by choice.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Isaiah 9:6

Luke 1:26–35

John 1:14

Romans 5:12–20

Galatians 4:4

Question 13 What was the purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry?

The Gospels devote considerable time to telling us the story of the life of Jesus Christ. We find Jesus teaching the multitudes, training disciples, casting out demons, and proclaiming the inbreaking of the kingdom of God. But if we step back and look at the whole life of Jesus, we should see it as Jesus rewriting the history of the human race. Jesus is showing us how God designed life to be before it was distorted by sin and rebellion against God. The Scriptures tell us that Satan tried desperately to tempt Jesus, but at every point of assault, Jesus, unlike Adam, chose to obey God, to reject the forces of the rebellion, and to live without sin.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

John 10:7–11; 18:37

Romans 5:15–19

1 Timothy 1:15–17

Question 14 Why did Jesus Christ suffer and die upon the cross?

The cross has become the central symbol of the Christian faith. It is truly amazing that such a symbol of torture devised by the Roman Empire to inflict cruel punishment on common criminals would become the most recognizable symbol of love and grace in the world. However, for God’s plan of redemption to be complete, it was not only necessary for Jesus to live and walk among us, but also that he die for the sins of the world. He had to become the perfect, sinless sacrifice which could atone for sins, once and for all.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 23:23–35

John 19:18–20

Acts 4:8–12

1 Corinthians 1:18–25;

2:2; 15:3–4

Galatians 6:14–15

Colossians 2:13–15

Hebrews 2:5–18; 10:19–22

Question 15 Why did Jesus Christ rise from the dead and ascend into heaven?

If the cross is the central symbol of Christianity, then the resurrection is the central proclamation of the church. Paul says that if Christ has not been raised, we are still in our sins, our preaching is useless, and our hope is in vain. If you examine the sermons of the early church found in the book of Acts, they all focus on the power of the resurrection as the basis upon which the gospel can be rightly proclaimed to the world. There are three main reasons for this.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 28:1–10

Luke 24:50–53

Acts 2:22–41; 4:32–35

Romans 1:1–5; 6:1–11

1 Corinthians 15:12–20

Philippians 3:1–11

Question 16 Who is the Holy Spirit and why was he sent?

As noted earlier, the Trinity is the way the church has come to best understand God’s self-revelation of who he is. God is one. Yet, the one God has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a full and eternal person of the Trinity, fully co-equal with the Father and the Son. A church which only focuses on Jesus Christ will not, in the long run, be a healthy, mature church. When we think of the Holy Spirit we should see him fulfilling three major roles in the work of salvation.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Genesis 1:1–2

Joel 2:28–32

Mark 1:8

Luke 24:45–49

John 3:5–8; 6:44;

14:15–26; 16:5–16

Acts 1:8; 2:1–13;

4:29–31; 5:3–4; 13:2

Romans 8:26

Ephesians 4:30

Question 17 What is prevenient (preceding) grace?

Earlier we learned that part of God’s nature is the desire to reveal himself to us. God is not merely interested in giving us rules to live by. He wants us to know him and enter into a covenant relationship with him through Jesus Christ. This self-revealing nature of God comes out in many ways, including in creation, in our consciences, in Scripture, and ultimately in Jesus Christ.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Isaiah 55:1

John 1:9; 6:44; 12:32; 16:8–11

Acts 14:17; 16:13–15

Romans 2:4

1 Timothy 2:4–6

Titus 2:11

Question 18 What is justification?

One of the most frequently misunderstood words in the church today is the word salvation. The problem seems to be rooted in the broad ways that the Scripture itself uses the word. It may surprise you, but the New Testament refers to salvation as a past act, a present act, and a future act. For example, there are passages of Scripture which affirm that we “have been” saved, we “are being” saved, and we “shall be” saved. According to the New Testament, all of these are true.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Isaiah 55:6–7

Joel 2:12–13 Acts 11:14; 16:25–34

Romans 3:21–28; 4:1–16;

5:1–11; 10:5–17

1 Corinthians 5:17–21

Galatians 2:15–16

Ephesians 2:1–10

Colossians 1:20; 2:13–15

Titus 3:4–7

Question 19 What is sanctification?

While justification is that doctrine which makes us think of all the ways in which Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection reconciled us to God, sanctification is the doctrine which reminds us that salvation is the work of the triune God. Sanctification means to be “made holy,” and is one of the primary functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Once justified, God declares us righteous, but it is what Martin Luther, the great sixteenth century reformer of the church, said was an “alien righteousness.” In other words, we are not truly righteous, we are merely declared righteous because of the righteousness of another.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Leviticus 11:44–45

Matthew 5:48

John 17:13–19

Acts 20:32; 26:15–18

Romans 13:11–14; 15:14–16

1 Corinthians 6:11

2 Corinthians 1:21–22; 7:1

Galatians 5:24

Ephesians 1:13–14; 4:1–3

Colossians 3:12–14

1 Thessalonians 5:23

2 Thessalonians 2:13

Hebrews 6:1

Question 20 What is glorification?

Glorification refers to the final state of believers after Christ returns. Our bodies will be physically resurrected and we will receive a resurrection body which is, mysteriously, both spiritual and physical (see Question 28 on page 118). Before justification we were in bondage to sin. After justification we are freed from the penalty of sin. Through sanctification we are freed from the power of sin. At glorification we are delivered from the very presence of sin. In this glorified state we are able to experience the fullness of the original purpose of our creation.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

John 17:22–24

Romans 8:29–30

1 Corinthians 15:35–44

2 Corinthians 4:16–17

Colossians 3:4

2 Timothy 2:9–13

1 John 3:1–3

Question 21 What is the church?

The church is the joyful company of all those who have been redeemed and brought into right relationship with God. Jesus declared that he was going to build a new community known as the church. Jesus did not use the more common expression of a “congregation” or a “synagogue” to describe his new community, but the word church. The word in the Greek is the word for being called to a public assembly. It simultaneously reminds us that we have been called out of a life of sin into a new community, and also that this community is a public assembly designed for men, women, and children alike who have been baptized and brought into this new redeemed life. It is not, like the earlier word, limited to Jews, but is now open to the whole human race, Jew and Gentile. It is a community of prayer, of teaching, of training, of discipline, and it is the place where we dwell in the presence of God and commune with him at the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist. We are not merely saved as individuals but we are saved as a people.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 16:13–19

Acts 9:31

Romans 12:4–8

1 Corinthians 12:12–31

Ephesians 2:19–20

Hebrews 12:22–23

Question 22 What is the Bible and why was it given to the church?

The Bible is the record of God’s self-revelation to his people. In the Scriptures we discover the specifics of who God is, what God is like, what his plan is, how to receive forgiveness, what it means to live a holy life, our responsibility for those who are suffering, and our obligations to a lost world. The Bible is the standard by which all true Christian belief and practice must be judged and evaluated. However, the Bible was not designed to be merely a rule book or a how-to manual. Rather, the Bible gives us God’s self-revelation in the midst of specific situations and contexts, whether in the life of Israel or the challenges of first-century churches.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Psalms 19:7–11; 119:89

Proverbs 30:5–6

Jeremiah 23:29; 30:1–2

Habakkuk 2:2

Matthew 4:4

John 10:35

1 Thessalonians 2:13

2 Timothy 3:16–17

Hebrews 4:12

2 Peter 1:20–21

Question 23 What is a sacrament and how many are there?

When a person has been released from prison or rescued from some dire condition, the first thing they need is to receive a nice warm bath and a meal. These are universal symbols of grace and hospitality. To receive someone into your home and offer them a bath and a meal is one of the surest signs of full acceptance and a real relationship. This is, essentially, what God does with us after we are rescued from the bondage of sin, brought out of our imprisonment to Satan and into a new life in Christ.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 26:26–28; 28:19

Mark 14:22–24

Luke 22:19–20

Acts 2:38–39; 16:14–15, 31–33; 18:8

Romans 6:3–5

1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:23–29

Galatians 3:27–28

Question 23 What is a sacrament and how many are there?

When a person has been released from prison or rescued from some dire condition, the first thing they need is to receive a nice warm bath and a meal. These are universal symbols of grace and hospitality. To receive someone into your home and offer them a bath and a meal is one of the surest signs of full acceptance and a real relationship. This is, essentially, what God does with us after we are rescued from the bondage of sin, brought out of our imprisonment to Satan and into a new life in Christ.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 26:26–28; 28:19

Mark 14:22–24

Luke 22:19–20

Acts 2:38–39; 16:14–15, 31–33; 18:8

Romans 6:3–5

1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:23–29

Galatians 3:27–28

Question 25 What is the role of prayer in the life of the Christian?

Prayer is one of the means of grace previously noted. Prayer encompasses all the ways the believer—individually and as part of the assembled church—speaks to God, including petition, praise, lament, intercession, and so forth. Since prayer is such a central part of Christian life and faith, a number of special questions arise related to prayer which deserve special attention. For instance, if God is all- powerful, all-knowing, and all-good (essential attributes of God), then why does he not simply act on behalf of the lost or needy without the role of prayer? More to the point, why do we ask for things or tell God about things which he, quite obviously, already knows because he is God? If we need direction or healing or help or salvation, why does God not simply grant it for ourselves or others? If God has the power to help someone and does not do it, is he, therefore, culpable for the suffering or lostness or confusion which results because God failed to act? All of these questions, and many more, intersect at the point of prayer. Put simply, why do we pray and what role does prayer play in the larger work of God in the world?

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

I Kings 8:22–54

Psalms 32:6; 39:12; 61:1; 141:2

Proverbs 15:29

Jonah 2:1–9

Matthew 21:22

Mark 11:24

Luke 6:12

John 17:1–26

Acts 1:14; 2:42

Ephesians 6:18

Philippians 1:19; 4:6

Colossians 4:2

1 Thessalonians 1:2

1 Timothy 2:1

Philemon 1:4

Hebrews 5:7

James 5:15–16

Revelation 8:4

Question 26 What is the gospel?

There is no more popular single word which summarizes the Christian faith than the word gospel. It comes from a word in the New Testament which means “the good message” or “the good news.” We often refer to the first four books of the New Testament as “the Gospels,” meaning the books which contain the message of this good news. The apostle Paul, however, used the word gospel in the way we are asking this question when he reminded the church in Corinth “of the gospel I preached to you” (1 Cor. 15:1). He then went on to outline the key features of the good news which Christians preach. Paul said, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (v. 3 ESV). This demonstrates that while the good news of salvation is a very big concept, involving the work of the triune God, the heart of the gospel is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is not to diminish the good news of prevenient grace, for example, without which we could never respond to Christ. Nor does it diminish the good news of the Spirit’s work to sanctify us. However, the point is that the good news finds its central focus in the work of Jesus Christ. This is the proclamation which transforms the world and gives the greatest insight into God’s nature and character.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 24:14

Mark 1:15

Luke 9:6

Acts 8:25; 14:7, 21

Romans 1:15–17

1 Corinthians 15:1–5

Galatians 1:8–9

Colossians 1:21–23

Question 27 Why are we commanded to make disciples of all nations?

All four of the Gospels conclude with Jesus giving a final commission to his disciples. These commissions are all given by Jesus Christ after the resurrection. They are given at different times and places throughout the forty days between his resurrection and his ascension. Each emphasizes different ways in which the church is called to bear witness to Christ between that time and his final return. In Matthew’s gospel we are commanded to “make disciples of all nations.” In Mark’s gospel we are commanded to “preach the good news to every person in the whole world.” In Luke’s gospel we are commanded to be “his witnesses.” Finally, in John’s gospel we are “sent” by Christ just as Christ himself was sent into the world.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Matthew 28:18–20

Mark 16:15–16

Luke 24:46–49

John 20:19–23

Acts 1:8; 13:1–3

Question 28 What is the bodily resurrection of the dead?

Christians believe in a bodily resurrection, we do not believe simply in a spiritual state where our souls live forever. Christianity affirms that our entire life is being redeemed, which includes our bodies, our minds, our souls, and our spirits. In fact, the apostle Paul is so determined to establish the Christian view of the resurrection body that he links the resurrection of our bodies in the future with the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the past. Paul teaches that if Christ has not been physically raised, then we also will not be raised. If Christ has not been raised, then we have no hope, we are to be pitied, we are still in our sins. In 1 Corinthians 15:16, Paul says, “for if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Luke 20:27–40

John 11:23–27

Romans 6:5

1 Corinthians 15:12–57

Philippians 3:10–11

Revelation 20:5–6

Question 29 Why is Jesus returning to judge the world?

For many people, including Christians, the final judgment of God might appear to be incongruent with the God of grace, forgiveness, and love which we have seen so powerfully in the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. We often downplay the Scriptures about God’s judgment or relegate the topic to the God of the Old Testament. However, this is not how the Bible portrays the theme of God’s judgment. Rather, the judgment of God is the final vindication of God’s righteousness. It is a good and glorious thing, for final judgment is the time when God will set all things right. Jesus himself spoke of it quite often right in the pages of the New Testament. This final vindication involves two main things.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

John 5:22

1 Corinthians 3:11–15

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

2 Thessalonians 1:5–10

2 Timothy 4:1

Revelation 20:11–15

Question 30 What is the ultimate goal and purpose of the people of God?

The ultimate goal and purpose of the people of God is nothing less than union with Christ himself. Earlier we explored the many facets of salvation which begin with God’s prior action in extending prevenient grace to depraved sinners. This process continues through our justification, sanctification, and final glorification. However, the final goal of salvation is union with Christ. We will become like him and we will be united with his everlasting life.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Psalm 16:9–11

1 John 3:2

Revelation 21:1–22:6