Questions 1 & 2

1. Describe your personal experience of God and the understanding of God you derive from biblical, theological, and historical sources.
God is a loving God who desires a relationship with all humanity. We see this in the biblical narrative where God created humankind and was in relationship with them in the Garden of Eden.[1] After they ate the forbidden fruit and were banned from the Garden of Eden, the Old Testament tells the story of how God continually called God’s people to come back and be in relationship with God.
Through the covenants of Abraham, Noah, and Moses, God continued to extend Godself to humanity by promising that their creator would never abandon humanity. These covenants repeatedly were broken by humanity, but in God’s steadfast love, Christ came to establish a new covenant, “so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance,”[2]
In John Wesley’s sermon, Free Grace, Wesley speaks of God’s desire to be in relationship with and to save all humankind. It is through the actions of God through Christ that Wesley writes, “For it cannot be denied that he everywhere speaks as if he was willing that all men should be saved.”[3] Christ’s action on the cross is for all of humanity and is the ultimate sign of God’s desire to be in relationship with us.
God uses humanity to help bring all persons into relationship with God. We see this through the church reaching out to all of humanity being Christ’s hands and feet. When the church ministers to real needs with God’s love, God reaches out to reestablish relationships with all of humanity. Through acts of mercy like the “Nothing but Nets” campaign to Africa, local food pantries and mission trips, the church has historically worked to establish relationships in the name of Christ.
On my last trip to Mexico on a youth mission trip we had the opportunity to build a home for a family in Tierra Nueva. The home we worked on was for a family whose daughter was suffering from a major medical condition. They lost everything because of doctor bills and struggled to keep the land that we were building the house on.
The youth and parents on that mission trip made it their mission to show God’s love to this family by raising money to pay off the land where we were building the house. The girl’s mom and dad no longer had to worry about losing their home and could instead focus on getting the needed care for their daughter.
Finally, the way that I experienced God on this mission trip was the love and acceptance we received from the people in Tierra Nueva as they welcomed us into their homes, as they worked beside us on their homes, and as they continually gave to us through drawings, playing games and fellowship. This ultimately showed me that we are connected as one to the One who created us, when the body of Christ is working toward bringing restoration to God’s people either in the local church or outside the church walls.

2. What is your understanding of evil, as it exists in the world?
Evil is an active force that exists in the world that separates us from the will of God. This evil entices us to forsake the one who created us and act in ways that forsake God and place ourselves as most important. Evil entered the world in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were enticed by the serpent to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree.
The introduction of evil in the world has caused separation between God and God’s creation. This evil plants inside of us a lie that we are our own and in charge of our own destiny. However, as C.S. Lewis wrote, this evil desire to say we belong to only ourselves is a lie because, “for our souls are not, in fact, our own.”[4]
Because of the actions in the Garden, sin was the result of evil entering the world. Even if we try to fool ourselves in thinking that we are righteous, we are reminded, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”[5]
We sin when we succumb to temptations to place ourselves in a higher position or gain power in a particular situation. We are surrounded by a sin-sick world that exploits people, values or even the environment for profit’s sake. We also sin when we fail to act on injustices taking place throughout the entire world.
As the Son of Man is separating the nations, the reason for the separation is due to failed actions. He tells them, “for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”[6]
Evil is something that we can overcome. In fact, we are charged to overcome evil in our baptismal covenant when we answer the question, “Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?”[7] Through this question, and through the support of the community of faith, the church stands together to battle the forces of evil together.
Wesley established the United Societies and the General Rules as a guide for those who wanted to “flee from the wrath to come.” In these General Rules the community gathered to do no harm, avoid evil of every kind, to do all the good they could and to attend to the ordnances of God.[8]
When we commit to follow a life in Christ, we join as our ancestors of the faith did to support each and everyone to resist evil, injustice, and oppression. During a phone call a year ago, a mother asked me to bring a youth home so the police could arrest him. Over the next several hours, it became clear that the entire story was not being presented to the police. While the youth’s actions were wrong, he was being forced into situations that led to the ensuing phone call.
Standing up for the youth was hard, especially when his mother and her friends were ready to lock him away for several years in order to “help” him. Through the course of those 24 hours, the youth was removed from the home and has started a new life where his grades have improved, he has a plan for his future and he is able to grow from the past that has haunted him.
We may not want to admit that evil exists in our world. However, when we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit through the help of our Christian community, God can redeem those acts that were meant for evil and restore our lives and world in the name of Jesus Christ.
[1] Genesis 1 – 3
[2] Hebrews 9:15a NRSV
[3] Wesley, John. Sermons: An Anthology, ed. Outler, Heitzenrater Nashville: Abington Press, 1991 pg. 56
[4] Lewis, C.S., The Problem of Pain, San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001 p. 75
[5] 1 John 1:8 NRSV
[6] Mathew 25: 42 - 43
[7] United Methodist Hymnal, Nashville, Tennessee: United Methodist Publishing House, 1989 p 34
[8] The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee: United Methodist Publishing House, 2004 p. 73 - 74