1. Through the unsurpassing grace of God, the Global Methodist Church professes the revelation of God through the call of Abraham and the Hebrew people, culminating in the confession of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, the resurrected Lord of heaven and earth. This confession, expressed by Simon Peter in Matthew 16:16 and Acts 2:36, is foundational. It declares Jesus is the unique incarnate Word of God, and He lives today, calling all to receive Him as savior, and as the one to whom all authority has been given.
2. This faith has been tested and proved since its proclamation by the women at the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene among them, the first witnesses to the resurrection. It was taught by the apostles and defended by the women and men of the early church, many of whom gave their lives as testimony. Their labor, enabled and inspired by the Holy Spirit, resulted in the canon of scripture as the sufficient rule for both faith and practice (the Greek word kanon means rule). The church formulated creeds such as the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedonian definition as accurate expressions of this faith.
3. In the sixteenth century, the Protestant reformers preserved this testimony, asserting the primacy of Scripture, the necessity of grace and faith, the importance of justification by faith, and the priesthood of all believers. The doctrinal summation that stands behind the Methodist faith is the historic Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of the Church of England which John Wesley reduced to the Twenty-Four Articles for the American church and which was affirmed at the Christmas Conference in 1784.
4. In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, Pietists in all traditions sought to emphasize the experiential nature of this faith, as direct encounter with the risen Lord. They worked to develop the fruit of this faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in personal and communal life. These pietistic movements influenced many in the reformation traditions, including two Anglican brothers, John and Charles Wesley.
5. Through the labors of many Methodists in the British isles, especially through the efforts of John and Charles Wesley, an organization and body of literature emerged, giving rise to a distinctly Methodist articulation of the Christian faith and life. To illustrate, Methodism placed particular emphasis on the universal work of grace, justification by faith, the new birth, and the fullness of salvation, otherwise known as entire sanctification or Christian perfection. Methodists created structures and communities alongside the established church to facilitate the mission “to reform the nation, particularly the church, and to spread scriptural holiness over the land.”
6. As Methodists moved to America, they brought this expression of faith with them. Although Methodism in England remained loyal to the established church until after John Wesley’s death, the American revolution led to the formation of a new church, independent of the Church of England. Accordingly, in 1784, while gathered in Baltimore for the “Christmas Conference,” the Methodist Episcopal Church was formally constituted.
7. This new church adopted John Wesley’s revision of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Methodist General Rules, a liturgy in the form of a revision of the Prayer Book, and it ordained Methodist clergy. Two other sources of authority were identified: the four volumes of sermons, which given Wesley’s own publication of this body of literature at the time, included fifty-three sermons, as well as his Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament. When a constitution was adopted in 1808, the Restrictive Rules protected the Articles and General Rules from revocation or change.
8. Other Methodist expressions of “primitive Christianity” and “the scripture way of salvation” emerged. German-speaking Americans from pietistic Reformed, Anabaptist, and Lutheran traditions, created organizations with doctrine and discipline nearly identical to the English-speaking Methodist Episcopal Church. The work of Phillip William Otterbein, Martin Boehm, and Jacob Albright established the United Brethren in Christ and the Evangelical Association. A number of African American Methodists, including Richard Allen, and James Varick, helped to establish the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church to address racial discrimination and the injustices of slavery, while preserving doctrine and discipline. In the same century many Methodists participated in the Holiness Movement, an attempt to maintain Wesley’s emphasis on holiness of heart and life.
When the General Rules were officially adopted in 1789, a new rule was added in the American context that forbid participation in what John Wesley, himself, later referred to as “that execrable villainy, which is the scandal of religion,” namely, the institution of American slavery. However, due to the corrupting influences of American culture at the time, this rule was eventually ignored in those areas in which slavery was declared legal. By the time the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church met in 1844, American Methodism was already badly divided into pro and anti-slavery factions and a Plan of Separation was therefore adopted. Other tensions at the time included the respective powers of the episcopacy as well as those of the General Conference, due to the holding of slaves by clergy as well as by a prominent bishop. The following year, the Methodist Episcopal Church was rent asunder as delegates from the southern states met in Louisville, Kentucky, to organize the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. These two ecclesiastical bodies went their separate ways until the Uniting Conference of 1939 when they came together once more, along with the Methodist Protestant Church, which had organized earlier in 1830 along congregational lines. The uniting of these three bodies was simply known as The Methodist Church.
9. Through separations and mergers, Methodist Christians have preserved testimony to the risen and reigning Christ by holding themselves accountable to standards of doctrine and discipline. Consequently, Wesleyan doctrine spread to several countries in the Caribbean, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Latin America, and Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries primarily through the efforts of Methodist missionaries from the British Isles and North America. Powerful spiritual revivals often accompanied this expansion that further reinforced Wesleyan teachings on repentance, salvation by faith, the new birth, and holiness. When The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968, with the merger of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren, both the Methodist Articles of Religion and the Evangelical United Brethren Confession of Faith were accepted as doctrinal standards and deemed “congruent” articulations of this faith. For fifty years, the growing voices of Methodists from Africa, the Philippines, and Europe have joined in the engagement to maintain our doctrinal heritage, promoting fidelity to the doctrinal principles that launched our movement. The Global Methodist Church preserves this heritage.
10. In the late twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the United Methodist Church was badly divided. As a consequence, the Global Methodist Church was launched by necessity on May 1, 2022, not only to preserve doctrinal integrity, especially in terms of the authority of Scripture, but also to provide a faithful and lively witness to the apostolic faith. Such a grounding ensured that the four historic marks of the Church, affirmed at the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381 AD, namely, that the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, would mark the Global Methodist Church in an exemplary way.
Wesley alisema, "hakuna utakatifu bali kijamii." Kwa kutaja "utakatifu wa kijamii," Wesley alimaanisha kwamba njia ya utakatifu ilikuwa moja ambayo hatukuweza kusafiri na sisi wenyewe, lakini badala yake ilihusisha jumuiya ya imani katika kila hatua njiani.
Hamu yetu na matumaini yetu ni kwamba kanisa letu liweze:
1. Endelea mizizi na msingi katika maandiko na katika mafundisho ya kihistoria ya kanisa la Kikristo kama ilivyoelezwa katika Makala yetu ya Dini na Kukiri Imani, na kueleweka kupitia lensi za imani za Wesleyan.
2. Aspire to introduce all people, without exception, to Jesus Christ, recognizing that the mission in which we are engaged has eternal consequences. We are committed to carry out the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28 to go into all the world to make disciples of Christ, teaching and baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
3. Lead all those who experience the new birth in Jesus to deepen in the faith and to grow in their relationship with Him, receiving the Holy Spirit as evidenced by both spiritual fruit and gifts that are manifested in their lives to the glory of God. We encourage all to participate in discipleship and accountability groups, such as Wesleyan class and band meetings, and to utilize all the other means of grace to achieve this end.
4. Iga upendo wa Mungu ili kujibu wito wa kumpenda Bwana Mungu wetu kwa moyo wetu wote, akili, roho, na nguvu zetu, na kuwapenda majirani zetu kama sisi wenyewe. Hadi mwisho huu tumejitolea kutimiza amri katika Yohana 21 ya kulisha kwa upendo na kuchunga kundi la Mungu na wengine, kumwabudu Mungu kwa roho, na kwa kweli na kutazamana kwa upendo. Hili kanisa hufanya mpaka, kukamilishwa kwa upendo, linapata ukamilifu wa Ufalme wa Mungu uliorejeshwa pamoja na Kristo.
5. Tambua walei kama watu wa Mungu na ukuhani wa kifalme, waliochaguliwa na kuwezeshwa kwa ajili ya kazi ya Mungu katika ulimwengu huu kwa kushirikiana kikamilifu na viongozi wetu wa dini. Tunathibitisha ushiriki na uongozi wa jamii zote, kabila, utaifa, jinsia, na umri katika Mwili wa Kristo.
6. Himiza na uthibitishe wito wa Mungu katika maisha ya makasisi ambao wamejikita katika ushuhuda wenye mamlaka wa Maandiko, uliotengwa na kanisa, na kutambuliwa kuwa na karama na neema muhimu kwa ajili ya huduma kwa uwiano na uwajibikaji na mafundisho na nidhamu yetu iliyotulia.
7. Onyesha "roho ya kikatoliki" kwa kanisa kwa wote, kuthamini nafasi yetu ndani ya Mwili mkuu wa Kristo kwa kuheshimiana, mahusiano ya ushirika, na utume wa pamoja na wengine popote inapowezekana. Tunatazamia kanisa la ulimwengu ambalo wote hufanya kazi pamoja, wakirudi na kujifunza kutoka kwa kila mmoja, kutimiza kazi za kanisa lililopewa na Mungu.
8. Toa shirika na muundo ambao unaweza kutimiza kazi zake za msingi za msaada, kwa heshima ya uhusiano ambayo inaweza kuwezesha na kuzidisha vipawa vya wote kwa ajili ya kazi ya Kristo ulimwenguni.
Vitabu vya canonical ya Agano la Kale na Jipya (kama ilivyoelezwa katika Makala ya Dini) ni kanuni ya msingi na mamlaka ya imani, maadili, na huduma, ambayo mamlaka nyingine zote lazima zichukuliwe.
The following summaries of the apostolic witness disclosed in Scripture have been affirmed by many Christian communities, and express orthodox Christian teaching. The word “normative” refers to the standards by which we judge true and false teaching. Normative teaching is binding and obligatory. It establishes the proper boundaries for preaching and teaching in our denomination. The Apostles’ Creed has been employed by the church throughout her rich history for doctrinal clarity and for the lively confession of faith in preparation for the sacrament of baptism. The Nicene Creed, which expresses the belief of the catholic, universal church, is crucial for both catechesis and for the proper interpretation of Scripture. It is regularly professed within the context of worship globally. The Nicene Creed (381) is a normative doctrinal standard for the Global Methodist Church. Churches in the East and West, however, have long disagreed over the addition of the word filioque, a Latin word that means “and the Son.” The original Creed (381) expressed the idea that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. Churches in the Latin West came to believe that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Methodism is part of the Western tradition of Christian faith. Some churches, however, particularly in Eastern Europe, have adopted the Eastern version of the Creed. Therefore, the omission of “and the Son” is permissible within GMC congregations.
1. IMANI YA MITUME
Ninamwamini Mungu, Baba Mwenyezi, Muumba wa mbingu na dunia. Ninaamini katika Yesu Kristo, Mwanawe wa pekee, Bwana wetu, ambaye alizaliwa na Roho Mtakatifu, aliyezaliwa na Bikira Maria, aliteseka chini ya Pontio Pilato, alisulubiwa, akafa, na akazikwa; Alishuka kwa wafu. Siku ya tatu, alifufuka tena; Alipanda mbinguni,
Ameketi mkono wa kuume wa Baba, naye atarudi tena kuwahukumu walio hai na waliokufa.
Naamini katika Roho Mtakatifu, kanisa takatifu la Katoliki,
ushirika wa watakatifu, msamaha wa dhambi, ufufuo wa mwili na uzima wa milele. Amina.
* ulimwengu wote
2. CREED NICENE (AD 381)
Tunaamini katika Mungu mmoja, Baba, Mwenyezi, Muumba wa mbingu na dunia, wa yote yaliyo, kuonekana na kusioonekana.
Tunaamini katika Bwana mmoja, Yesu Kristo, Mwana wa pekee wa Mungu, aliyezaliwa milele na Baba, Mungu kutoka kwa Mungu, Nuru kutoka kwa Nuru, Mungu wa kweli kutoka kwa Mungu wa kweli, aliyezaliwa, hakuumbwa, wa kiumbe kimoja na Baba; kwa njia yake vitu vyote viliumbwa. Kwa ajili yetu na kwa ajili ya wokovu wetu Alishuka kutoka mbinguni, alikuwa mwili wa Roho Mtakatifu na Bikira Maria na akawa binadamu kweli.
Kwa ajili yetu alisulubiwa chini ya Pontio Pilato;
Aliteseka kifo na akazikwa. Siku ya tatu alifufuka tena kulingana na Maandiko; Alipaa mbinguni, anakaa kwa mukono wa kuume wa Baba. Atakuja tena kwa utukufu kuwahukumu walio hai na wafu, na ufalme wake hautakuwa na mwisho.
Tunaamini katika Roho Mtakatifu, Bwana, mtoaji wa uzima, atokaye kwa Baba na Mwana, ambaye kwa Baba na Mwana huabudiwa na kutukuzwa, ambaye amesema kupitia manabii.
Tunaamini katika kanisa moja takatifu * na kanisa la kitume. Tunakubali ubatizo mmoja kwa msamaha wa dhambi. Tunatazamia ufufuo wa wafu, na uzima wa ulimwengu ujao. Amina.
* ulimwengu wote
ADDITIONAL DOUCMENTS FOR OUR DOCTRINAL STANDARDS
The following document, though important for proper teaching about Jesus Christ, does not enjoy the same broad acceptance as do both the Apostles’ and the Nicene Creed. It is not employed, for example, by the Oriental Orthodox Churches comprising the Coptic, Armenian, Syrian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and the Malankara Indian Churches. The Definition of Chalcedon, however, has been affirmed by Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and by several Protestant theological traditions.
3. UFAFANUZI WA CHALCEDON (AD 451)
Kufuata mababu watakatifu, tunafundisha kwa sauti moja kwamba Mwana wa Mungu na Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo wanapaswa kukiriwa kama mmoja na Mtu mmoja, kwamba Yeye ni mkamilifu katika Uungu na mkamilifu katika utu, kwa kweli Mungu na mwanadamu kwa kweli, wa nafsi na mwili unaofaa unaojumuisha kiini kimoja na Baba kuhusu Uungu Wake, na wakati huo huo wa dutu moja na sisi kuhusu utu Wake, kama sisi katika hali zote, mbali na dhambi.
Mzaliwa wa Baba yake kabla ya enzi kwa upande wa Uungu wake, Lakini katika siku hizi za mwisho alizaliwa kwa ajili yetu na kwa ajili ya wokovu wetu wa Bikira Maria, mbebaji wa Mungu.
Huyu mmoja na Yesu Kristo yule yule, Mwana wa pekee wa Mungu, lazima akiriwe kuwa katika asili mbili, bila kuchanganyikiwa, bila mabadiliko, bila mgawanyiko, sio kama sehemu au kutengwa katika watu wawili, lakini Mwana mmoja na yule yule na Mungu pekee aliyezaliwa Neno, Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo.
Hata kama manabii kutoka nyakati za mwanzo walivyosema juu yake, Na Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo Mwenyewe alitufundisha,
Na imani ya baba zetu ilitukabidhi.
As is the case in many Christian communities, we recognize additional statements of faith that are consistent with the creedal tradition of the church universal, but which also express our church’s particular emphases and concerns, as well as our theological heritage of faith. These constitutive, normative standards embody the “faith once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3) and serve as a bulwark against false teaching, providing the framework for the praise of God in our teaching (orthodoxy), the development of our collective theology, and the launching point for our living and service (orthopraxis). Recognizing the complementary streams of the Methodist and the Evangelical United Brethren faith communities, both the Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith define the doctrinal boundaries of our church, until such time as a combined Articles of Faith may be approved by the church.
1. THE ARTICLES OF RELIGION OF THE METHODIST CHURCH. Thirty-Nine Articles of of the Church of England were ratified in their final form in 1571 during the reign of Elizabeth I. They reflect both the concerns of the English Reformation and the comprehensive nature of the established church. As the United States emerged as an independent nation, Wesley revised the Articles in 1784 for the Methodist work in America. His twenty-four Articles reflect both his theological commitments and his desire for doctrinal clarity, shortening some articles and deleting others if they could be easily misread. The Methodist Episcopal Church added an additional article dealing with the duty of Christians to civil authority. The twenty-five Articles were officially adopted by the General Conference of 1808, when the first Restrictive Rule was also implemented, and revised by the Uniting Conference of 1939 when three Methodist communions within America became one. The Twenty-Five Articles are as follows:
Makala ya I - Ya Imani katika Utatu Mtakatifu
Kuna Mungu mmoja tu aliye hai na wa kweli, asiye na mwili, bila mwili au sehemu, ya nguvu isiyo na mwisho, hekima, na mema; mtengenezaji na mhifadhi wa vitu vyote, vyote vinavyoonekana na visivyoonekana. Na katika umoja wa Uungu huu kuna watu watatu, wa kiini kimoja, nguvu, na milele---Baba, Mwana, na Roho Mtakatifu.
Kifungu cha II - cha Neno, au Mwana wa Mungu, Aliyefanywa Mwanadamu
Mwana, ambaye ni Neno la Baba, Mungu wa milele na wa milele, wa kiini kimoja na Baba, alichukua asili ya mwanadamu katika tumbo la Bikira aliyebarikiwa; ili asili mbili zote na kamilifu, yaani, Uungu na Utu, ziliunganishwa pamoja katika nafsi moja, kamwe hazitagawanywa; ambapo yeye ni Kristo mmoja, Mungu sana na mtu sana, ambaye kwa kweli aliteseka, alisulubiwa, amekufa, na kuzikwa, kutupatanisha na Baba Yake, na kuwa dhabihu, sio tu kwa hatia ya awali, lakini pia kwa dhambi halisi za wanadamu.
Kifungu cha III - Ufufuo wa Kristo
Kristo kwa kweli alifufuka tena kutoka kwa wafu, na kuchukua tena mwili wake, na vitu vyote vinavyolingana na ukamilifu wa asili ya mwanadamu, ambapo alipanda mbinguni, na hapo ndipo anakaa mpaka atakaporudi kuwahukumu watu wote katika siku ya mwisho.
Kifungu cha IV - cha Roho Mtakatifu
Roho Mtakatifu, anayetoka kwa Baba na Mwana, ni wa kiini kimoja, uadhama, na utukufu na Baba na Mwana, Mungu wa milele na wa milele.
Kifungu V - Cha Utosheleti wa Maandiko Matakatifu kwa Ajili ya Wokovu
Maandiko Matakatifu yana vitu vyote muhimu kwa wokovu; ili chochote ambacho hakisomeki ndani yake, wala kithibitishwe kwa hivyo, hakihitajiki kwa mtu yeyote kwamba kinapaswa kuaminiwa kama makala ya imani, au kufikiriwa kuwa stahiki au muhimu kwa wokovu. Katika jina la Maandiko Matakatifu tunaelewa vitabu hivyo vya kanuni za Agano la Kale na Jipya ambalo mamlaka yake hayakuwa na shaka yoyote kanisani. Majina ya vitabu vya makopo ni:
Mwanzo, Kutoka, Mambo ya Walawi, Hesabu, Kumbukumbu la Torati, Yoshua, Waamuzi, Ruthu, Kitabu cha Kwanza cha Samweli, Kitabu cha Pili cha Samweli, Kitabu cha Kwanza cha Wafalme, Kitabu cha Pili cha Wafalme, Kitabu cha Pili cha Mambo ya Nyakati, Kitabu cha Pili cha Mambo ya Nyakati, Kitabu cha Ezra, Kitabu cha Nehemia, Kitabu cha Esta, Kitabu cha Ayubu, Zaburi, Mithali, Mhubiri au Mhubiri, Cantica au Nyimbo za Sulemani, Manabii Wanne Wakubwa, Manabii Kumi na Wawili Chini.
Vitabu vyote vya Agano Jipya, kama ambavyo vinapokelewa kwa kawaida, tunapokea na akaunti.
Makala vi - ya Agano la Kale
Agano la Kale sio kinyume na Mpya; kwani wote katika Agano la Kale na Jipya uzima wa milele hutolewa kwa wanadamu na Kristo, ambaye ndiye Mpatanishi pekee kati ya Mungu na mwanadamu, akiwa Mungu na mwanadamu. Kwa hiyo hawapaswi kusikilizwa ambao wanatenda kwamba mababu wa zamani walitafuta tu ahadi za usafirishaji. Ingawa sheria iliyotolewa na Mungu na Musa kama sherehe za kugusa na ibada haziwafunga Wakristo, wala maagizo ya kiraia ya lazima yapokewe katika jumuiya yoyote ya madola; lakini hata hivyo, hakuna Mkristo yeyote aliye huru kutokana na utii wa amri ambazo zinaitwa maadili.
Makala VII - ya dhambi ya awali au kuzaliwa
Dhambi ya asili haisimama katika kumfuata Adamu (kama Wa-Pelagians wanavyozungumza bila mafanikio), lakini ni upotovu wa asili ya kila mtu, kwamba kwa kawaida hujengwa kwa uzao wa Adamu, ambapo mwanadamu yuko mbali sana na haki ya asili, na asili yake mwenyewe huelekea kwenye uovu, na kwamba daima.
Makala VIII - ya Uhuru wa Mapenzi
Hali ya mwanadamu baada ya kuanguka kwa Adamu ni kama kwamba hawezi kugeuka na kujiandaa mwenyewe, kwa nguvu na matendo yake mwenyewe ya asili, kwa imani, na kumwita Mungu; kwa hivyo hatuna uwezo wa kutenda matendo mema, mazuri na yanayokubalika kwa Mungu, bila neema ya Mungu kwa Kristo kutuzuia, ili tuwe na nia njema, na kufanya kazi nasi, wakati tuna nia njema.
Makala ya IX - Ya Kuhesabiwa Haki kwa Mwanadamu
Tunahesabiwa kuwa wenye haki mbele za Mungu tu kwa ajili ya ustahili wa Bwana wetu na Mwokozi Yesu Kristo, kwa imani, na si kwa matendo yetu wenyewe au kustahili. Kwa hivyo, kwamba tunahesabiwa haki kwa imani, tu, ni mafundisho mazuri zaidi, na tumejaa faraja.
Makala X - ya Kazi Nzuri
Ingawa matendo mema, ambayo ni matunda ya imani, na kufuata kuhesabiwa haki, hayawezi kuondoa dhambi zetu, na kuvumilia ukali wa hukumu ya Mungu; bado wanampendeza na kukubalika kwa Mungu katika Kristo, na wanachipuka kutoka kwa imani ya kweli na ya kuishi, mpaka kwamba kwao imani hai inaweza kuwa kama inavyoonekana kama mti unatambuliwa na matunda yake.
Xi - Ya Kazi ya Supererogation
Matendo ya hiari—zaidi, tena na juu ya amri za Mungu—ambayo wanayaita kazi za ushirikina, hayawezi kufundishwa bila kiburi na msukumo. Kwani kwao wanadamu wanatangaza kwamba hawamtoi Mungu tu kama vile wanavyopaswa kufanya, lakini kwamba wanafanya zaidi kwa ajili yake kuliko wajibu wa kufungwa unahitajika; Na Kristo anasema waziwazi: Mtakapokuwa mmefanya yote yaliyoamriwa, sema, Sisi ni watumishi wasio na faida.
Kifungu XII - cha dhambi baada ya kuhesabiwa haki
Si kila dhambi iliyofanywa kwa hiari baada ya kuhesabiwa haki ni dhambi dhidi ya Roho Mtakatifu, na isiyosamehewa. Kwa hivyo, ruzuku ya toba haipaswi kukataliwa kama vile kuanguka katika dhambi baada ya kuhesabiwa haki. Baada ya kupokea Roho Mtakatifu, tunaweza kuondoka kutoka kwa neema iliyotolewa, na kuanguka katika dhambi, na, kwa neema ya Mungu, kufufuka tena na kurekebisha maisha yetu. Na kwa hivyo wanapaswa kuhukumiwa ambao wanasema hawawezi tena kutenda dhambi mradi wanaishi hapa; au kukataa mahali pa msamaha kwa vile kutubu kweli.
Xiii - Wa Kanisa
Kanisa linaloonekana la Kristo ni kutaniko la watu waaminifu ambamo Neno safi la Mungu linahubiriwa, na Sakramenti zinazosimamiwa ipasavyo kulingana na agizo la Kristo, katika mambo yote ambayo ya lazima yanastahili sawa.
Kifungu cha XIV - cha Purgatory
Mafundisho ya Romish kuhusu purgatory, msamaha, kuabudu, na kuabudu, pamoja na picha kama ya relics, na pia invocation ya watakatifu, ni kitu cha kupendeza, kilichovumbuliwa bila mafanikio, na hakina dhamana ya Maandiko, lakini hurudiwa kwa Neno la Mungu.
Kifungu cha XV - Cha Kuzungumza katika Kutaniko kwa Lugha kama watu Wanavyoelewa
Ni jambo ambalo linarudiwa waziwazi kwa Neno la Mungu, na desturi ya kanisa la kale, kuwa na sala ya umma katika kanisa, au kuhudumia Sakramenti, kwa lugha isiyoeleweka na watu.
Kifungu XVI - Ya Sakramenti
Sakramenti zilizoamriwa na Kristo sio tu beji au ishara za taaluma ya wanaume wa Kikristo, lakini badala yake ni ishara fulani za neema, na mapenzi mema ya Mungu kwetu, ambayo kwao anafanya kazi ndani yetu, na hayaharakishi tu, bali pia kuimarisha na kuthibitisha, imani yetu kwake.
Kuna Sakramenti mbili zilizotawazwa na Kristo Bwana wetu katika Injili; hiyo ni kusema, Ubatizo na Meza ya Bwana.
Sakramenti hizo tano zinazojulikana kama sakramenti, yaani, uthibitisho, adhabu, amri, ndoa, na kutotenda sana, hazitahesabiwa kwa Sakramenti za Injili; kuwa kama vile mzima kwa sehemu kutokana na kufuata potovu ya mitume, na sehemu ni hali za maisha zinazoruhusiwa katika Maandiko, lakini bado hawana asili kama ya Ubatizo na Meza ya Bwana, kwa sababu hawana ishara yoyote inayoonekana au sherehe iliyoamriwa na Mungu.
Sakramenti hazikutawazwa na Kristo kuangaliwa, au kubebwa; Lakini tunapaswa kuitumia vizuri. Na kwa vile tu kama vile kupokea kwa ustahiki sawa, wana athari nzuri au operesheni; lakini wale wanaowapokea bila kustahili, hujinunui wenyewe hukumu, kama vile Mtakatifu Paulo alivyosema.
Kifungu XVII - ya Ubatizo
Ubatizo sio tu ishara ya taaluma na alama ya tofauti ambayo Wakristo wanatofautishwa na wengine ambao hawajabatizwa; lakini pia ni ishara ya kuzaliwa upya au kuzaliwa upya. Ubatizo wa watoto wadogo unapaswa kuhifadhiwa katika Kanisa.
Kifungu XVIII - Ya Meza ya Bwana
Meza ya Bwana sio tu ishara ya upendo ambao Wakristo wanapaswa kuwa nao kwa wao, lakini badala yake ni sakramenti ya ukombozi wetu kwa kifo cha Kristo; mpaka kwamba, kwa haki, kwa ustahiki, na kwa imani hupokea sawa, mkate ambao tunauvunja ni sehemu ya mwili wa Kristo; na vivyo hivyo kikombe cha baraka ni kushiriki damu ya Kristo.
Kupitishwa, au mabadiliko ya kiini cha mkate na divai katika Meza ya Bwana wetu, hayawezi kuthibitishwa na Writ Takatifu, lakini inarudiwa na maneno ya wazi ya Maandiko, hupindua asili ya sakramenti, na imetoa nafasi kwa ushirikina wengi.
Mwili wa Kristo hutolewa, kuchukuliwa, na kuliwa katika Meza, tu kwa njia ya mbinguni na kiroho. Na maana ambayo mwili wa Kristo unapokelewa na kuliwa katika Meza ni imani.
Sakramenti ya Meza ya Bwana haikuwa kwa agizo la Kristo lililohifadhiwa, lililobebwa, kuinuliwa, au kuabudu.
Makala XIX - ya aina zote mbili
Kikombe cha Bwana hakipaswi kukataliwa kwa watu waliowekwa; kwa sehemu zote za Meza ya Bwana, kwa agizo na amri ya Kristo, inapaswa kusimamiwa kwa Wakristo wote sawa.
Ibara XX - Ya Oblation Moja ya Kristo, Kumaliza Juu ya Msalaba
Sadaka ya Kristo, iliyofanywa mara moja, ni kwamba ukombozi kamili, upatanisho, na kuridhika kwa dhambi zote za ulimwengu wote, asili na halisi; na hakuna kuridhika nyingine kwa dhambi lakini hiyo peke yake. Kwa hiyo dhabihu ya misa, ambayo kwa kawaida inasemekana kwamba kuhani humpa Kristo kwa ajili ya haraka na wafu, kuwa na msamaha wa maumivu au hatia, ni udanganyifu wa kufuru na hatari.
Ibara XXI - Ya Ndoa ya Mawaziri
Watumishi wa Kristo hawajaamriwa na sheria ya Mungu ama kuapa mali ya maisha moja, au kujiepusha na ndoa; kwa hivyo ni halali kwao, kama kwa Wakristo wengine wote, kuoa kwa hiari yao wenyewe, kama watahukumu sawa ili kutumikia bora kwa uungu.
Ibara XXII - ya Ibada na Sherehe za Makanisa
Sio lazima kwamba ibada na sherehe zinapaswa katika maeneo yote kuwa sawa, au sawa kabisa; kwani daima wamekuwa tofauti, na wanaweza kubadilishwa kulingana na utofauti wa nchi, nyakati, na tabia za wanadamu, ili kwamba hakuna kitu kinachotawazwa dhidi ya Neno la Mungu. Yeyote, kupitia hukumu yake binafsi, kwa hiari na kwa makusudi huvunja ibada na sherehe za kanisa ambalo yeye ni mali yake, ambalo halirudiwi na Neno la Mungu, na kutawazwa na kupitishwa na mamlaka ya kawaida, anapaswa kukemewa waziwazi, ili wengine waogope kufanya hivyo, kama mtu anayekosea dhidi ya utaratibu wa kawaida wa kanisa, na kujeruhi dhamiri za ndugu dhaifu.
Kila kanisa fulani linaweza kutawazwa, kubadilisha, au kukomesha ibada na sherehe, ili vitu vyote viweze kufanywa ili kujenga.
Ibara XXIII - Wa watawala wa Marekani
Rais, Bunge, mikusanyiko mikuu, magavana, na mabaraza ya dola, kama wajumbe wa watu, ni watawala wa Marekani, kwa mujibu wa mgawanyo wa madaraka uliofanywa kwao na Katiba ya Marekani na kwa katiba za nchi zao. Na nchi zilizosema ni taifa huru na huru, na haipaswi kuwa chini ya mamlaka yoyote ya kigeni.
Kifungu XXIV - Ya Bidhaa za Wanaume Wakristo
Utajiri na bidhaa za Wakristo si za kawaida kama kugusa haki, cheo, na umiliki sawa, kama wengine wanavyojivunia uongo. Hata hivyo, kila mtu anapaswa, wa vitu kama vile alivyo navyo, kwa ukarimu kuwapa maskini sadaka, kulingana na uwezo wake.
Ibara XXV - ya Kiapo cha Mkristo
Tunapokiri kwamba kuapa bure na upele ni haramu watu wa Kikristo na Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo na Yakobo mtume wake, kwa hivyo tunahukumu kwamba dini ya Kikristo haizuii, lakini kwamba mtu anaweza kuapa wakati hakimu anahitaji, kwa sababu ya imani na hisani, hivyo ifanyike kulingana na mafundisho ya nabii, katika haki, hukumu, na ukweli.
Makala ifuatayo kutoka Kwa Nidhamu ya Kiprotestanti ya Methodisti iliwekwa hapa na Mkutano wa Kuunganisha (1939). Haikuwa moja ya makala za dini zilizopigiwa kura na makanisa matatu.] masomo au ambayo wanaishi, na kutumia njia zote za laudable kuhamasisha na enjoin utii kwa nguvu ambazo ni.
Ya Utakaso (kutoka Kwa Nidhamu ya Kiprotestanti ya Methodisti)
Utakaso ni kwamba kufanywa upya kwa asili yetu iliyoanguka na Roho Mtakatifu, iliyopokelewa kupitia imani katika Yesu Kristo, ambaye damu yake ya upatanisho hutakasa yote kutokana na dhambi; ambayo sisi si tu mikononi kutoka hatia ya dhambi, lakini ni washed kutokana na uchafuzi wake, kuokolewa kutoka nguvu zake, na kuwezeshwa, kwa neema, kumpenda Mungu kwa mioyo yetu yote na kutembea katika amri Zake takatifu bila lawama.
[Kifungu kifuatacho kilipitishwa na Mkutano wa Muungano (1939).Wajibu wa Wakristo kwa Mamlaka ya Kiraia
Ni wajibu wa Wakristo wote, na hasa wa wahudumu wote wa Kikristo, kufuata na kutii sheria na amri za utawala au mamlaka kuu ya nchi ambayo ni raia au watiifu au wanakaa, na kutumia njia zote za kupumzikia kuhamasisha na kuamrisha utii kwa mamlaka yaliyo.
Makala ifuatayo kutoka Kwa Nidhamu ya Kiprotestanti ya Methodisti iliwekwa hapa na Mkutano wa Kuunganisha (1939). Haikuwa moja ya makala za dini zilizopigiwa kura na makanisa matatu.] masomo au ambayo wanaishi, na kutumia njia zote za laudable kuhamasisha na enjoin utii kwa nguvu ambazo ni.
2. KUKIRI IMANI YA KANISA LA NDUGU WA KIINJILI.
The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church traces its roots from the doctrinal developments of the Evangelical Association and the United Brethren in Christ traditions. In 1809, two years after the death of Jacob Albright, the Evangelical Association adopted a German translation of the Methodist Episcopal Church’s Articles of Religion with the addition of an article on the last judgement from the Lutheran Augsburg Confession of 1530 and an essay on Christian perfection by George Miller. These were reduced to twenty-one in 1816, omitting polemical articles against Roman Catholics and Anabaptists. These were later condensed to nineteen, the number of articles maintained by the Evangelical Church when it was formed in 1923. In 1815, the first general conference of the United Brethren in Christ adopted a Confession of Faith with seven articles. A more comprehensive Confession of Faith was composed in 1889, with thirteen articles, including an article on sanctification. In 1946, when the Evangelical United Brethren Church was formed, it retained both the Confession of Faith of the United Brethren in Christ and the Articles of Faith of the Evangelical Church. In 1962, a new Confession of Faith was completed containing sixteen articles. This was adopted in the 1968 merger with the Methodist Church that resulted in the United Methodist Church. The sixteen articles are as follows:
Makala ya I - Mungu
Tunaamini katika Mungu mmoja wa kweli, mtakatifu na aliye hai, Roho wa Milele, ambaye ni Muumba, Mkuu na Mhifadhi wa vitu vyote vinavyoonekana na visivyoonekana. Yeye hana nguvu, hekima, haki, wema na upendo, na anatawala kwa heshima kwa ustawi na wokovu wa wanadamu, kwa utukufu wa jina lake. Tunaamini mungu mmoja anajifunua mwenyewe kama Utatu: Baba, Mwana na Roho Mtakatifu, tofauti lakini isiyoweza kutenganishwa, milele moja katika asili na nguvu.
Kifungu cha II - Yesu Kristo
Tunaamini katika Yesu Kristo, kwa kweli Mungu na mwanadamu wa kweli, ambaye asili ya Mungu na ya kibinadamu imeungana kikamilifu na isiyo na kifani. Yeye ni Neno la milele lililofanywa mwili, Mwana pekee wa Baba, aliyezaliwa na Bikira Maria kwa uwezo wa Roho Mtakatifu. Kama Mtumishi wa huduma aliishi, aliteseka na kufa msalabani. Alizikwa, akafufuka kutoka kwa wafu na kupaa mbinguni kuwa pamoja na Baba, kutoka atakaporudi. Yeye ni Mwokozi wa milele na Mpatanishi, ambaye anatuombea, na kwa yeye watu wote watahukumiwa.
Makala ya III - Roho Mtakatifu
Tunaamini katika Roho Mtakatifu ambaye hutoka na ni mmoja kwa kuwa pamoja na Baba na Mwana. Anaushawishi ulimwengu wa dhambi, wa haki na wa hukumu. Anawaongoza wanadamu kupitia jibu la uaminifu kwa injili katika ushirika wa Kanisa. Anawafariji, kuwategemeza na kuwawezesha waaminifu na kuwaongoza katika ukweli wote.
Kifungu cha IV - Biblia Takatifu
Tunaamini Biblia Takatifu, Agano la Kale na Jipya, inaonyesha Neno la Mungu hadi kama ni muhimu kwa wokovu wetu. Ni kupokelewa kupitia Roho Mtakatifu kama kanuni ya kweli na mwongozo wa imani na mazoezi. Chochote ambacho hakijulikani ndani au kilichowekwa na Maandiko Matakatifu hakipaswi kufanywa kuwa makala ya imani wala haipaswi kufundishwa kuwa muhimu kwa wokovu.
Makala V – Kanisa
Tunaamini Kanisa la Kikristo ni jumuiya ya waumini wote wa kweli chini ya Utawala wa Kristo. Tunaamini ni moja, takatifu, kitume na Katoliki. Ni ushirika wa ukombozi ambao Neno la Mungu linahubiriwa na wanadamu wanaoitwa kimungu, na sakramenti zinasimamiwa vizuri kulingana na uteuzi wa Kristo mwenyewe. Chini ya nidhamu ya Roho Mtakatifu Kanisa lipo kwa ajili ya matengenezo ya ibada, ujenzi wa waumini na ukombozi wa ulimwengu.
Makala ya VI – Sakramenti
Tunaamini Sakramenti, zilizoamriwa na Kristo, ni ishara na ahadi za taaluma ya Mkristo na upendo wa Mungu kwetu. Ni njia ya neema ambayo kwa ambayo Mungu hufanya kazi ndani yetu kwa haraka, ya haraka, kuimarisha na kuthibitisha imani yetu ndani yake. Sakramenti mbili zimetawazwa na Kristo Bwana wetu, yaani Ubatizo na Meza ya Bwana.
Tunaamini Ubatizo unaashiria kuingia katika nyumba ya imani, na ni ishara ya toba na utakaso wa ndani kutoka kwa dhambi, uwakilishi wa kuzaliwa upya katika Kristo Yesu na alama ya
Ufuasi wa Kikristo.
Tunaamini watoto wako chini ya upatanisho wa Kristo na kama warithi wa Ufalme wa Mungu ni masomo yanayokubalika kwa Ubatizo wa Kikristo. Watoto wa wazazi waaminifu kupitia Ubatizo huwa jukumu maalum la Kanisa. Wanapaswa kukuzwa na kuongozwa na kukubalika binafsi kwa Kristo, na kwa taaluma ya imani kuthibitisha Ubatizo wao.
Tunaamini Meza ya Bwana ni uwakilishi wa ukombozi wetu, ukumbusho wa mateso na kifo cha Kristo, na ishara ya upendo na muungano ambao Wakristo wana pamoja na Kristo na kwa kila mmoja. Wale ambao kwa haki, kwa ustahiki na kwa imani hula mkate uliovunjika na kunywa kikombe kilichobarikiwa hushiriki mwili na damu ya Kristo kwa njia ya kiroho hadi atakapokuja.
Makala VII - Dhambi na Uhuru wa Hiari
Tunaamini mwanadamu ameanguka kutoka kwa haki na, mbali na neema ya Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo, ni dharau ya utakatifu na mwelekeo wa uovu. Mtu yeyote isipozaliwa mara ya pili, hawezi kuuona ufalme wa Mungu. Kwa nguvu zake mwenyewe, bila neema ya Mungu, mwanadamu hawezi kufanya matendo mema yanayompendeza na kukubalika kwa Mungu. Tunaamini, hata hivyo, mwanadamu aliyeshawishiwa na kuwezeshwa na Roho Mtakatifu anawajibika katika uhuru wa kutumia mapenzi yake kwa mema.
Kifungu CHA VIII - Upatanisho Kupitia Kristo
Tunaamini Mungu alikuwa ndani ya Kristo akiupatanisha ulimwengu na yeye mwenyewe. Sadaka ambayo Kristo alifanya kwa uhuru msalabani ni dhabihu kamili na ya kutosha kwa ajili ya dhambi za ulimwengu wote, kumkomboa mwanadamu kutoka kwa dhambi zote, ili kwamba hakuna kuridhika nyingine inahitajika.
Makala ya IX - Kuhesabiwa haki na kuzaliwa upya
Tunaamini hatujawahi kuhesabiwa kuwa wenye haki mbele za Mungu kupitia matendo yetu au sifa zetu, lakini wenye dhambi wenye dhambi wanahesabiwa haki au kuhesabiwa haki mbele za Mungu tu kwa imani katika Bwana wetu Yesu Kristo.
Tunaamini kuzaliwa upya ni kufanywa upya kwa mwanadamu katika haki kwa njia ya Yesu Kristo, kwa uwezo wa Roho Mtakatifu, ambapo kwayo tunafanywa washiriki wa asili takatifu na kupata upya maisha. Kwa kuzaliwa huku mpya muumini anakuwa na kupatanishwa na Mungu na anawezeshwa kumtumikia kwa mapenzi na mapenzi. Tunaamini, ingawa tumepata kuzaliwa upya, inawezekana kuondoka kutoka kwa neema na kuanguka katika dhambi; na hata hivyo, kwa neema ya Mungu, kufanywa upya katika haki.
Kifungu X - Kazi nzuri
Tunaamini matendo mema ni matunda muhimu ya imani na kufuata kuzaliwa upya lakini hawana fadhila ya kuondoa dhambi zetu au kuzuia hukumu ya Mungu. Tunaamini matendo mema, ya kupendeza na yanayokubalika kwa Mungu katika Kristo, yanatokana na imani ya kweli na iliyo hai, kwani kupitia na kwao imani imedhihirika.
Kifungu XI - Utakaso na Ukamilifu wa Kikristo
Tunaamini utakaso ni kazi ya neema ya Mungu kupitia Neno na Roho, ambayo kwayo wale ambao wamezaliwa mara ya pili wanatakaswa kutoka kwa dhambi katika mawazo yao, maneno na matendo yao, na wanawezeshwa kuishi kulingana na mapenzi ya Mungu, na kujitahidi kwa utakatifu bila ambayo hakuna mtu atakayemwona Bwana.
Utakaso wote ni hali ya upendo mkamilifu, haki na utakatifu wa kweli ambao kila muumini aliyezaliwa upya anaweza kupata kwa kutolewa kutoka kwa nguvu za dhambi, kwa kumpenda Mungu kwa moyo wote, roho, akili na nguvu, na kwa kumpenda jirani kama nafsi ya mtu. Kupitia imani katika Yesu Kristo zawadi hii ya neema inaweza kupokelewa katika maisha haya hatua kwa hatua na mara moja, na inapaswa kutafutwa kwa bidii na kila mtoto wa Mungu.
Tunaamini uzoefu huu hautuokoi kutokana na udhaifu, ujinga, na makosa ya kawaida kwa mwanadamu, wala kutokana na uwezekano wa dhambi zaidi. Mkristo lazima aendelee kulinda dhidi ya kiburi cha kiroho na kutafuta kupata ushindi juu ya kila jaribu la dhambi. Lazima ajibu kabisa mapenzi ya Mungu ili dhambi ipoteze nguvu zake juu yake; na ulimwengu, mwili, na ibilisi huwekwa chini ya miguu yake. Hivyo anatawala juu ya maadui hawa kwa uangalifu kupitia nguvu za Roho Mtakatifu.
Makala XII - Hukumu na Hali ya Baadaye
Tunaamini watu wote wanasimama chini ya hukumu ya haki ya Yesu Kristo, sasa na katika siku ya mwisho. Tunaamini ufufuo wa wafu. wenye haki wa uzima wa milele na waovu kwa hukumu isiyo na mwisho.
Xiii - Ibada ya Umma
Tunaamini ibada takatifu ni wajibu na upendeleo wa mwanadamu ambaye, mbele za Mungu, anainama katika ibada, unyenyekevu na kujitolea. Tunaamini ibada takatifu ni muhimu kwa maisha ya Kanisa, na kwamba kukusanyika kwa watu wa Mungu kwa ibada hiyo ni muhimu kwa ushirika wa Kikristo na ukuaji wa kiroho.
Tunaamini utaratibu wa ibada ya umma hauhitaji kuwa sawa katika maeneo yote lakini unaweza kubadilishwa na kanisa kulingana na hali na mahitaji ya wanadamu. Inapaswa kuwa katika lugha na muundo unaoeleweka na watu, kulingana na Maandiko Matakatifu kwa kujenga wote, na kulingana na utaratibu na Nidhamu ya Kanisa.
Makala ya XIV - Siku ya Bwana
Tunaamini Siku ya Bwana imetawazwa kwa ajili ya ibada ya kibinafsi na ya umma, kwa kupumzika kutokana na kazi isiyo ya lazima, na inapaswa kujitolea kwa uboreshaji wa kiroho, ushirika wa Kikristo na huduma. Ni kumbukumbu ya ufufuo wa Bwana wetu na ni ishara ya pumziko letu la milele. Ni muhimu kwa kudumu na ukuaji wa Kanisa la Kikristo, na muhimu kwa ustawi wa jumuiya ya kiraia.
Ibara ya XV - Mkristo na Mali
Tunaamini Mungu ndiye mmiliki wa vitu vyote na kwamba mtu anayeshikilia mali ni halali na ni imani takatifu chini ya Mungu. Mali ya kibinafsi inapaswa kutumika kwa udhihirisho wa upendo wa Kikristo na uhuru, na kuunga mkono utume wa Kanisa ulimwenguni. Aina zote za mali, iwe za kibinafsi, za ushirika au za umma, zinapaswa kushikiliwa kwa uaminifu wa dhati na kutumika kwa uwajibikaji kwa manufaa ya binadamu chini ya ukuu wa Mungu.
Ibara XVI - Serikali ya Kiraia
Tunaamini serikali ya kiraia inapata mamlaka yake ya haki kutoka kwa Mungu mkuu. Kama Wakristo tunatambua serikali ambazo ulinzi wao tunaishi na kuamini serikali kama hizo zinapaswa kuzingatia, na kuwajibika, kutambua haki za binadamu chini ya Mungu. Tunaamini vita na umwagaji damu ni kinyume na injili na roho ya Kristo. Tunaamini ni wajibu wa raia wa Kikristo kutoa nguvu na madhumuni ya kimaadili kwa serikali zao kwa njia ya maisha ya busara, ya haki na ya kiungu.
Kuwakilisha michango ya kawaida na emphases ya ufafanuzi wa Methodism ya imani ya Kikristo, Viwango vya Wesleyan, kwa kiwango kimoja au kingine, vimeshirikiwa kwa upana kati ya uzao wa kiroho wa upya wa kiinjili wa karne ya kumi na nane unaoongozwa na John na Charles Wesley. Viwango hivi vinatufundisha maana ya kuwa Methodisti na mafundisho ya jamii zetu yanapaswa kuambatana nao. Hizi ni pamoja na zifuatazo:
1. THE STANDARD SERMONS OF JOHN WESLEY Intended to provide patterns of preaching and teaching for the people called Methodists, John Wesley published several editions of his sermons, beginning in 1746, to set down what he found as “the way to heaven, with a view to distinguish this way of God from all those which are the inventions of men.” The compilation of forty-four of those sermons were intended to provide a “model deed” promulgated in 1763 for what was preached from a Methodist pulpit in the ongoing life of the church. These particular sermons were regarded by Wesley as being of distinct value, and intended to serve as “standards” for teaching Christian doctrine in the church:
1. Wokovu kwa Imani
2. Mkristo wa Karibu
3. Amkeni, Wewe Unayelala
4. Ukristo wa Kimaandiko
5. Kuhesabiwa Haki Kwa Imani
6. Haki ya Imani
7. Njia ya Kuelekea kwenye Ufalme
8. Matunda ya Kwanza ya Roho
9. Roho wa Utumwa na Kuasili
10. Shahidi wa Roho - Discourse I
11. Shahidi wa Roho wetu mwenyewe
12. Njia ya Neema
13. Tohara ya Moyo
14. Alama za Kuzaliwa Mpya
15. Pendeleo Kubwa la Wale Waliozaliwa na Mungu
16-28. Juu ya Mahubiri ya Bwana wetu Mlimani (13 Discourses)
29. Asili, Asili, Mali na Matumizi ya Sheria
30-31. Sheria Iliyoanzishwa kupitia Discourse ya Imani (2 Discourses)
32. Asili ya Enthusiasm
33. Tahadhari dhidi ya Bigotry
34. Roho Mtakatifu
35. Ukamilifu wa Kikristo
36. Mawazo ya Kujiuliza
37. Vifaa vya Shetani
38. Dhambi ya Asili
39. Kuzaliwa Upya
40. Hali ya Wilderness
41. Uzito kupitia Majaribu mengi
42. Kujitegemea
43. Tiba ya Kuongea Maovu
44. Matumizi ya fedha
The 1771 edition of Wesley’s Works included nine additional sermons which helped to clarify the difference between the new birth and entire sanctification (the sermons On Sin in Believers and The Repentance of Believers) as well as to offer a very helpful summation of John Wesley’s practical theology:
- The Witness of the Spirit, II
- On Sin in Believers
- The Repentance of Believers
- The Great Assize
- The Lord Our Righteousness
- The Scripture Way of Salvation
- The Good Steward
- The Reformation of Manners
- On the Death of George Whitefield
In addition to the forty-four, these nine sermons were known and beloved by American Methodists, since Wesley’s four volumes of sermons, published in 1771, contained them all. These same sermons were therefore likely in mind when the Christmas Conference met in 1784 and adopted standards of doctrine for the American church. Later, the 1787-88 edition of Wesley’s sermons reverted back to the forty-four, in keeping with the stipulations of the model deed. Nevertheless, the fifty-three sermons continued to be known and widely read due to their publishing history in North America, a history that helped to establish a distinct and revered tradition in terms of actual Methodist practice. Remarkably enough, when the historic Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church met in 1808, it refused to entertain the question of Francis Ward as to just what sermons constitute “our present and existing standards of doctrine?” At any rate,he additional nine sermons, affirmed by Wesley in 1771, supplemented the original forty-four, providing additional teaching on matters of practical divinity and other topics, leading to greater clarity and, as a consequence, significant illuminating power in the Christian life.
2. THE EXPLANATORY NOTES UPON THE NEW TESTAMENT First published in 1755, John Wesley’s New Testament text is based upon the King James Version and Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. The notes were aimed at the average reader and provide historical context for and Wesleyan theological interpretation of the Scriptures, drawing upon work of four earlier commentaries.
Ili kuweka wazi matarajio juu ya wale ambao ni wanachama wa jamii za Methodisti, John Wesley kwanza alibuni sheria kadhaa katika 1738, akichapisha miaka mitano baadaye. Sheria kuu baadaye zilipitishwa na Kanisa la Methodist Episcopal mnamo 1785, mwaka mmoja baada ya kuundwa kwake. Sheria Kuu hutoa muhtasari wa manufaa wa aina ya uanafunzi wa makusudi ambao uliashiria Njia ya mapema, iliyojumlishwa katika rubrics tatu rahisi: usidhuru, fanya mema kwa wote, na ushikamane na maisha ya sakramenti na ibada ya kanisa. Sheria hizo zinabaki kuwa sehemu ya Katiba na zinalindwa na Sheria za Kuzuia.
Asili, Ubunifu, na Sheria Za Jumla za Vyama vyetu vya Umoja
"Mwishoni mwa mwaka 1739 watu wanane au kumi walikuja kwa Bwana Wesley, London, ambaye alionekana kuwa na uhakika mkubwa wa dhambi, na kuugua kwa dhati kwa ajili ya ukombozi. Walitaka, kama walivyofanya mbili au tatu zaidi siku iliyofuata, kwamba angetumia muda pamoja nao katika sala, na kuwashauri jinsi ya kukimbia kutoka ghadhabu ijayo, ambayo waliona daima wakining'inia juu ya vichwa vyao. Ili aweze kuwa na muda zaidi kwa kazi hii kubwa, aliteua siku ambayo wote wanaweza kuja pamoja, ambayo tangu hapo awali walifanya kila wiki, yaani, Alhamisi jioni. Kwa hawa, na wengi zaidi kama walitaka kujiunga nao (kwa idadi yao iliongezeka kila siku), alitoa ushauri huo mara kwa mara ambao alihukumu mahitaji zaidi kwao, na daima walihitimisha mkutano wao kwa maombi kulingana na mahitaji yao kadhaa.
Hii ilikuwa kuongezeka kwa Umoja wa Mataifa, kwanza barani Ulaya, na kisha Amerika. Jamii kama hiyo si nyingine isipokuwa 'kundi la wanadamu wenye umbo na kutafuta nguvu za utauwa, walioungana ili kuomba pamoja, kupokea neno la himizo, na kuchungana kwa upendo, ili waweze kusaidiana kufanya kazi kwa ajili ya wokovu wao.'
Ili iweze kutambuliwa kwa urahisi zaidi kama kweli wanafanya kazi kwa wokovu wao wenyewe, kila jamii imegawanywa katika makampuni madogo, inayoitwa madarasa, kulingana na maeneo yao ya makazi. Kuna karibu watu kumi na wawili katika darasa, mmoja wao ni styled kiongozi. Ni wajibu wake:
1. Kumwona kila mtu katika darasa lake mara moja kwa wiki angalau, ili: (1) kuuliza jinsi nafsi zao zinavyofanikiwa; (2) kushauri, kukemea, kufariji au kuhimiza, kama tukio linaweza kuhitaji; (3) kupokea kile ambacho wako tayari kutoa kwa msaada wa wahubiri, kanisa, na maskini.
2. Kukutana na mawaziri na wasimamizi wa jamii mara moja kwa wiki, ili: (1) kumjulisha mtumishi wa yeyote ambaye ni mgonjwa, au wa yeyote anayetembea kwa shida na hatakataliwa; (2) kuwalipa wasimamizi kile walichopokea kutoka kwa madarasa yao kadhaa katika wiki iliyotangulia. Kuna hali moja tu hapo awali inayohitajika kwa wale wanaotaka kuingia katika jamii hizi: 'hamu ya kukimbia kutoka ghadhabu ijayo, na kuokolewa kutoka kwa dhambi zao.' Lakini popote hii ni kweli fasta katika roho itakuwa kuonyeshwa na matunda yake.
Kwa hivyo inatarajiwa kwa wote wanaoendelea humo kwamba waendelee kuthibitisha hamu yao ya wokovu, Kwanza: Kwa kutofanya madhara, kwa kuepuka uovu wa kila aina, hasa kile ambacho kwa ujumla kinafanywa, kama vile: Kuchukua jina la Mungu bure. Kuitia unajisi siku ya Bwana, ama kwa kufanya kazi ya kawaida ndani yake au kwa kununua au kuuza. Uchovu: kununua au kuuza pombe za roho, au kuzinywa, isipokuwa katika hali ya umuhimu mkubwa. Utumwa: kununua au kuuza watumwa. Kupambana, kugombana, brawling, ndugu kwenda sheria na ndugu; kurudisha uovu kwa uovu, au kutukana kwa matusi;
kutumia maneno mengi katika kununua au kuuza. Kununua au kuuza bidhaa ambazo hazijalipa ushuru.
Kutoa au kuchukua mambo kwa riba—yaani, maslahi yasiyo halali. Mazungumzo yasiyo na faida au yasiyo na faida; hasa kuzungumza maovu ya mahakimu au mawaziri. Kufanya kwa wengine kama sisi si lazima kufanya kwa ajili yetu. Kufanya kile tunachojua sio kwa utukufu wa Mungu, kama: Kuvaa mavazi ya dhahabu na ya gharama kubwa. Kuchukua diversions kama vile haiwezi kutumika katika jina la Bwana Yesu. Kuimba nyimbo hizo, au kusoma vitabu hivyo, ambavyo haviendani na maarifa au upendo wa Mungu. Upole na ubinafsi usio na maana. Kuweka hazina juu ya ardhi. Kukopa bila uwezekano wa kulipa; au kuchukua bidhaa bila uwezekano wa kuwalipa.
Inatarajiwa kwa wote ambao wanaendelea katika jamii hizi kwamba wanapaswa kuendelea kuonyesha hamu yao ya wokovu, Pili: Kwa kutenda mema; kwa kuwa na huruma ya kila namna kwa nguvu zao; kama wana fursa, kufanya mema ya kila aina iwezekanavyo, na, kwa kadiri inavyowezekana, kwa watu wote: Kwa miili yao, ya uwezo ambao Mungu hutoa, kwa kuwapa chakula wenye njaa, kwa kuwavalia uchi, kwa kuwatembelea au kuwasaidia ambao ni wagonjwa au gerezani. Kwa nafsi zao, kwa kufundisha, kuthibitisha, au kuhimiza yote tunayo uhusiano wowote nao; kukanyaga chini ya miguu mafundisho kwamba 'hatupaswi kutenda mema isipokuwa mioyo yetu iwe huru nayo.' Kwa kutenda mema, hasa kwa wale walio katika nyumba ya imani au kuugua ili wawe; kuwaajiri vyema kwa wengine; kununua moja ya nyingine, kusaidiana katika biashara, na mengi zaidi kwa sababu dunia itakuwa upendo wake mwenyewe na wao tu. Kwa bidii yote na uchangamfu, kwamba injili haitalaumiwa. Kwa kukimbia kwa uvumilivu mbio ambayo imewekwa mbele yao, kujikana wenyewe, na kuchukua msalaba wao kila siku; kujisalimisha ili kubeba aibu ya Kristo, kuwa kama uchafu na kuharibu ulimwengu; na kuangalia kwamba watu waseme kila aina ya uovu wao kwa uongo, kwa ajili ya Bwana.
Inatarajiwa kwa wote wanaotaka kuendelea katika jamii hizi kwamba wanapaswa kuendelea kuonyesha hamu yao ya wokovu, Tatu: Kwa kuhudhuria ibada zote za Mungu; Hao ndio ibada ya Umma ya Mungu. Huduma ya Neno, ama kusoma au kuelezea. Chakula cha Bwana. Maombi ya familia na binafsi. Kupekua Maandiko. Kufunga au kujizuia.
Hizi ndizo Kanuni Kuu za Jamii zetu; yote ambayo tunafundishwa na Mungu kuchunguza, hata katika Neno lake lililoandikwa, ambalo ni kanuni pekee, na utawala wa kutosha, wote wa imani yetu na utendaji. Na haya yote tunajua Roho wake anaandika juu ya mioyo iliyoamshwa kweli. Kama kuna yeyote miongoni mwetu ambaye hataziangalia, ambaye huvunja yeyote kati yao, na ajulikane kwa wale wanaoilinda nafsi hiyo kama wale ambao lazima watoe hesabu. Tutamwonya juu ya makosa ya njia zake. Tutakuwa pamoja naye kwa muda. Lakini basi, kama hatatubu, hana nafasi tena miongoni mwetu. Tumeokoa nafsi zetu."
Katika kuendelea na urithi wetu wa Wesleyan, baraza linaloongoza la Kanisa la Methodist Ulimwenguni haitabatilisha, kubadilisha, au kubadilisha Makala zetu za Dini au Kukiri Imani, au kuanzisha viwango vipya vya kanuni za mafundisho kinyume na viwango vyetu vya sasa vilivyopo na vilivyowekwa vya mafundisho.