Spicer Adventist University

School of Religious Studies

THE WAY OF SALVATION: A COMPARISON BETWEEN WESLEYIAN AND

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST UNDERSTANDING

A Research Paper
Presented in Partial Fulfilment
of the Requirements for the Course
Research Methodology

by
Joash Raj Chavakula
November 2021
 TENTATIVE OUTLINE
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Research
Significance of the Research
Limitations of the Study
Delimitations of the Study
Methodology
Review of Literature
2. THE WESLEYIAN WAY OF SALVATION
Background
Prevenient grace
Justification
Regeneration
Sanctification
Glorification
Summary
3. THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST WAY OF SALVATION
Background
Prevenient grace
Justification
Regeneration
Sanctification
Glorification
Summary
4. AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH IMPLICATIONS
 Agreements
Disagreements
5. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
Recommendation
Conclusion
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

John Wesley played an important role in Protestantism. Through his labours he

presented a distinct view on salvation. Adventist theology has appreciated the Wesleyan

presentation on salvation.1 In his pastoral writings, Wesley presents convincing

arguments for his beliefs. This was due to being an ardent Bible student.2 Nevertheless,

there is a lot of confusion in the Christian community about whether Wesley is like the

Anglican/Catholic or the Evangelical.3 In other words, at times in his writings he seems

to be all about law, in other places he focuses on grace. An improper reading will give

raise to the wrong interpretation of his writings.

For this reason, it is vital to determine the subject of discussion with clarity. There

has been a presentation of salvation in lines of an order. Although this way of thinking of

salvation must have been present from the inception of the church, it took prominence

only during the Reformation.4 John Wesley is seen to be invested in delineating the way

1
Dennis Fortin, “Historical and Theological Perspectives on the Rise of Arminianism and the
Place of Seventh-Day Adventism in the Calvinist-Arminian Debate,” Adventist University Seminary
Student Journal 1, no. 1 (2015): 1–15.
2
William M. Arnett, “John Wesley and the Bible,” ed. C.W. Carter, Wesleyan Theological
Journal, 3, no. Spring (1968): 3–9.
3
Kenneth J. Collins, The Scripture Way of Salvation: The Heart of John Wesley’s Theology
(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997), 206.
4
Roger E. Olson, “An Arminian Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation),” Roger E. Olson, August 23,
2013, accessed December 2, 2021, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2013/08/an-arminian-ordo-
salutis-order-of-salvation/.
in which salvation occurs according to the Bible.5 Due to the varied perspectives on

Wesleyan theology, it is vital that his view be determined, and a balance be struck.

Through careful examination of his work and certain commentators, the research seeks to

do justice to the subject. Consequently, this research has its role in assisting in the

understanding of Adventist soteriology. This research will identify the aspects of

Wesley’s theology that are deemed valuable to the comprehension of salvation. The

Seventh-day Adventist church has a long history on the discussion of salvation and what

constitutes faith and works.6 To aid in this discussion this research will proceed as

follows.

Statement of the Problem

The understanding of salvation is vital to Christian growth. Recalling the

historical heritage of the church is essential to guard against strange doctrine. This

research will seek to ask the following questions. 1) What is the Wesleyan way of

salvation? 2) What is the Seventh-day Adventists way of salvation? 3)What are the points

of agreement and disagreement? 4)What are the implications of the doctrine?

Purpose of the Research

The purpose of the research is to compare the Wesleyan understanding on the “Way of

Salvation” with the Adventist understanding on the subject. This will provide a view on

the chain of truth present in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

5
John Wesley, “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” John Wesley’s Sermons, accessed November 1,
2021, https://johnwesleysermons.com/sermons/the-scripture-way-of-salvation/.
6
George R. Knight, ed., Seventh-Day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine, Annotated ed.,
Adventist classic library (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2003).
 Significance of the Research

Due to the ever-present contention on the process of salvation, this research will

provide information to help better understand the subject of salvation.

Limitations of the Study

This study will utilize the facilities and materials available in the library of Spicer

Adventist University along with resources obtained from the online sources and other

electronic media such as PDFs, eBooks, Kindle books, and the like.

Delimitations of the Study

The study is delimited to the Wesleyan understanding of the way of salvation and

the Seventh-day Adventist understanding on the way of salvation.

Methodology

Chapter 1 will deal with the introduction of the subject. Chapter 2 will provide a

background of Wesley and the Methodist church along with a description of the

perspective on the way of salvation. Chapter 3 will deal with the background of the

Seventh-day Adventist Church along with a description of the perspective on the way of

salvation. Chapter 4 will deal with the agreement and disagreements between the two

views along with the implications and Chapter 5 will deal with the recommendations and

the conclusion.

Review of Literature

The term way of salvation has been used by Reformed as well as Arminian

theologians. The term way of salvation in ration to John Wesley is used extensively in the
book by Kenneth Colins “The Scripture Way of Salvation.” He appears to use this term to

discuss Wesley’s understanding of salvation and present his view on the presence or

absence of order in Wesley’s understanding.7 Thomas Oden, in his series “John

Wesley’s teachings” discusses Wesleyan soteriology using the term order of salvation to

discuss the subject.8 Roger E. Olsen in his definition of the order of salvation

acknowledges the limitations of perceiving salvation using an ordinal method. Therefore,

he states that the order of salvation is not to be considered as chronological.9 With the aid

of these sources a balanced view on the theology of Wesley is sought.

Seventh-day Adventist have understood salvation in term of order. A classic

example of this is found in the publication of the book Steps to Christ. In the

understanding of the way of salvation chronology in the events must not be decided with

certainty.10 This perspective has been presented by Norman Gulley in his Systematic

Theology series. To further delineate the Adventist understanding on the subject the book

Questions on Doctrine is to be used.

Furthermore, George Knight’s work on salvation will be considered in the

consolidation of the Adventist understanding on the way of salvation. He has discussed

extensively on the subject in his books. George Knight has endeavoured to bring into to

7
Collins, The Scripture Way of Salvation, 185.
8
Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, vol. 2, 4 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012).
9
Olson, “An Arminian Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation).”
10
Norman R. Gulley, Systematic Theology: Creation, Christ, Salvation (Berrien Springs, MI:
Andrews University Press, 2012), 682.
the forefront the tendency of Adventism to slide into semi-pelagianism11. He has noted

the struggles that Adventism has faced in defining salvation. But he has also endeavoured

to provide a solution to this issue by providing his own understanding on the work of

Christ for humanity. His work in “The Cross of Christ: God’s Work for Us” have

considered the problem of sin and has presented a working model on the process of

salvation.12

11
George R. Knight, “Seventh-Day Adventism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Overlooked Topics in
Adventist Soteriology: Moving Beyond Missing Links and Toward a More Explicit Understanding,”
Andrews University Seminary Studies 51, no. 1 (2013): 3–24.
12
George R. Knight, The Cross of Christ: God’s Work for Us, Library of Adventist theology 1
(Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association, 2008).
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arnett, William M. “John Wesley and the Bible.” Edited by C.W. Carter. Wesleyan
Theological Journal, 3, no. Spring (1968): 3–9.
Collins, Kenneth J. The Scripture Way of Salvation: The Heart of John Wesley’s
Theology. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997.
Fortin, Dennis. “Historical and Theological Perspectives on the Rise of Arminianism and
the Place of Seventh-Day Adventism in the Calvinist-Arminian Debate.”
Adventist University Seminary Student Journal 1, no. 1 (2015): 1–15.
Gulley, Norman R. Systematic Theology: Creation, Christ, Salvation. Berrien Springs,
MI: Andrews University Press, 2012.
Knight, George R. “Seventh-Day Adventism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Overlooked Topics
in Adventist Soteriology: Moving Beyond Missing Links and Toward a More
Explicit Understanding.” Andrews University Seminary Studies 51, no. 1 (2013):
3–24.
———, ed. Seventh-Day Adventists Answer Questions on Doctrine. Annotated ed.
Adventist classic library. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2003.
———. The Cross of Christ: God’s Work for Us. Library of Adventist theology 1.
Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub. Association, 2008.
Oden, Thomas C. John Wesley’s Teachings. Vol. 2. 4 vols. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2012.
Olson, Roger E. “An Arminian Ordo Salutis (Order of Salvation).” Roger E. Olson,
August 23, 2013. Accessed December 2, 2021.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2013/08/an-arminian-ordo-salutis-
order-of-salvation/.
Wesley, John. “The Scripture Way of Salvation.” John Wesley’s Sermons. Accessed
November 1, 2021. https://johnwesleysermons.com/sermons/the-scripture-way-
of-salvation/.