The third side of the Quadrilateral is experience. At first glance, this might appear to be the duplicate of Tradition. In point of fact, though, we use Tradition to talk about that storehouse of faith that belongs to all the Body of Christ Experience refers to the individual's own encounter with God. For there is a sense in which if every other person on the face of the planet shares one set of circumstances, but your situation is different, you are untouched.
In the same way, our heritage understands that each person's unique participation in the faith has validity and authority. Now, that experience will be tried over against the experience of others, or the church as a whole. But, the church claims that every person has it within themselves to make interpretations that are consistent with the individual's understanding of God.
You may remember how John Wesley described his Aldersgate experience
in his Journal. It reads in part:
In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society meeting in Aldersgate-Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation. And assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.
You find as you further read that Wesley gives his description for a couple of reasons. Of course, he wants to convey to you as reader the nature of his own experience. You know Wesley much better for having read this quite personal account of a very meaningful event in his life. But you also notice that Wesley is very intentional about describing certain aspects of this episode. He is conveying to the reader that much of what happened to him is similar to what others have undergone in their Christ- encounter. You find that it is similarity of occurrence that gives authority to experience.
When we hear modern-day witnesses give their personal testimonies,
there is no doubt that each person’s account is unique. And yet, while the details differ the
structure is often much the same. It is
not quite “ticking off he boxes.” But, having
touchstones with our history gives the witness a sense of
authenticity. I have been cynical in
these spaces about the position of “it seems to me.” However, a corporate perception of “it seems
to us” can lend credence to an idea. When
enough people are able to say, “that is how I perceived it,” the authority of
corporate experience kicks in. If a
report or view is not in step with the corporate experience, that does not
necessarily disqualify that witness, but
it does justify further examination. God is always doing new things. But if some novelty appears to be far off the
beaten track, the collective experience of the church is an important part of
the discerning process.
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