Holy Living and the Fruits of the Spirit
As taught in the Methodist / Wesleyan tradition
The outward manifestation of an inward holiness through character and conduct.
Within the Methodist tradition, the central question that animates the life of the believer is not merely "How am I saved from the guilt of sin?" but "How am I restored to the image of God?" While many Protestant traditions have focused heavily on the moment of justification—the legal declaration of righteousness through faith—John Wesley and the early Methodist movement insisted that justification was but the porch of the house. The house itself is sanctification, or "holy living." This subtopic answers the vital question of what the Christian life is for: it is for the cultivation of a "holy heart and a holy life," a transformation so thorough that it manifests in what the Apostle Paul calls the "Fruits of the Spirit." For the Methodist, the fruit of the Spirit is not a collection of optional virtues but the essential evidence that the "Via Salutis" (Way of Salvation) is being walked.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the specific "fruits of the Spirit" as defined in the Wesleyan-Arminian tradition and their role as the primary evidence of sanctifying grace.
- **Distinguish** between "Justifying Grace" (what God does *for* us) and "Sanctifying Grace" (what God does *in* us) within the Methodist *Via Salutis*.
- **Explain** the Methodist concept of "Christian Perfection" or "Entire Sanctification" as the goal toward which the cultivation of the Spirit's fruit points.
- **Articulate** the relationship between the "Means of Grace" (prayer, fasting, Scripture, Eucharist) and the supernatural growth of holy tempers in the believer’s life.
- **Trace** the historical development of Wesley's "Vineyard" metaphor from Sermon 107 and its application to the accountability of the local church.
- **Defend** the necessity of "Social Holiness" by showing how the fruits of the Spirit are essentially relational and communal rather than merely individualistic.
- **Apply** the "Fruit Test" from Matthew 7 to contemporary ethical and ministerial challenges, discerning the authenticity of Christian claims by their practical outcomes.
- **Compare** the Methodist view of gradual and instantaneous sanctification with the Reformed view of *Simul Justus et Peccator*, noting the distinctive Methodist hope for real transformation.
Scripture
The full lesson, its study guide and questions, and an AI tutor that answers from Scripture with citations are free with an account.