At our last (our first!) Global Methodist General Conference the group settled on a mission statement for the denomination: "The Global Methodist Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ and spread scriptural holiness across the globe."

You're used to hearing about "making disciples." Begun in Jesus' Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), Methodists began recovering this calling a couple decades ago.  The idea of "spreading scriptural holiness" reaches back to the beginning of the Methodist movement in the 18th century. Lost for generations, we're at the very beginning of recovering the notion of "scriptural holiness" and setting out ways to make it happen.

One reason we say "scriptural holiness" is that there is often confusion about holiness.  Frequently it's looked more like legalism or self-righteousness than like holiness as portrayed in scripture. That's were we get the phrase sometimes used (not as a compliment) about people as being "holier than thou." Such people have their noses in the air and look down on others who aren't as good as they are.

That's not what Wesley and the Methodist tradition mean by "holiness."

Holiness in our tradition is rooted in the possibility of real life change through the work of the Holy Spirit. In Christ, we're forgiven… but that's not all. In Christ, we are adopted into God's family… but that's not all. In Christ, we are connected with the Body of Christ… but that's not all. When we are "in Christ," when we have entrusted our lives to him and given him our allegiance, he gives us the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, the God of the universe is taking up residence with us. The Holy Spirit not only marks us as belonging to God, but also does the work of transforming us into the image of Jesus.

Have you heard of the "Fruit of the Spirit?" In the context of Galatians 5, the Fruit of the Spirit is what we see produced by the Spirit in the lives of those who belong to Jesus. These are marks of true holiness.

Of that Fruit, Wesley lifted up love as the core reality in holiness. The one who is holy loves God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength – and loves their neighbor as they do themselves.

When we talk about "scriptural holiness," that's what we're talking about. We're in the business of putting ourselves at God's disposal, joining his work of changing lives.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Rev. Richard Heyduck