Show Me the (Holy) Way

by Jeff Finley

Nonconformity is good at times. Before putting too much faith in our own ways, however, we should remember: “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12 CSB).

Isaiah 35:8 speaks of a different way: “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.”

It makes sense then that the first value in The Free Methodist Way is Life-Giving Holiness. As our bishops explain, “God’s call to holiness was never meant to be a burden, but a gift that liberates us for life that is truly life by delivering us from the destructive power of sin.”

Why should we pursue holiness when we are sinners in the hands of a holy God whose purity and uniqueness we can never match? After all, according to Exodus 15:11, “Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”

Well, there’s no one like God, but there is some good news. We can now receive “the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In the bishops’ words, “All who are born again are made right with God by the finished work of Jesus Christ and called to experience the fullness of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Forgiven and filled, we approach life with confidence that we are acceptable to God even as He continues to transform our character and behavior to become more and more like Jesus. Life-giving holiness, then, is the fruit of full surrender to the loving reign of God over every aspect of our lives, establishing within us love that is truly love.”

As discussed this month in other Light + Life articles (particularly the URFM article by Heavenly Treasures CEO Kathy Gaulton), previous generations of Free Methodists have sometimes mistaken rule-following for holiness. Our bishops hope that today’s Free Methodists avoid similar confusion: “Leaving behind the legalism that once hindered our movement, The Free Methodist Way invites every believer to embrace the transforming work of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to love and serve God and others in joyful obedience.”

Discussion of holiness seemingly has fallen out of favor among some Christians. Others thankfully are helping to reclaim (and sing) the words of Methodist hymn writer Lelia Morris: “‘Holiness unto the Lord’ is our watchword and song.” One is the creative team behind the Bible Project whose animated “Holiness” YouTube video has been viewed more than 3 million times. Another is Miriam Swanson, the global student mission leader for Fusion Movement, who is helping young people in her native England and the United States embrace the way of holiness. Some readers may have heard her powerful message on the main stage at the New Room Conference. I was particularly blessed a couple of years ago when I attended a New Room workshop that she and former Free Methodist Bishop Kevin W. Mannoia, the founder and chair of the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, led together. Light + Life is blessed to publish articles from both Swanson and Mannoia this month along with an invaluable article from Bishop Linda J. Adams, one of the authors of The Free Methodist Way.

We don’t have to look far to see the desperate need for life-giving holiness in 2021. Morris’ hymn lyrics remain as relevant today as they did when they were first published in 1900: “‘Called unto holiness,’ praise His dear name! This blessed secret to faith now made plain, not our own righteousness, but Christ within, living and reigning and saving from sin.”

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