How can you tell if you are walking in the Spirit? | John Wesley
Heroes for the Love of Christ
45,805 views
How can you tell if you are walking in the Spirit?
There is a question every Christian should ask themselves: "Am I truly walking in the Spirit? Or am I simply deceiving myself?"
In 1746, John Wesley, by then a mature and experienced man, having witnessed the transformation of thousands of lives through his preaching, ascended the pulpit and delivered one of the most incisive sermons of his entire career. The text was Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
He titled this sermon "The Firstfruits of the Spirit." In it, Wesley does something bold: he puts you to the test. Not a test of memorized doctrine, nor of how many verses you've memorized, but a test of your life. A spiritual X-ray capable of answering, with surgical precision, a question that torments even the most devout Christians: how can I know for sure if I'm walking in the Spirit or still in the flesh, even if I go to church every Sunday?
Stay until the end. Because in the next few minutes we're going to reconstruct, point by point, the test that Wesley put himself and his generation to. And what you're about to discover could change, today, your understanding of whether you're truly walking in the Spirit.
If during this video you felt any discomfort—a sin, a habit, an aspect of your life that you know, deep down, you've given up fighting—don't ignore that feeling. Wesley would call it the last chance for mercy before an even greater hardening of the heart. The conviction you feel now, as you watch this video, is not by chance. It is the Holy Spirit Himself, gently knocking at the door, offering you exactly what He offered Wesley: no more religion of servitude, following rules out of fear. But a life of sonship, truly, with peace and real fruit.
Subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications, and leave a "like" if this content helped you see your own spiritual path more clearly.
If this video revealed something about yourself—a point of self-indulgence, a guilt you need to release, or even the lack of that filial certainty Wesley experienced in Aldersgate—don't keep it to yourself. Write in the comments what moved you the most.
See you in the next video.
Sources used in the research
• WESLEY, John. Sermon 8: The First Fruits of the Spirit (1872 edition), Wesley Center Online / Wesley Center for Applied Theology, Northwest Nazarene University.
• MADDOX, Randy L. Responsible Grace: John Wesley's Practical Theology. Kingswood Books, 1994.
• COLLINS, Kenneth J. Comparative studies on sin, infirmity, and Christian perfection in Wesley.
• HEITZENRATER, Richard P. Biographical studies on the life of John Wesley and the development of the Methodist movement.
• OUTLER, Albert C. Studies on the witness of the Spirit and the Aldersgate experience in Wesley.
• Historical record of the Aldersgate experience (May 24, 1738) and Wesley's journey to Georgia (1735–1738).
Share: How can you tell if you are walking in the...
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How can you tell if you are walking in the Spirit? | John Wesley
Heroes for the Love of Christ
45,805 views
How can you tell if you are walking in the Spirit?
There is a question every Christian should ask themselves: "Am I truly walking in the Spirit? Or am I simply deceiving myself?"
In 1746, John Wesley, by then a mature and experienced man, having witnessed the transformation of thousands of lives through his preaching, ascended the pulpit and delivered one of the most incisive sermons of his entire career. The text was Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
He titled this sermon "The Firstfruits of the Spirit." In it, Wesley does something bold: he puts you to the test. Not a test of memorized doctrine, nor of how many verses you've memorized, but a test of your life. A spiritual X-ray capable of answering, with surgical precision, a question that torments even the most devout Christians: how can I know for sure if I'm walking in the Spirit or still in the flesh, even if I go to church every Sunday?
Stay until the end. Because in the next few minutes we're going to reconstruct, point by point, the test that Wesley put himself and his generation to. And what you're about to discover could change, today, your understanding of whether you're truly walking in the Spirit.
If during this video you felt any discomfort—a sin, a habit, an aspect of your life that you know, deep down, you've given up fighting—don't ignore that feeling. Wesley would call it the last chance for mercy before an even greater hardening of the heart. The conviction you feel now, as you watch this video, is not by chance. It is the Holy Spirit Himself, gently knocking at the door, offering you exactly what He offered Wesley: no more religion of servitude, following rules out of fear. But a life of sonship, truly, with peace and real fruit.
Subscribe to the channel, turn on notifications, and leave a "like" if this content helped you see your own spiritual path more clearly.
If this video revealed something about yourself—a point of self-indulgence, a guilt you need to release, or even the lack of that filial certainty Wesley experienced in Aldersgate—don't keep it to yourself. Write in the comments what moved you the most.
See you in the next video.
Sources used in the research
• WESLEY, John. Sermon 8: The First Fruits of the Spirit (1872 edition), Wesley Center Online / Wesley Center for Applied Theology, Northwest Nazarene University.
• MADDOX, Randy L. Responsible Grace: John Wesley's Practical Theology. Kingswood Books, 1994.
• COLLINS, Kenneth J. Comparative studies on sin, infirmity, and Christian perfection in Wesley.
• HEITZENRATER, Richard P. Biographical studies on the life of John Wesley and the development of the Methodist movement.
• OUTLER, Albert C. Studies on the witness of the Spirit and the Aldersgate experience in Wesley.
• Historical record of the Aldersgate experience (May 24, 1738) and Wesley's journey to Georgia (1735–1738).
Share: How can you tell if you are walking in the...