Brno - Sounds a little mystical doesn't it? Maybe a little too mystical for conservative evangelicals. When I set out to study spiritual formation this year there were mixed feelings. Something within me resonated with the inner workings of the Holy Spirit in my life. Another part of me said "Don't be a kook!" In the past year I have read about 3,000 pages and taken a two-week residency devoted to spiritual formation. After all that I found it difficult to write a "spiritual theology" to inform and influence my life and ministry. Now what is up with that? I consider myself to possess at least average intelligence but couldn't get a grip on spiritual formation?
For the last few months I have been noodling on "spiritual theology," a life lived unto God. My thinking took a different angle when I began to ask specific questions, such as "What is the difference between discipleship and spiritual formation?" Is there is a difference, what is it? I also considered this question, "Are sanctification and discipleship synonomous?" It may sound simple but I truly struggled with defining and describing the concepts of sanctification, discipleship and spiritual formation.
Now, just so you know, this is NOT an academic exercise. It is eminently practical, for several reasons: (1) it has everything to do with who I am and what I do every week, i.e. disciple and mentor Christian leaders. (2) Each of these are expressed by doing and being. You don't do discipleship, spiritual formation or sanctification as ends in themselves. In other words, the purpose of spiritual formation is not to have a more ordered interior life anymore than the purpose of discipleship is to be a more disciplined person. These may be results but they aren't the purpose of the activity. The goal of it all is personal transformation, conformity to the image of Christ. More on this in a moment. (3) All of us live teleologically. That is to say we live with and for a purpose. Spiritual formation moves us toward our ultimate goal and purpose. Consider this, "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him because we shall see him as he is," 1 Jn 3:2 (ESV). We are distined to become like Jesus. Wow, now that is a great adventure; at least it is for me.
O.k., let me wrap this up. Although some people view spiritual formation as the "ordering of one's interior life with God" most evangelicals use the terms discipleship, spiritual formation, Christian growth, being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, etc. synonomously. My attempts to discover fine distinctions to distinguish these terms have not yielded to my efforts. I believe the paradigm of sanctification (know, reckon, yield, obey) and a proper biblical and theological understanding of discipleship are indeed spiritual formation.
So, if you think you have been missing out on something new, the answer is no. On the other hand, have you chosen the path of discipleship? Are you living purposefully, to become like Jesus? Are you ordering your interior life with God, becoming radically transformed so that your exterior speaks and behaves like Christ? That my friends is spiritual formation, the great expectation that requires our devoted participation.
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