“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:45-47)
First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. (Matthew 23:26)
Spiritual formation and spiritual disciplines are words
being thrown around with greater frequency these days. It is easy to share what I feel about these
subjects before I adequately define what I am talking about. Most of these shared thoughts and feelings
would come from the people I’ve run into (in person or through some media) who
use these words, for good or ill.
One popular (at least on internet searches) notion is that
these terms signal “New Age” views and practices brought up under a different
name. They are seen as efforts to add to
the gospel and draw people into confusion or legalism. Paul identifies such dangers in Galatians 1:6-9. The fear is that spiritual formation adds to
the “gospel of grace” so freely given by Paul.
Not only that, but the additions are seen as unbiblical or even pagan in
nature.
No doubt such spiritual formation can be found. If a person looks for a “spiritual director
or guide,” there are many varieties to be found. Even if one adds the word “Christian” to
their search, some of the notions of spirituality have little to do with
Christ. Searching in this area is full
of potential danger.
However, just because a term is misused, it does not make it
unusable or the user wrong. As with so
many other abused terms and ideas, spiritual formation has been the baby thrown
out with the bathwater by some groups and individuals. I feel compelled to rescue this term. Others have done a better job than I have,
such as Eugene Peterson and Dallas Willard.
Such rescues occur frequently in the Church, such as the rescue of “grace”
by Bonheoffer in The Cost of Discipleship. He did not throw out grace, but gave some
clarifiers to explain it: “costly” grace and “cheap” grace.
I would like to frame spiritual formation in terms of discipleship. Spiritual formation is discipleship
inside-out. First, I like the use of
inside-out because it reverses something that many people are familiar with,
making it seem strange. Like pants or a
shirt worn inside-out, spiritual formation looks at the seams and pockets of
discipleship from an angle where they can be worked on. Rather than the usual mode of discipleship (“God
is good. You stink. Do better.”),
spiritual formation starts with the unseemly (pun intended) aspects of my life
rather than merely prescribing good behavior.
Unseemly parts of my life are ugly sins, bad habits, and
careless words. They also are day-to-day
work, family life, and mundane tasks.
Spiritual formation begins here because these are the things closest to
my heart, closest to my insides. This is
where the work begins. Rather than
sewing “letters” on jackets, brandishing special “designer” labels, or showing
off my best qualities with the right cuts and shapes, spiritual formation focuses
on cleaning stains, ripping out bad seams, and sewing up torn places in my
life.
Secondly, inside-out points to the priority of the spirit
(or heart) in the life of a person.
Spiritual formation is not about performing certain actions, but having
new attitudes. Spiritual formation is
not about what to do, but about how I do it.
Spiritual formation is not about getting what I want, nor is it about
doing good, but about wanting to do good. Human change always comes from the inside out, and spiritual formation takes
this seriously.
Putting “Christian” on the front of spiritual formation may
help a little bit, but often the view of Christians is all too low both inside
and outside of the Church. It gives some
meaning, but not a lot. I prefer “Christ-centered.” Spiritual formation (really spiritual re-formation) cannot occur without
Christ at the center. Spiritual
formation without Christ at the center makes as much sense as performing open-heart
surgery on yourself, or trying to determine what is real from what is fantasy
for a paranoid schizophrenic (like in A
Beautiful Mind.) No, this activity
must be instigated, supervised, and completed with Christ or it will end in
catastrophe. Christ-centered spiritual
formation is discipleship to Christ inside-out.
What is truly beautiful about spiritual formation is that
the tools are right at hand. Christ is
available to everyone through his Spirit.
He comes to everyone who longs for such change. Such a longing and a seeking for his
influence is what Jesus meant with his invitation, “Repent, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand!” Learning what this
means takes a lifetime. . . and longer.
However, it takes only a moment to begin. And it goes from moment to moment.
His Spirit has also provided the testimony and teaching from
lives dedicated to spiritual formation of people from ages past. These words and stories are the teaching tools
of his Spirit, opening our lives to his instruction, healing, and power. The Bible, read honestly and openly, searches
our hearts and minds and lays us open for a new life with God. That is the result of Christ- centered spiritual
formation: Life with God. That life is being constantly renewed, constantly
deepened, and constantly nurtured. That life
is worth every sacrifice.
