People say the strangest things sometimes.
Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do folk say I am?' They replied, ‘John the Baptist or Elijah’. In my imagination, I can be anyone or anything. I can fly around the moon or become my hero, until reality brings me back to earth with a bump. Then I must face who I am in three-dimensional reality. Since the beginning of time, humans have contemplated what has made us who we are. The pendulum has swung between ‘an animal with a material body’ and 'spiritual beings having a human experience’. When we look for causes, we blame: chance, society, parents, genes, evolution, weather, environment, or the gods.
We rarely accept full responsibility; we argue, ‘I could have been this or that if circumstances had allowed’. Even the most successful in life reach their end, saying, ‘I decided I would be... but society disagreed and fought me all the way.’ ‘I did it my way’ turns a blind eye to the fights and conflicts that go with such an attitude.
So, who do you think you are?
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Scripture And Spiritual Formation.
Google spirituality and … anything you like, (sport, music, dating, etc.), then count the hits. People have a choice within the process of spiritual transformation, so we must define Christian spiritual formation. Christian spiritual formation, is aiming to become like Jesus Christ because, scripture teaches he has the seal of approval from God—the-father.
That is the theory, but what do you imagine Jesus Christ to be like? Imagination itself is susceptible to error because we formulate it within our own experience and knowledge. Possibly, a good test might be if we are demonstrating the same character fruit as Jesus did. Choosing, aiming and training the character you desire from your imagination will shape it. In the lingo, it is called transformation.
Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
For as a person thinks within himself, so is he.
We are often under the illusion that faith, grace and gifts of God are the means of transformation, but these need to be processed through knowledge and determination in the heart before they are displayed in the character:
Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Do your best to be the kind of person God will accept, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who has no reason to be ashamed of his work, one who applies the true teaching in the right way.
God built spirituality into an autonomous person. Such autonomy gives a person the ability to align and grow spiritually, or, a person can assign allegiance to sport, music, art, nature or almost anything else. Human beings have the choice in forming their own spirituality; hence, the need for a law. The first commandment is not, as some suppose, ‘Thou shalt have no gods but me’, but :
Form no covenant with those that pursue other gods. If you do, they will persuade you in that pursuit. You shall put no other gods above or before me, because I am zealous in nature and character.
In Pursuit Of Spirituality.
In the wisdom of God, David was never permitted to build the temple. The zeal of God foresaw that under Solomon, the temple itself would reduce a spiritual pursuit of God, to piety. That is exactly what happened. Once this masterpiece in creative building was complete, Solomon looked for a new ‘high’, building lavish temples for the many gods of his many wives. His pursuit of spirituality followed his own creativity, not the desire to please his creator, God.
Around the time of the Renaissance, the established church fell under the same mistake. Middle-age churches hankered for a return to Old-Testament values of central worship in aesthetically beautiful churches. With the church’s accumulated wealth, Solomon was back in fashion. In came the finest organs, stained-glass windows, icons and rituals that the wealth of the Church could now afford. All this led away from relationship with God to a competition in pilgrim piety.
Thomas Aquinas once called on Pope Innocent II. “You see, Thomas,” said the Pope, “the church can no longer say, silver and gold have I none”. “True, holy father,” was the reply; “neither can she now say, Rise and walk”.
A subtlety in the focus and misunderstanding of God’s intentions downgrades spiritual pursuit to piety. After the destruction of the first temple and exile, God began work in his people again, and they returned to build the second temple. Once again, the people misunderstood. Building a temple building builds an institution, building a spiritual temple builds a community. An institution ends up building piety; a community can build a people of God. Seeing through physical eyes is not the same as seeing through spiritual eyes, so complaints arose.
Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do ye see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes? ...Yet I have remained faithful to the covenant I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, my Spirit, remains among you: fear ye not.
The heart of the reformers sought to restore the gospel of faith, taking it outside of buildings and into hearts and communities, as laid down by Jesus Christ. This also worked for a time, until these same reformers erected spiritual icons in the form of divisive doctrines. The same leading reformers from Cambridge and Oxford universities that began a good work in restoring the church, also divided the church on lesser doctrines. Things that tend to divide Christians into groups tend not to be God given knowledge.
Now this I say, that every one of you says, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal and not spiritual?
‘Are ye not carnal and not spiritual?’, is a recognition that the spiritual state can be usurped and downgraded by the mental processes of reason and argument.
My people are destroyed for [dissecting] knowledge. Because you have rejected my knowledge, I will also reject you, you will not be priest to me. Seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.
Faith Embraces Knowledge.
Spirituality has to be processed by knowledge for the body to implement. Incomplete knowledge cannot produce whole truth. Hosea argues that the spiritual life can be enhanced or diminished by the process of decisions made in the heart. Faith is higher than knowledge because it seeks and uses knowledge; it has to pass through processes of the mind before it can influence life and behaviour. Spirituality needs to look for truth by using knowledge; it is not the knowledge itself but the truth behind the knowledge.
Job asked, ‘ Why do we suffer unjustly’?
In the process of answering that question, he was transformed as a person, (though he never answers his question). God commended him because he hung on to spiritual laws, which his friends tried to downgrade by rationalization. This opens up a question, which we must shortly try to answer. Throughout scripture, we constantly read verses which pronounce spiritual laws as doctrinal truths. Which is higher, the doctrine or the truth that doctrine tries to uphold?
We told you the true Good News message. So anyone who tells you a different message should be condemned—even if it is one of us or even an angel from heaven! I said this before. Now I say it again: You have already accepted the Good News. Anyone who tells you another way to be saved should be condemned!
Presented like this, we are apt to ask why Paul should be dogmatic on this as a prime spiritual law, while urging everything else to be tested rigorously by it?
You may suffer for doing right. If that happens, you have God's blessing. "Don't be afraid of the people who make you suffer; don't be worried." But keep the Lord Christ holy in your hearts. Always be ready to answer everyone who asks you to explain about the hope you have. But answer them in a gentle way with respect. Keep your conscience clear. Then people will see the good way you live as followers of Christ, and those who say bad things about you will be ashamed of what they said. It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong.
Yes, it is better if that is what God wants. Christ himself suffered when he died for you, and with that one death he paid for your sins. He was not guilty, but he died for people who are guilty. He did this to bring all of you to God. In his physical form he was killed, but he was made alive by the Spirit.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Knowledge And Character Transformation.
Spiritual formation then, is a process like growing up physically. It starts with a belief, which sets a goal to pursue. It turns to faith when intelligence looks for knowledge to achieve the goal. Knowledge negotiates with emotion to change the heart. The decisions of the heart change motivation and form destiny.
And I applied my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the heavens: this grievous occupation hath God given to the children of men to weary themselves therewith.62
So I tell you, continue to ask, and God will give to you. Continue to search, and you will find. Continue to knock, and the door will open for you.
Whatever else we may conclude from Paul’s dogmatism, we must surely conclude that it is the processes of the heart that set our destiny.
