Spiritual Formation: What is it?

Our spirit is the part of us that is like God. Our spirit is the center of our consciousness: It is who we are – our person. The spirit is the source of all that we think and do, having the ability to choose, resolve, or determine. In the Bible, this “will” or consciousness is often referred to as the “heart.” Spiritual formation is the process we go through in which our spirit is given a definite form or character. We all have become or are becoming people with a certain kind of character and personality. Many things have helped to determine how our spirits have been formed up to this point in time in our life. Just as our physical body is constantly changing, our spirit is always being formed as well.

Jesus came to show and teach how God intends for us to live. He is the Son of Man who explains everything that a human being is supposed to be. In the New Testament, spiritual formation is the process of forming our inner man so that it takes on the character of the inner being of Jesus Himself. When this happens, our outward life will become a natural expression or outflow of the character and teachings of Jesus. As our spirit is changed into conformity with His Spirit, we actually become like Him.

Paul understood that becoming Christ-like is God’s purpose for all who come to Him (Romans 8:29: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son”). He writes of the difficulty he experienced in accomplishing this goal of forming Christ in the churches of Galatia (Galatians 4:19), yet acknowledges that spiritual transformation is the work of God (2 Corinthians 3:18).

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