FOUNDATIONS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Spiritual growth is an imperative in our lives as Christians. In my humble opinion, it should be the main focus, without exceptions, in all churches and denominations. What is spiritual growth? Let me attempt to address this question by providing you with some background information. God awakened me to the imperative of spiritual growth and maturity decades ago. During that time, the Holy Spirit guided me to put together this simple definition: Spiritual growth is the work of God, through His grace, by which God's children are transformed according to the image of Christ in the inner man, empowered to die to the false-self, and live in righteousness and holiness. Later, I learned there is an entire field within Christianity called - spiritual formation. During the Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and Leadership program at Spring Arbor University, I learned that Christian spiritual formation is "the process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others." Dallas Willard writes that "spiritual formation for the Christian basically refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself."¹ According to John Wesley's teaching, to be sanctified means: "To be renewed in the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness."²

In my opinion, the Bible verse best describing the concept of spiritual transformation is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." As we grow in Christ, our moral condition is brought, by the Spirit of God, into conformity with our legal status before God. John writes, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children [Gr. teknion] of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

I firmly believe spiritual growth is a normal continuation of what was done at the point of salvation. The desire of the Father is that spiritual growth may be experienced by every willing child of God. The Father did not send His only begotten Son to save us for the sake of salvation itself, and then we continue to live as the rest of the world. Sadly, many Christians have a narrow and dull understating of salvation - accept Christ, in order to go to heaven, when we die. But the Bible teaches us more than that. When a new life is conferred upon the repentant believer, it contains the entire DNA of the (zoe) life of God. Peter writes so confidently, "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:2-3). As we continue in our journey as Christ's disciples (Lk. 9:23-24), as we surrender to God's will (Rom. 12:1), as we feast on the Word of God (1 Peter 2:1-3), and as we continue to renew our minds (Rom. 12:2), the Holy Spirit continues to transform us into the image and likeness of Jesus (2 Cor. 3:18). Of course, this neither happens on some sort of an 'automatic pilot,' nor does it take place...Read More Here

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¹ Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 2002).

 

² John Wesley, (Thomas Jackson, ed.), The Works of John Wesley: A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, [Article 17 - First Conference, June 25, 1744], 1872. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/perfection/files/perfection.html

 

Valy Vaduva (Michigan, USA) is a contributing writer for IOM America - Transformational Biblical Worldview & Exchange Life Development.

    

Theological Foundations of the Cross. Copyright � 2015 by Valy Vaduva. Used by permission. Articles or portions of articles may be used only with written permission from writer. Editorial changes by IOM America approved by author.
 

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible,� Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.