On Spiritual Formation
We live in extraordinary times. From the contentious election season before us to the disunity and discord expressed on university campuses, educators face the challenge of engaging students while being cautious about how they are perceived. High levels of dissatisfaction with life and depression plague our students and campuses.[1] We continue to face what Richard Lovelace called "A Sanctification Gap" nearly fifty years ago.[2] How should we, as Christian educators, proceed in a chaotic world? How should we navigate these complex issues? How do we overcome these obstacles, from our classrooms to the broader university life?
There has never been a more critical time to understand spiritual formation fully. Spiritual formation is hopeful, and we need hope now more than ever. Understanding the essentials of spiritual formation can help us proceed with confidence and assurance in these difficult seasons. And ultimately, spiritual formation isn't about a single rule or method. Instead, it's about being in and with a person, our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is Spiritual Formation?
We find a variety of definitions for "spiritual formation" today. Christian spiritual formation is not about self-help. It's not imposing mysticism and spiritual intuition. John MacArthur said, over ten years ago, that spiritual formation is dangerous language because of its mystical roots.[3] When you think of spiritual formation, I imagine your mind naturally goes to spiritual disciplines, such as Bible reading, prayer, and church attendance. A healthy view of spiritual formation would emphasize these components.
But spiritual formation is especially about sanctification. Whereas justification refers to our declared status as Christians—you are no longer a sinner but a saint, declared righteous before God—sanctification is about becoming a saint, a holy man, or woman of God. The Bible describes several components of this transformative process:
We are to be sanctified completely (1 Thes. 5:23).
We are to become living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1–2).
We are to walk in Christ and be formed by him (Col. 2:6; Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 3:18).
We are to be mature in Christ (Col. 1:28; Heb. 6:1; Eph. 4:13).
We are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).
We are to grow up in our salvation (1 Pet. 2:2).
We are to confirm our calling and election (2 Pet. 1:10–11).
We are to walk worthy of God and the gospel (1 Thes. 2:11–12; Phil. 1:27).
We are, together, being built as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5).
So, we might argue that Christian spiritual formation is the process of becoming who we are declared to be in Jesus Christ.
Our theology redefines our biography. This is the power of the gospel: I was a sinner on my way to hell, but God has forgiven me because of Jesus Christ. And now, he is my only hope in life and death. Just over one hundred years ago, Presbyterian theologian J. Gresham Machen wrote Christianity and Liberalism (1923) to address the challenges of rising theological liberalism. He noted that this liberalism wasn't simply another variety of Christianity. Rather, the contrast was between two different views of life and doctrine: modernism and supernaturalism. Machen later explained, "I tried to show that Christianity is not a 'life,' as distinguished from a doctrine, and not a life that has doctrine as its changing symbolic expression, but that—exactly the other way around—it is a life founded on a doctrine."[4] Our Christian spirituality is just that, a life founded on doctrine, the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Likewise, Alister McGrath, Professor Emeritus of Science and Religion at Oxford, explained the necessity of this doctrine being worked out in life. He wrote that spirituality is "the outworking in real life of a person's religious faith — what a person does with what they believe."[5] Our Christian faith is transformative. To be a Christian is to have your life founded on doctrine and, most importantly, on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We could say much about the work of sanctification. It is a Christ-centered process (Col. 1:28; 2 Cor. 3:17–18), an unceasing process (Col. 2:6; Gal. 4:19; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Pet. 2:2,5), and a divinely empowered process (1 Cor. 3:6; 2 Pet. 1:3–7). The presence and power of the Spirit of Christ graciously give us all that we need for life and godliness.
The pathway of spiritual formation is also an obedience-focused process, something that is easily overlooked. Christian spiritual formation requires that we walk upon the way of holiness. Peter encourages us in his first letter, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. But as the one who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" (1 Pe 1:14–16). Holiness is expected. In John 15:19, Jesus says, "I have chosen you out of the world." Believers, God has set you apart for holiness as his special people (1 Pet. 2:9). This calling to holiness extends to every aspect of life.
Imagine for a moment a student attending a military college. This student learns quickly to leave their old ways behind. It is not simply physical fitness routines and the jibes that must be endured. The student learns to make his bed a certain way, to keep his shoes pristinely shined, and to walk quickly from place to place. No more mess, no more laziness. He must leave old ways behind. Friends, holiness is about living in God's world, God's way, forsaking our ways for the way of holiness.
If this is true, we must not be satisfied with partial holiness. Practicing holiness in some ways while ignoring it in others is detrimental to the Christian faith, and our students will see this gap. In his book Evangelical Spirituality, James Gordon explains that John Newton, the former slave trader who became an Anglican clergyman and abolitionist and who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace," sought to have "an instinctive but acquired obedience."[6] We are to pursue this instinctive and acquired obedience as we travel the way of holiness.
In our spiritual formation journey of sanctification, we will find that it is also a joy-producing process. Certainly, all the fruits of the Spirit will emerge in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23). I believe that joy proves to be a mark of maturity. We must not forget Jesus's instruction in John 15: "I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete" (Jn 15:3). This doesn't mean we don't experience sorrow. In the next chapter, Jesus promises they will have sorrow. But clearly, Jesus longs for us to be filled with the joy of knowing and abiding in him.
John Piper often says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."[7] In an essay many years ago, Piper wrote in the same vein: "The aim of spiritual maturity is to magnify God's glory for people to see and admire….The essence of all biblical spirituality is being satisfied with all that God is for us in Christ."[8] This is undoubtedly true. Our spiritual formation ought to result in our delight in our Savior. But many years before Piper heralded this idea, the Prince of Preachers Charles Spurgeon said, "God is most glorified when his people rejoice in him; hence, the ripest fruit, the innermost core and centre of that which comes of all holy service, is the joy in God which is as worship to him."[9] Spurgeon made clear that Christianity is not simply a set of beliefs and values but a way of life. It's about knowing and experiencing God and being transformed by him. The experience of God's love produces joy. The Scriptures repeatedly emphasize that God grants joy to his people through his presence, his instruction, his person, his work, and his promises (Ps. 16:11; 19:8; 43:4; 2 Cor. 1:24; Rom. 15:13; 1 Pet. 1:18).
Let's return to John Newton for a moment. His life provides a great testament to the evidence of joy in spiritual formation. Newton wrote about the Christian: "The love of Christ is the joy of his heart, and the spring of his obedience."[10] According to Newton, love for Christ is at the heart of joy in Christ. Where there is no love, there is no joy.
Newton's influence on evangelical spirituality can be traced back to his private devotional life and his emergence as a public spiritual adviser.[11] Newton's private devotional life consisted of daily exercises (fasting, mental prayer, contemplative walks, meditation, devotional reading, etc.), weekly exercises (Sabbath preparation), monthly exercises (preparation for the Lord's Supper), and yearly exercises (times of retreat). The goal of his spiritual life was communion with God through a threefold pattern: past (recollection), present (repentance), and future (resolution). He used monuments, memorials, and "ebenezers" to remind himself of significant spiritual events. The subject of his meditation was often his personal experience of providence and grace.[12] Hindmarsh writes, "Newton's devotional practice may also be understood as the attempt, by preaching to himself, to compose his heart to feel what he outwardly professed."[13] We, too, must follow in his footsteps. Christian educators are spiritual advisors to our students, speaking the truth of God's Word into their lives and our disciplines.
Leading in Spiritual Formation
Christian educators must center their academic work on Christ. As we walk upon the way of holiness and display joy in the Lord for our students, we seek to equip them for this life and the life to come. What steps might we take in this work of spiritual formation?
First, we must saturate our work in the Word and prayer. If you were to go back and look at leaders within evangelicalism, both pastors and laypersons, you would find an overwhelming emphasis on reading and recalling the Word of God. That is, reading and meditating on the Word of God. Take, for instance, Charles Wesley, the great hymn writer. In his hymns, we find mosaics, beautiful arrangements of the Scriptures, set to music as an aid to remember the Word. Charles's brother John emphasized the Spirit's work in the lives of those who read and pray the Bible. On occasion, he recommended that you read the Bible for two hours a day for spiritual health.[14] He said of his spiritual practices: "At any price, give me the book of God! Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be 'a man of one book.'"[15] Let us not forget that the Spirit transforms us by the Word and prayer.
Second, we must prioritize joy. I don't mean this to be a hedonistic pursuit. Rather, we must seek to delight ourselves in the person and work of Jesus Christ. If the world is desperate for hope and longs for everlasting joy, then our priority must be embodying the joy of the Lord. I am reminded of George Mueller, who lived during the 19th century and established several orphanages in England. Hear what he wrote in his autobiography:
I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished.
Further, he said,
I saw, that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the word of God and to meditation on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed; and that thus, whilst meditating, my heart might be brought into experimental communion with the Lord. I began therefore, to meditate on the New Testament, from the beginning, early in the morning.[16]
Our work as Christian educators begins with centering our lives around the faith. We first seek to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength before we lead others in the academy to do the same.
Third, we must also seek to build a culture of joy in our institutions. The implications of this are significant. Authentic Christian spiritual formation is an apologetic in higher education. We must recognize that our culture has values. Our students may be post-Christian, and they certainly live in a post-Christian culture. That post-Christian culture may not be where they physically live, but it is where they live virtually. We know studies have shown the negative impact of social media, especially on the lives of young people today.
To lead our students to practice authentic Christian spiritual formation, we must address their desires. From our own lives and God's Word, we must show them the greatness of God and the beauty of Christianity as we address ultimate meaning, satisfaction, joy, and purpose in life. In other words, we long to put the Christian worldview on full display in the joy of the Lord. We have a responsibility, not only to God and ourselves but also to our students, to lead them to gaze heavenward. That is, as the apostle Paul wrote, "Set your minds on things above, not only earthly things" (Col. 3:2).
C. S. Lewis wrote of the difficulty of this task in Mere Christianity. He said, "One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world."[17] Lewis explained that our desire to look heavenward often goes unrecognized. This means that as part of spiritual formation, we must learn to recognize not only our heavenly longings but also the longings of our students. In this same chapter on hope, Lewis emphasized that we respond to desire in various ways. For the fool, his discontentment leads him to chase "the Real Thing" only to come up empty-handed. Or, for the seemingly less-foolish fool, he finds that it's better to simply lower his expectations. However, for Christians, Lewis says, "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."[18] A joyful Christian culture on our campuses will emphasize a heavenly gaze as we seek to navigate the waters ahead.
Conclusion
Authentic spiritual formation is the necessary first step in the work of faith and learning integration. The integration of faith and learning is the process of bringing to bear the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our Christian faith upon the comprehensive learning and teaching experience. This affects our epistemology, our pedagogy, our practiced virtue, our influence, and our curriculum. Integrating faith and learning means we cannot bifurcate our profession from our confession. We deny the sacred-secular divide. All of life is wrapped up in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And for this integrative work to be authentic in our work in the academy, it must begin within our spiritual formation.
[1] See Jean M. Twenge, Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America’s Future (New York, NY: Atria Books, 2023).
[2] Richard F. Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1979), 229.
[3] GTY Staff and John F. MacArthur, “John MacArthur on Spiritual Formation and Biblical Sanctification,” Grace to You, 12 September 2012, https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B120912; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaD-DN-7PlU.
[4] J. Gresham Machen, “Christianity in Conflict,” in Contemporary American Theology (New York: Round Table Press, 1932), 267.
[5] Alister E. McGrath, Christian Spirituality: An Introduction (Wiley-Blackwell, 1999), 2.
[6] James M. Gordon, Evangelical Spirituality (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Pub, 2000), 88.
[7] John Piper, “God Is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him,” Desiring God, 13 October 2012, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/god-is-most-glorified-in-us-when-we-are-most-satisfied-in-him.
[8] John Piper, “God Is Most Glorified in Us When We Are Most Satisfied in Him,” in The Christian Handbook on Spiritual Formation, ed. Kenneth O. Gangel and James C. Wilhoit (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1994), 74.
[9] Charles Spurgeon, “A Prayer for Revival,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1895), 391.
[10] Gordon, Evangelical Spirituality, 88.
[11] Bruce Hindmarsh, John Newton and the English Evangelical Tradition: Between the Conversions of Wesley and Wilberforce (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2001), 221.
[12] Hindmarsh, John Newton and the English Evangelical Tradition, 231–34.
[13] Hindmarsh, John Newton and the English Evangelical Tradition, 234.
[14] I am not arguing you must read your Bible two hours daily. If you have the time, God bless you!
[15] Gordon, Evangelical Spirituality, 36.
[16] George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller, Revised, Updated edition. (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1996), 152–54.
[17] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (Harper San Francisco, 2001), 135.
[18] Lewis, Mere Christianity, 136–37.
aaron lumpkin
Associate Vice President for Spiritual Formation, Assistant Professor of Theology |
Missouri Baptist University
This is a modified version of a presentation at the IACE Faculty Development Conference in Fort Worth, Texas on May 23, 2024.