Introduction
Christian spiritual formation is a process of transformation in order to become more Christ-like. Spiritual growth occurs when the followers of Christ accept him in their lives and pledge to live by his teachings and testaments. Such formation embraces the relationship with the Divine to ensure the believers’ salvation and encourages purposeful and devout engagement with spiritual disciplines (Feller and Lombaard 2018). This paper is dedicated to spiritual formation as related to Christian discipleship. In addition, it incorporates personal spiritual growth assessment and considers habits and disciplines necessary for further spiritual development.
Spiritual Formation and Discipleship
Spiritual formation or growth is an essential aspect of development in the life of many people. It can be defined as “an ongoing, gradual process of glorious transformation into the image of Jesus by the Spirit of God” (Dempsey and Earley 2018, 4). Hence, the goal of spiritual growth is to become more like Jesus and, eventually, through ongoing change and growth, to transform into the image of Jesus Christ. It should be noted that such a transformation is described as being available to those who believe in God and actively, deliberately, and with honest intentions search for the face of God (Dempsey and Earley 2018). Meanwhile, discipleship is viewed as “the disciplined habit of thinking and acting in Christ” (Ziegler 2018, 88). Christian spiritual formation can occur solely within the limits of Christian discipleship, while other types of spiritual journeys can happen independently of such discipleship.
Christian discipleship and spiritual formation are closely interwoven processes, and one cannot take place without the other. According to Dempsey and Earley (2018), when believers abide in Christ, they bear spiritual fruits. Spiritual growth in Christianity cannot occur without accepting Christ, and discipleship always results in spiritual fruit-bearing (Dempsey and Earley 2018). Furthermore, discipleship can be viewed as living by the example of Jesus Christ and growing spiritually through trying to lead the life he would lead. Thus, spiritual formation relates to discipleship as a part of a whole and, simultaneously, as a consequence of an action.
Areas Related to Spiritual Growth
Spiritual growth is a complex and challenging process of transforming one’s life. There are three primary areas relating to spiritual formation: loving and relating to God, loving one another, and loving thy neighbor (Dempsey and Earley 2018). To love God is to direct one’s love upward; to love one another is to turn inward, whereas to love thy neighbor is to direct the love the believer has outward (Dempsey and Earley 2018). Thus, spiritual formation is a process of growing and turning one’s love in three directions simultaneously. Nevertheless, a believer’s love directed toward one path does not take away from others, and love for God can nurture and sustain love for one another and the neighbor, and vice versa.
The three areas of spiritual formation are of tremendous importance for one’s growth into the image of Jesus Christ and are accomplished by different spiritual practices. These areas affect a person’s spiritual formation and their whole being. To love the Divine is to love Him with the whole being and one’s mind, body, spirit, and soul. To love with one’s mind is to apply it to the study of wholesome things and religious texts in order to grow closer to the image of Christ (Dempsey and Earley 2018). Furthermore, the disciples of Christ must surrender their bodies to the Divine and prevent mortal sin from controlling them (Dempsey and Earley 2018). The mind and body are surrendered to the Holy Spirit, and a person’s soul, emotions and affections are transformed. Once the mind is nourished with the knowledge offered by the Divine, believers begin to walk in the Holy Spirit and bear spiritual fruits (Dempsey and Earley 2018). As believers direct their love and grow upwards, affecting their whole being, they find the strength and knowledge to grow outwards and inwards, loving one another and their neighbor.
The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Development
The Holy Spirit is a crucial aspect of Christian spiritual development. According to Priyatna (2020), the Holy Spirit is an agent of the spiritual formation of believers. Christian spiritual formation is a process led by the person yearning to reflect the image of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (Priyatna 2020). The Holy Spirit leads believers in the spiritual development journey in “the way He thinks best” (Thurston 2018, 37). Therefore, to develop spiritually, one should proactively seek out the Holy Spirit and attend its presence. The Holy Spirit is the extension of God on Earth. It should be viewed as a conduit for those who have faith in the Divine to connect with Him and to have the strength to transform and be able to reflect the image of Christ (Rust 2018). Overall, the Holy Spirit is an integral part of Christian spiritual development.
As the believers begin to surrender their minds, body, and soul to the Divine, they begin to walk in the Holy Spirit. Dempsey and Earley (2018) assert that walking in the Spirit should be considered the outcome of one’s decision to surrender their life to the Divine. To walk in and under the control of the Holy Spirit is to practice spiritual disciplines and principles that can help one grow and transform. For example, it is essential to practice disciplines of engagement with good habits and disengagement with bad habits to promote spiritual growth (Dempsey and Earley 2018). The Holy Spirit is the guiding force to assist those who seek to become more Christ-like. Overall, to capitulate to the control of the Spirit is to thwart the desires of the flesh that can lead one astray in the search for spiritual transformation.
Personal Growth Assessment
The personal growth assessment test allows one to evaluate love for God, love for one another, and love for our neighbor. The test shows that my weakest point is love for God, while love for one another and love for our neighbor are my strongest points. Specifically, my mind is not sufficiently dedicated to spiritual formation. Such aspects as regularly memorizing the word of God, writing out key passages, and meditating on them are not being sufficiently fulfilled. The control over the body in the pursuit to become more Christ-lie is also lacking, particularly when it comes to fasting from food and other assets. Nevertheless, I believe I excel at reaching out to other believers and non-believers and helping resolve hurts through prayer and other approaches. Overall, the journey of my Christian spiritual formation is ongoing, and there are areas I should address to ensure my spiritual development’s ultimate goal is achieved.
Habits Necessary for Personal Spiritual Growth
When discovering weak points in spiritual formation, it is crucial not to despair but embrace disciplines and habits that can help address them. Thus, I need to take a more systematic approach to read the word of God and meditating on it. A journaling habit can be utilized to amend the lacking development in the upward type of Christian love, the love for God. In the development of love for one another, I should work towards resolving hurts and offenses I might hold toward other believers. I think that my wish not to offend anyone prevents me from working towards settling any emotional upsets or misunderstandings. Thus, a discipline of talking to other believers in respectful terms should be followed. In addition, I should focus on being able to build bridges with people who have hurt them and love them like Christ. I admit to having difficulties when it comes to forgiving others. A habit that can help address this is becoming more introspective and discovering what prevents me from forgiving others through discussion with a spiritual advisor.
Conclusion
In summary, spiritual formation is an integral part of the journey of any person who has faith in the Divine. It is the process of transforming the believer into the image of Jesus Christ and helping them abide by Christ and God. Christian spiritual growth is the ultimate expression of love for God, one another, and the neighbor. It can be actively developed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the believer’s own resolve to improve their life and connection to the Divine.
References
Dempsey, Rod, and Dave Earley. 2018. Spiritual Formation Is…. B&H Publishing Group.
Feller, Jeremy, and Christo Lombaard. 2018. “Spiritual Formation Towards Pentecostal Leadership as Discipleship”. Koers – Bulletin for Christian Scholarship 83 (1): 1-12.
Priyatna, Novel. 2020. “A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls. By Evan B. Howard”. Polyglot: Jurnal Ilmiah 16 (1): 129-140.
Rust, Brittany. 2018. “What Is the Holy Spirit & 10 Supernatural Ways He Empowers You”. Crosswalk.Com. Web.
Thurston, Bonnie Bowman. 2018. “Spiritual Formation and ‘Progress in Prayer’ in the Merton-Gullick Letters”. The Merton Journal 25: 31-42.
Ziegler, Geordie W. 2018. “Is It Time for a Reformation of Spiritual Formation?”. Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 11 (1): 74-92.