Spiritual formation and growth is a key concept in sanctification—the journey of being like Christ. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…And those whom he predestined he also called, and those who he called he also justified, and those who he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30 ESV). We are predestined to be like Christ. We are called by this sovereign call; we are justified by his saving grace. And we will be glorified in His Son. What an important text. We are chosen to become like Christ. What I want to say is that it’s God’s eternal plan and purpose that we become like Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).
It’s such a significant teaching that I missed in my early Christian walk. Was I not informed and taught? Or I didn’t pay attention back then. But now I want those who learn from me, with me, and through me, know this. And we must know this well! For me, once I discovered the idea of spiritual formation and growth in the Bible and through books, I’ve grasped it, studied it, integrated it, and applied it in my life and the lives of others. Paul said, “…until Christ is formed in you!” (Gal. 4:19). No matter what we do in life, Gal. 4:19 is the goal of our journeys: becoming like Christ.
At conversion, we are taught that Christ lives in our hearts (Rev. 3:20). It’s a biblical teaching. It assures our salvation. After accepting Christ, is Christ being formed in our hearts? It’s a life-long formation. Yes I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I will be saved. For with my heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Rom. 10:9-10) The verb “save” is in the future tense: I will be saved in the future. (The second “save” is a noun in Greek). Whoever confesses and believes in the resurrected Lord will surely be saved in the last day.
However, from the present to the future, is Christ being formed in our hearts as well as our lives? Honestly, I’m not very concerned about whether I have salvation or not, for I know I will be saved in Christ. It’s God’s own promise. However, in the present, I am more concerned with the following question, what do we do with the Christ who dwells in our hearts and wills to form in our lives?
Churches in general spend too much time to talk about conversion and continue to affirm and re-affirm our salvation to the point where we fail to ground Christians in the Gospel. The Gospel Admission doesn’t lead to the Gospel Formation. From the Gospel Admission to the Gospel Glorification, the process of being formed, conformed, and transformed must be addressed with theology proper (Worship), Bible-based teaching (the Word), covenantal companionship (the Church), and faithful service (spiritual gifts). All these elements are easy to say, but they are hard to be integrated into one’s own formation.
In 1988, Dallas Willard wrote a book The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (New York: Harper San Francisco), he said,
“Practical theology’s overall task is, in effect, to develop for practical implementation the methods by which women and men interact with God to fulfill the divine intent for human existence. That intent for the church is twofold: the effective proclamation of the Christian gospel to all humanity, making ‘disciples’ from every nation or ethnic group, and the development of those disciples’ character into the character of Christ himself ‘teaching them to do all things whatsoever I have commanded you’ (Matt. 28:20). If these are done well, all else desirable will follow.”
“But our practical theology has not always been successful. As the church has moved from period to period in its history, our leaders have not always been sufficiently wise and powerful in their work of equipping the saints. In our immediate past, worldwide evangelism has been strongly emphasized and also quite successful. Perhaps this has been the main task of the church during the last three centuries. We can be happy and thankful for the expansion of the church, both geographically and numerically. But our very zeal and success in this area may deflect us from an adequate emphasis upon the understanding and practice of growth in Christlikeness after conversion. Have we done what is necessary to bring the earnest convert into his or her possessions as a child of God, as a brother or sister of Jesus Christ in the new life?”
“Unfortunately, the answer to this question must be a clear no. It is not an exaggeration to say that this dimension of practical theology is not even taken as a matter of great seriousness by most of our teachers and leaders, probably because it doesn’t seem imperative to succeed in doing so immediately. So we can only describe the phrase, ‘teaching them to do all things whatsoever I have commanded you,’ as the Great Omission from the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20.”
“Too harsh? Simply make an inquiry of your own. Ask your church, ‘What is our group’s plan for teaching our people to do everything Christ commanded?’ The fact is that our existing churches and denominations do not have active, well-designed, intently pursued plans to accomplish this in their members. Just as you will not find any national leader today who has a plan for paying off the national debt, so you will not find any widely influential element of our church leadership that has a plan—not a vague wish or dream, but a plan—for implementing all phases of the Great Commission” (pp. 15-16).
For some reason, many churches turn the Great Commission into the Great Conversion: make converts of all nations. Getting saved is the end product. Perhaps, the reason why there is such a phenomenon is that the Great Conversion only requires a short moment in life while the Great Commission involves a life-long commitment. Getting saved is a benefit; living with the Savior is costly. Churches do not know how to make disciples because we are not okay with the slow, small vision of making disciples a few at a time. Mass production does inform Christian knowledge, but it does not produce Christian workers. Those who are being fed and trained through mass production, most likely, don’t know how to reproduce: to generate another generation of disciples. From conversion to maturity, there is a huge gap in between. One of my pastoral vocations is to fill this gap: turning the Great Omission back to the Great Commission. “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer. 3:15).
Ten books on Spiritual Formation and Growth
- Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird, Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit (New York: HarperOne, 2010)
Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship (Oxford: Monarch Books, 2006) - Wil Hernandez, Henri Nouwen: A Spirituality of Imperfection (New York/Mahwah: Paulist, 2006)
- Elizabeth Conde-Frazier, S. Steve Kang, and Gary A. Parrett, A Many Colored Kingdom: Multicultural Dynamics for Spiritual Formation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004)
Jeannine K. Brown, Carla M. Dahl, and Wyndy Corbin Reuschling, Becoming Whole and Holy: An Integrative Conversation about Christian Formation (Grand Rapid: Baker Academic, 2011) - Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2004)
- Paul Pettit (editor), Foundations of Spiritual Formation: A Community Approach to Becoming Like Christ (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008)
James C. Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008)- Larry Crabb, The Safest Place on Earth: Where People Connect and Are Forever Changed (Nashville: Word, 1999)
- A. W. Tozer, The Size of the Soul: Principles of Revival and Spiritual Growth. Compiled by Harry Verploegh (Camp Hill: Christian Publications, 1992)
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