by: Elizabeth Walter
5/1/2006

Have you ever wondered why many of the Christians you know aren’t becoming more like Jesus in their attitudes and actions? Have you ever asked yourself this same question? Or perhaps you expressed it more as a longing: I’m doing all the right things, but I feel little change on the inside; isn’t there supposed to be more? And so, as Christians, we go through life knowing salvation and yet having little hope for significant personal transformation (being more like Jesus) until we “get to heaven.” J. I. Packer says it well: “The experiential reality of perceiving God is unfamiliar territory today. . . The concept of a Christian life as sanctified rush and bustle still dominates, and as a result the experiential side of Christian holiness remains very much a closed book.” Let’s look at four frequently asked questions about the nature of spiritual formation.

What Is Spiritual Formation?

Spiritual formation without regard to any specific religious tradition or faith is the process by which the human being through the exercise of choice is gaining a definite forming or what we call character. It happens to us all. The outcome of the process of spiritual formation is the development of character. True character in a person is what he or she can easily be counted on to do in a given situation. What is present in a person’s inner being is expressed in behavior.

Often we begin to understand what a concept is by stating what it is not. So, Christian spiritual formation is not taking old practices what we are already doing, such as worshiping, reading Scripture, praying, having quiet time and giving them a new twist to include spiritual direction. While all of these activities are essential, it is possible to “do” them and have our hearts untouched and unchanged.

Christian spiritual formation is the redemptive process of allowing our inner being or heart to be formed, so that, as Dallas Willard states, we are able to “do easily and naturally (from the heart) the things that Jesus did” (see Galatians 4:19). “That Christ be formed in you” is the eternal cry of Christian spiritual formation being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others and the glory of God. Dr. Bruce Demarest defines spiritual formation as: “The shaping and nurturing of the Christian’s inner being after the pattern of Jesus Christ the Lord by the indwelling Spirit in the body of Christ and the living out of the Savior’s values in compassionate service to others.?”

Challenge yourself.

For a week, notice what you easily and naturally think, feel, say, and do as you interact with your spouse or other close family member. Is this a reflection of the life of Jesus in your inner being? Keep a list of what you notice and then talk with Jesus about it when you pray.

Is Spiritual Transformation Possible?

Deep in the human heart there is a longing for genuine transformation. People join health clubs, read self-help books, attend educational seminars, change eating habits, and make New Year’s resolutions. The possibility of change or transformation is an essential hope of the human heart. One of the most toxic influences on the Christian life is the belief that it is impossible to change. As we mature, the question is not “am I changing?” but “how am I changing?” For either through an intentional strategy of spiritual growth or by default, we are being molded or formed. Whether it is by “sanctified rush and bustle” or the “experiential reality of perceiving God,” each of us is in the process of “becoming.”

How can we be intentional about our spiritual formation? In creation God made us with the unique quality that separates us from all other aspects of His creation. He gave us the ability to be self-determining, to give or withhold consent what we call the human will. In this, we bear the Imago Dei (the image of God) to the extent that in the freedom to choose, we will to do what God wills. With