Growing Spiritually: How It Works

The biblical writers are clear: learning spiritual truth is the catalyst to spiritual growth (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-11). Paul said we are transformed “by the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2). But learning spiritual truth is only the spark that sets the process in motion.

Spiritual truth is about the mind – learning to think differently from how the world trained us to think – thinking shaped by the Spirt (1 Corinthians 2:7-13) – thinking that reflects the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:7) – thinking with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Such thinking is the starting point of spiritual growth.

But for growth to occur – growth that produces, not just a change of behavior, but a change of life – the heart must be transformed as well as the mind.

Here’s how it works. Spiritual truth reveals what is in the heart. It reveals the attitudes we harbor along with the self-serving, what’s-in-it-for-me spirit out of which we live. For example, my attitude toward my enemy is exposed when I embrace the truth that he, too, is created in the image of God and is one whom God loves.

Spiritual growth occurs when the heart is cleansed. The attitudes that govern how we view and treat others are changed. A servant spirit replaces the self-serving spirit. When the heart is cleansed, behavior changes.

The cleansing of the heart is the work of the Spirit. We cannot change what is in our hearts. We can change our behavior – the external – but not what is in our hearts. We are dependent on the Spirit to change our attitudes and transform the spirit out of which we live.

While the cleansing of the heart is the work of the Spirit, we have a role to play in the process. Our role is to recognize what is in our heart (this recognition is the Spirit’s work), acknowledge it to God, and invite the Spirit to transform it. That acknowledgment (confession) gives the Spirit permission to do the cleansing, healing work that is need.

Our part calls for an intentional act of the will. We make a conscious choice to invite the Spirit to change what is in our heart. We choose to be different.

But we don’t always want to change. We cling to harbored attitudes – not wanting to forgive one who has wronged us, not willing to change the way we look down on some group as “other,” clinging to the sense that we are right and those who think differently are wrong, persisting in black-and-white, either-or thinking.

We cannot choose to change when we don’t want to change. And so we stay stuck in old ways of thinking and living, unchanged from how the world taught us to think and live. We fail to grow spiritually. We wear the name of Christ without reflecting the spirit of Christ.

As long as this unwillingness to change persists – what scripture calls “a hardness of heart,” we remain stuck spiritually. We live in a condition of prolonged spiritual immaturity (Hebrews 4:12-13).

So how do we grow spiritually when we don’t want to turn loose of these kinds of harbored attitudes? How can the Spirit change us when we don’t want to change?

The Spirit can cleanse this hardness of heart, freeing us to grow spiritually, when we are willing (1) to acknowledge that we don’t want to let go of a particular attitude and (2) to pray “I want to want to.” The Spirit who has the power to cleanse our hearts can help us “to want to.” The Spirit can change our hardness of heart.  

Only when our hearts are cleanse will our behavior — and our lives — change.

Transformed Mind → Cleansed Heart → Changed Behavior = Spiritual Growth

→ Life Transformed into the Likeness of Christ

From - Into - By Means Of

There is no mystery to growing spiritually. Spiritual growth follows a simple pattern: from – into – by means of. We move from an old way, into a new way, by means of a catalyst. 

We find this pattern described in the book of Ephesians: “You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Using the imagery of changing clothes, the writer spoke of putting away or taking off our former way of life – from – and putting on (“clothe yourselves”) the new self – into.

Growing spiritually involves moving from an old way of thinking and living – your former way of life, vs. 22. This old way of thinking and living was how the world trained us to think and live. It was patterned after the ways of the world and lives out of the self-indulgent, what’s-in-it-for-me spirit that permeates human interactions. Growing spiritually involves putting away this old way of thinking and living.

Growing spiritually moves us into a new way of thinking and living. We put on a new self. This new self is shaped by the Spirit, patterned after the character of God and the ways of God. It reflects the servant spirit of Jesus.

The catalyst to this change is being “renewed in the spirit of your minds,” vs 23. Putting off and putting on, moving from and moving into happens by means of learning to think differently. The Spirit guides our thinking, teaching us God’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 2:7-13). We learn to think with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). We are “transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2)

The Spirit orchestrates these experiences of spiritual growth. “All of us … are being transformed … from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit,” 2 Corinthians 3:18. But these growth experiences require our active cooperation with what the Spirit is doing. Progress requires us to consciously choose to embrace what the Spirit is doing in us.

We can derail these experiences of spiritual transformation at two different points.

The first critical point is when the Spirit seeks to teach us a new spiritual truth. A characteristic of our human nature is that we cling to that which is familiar and comfortable, resisting that which is new and different and unfamiliar. We use what we already think to judge any new concept. If it aligns with what we already think, we accept it as true. If it challenges what we believe, we reject it. What the Spirit seeks to teach us challenges how we think and live. We naturally resist it and the change it requires.

The way we overcome this innate resistance is by embracing a teachable spirit that is willing to think, examine, and explore the “new” with which we are confronted rather than automatically rejecting it. If it is authentic spiritual truth, the Spirit will confirm it as aligning with the character of God and the spirit of Christ. That authentication calls us to embrace the new way of thinking as our own.

Embracing the new, Spirit-guided way of thinking brings us to second critical point in the process. As we embrace the spiritual truth the Spirit has taught us, the attitudes of our heart – which govern how we treat others - are revealed. We are then faced with the choice of turning loose of our old attitudes, allowing the new understanding to shape our lives, or stubbornly clinging to them and remaining unchanged.

We see these two challenges in Peter’s experience recorded in Acts 10. The Spirit taught Peter that he was not to call unclean what God had made clean (Acts 10:15, 28). Rather than immediately rejecting this new way of thinking - one that challenged what his religious culture had taught him - he was willing to explore it. The new understanding then challenged Peter’s attitude toward the Gentiles. It called him to change how he viewed the Gentiles (Acts 10:34-35) and how he treated them (Acts 10:44-48). The new, Spirit-guided way of thinking led to embracing a different attitude – a cleansing of the heart. The transformed mind led to a cleansed heart. The transformed mind and cleansed heart resulted in a change in how Peter related to the Gentiles.

Peter moved from an old way of thinking about and treating Gentiles into a new way of thinking and relating to them by means of a new, Spirit-taught way of thinking. He put off a part of his old self - an attitude that his religious culture had taught him - and put on that which reflected the ways of Jesus.

This Spirit-designed, Spirit-orchestrated pattern is the means by which our lives are transformed into the likeness of Christ. And it begins with the renewing of the mind – learning to think under the guidance of the Spirit, with the wisdom of God, and the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:7-16). 

Walking in the Spirit: An Overview

Since Pentecost, these blog posts have dealt with the work and ministry of the Spirit, based upon references to the Spirit in the New Testament. This blog — the final one in this series — provides a summary of the Spirit’s work.

The Spirit works to make God’s salvation — the transformation of our hearts and minds, conforming us to the image of Jesus — a reality in our lives.

The Spirit draws us to God, leading us to open our lives to God — what John’s gospel calls being born again, from above.

The Spirit teaches us the ways of God that Jesus taught, leading us into deeper spiritual understanding of God and God’s ways.

The things of God the Spirit teaches us nurtures within us a freedom in our relationship with God — what Paul called the spirit of adoption. We learn to trust and rest in God’s grace and forgiveness.

The things of God the Spirit teaches us produces a transformation in how we think — what Paul called the renewing of our minds. We learn to think with the wisdom of God and the mind of Christ.

The things of God the Spirit teaches us confronts the deeply engrained attitudes and spirit out of which we live. The attitudes and spirit out of which we live are dimensions of the interior realm — the heart. In calling us to deal with these attitudes and spirit, the Spirit is cleansing our heart so that our hearts and minds are transformed by the Spirit’s work.

The Spirit moves us beyond the anxiety and fear, negativity and angst which are a part of our default nature, empowering us to live out of a spirit of inner peace and joy.

Through this transformation of our hearts and minds, the Spirit empowers us to love as Jesus loved and to love those Jesus loved.

As the Spirit transforms our hearts and minds, empowering us to love as Jesus loved, how we view and treat others changes. We no longer view differences (diversity) as a threat. Understanding that we are all one in Christ, the Spirit empowers us to embrace one another as brothers and sisters. We are all beloved children of God.

As the Spirit transforms our hearts and minds, empowering us to love as Jesus loved, we use our gifts, abilities, knowledge, life experiences, and material-financial resources on behalf of others. We live out of a servant spirit, seeking to make a difference in the life of another in the name of Jesus.

The Spirit empowers us to live in unity within spiritual community as the body of Christ and the temple in which God dwells on earth.

The Spirit empowers us to do what we cannot do in our own strength.

Through the Spirit’s transforming work, we become a new creation. Christ lives in us and through us.

The Spirit is God’s guarantee — earnest money — that all of that of this will become a reality before God is through with us.

Our role is to walk in the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit as the Spirit leads us.

 

A Better Way

 Unity in diversity is only possible when we love as Jesus loved … and that’s the work of the Spirit.

That’s what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 — the love chapter. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul taught about the vital role of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. After summarizing his thoughts (1 Corinthians 12:27-31a), he said there was something more important than spiritual gifts. That something more was love — loving as Jesus loved. Spiritual gifts were hollow and empty unless they were used in love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

Spiritual gifts are a dimension of our personality, set free by the Spirit. Love is an expression of character, made possible by the transforming work of the Spirit.

Love lies at the heart of God’s character (1 John 4:8). Steadfast, faithful love is the governing dimension of the heart of God (Exodus 4:6-7).

The Spirit is at work, transforming our hearts and minds, so that love becomes the defining quality of our character. The Spirit is recreating us in the image of God, in the likeness of Christ. The Spirit is developing a servant spirit within us.

Paul is clear that love is expressed in how we relate to others. Love — read “the Spirit” — moves us beyond us-them, better than-less than attitudes (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). As we grow spiritually — again, the work of the Spirit — we are set free from our ego-centric, what’s-in-it-for-me nature. We are set free to use our gifts and abilities along with our passions to serve others.

Paul’s teaching about spiritual gifts and about love was the foundation for his teaching about how the gift of speaking in tongues was being used — abused — in Corinth, causing strife and division.

Paul called the Corinthians — and us — to “pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1). We are to actively pursue growing spiritually while seeking to use our gifts in ministry to others. Both are the work of the Spirit!

The Gifts of the Spirit

 The first characteristic of Spirit-empowered spiritual community is unity. The second is diversity. Unity is experienced in the midst of diversity.

Diversity speaks of how we are different. The New Testament writers spoke of two expressions of diversity: (1) differences in abilities or gifts (1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:7-16, 1 Peter 4:10-11) and (2) differences in ethnicity and social standing (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27-28; Colossians 3:11). In spiritual communities, the Spirit transcends and transforms differences. Rather than being a hindrance to unity, Spirit-guided diversity contributes to the strength, health, and functioning of spiritual community while oneness in Christ overcomes social differences (ethnicity and social standing).

Our default nature seeks oneness in sameness — everyone being alike, everyone in agreement. Sameness is not the same thing as unity nor does it produce unity. Ironically, sameness sets the stage for conflict. Whenever someone in a sameness-based group dares to be different or to hold a different opinion, conflict is born. Unity is only possible in the midst of diversity.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul spoke about the diversity of gifts (abilities) in the church. He spoke of gifts as manifestations of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7) — evidence of the Spirit working in the life of each individual. These gifts or abilities are given by the Spirit to each one in the body of Christ. I understand the gifts to be dimensions of one’s deep personality that are released as we grow in Christ. Though the gifts differ significantly, each is given by the Spirit. The purpose of the gifts is “the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7) — to benefit the community, its life, and its work.

Paul spoke of the importance of these gifts by equating them to the different parts of the human body (1Corinthains 12:12-27). Just as the different parts of the body are what allow the body to function healthily, so the gifts are what enable the church as the body of Christ to function, doing the work of God. The gifts are interrelated and interdependent (1 Corinthians 12:14-31). Each part of the body or gift has something of value to contribute to the body’s functioning. The loss of any gift leaves the body crippled, the community impoverished, and one other diminished.

To underscore the interrelated and interdependent nature of the gifts, Paul identified two attitudes that undermine the functioning of the body and the health of the community (1 Corinthians 12:14-26). The first attitude Paul identified was the attitude of insignificance (verses 15-16). When I live out of this attitude, I discount what I have to offer. This attitude is generally created and sustained by comparing myself to another, particularly to what the other can do but I can’t. This kind of focus on what the other can do causes me to overlook and, thereby, discount what I can do. “If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body” (vs. 15). The second attitude was the attitude of arrogance (vs. 21). When I live out of an attitude of arrogance, I discount what the other has to offer. I live as though I do not need the other or what the other contributes to the body. I live as though I am self-sufficient, needing no one else. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you’” (vs. 21). Both attitudes cripple the body and undermine its unity.

In order for the body to function in a healthy manner, two different attitudes are necessary. One is the attitude of confident humility. Confident means I know my gifts, my passions, and my experience. I know what I have to offer others. Confident is the opposite of the attitude of insignificance. Humility recognizes that anything I have to offer was first given to me as a gift of grace by the Spirit. The gifts I have to offer do not make me better than others. Rather, they provide me something to offer others in love. Humility is the opposite of the attitude of arrogance. The second attitude that contributes to the life of the community and the health of the body is an attitude of mutual respect. This attitude recognizes and values the gifts the other has to offer. Confident humility and mutual respect are the pathway to grateful interdependence on one another. They allow us to give freely and gratefully receive.

Diversity is found in all of life. It is God’s design and God’s creation. It is God’s gift, given to enrich life. Diversity is an essential part of spiritual community.