What is Spiritual Formation?

One can conclude from scripture, experience in the world, and from the writings of Westerhoff that spiritual formation is actually the maturing of the human spirit by being made complete according to God's work and man's non-resistance to that work. Although human effort may be imposed, the result is that God himself develops man according to God's own plan. Overall, one can also conclude that through spiritual formation man develops affection for God.

Biblical Instruction

Genesis 1:2 shows the first reference to the term Spirit in the Bible, and the term is the Hebrew language is, "ruwach." The fact that God used dust and breathed into that dust in Genesis 2:7 to create man showed the imparting of the Spirit of man from God; moreover, this is especially the case because ruwach also literally means spirit or breath. The point is that God gave man his spirit, and it was God that developed the dirt and the breath to form what he wanted out of the earth to make man. Overall, man did not make man or form man, but instead God made man and developed the spirit of man according to God's own design.

In the Ancient Greek language the term, "teleios" is used to describe a type of completeness or perfection that is arrived at; moreover, amazingly 1 Corinthians 2:6 often translates the term as, "mature." A point to be made is that the good work that Christ has begun in a person will be worked to completion according to Philippians 1:6. The greater point thus is that spiritual formation is something that occurs by the work of God alone. Even though this is the case, 2 Timothy 1:6 however instructs believers to fan into flames the gift given from the laying on of hands, and in this way the Holy Ghost is given as a deposit and is encouraged to be multiplied or invested like talents.

If a person is not born again, then God will work that person into maternity according to the nature of Adam. If however a person is born of the new nature, then God will also work this person into maturity as well. 2 Peter 1:3-8 however urges believers that even though we have the promises of God (having been called by his glory) and can escape the corruption of the world, believers should still make every effort to sum together godly qualities in order to ensure that the knowledge of God is made productive.

The Bible makes clear that the human spirit develops according to God's will, purpose, and plan, but if a person can, "will the will of God" then that multiples God's work in the elect. Jeremiah 18:4 gives an example of a potter that was making a pot as the clay became marred, and the point that the scripture makes is that God can transform a person into something else other than what they originally had been intended for if they resist their own spiritual formation. Overall, the subject of the will of God and our interaction with that will determines the shape of the individual, but one must not assume that God will willfully escape the result that his foreknowledge dictates according to his sovereignty.

Personal Experience

At one time I worked intensively with a Messianic Jewish Rabbi for about six hours a day for about two days a week while we studied the scripture. We had both been amazed at all the development of faith that we had obtained regarding the understanding and belief of seeing Jesus Christ in the Hebrew scripture, and he sincerely believed that Jesus Christ was truly divine. One day the man was reflecting upon the greatness of the revelation of scripture that was being obtained, and he remarked that Christians did not obtain the same closeness with God because in his views they drank the blood of the Babylonian prostitute of Revelation. Hearing the offence that the man made against the church, and being a ambassador of Christ, I instantly handed him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh in order that the soul may be saved (See 1 Corinthians 5:5).

By the Messianic Jewish Rabbi slandering the church that one time, we never again met to study the scripture even though we had met together for years. Since this happened he continued to read my online publications for a total of five years before he came to me and repented. As a result of the incident in his life and others, the man quit or denounced his leadership position as a Messianic Jewish Rabbi (I did not ask him to).

The point is that the spiritual formation in my life after having handed the Messianic Jewish Rabbi over to Satan took one course while his took almost the opposite course. People should thus yield to God and his institutions for the sake of their spiritual formation because otherwise they will not be formed into a pot of noble purposes by the potter. Overall, the Messianic Jewish Rabbi wasted five years of his life before his spirit could be positively formed again by God.

Insights From Westerhoff

Westerhoff makes a point that people cannot love God except in response to God's love for us. (Westerhoff, 1) He also gives an example of three different types of friendship to describe how different levels of friendship exist as the worst involve a person being a friend just for one's own pleasure and the best involves mutual love. (Westerhoff, 5-6) Parallel to the idea of a friend that only cares about themselves is the example that Westerhoff gives of God eventually, "…saying to us, 'you have manipulated this relationship long enough'" and then pulling the plug for a time. (Westerhoff, 12)

Even more to the point is that just like the three levels of friendship, Westerhoff shows Saint Teresa describing three levels of a person's prayer life, and the highest is a union with God. (See Westerhoff, 12-13) In the end the spirit is made perfect. (Westerhoff, 13) Thus, in this same tone Westerhoff identifies that people need to pray the scripture. (Westerhoff, 24)

The point to be made is that upon reflection of Westerhoff's work what can be seen is that God wants people to develop a genuine love for him. God uses a system of 1) meeting needs, 2) leaving, and 3) returning when a person cries out to him for his genuine love. Overall, the process of spiritual development for Westerhoff is like growing a person's spirit in developmental stages.

Conclusion

God does what he chooses to do with people, and once a person surrenders to his choices they become ahead of the spiritual formation process. What can be concluded is that in the various stages of development God provides a avenue for the individual to develop by their own will to do God's will through prayer, but as a person develops, God will withdraw himself until the individual seeks God and cries out for reliance upon him. Overall, once God reestablishes his relationship to man after having withdrawn himself, then that relationship is much more intimate and greater than what it would otherwise be.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Westerhoff, John. Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.