Definitions:
spir-i-tu-al:(adjective)
1: of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit: incorporeal
2: of or relating to sacred matters <spiritual songs>
3: concerned with religious values
1 the state of a religious< a nun in her 20th year of religion>
(a): the service and worship of God or the supernatural
(b): commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
How many times have you been involved in conversations concerning Christ, salvation, or church; and someone makes the statement that“: I’m very spiritual”… or…”I’m very religious”…
Please forgive my naivety, but I’ve never really quite understood what those two statements meant. My theory is that when a person makes those kind of statements it refers to either their lack of commitment or refusal to commit to Christ.
The problem is that too many of us, both in church and outside of church think that Christ is looking for their “religious”side. However, allow me to point out that a great many things are tied-up in the name of religion, for example:
·He washes his car religiously
·She goes to the beauty salon religiously
·He watches every game and supports that team religiously
“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:26-27 (NLT)
Truthfully speaking, God isn’t looking for you to be religious
To be spiritual as it pertains to this modern culture is one individual’s idea of what they consider to be good enough for God. In other words, 95% of their life is concentrated on their wants and desires, and the remaining 5% is their hand-out to God who unselfishly sacrificed the life of his own son as a ransom for those whom he created. “Self-Justification”
In order to appreciate what Christian spirituality is, we must first clarify what it is not. Christian spirituality is not a gnostic renunciation of the created world, nor the Platonic flight of the soul from the body. The world is the object of God's love (John 3:16), and we are to glorify God in our bodies (Ref. Romans 12:1; 1st Corinthians 6:19-20).Furthermore, such attitudes fly in the face of appropriating the Christian doctrine of the creation and the incarnation. Spirituality must be practiced inthis world, which God made good (Mark 7:19) and which God is in the process of redeeming (Ref. Romans 8:18-25). As in the Old Testament, spirituality does not imply that one is to flee this world to find God, but that one must find God and grow in grace in this world, even discovering avenues (i.e., spiritual disciplines) in and through the physical realm for spiritual growth.
Christian spirituality begins with our redemption in Christ. We are baptized into Christ: We die to sin and the "old man" and we are made alive to God as a new creation (Ref. Romans 6:3-11; 2nd Corinthians 5:17). True spirituality, then, is not a human self-help program or a means of justifying ourselves (Ref. Galatians 2:15-21).It begins with a divine call, rebirth, and conversion (Ref. John 3:3-8; Acts 2:38-39) wherein we admit we are helpless to help ourselves in our bondage to sin and enmity with God (Ref. Romans 5:6-11).
With this foundation clearly in mind, Christian spirituality has to do primarily with sanctification. It requires divine grace (first and always) and deliberate human cooperation. It is neither a passive quietism nor a triumphalist activism. (This combination is epitomized by Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:10). So, spirituality has to do with holiness, which is the restoration of the human person to what he or she was created to be. One could say that holiness involves the recovery of wholeness—the integrity of our lives as they are being restored by the Spirit.
This is a process, depicted by several metaphors in Scripture. We are to be trees whose roots are firmly established in Christ planted by streams of nurturing water (Ref. Ephesians 3:17). We are people of "the Way"—sojourners on a journey (Ref. Acts 9:2; 1st Peter 2:11). We are "born again" and meant to grow from infancy to adulthood, sustained on a diet of rich spiritual food (Ref. John 3:3; Hebrew 5:12-14).
The goal of the process is to be renewed in holiness, righteousness, and knowledge after the likeness of God (Ref. Ephesians 4:24; Col 3:10), or, what is the same thing, to become more like Jesus Christ by whose stature our maturity is measured (Ref. Ephesians 4:13-16).
In a nutshell, God is looking for relationship that leads to intimacy with his children; not a sexual thing, but a relationship that’s so personal we seek him for answers to our many questions, we study him through his word in order to become better acquainted with him in holiness and righteousness, we communicate with him through our prayer life, we worship him in the beauty of holiness, and we praise him for who he is as opposed to what he’s done.
“But as many as receivedhim, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12
Spirituality, Religion, Relationship….
Of these three, I choose to have relationship with my Savior and Lord; how about you?
Foote Notes:
Reference
Internet: BibleGateway.com, StudyLight.com
Scripture: King James Version, and New Living Translation
Definitions: Webster's Dictionary
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