Nearly two decades ago I wrote an article entitled “When is spiritual spirituality spiritual?Reflections on some defining problems. ” Here I would like to discuss one aspect of this topic.
We must remember the broader structure of the discussion. Spiritual? And? Spirituality?They have become notoriously indistinct words. In common use, they almost always have positive connotations, but their meaning rarely falls within the realm of biblical use. Do people think they are spiritual? Because they have certain aesthetic sensitivities, or because they feel a kind of mystical connection to nature, or because they adopt a very personalized version of one of the many religions (but “religion” is usually a word with negative connotations, while “spirituality” has positive connotations).
- However.
- Under the new covenant.
- The only one? Spiritual? it is he who has the Holy Spirit poured out on regenerating individuals.
- Is the alternative.
- In Paulo’s terminology.
- To be “natural”? ? only human? and not? spiritual? (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- For the Christian whose vocabulary and concepts on this subject are shaped by Scripture.
- Only the Christian is spiritual.
- And.
- In an obvious measure.
- Christians who manifest Christian virtues are spiritual.
- Because those virtues are the fruit of the Spirit.
- Those who are children in Christ? (1 Cor 3.
- 1).
- If they are really in Christ.
- They are spiritual.
- Because they are indwelt by the Spirit.
- But their life can leave much to be desired.
- Despite this.
- The New Testament does not conceive of immature Christians as unspiritual.
- As if the category? Spiritual? be reserved only for the most mature.
- The elite of the chosen.
- This is a very common mistake in the spiritual tradition of the Roman Catholic Church.
- In this.
- Spiritual life and spiritual traditions are often linked to believers who want to go beyond the ordinary.
- Is? Spiritual? it is often associated with asceticism and sometimes mysticism.
- With the orders of nuns and monks.
- And with a variety of techniques that go beyond the common Christian.
Due to the widespread use of “spiritual” family words, far beyond the New Testament, the language of “spiritual disciplines”. It has also spread in areas that tend to interest gospel lovers. Today, spiritual disciplines can include Bible reading, meditation, worship, giving money, fasting, loneliness, brotherhood, charities, evangelism, alms, creative care, newspaper writing, missionary work, and more. This may include vows of celibacy, self-flagellation, and mantra songs. In popular use, some of these supposed spiritual disciplines are completely separate from any specific doctrine, Christian or not. It’s just a matter of technique. That is why sometimes people say: “As for your doctrine, participate, by all means, in the evangelical denominations. But when it comes to spiritual disciplines, do you resort to Catholicism or perhaps Buddhism?What is universally accepted by the term spiritual discipline?Is it that these disciplines aim to increase our spirituality.
However, in the light of the Christian perspective, it is not possible for a person to increase his spirituality without possessing the Holy Spirit and submit to his transformative instruction and power. Techniques are never neutral. They are always loaded with theological assumptions, often unrecognized.
How should we evaluate this popular approach to spiritual disciplines?What should we think of spiritual disciplines and their connection to scripture-defined spirituality?Some introductory reflections:
(1) The search for God’s direct and mystical knowledge is not sanctioned by the scriptures; It is also dangerous in many ways. It does not matter that this research is carried out, for example, in Buddhism (although educated Buddhists probably do not speak of “direct and mystical knowledge of God”. The last two words may have to be omitted) or in the Catholic tradition, in Julien’s manner none of these examples recognize that our access to knowledge of the living God is mediated exclusively by Christ, whose death and resurrection reconcile us with the living God. The direct and mystical knowledge of God is to proclaim that the person of Christ and his sacrificial work on our behalf are not necessary for the knowledge of God. Unfortunately, it’s easy for someone to revel in mystical, pleasurable and stimulating experiences in themselves. without knowing the regenerating power of God, based on the work of christ’s cross.
(2) We must ask ourselves what guarantees us to include an item in a list of spiritual disciplines. For Christians who have a certain sense of the regulating role of scripture, nothing can certainly be considered a spiritual discipline if it is not mentioned. in the New Testament. This excludes not only self-harm, but also care for creation. Without a doubt, the latter is a good thing; it is part of our responsibility as stewards of God’s creation, but is it difficult to think of a biblical basis for us to understand this activity as a spiritual discipline?that is, a discipline that increases our spirituality. The Bible talks a lot about the prayer and maintenance of God’s Word in our hearts, but it says very little about the concern for the creation and singing of mantras.
(3) Some of the things on the list are a little ambiguous. On the one hand, the Bible says nothing about writing newspapers; on the other hand, it can simply be a convenient designation to refer to a careful examination of itself, contrition, meditative reading of the Bible, and sincere prayer. And the habit of keeping records in a newspaper to encourage these four activities cannot be dismissed in the same way that we must reject self-harm.
The apostle said that celibacy is an excellent thing, if the person has the gift (marriage and celibacy are called charisma?”Gifts of Grace”) and celibacy contributes to an improved ministry (1:7). no suggestion that celibacy is an inherently more holy state; and under the new pact, there is nothing to authorize the retreat of monasteries of nuns or single monks who have physically separated from the world to become more spiritual. Meditation is not an intrinsic good. Much of meditation depends on the person’s own concentration, is the focus an imaginary dark spot on a sheet of white paper, or is it the law of the Lord (Ps 1:2)?
(4) Even the spiritual disciplines that all would recognize as such should not be misunderstood or abused. The expression itself is potentially misleading: spiritual discipline, as if there is something intrinsic to self-control and the imposition of self-discipline that qualifies someone for This hypothesis and these mental associations can only lead to arrogance, which is worse, often leading to the habit of judging others as inferior, others may not be as spiritual as I am , because I am so disciplined that time for prayer or a good Bible reading program. But the truly transformative element is not the discipline itself, but the value of the task accomplished: the value of prayer, the value of reading the Word of God.
(5) It is not useful to make a varied list of Christian responsibilities and label them as spiritual disciplines; this seems to be the argument behind theology introduced inappropriately, for example, when dealing with creation and alms. In the same logic, if motivated by Christian kindness, the back of a woman with a stiff neck and swollen shoulder is massaged, this back massage becomes a spiritual discipline. In this same logic, Christian obedience is a spiritual discipline, that is, it makes us more spiritual.
Using the category of spiritual disciplines in this way has two unfortunate consequences: first, if each instance of obedience is a spiritual discipline, there is nothing special in the means of grace, ordained and strongly emphasized in the scriptures, such as prayer, serious reading. and meditation on the Word of God. Secondly, this way of thinking about spiritual disciplines subtly leads us to think that the growth of spirituality is a function of nothing else conforming to the requirements of many rules, of much obedience. Christian maturity does not manifest itself where there is no obedience, but there is also a great emphasis on growth in love, trust, understanding the ways of the living God, in the work of the Spirit to fill us and give us power. .
(6) For these reasons, it seems appropriate to restrict the designation of “spiritual disciplines” to these activities prescribed in the Bible, which are explicitly declared as a means of increasing our sanctification, our conformity with Christ, our spiritual maturation. On January 17, when Jesus begged his Father to sanctify his disciples with the truth, he added, “Your word is the truth. “Isn’t it surprising that the believers have called her for a long time?Modes of grace, things like studying the truth of the gospel. Free media? It is a pleasant expression less susceptible to misunderstandings than “spiritual disciplines”.