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ReVision

Define (Dynamics of the Spiritual Life, Part 1)

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 1 Corinthians 15.47, 48

A spiritual life

Of course, every Christian will assent to the idea that the Christian life is, in the first instance, a spiritual life.

That is, believing in Jesus engages human beings, beginning in their spirits, in a new and lively way with God, Who is a most pure Spirit.

In Jesus Christ our spirits, or our souls, are renewed; the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell within us; and we are transferred to a spiritual Kingdom, a realm not of this world which unfolds for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit in and through our lives (Col. 1.13; Rom. 14.17, 18).

Yet while most Christians will affirm that the Christian life is a spiritual life, far too few of us actually understand or experience the spiritual life to which we have been called in Jesus. Nor do many of us practice the dynamics that make the Christian life full, abundant, and fruitful with blessings for ourselves and others.

Yet unless we grasp and practice these dynamics, we will never be able to enjoy the full power and benefit of following Jesus.

Define, depend, demonstrate

We can summarize these dynamics under a series of heads, each of which overlaps with the others. The first of these headings is simply define.

Before we can live the spiritual life, we need to define it, to understand the broad scope and full detail of what we have received and what we are called to in Jesus Christ. And, since our spiritual life is eternally greater than anything we could ever imagine, we will need to continue enlarging our definition of the life of faith as our understanding and experience grow.

The spiritual life is simply that – life oriented toward, sustained by, experienced within, and expressive of an unseen realm where Jesus Christ reigns as King and Lord. The spiritual life means practicing the Kingship of Jesus.

In the first place, the spiritual life is oriented toward Jesus and the unseen realm. We are called to “set our minds” on things that are above, to make Christ in His glory, exalted at the Father’s right hand, and all the other features and creatures of the unseen realm, the continuous North Star for our daily journeys (Col. 3.1-3; Heb. 11.1).

Under the second heading of the dynamics of the spiritual life, we acknowledge our completedependence on spiritual truths and spiritual realities, even to sustain us within the physical world in which we live our spiritual calling from the Lord.

This means that spiritual disciplines, an other-worldly orientation, and the filling of God’s Spirit become more important to us even than our physical needs or our temporal possessions and concerns (Job 23.12; Jer. 15.16). If we do not attend to the disciplines and vision that sustain and grow our spiritual lives, we will never know the fullness and abundance which we have received in Jesus Christ.

The final heading under which the dynamics of the spiritual life may be organized is demonstration. The spiritual life is not just something to talk about with other believers. Believers demonstrate the reality of their spiritual renewal through the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit, the tokens of love, power for witness, mutually-enriching lives in community, a commitment to holiness in obedience to God’s Law, and reconciling all things in culture and creation to God and for His glory.

It’s all Jesus

We thus define the spiritual life in terms of Christ exalted as our focus, Christ indwelling as our sustaining power, Christ at work in and through us as the outcome of our discipleship, and Christ returning as the hope which sustains us through the trials and vicissitudes of life.

True spiritual life, in other words, is all about Jesus Christ. This is how the believer defines what has happened in his life as a result of the redeeming and saving work of the Lord. He has come to Jesus, received Jesus, been seated with Jesus in heavenly places, is commissioned and sent by Jesus, indwelled by Jesus, is being transformed into the very image of Jesus, and lives to bring all of life under the rule of King Jesus.

This simple definition will grow and expand as our experience of the spiritual life grows, and we will discover, as it does, that we can never exhaust the beauty, never fathom the full power, never achieve the whole vision, and never express the full glory of the transforming reality of Jesus Christ above, in, and through our lives.

Next steps

When and how did you enter into this spiritual life in Christ? Share your story with a Christian friend, and invite him or her to share as well.

Additional Resources

Download this week’s study, Dynamics of the Spirtual Life.

Sign up for ViewPoint Leaders Training and start your own ViewPoint discussion group.

The spiritual life begins and ends in the vision of Christ. T. M.’s book, Be Thou My Vision, provides a helpful series of meditations on the Lord in glory. It’s available by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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