Seems like everyone is talking about spiritual formation. But what is it exactly?
In this two-minute explainer episode, Dr. Geoff Holsclaw dives into the realm of spiritual formation, and how it is a "process of being conformed to the image of Christ, within the community and trajectory of Christ, for the sake of others.
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Geoff Holsclaw:
What is spiritual formation? Robert Mulholland says that spiritual formation is a process of being formed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. Now I want to change this just a little bit into something like this It is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ within the community of Christ and the trajectory of Christ for the sake of others. So let's unpack that. First, a process All transformational, all growth is a process. It's a process that happens and fits and starts, sometimes hidden and sometimes invisible.
Geoff Holsclaw:
Being conformed. We don't form ourselves. We receive who we are from God and what we are becoming comes from God, to the image of Christ. This is not the destruction of our humanity, even if it feels like that at the beginning, but rather we're slowly being conformed in the image of Christ so that the fullness of life can come and extinguish death in and around us. And this happens through the community of Christ.
Geoff Holsclaw:
Being conformed to Christ, being formed with or formed together, happens with other people. This is the broader we that helps me make me who I am. It is our embedded relationships. Then there is the trajectory of Christ. This is the Old and New Testament that are pointing to Christ in different ways, as well as the history and doctrine of the church, it is our extended lives within the culture of the church And, lastly, for the sake of others. This is the completion of God's love in us, overflowing for love of others, for neighbors and even for enemies. And because spiritual formation isn't just spiritual but it is relational and embodied. It learns not just from biblical, theological or pastoral resources, but also the best resources of relational neuroscience.