True Spiritual formation should transform us into the image of Christ. The more we are transformed into His image, the less conformity we have to the world.
Endgame = Image of Christ
This does not happen automatically; it is a process.
In Second Corinthians Paul states, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Before we continue in this vein, we must first turn back to the Book of Genesis for the root of the problem.
In the Beginning…
Adam and Eve were created in His image, however, sin entered the world and that image was marred.
The first sin caused spiritual death and a great chasm was fixed between man and God.
Humankind now needed redemption to restore the image.
God gave His people the ten commandments and, in addition, created a system whereby His people could offer sacrifice for the atonement of their sin.
Israel found out repeatedly that they did not possess the wherewithal to fully follow the law. It was too difficult.
They needed a Savior to bridge that great divide. They needed a Savior to restore the image.
After much struggle, God provided the final sacrifice.
God’s Eternal Remedy
Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified, buried, and then resurrected. He became the final sacrifice that would atone for the sins of all who believe in Him.
He came to the world, not to condemn it, but that it might be saved through Him (John 3:17). He then left us the Promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, to help us through this life (Acts 1:8).
That same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us, giving us life and liberty (Romans 8:11). It is by His Spirit that we are being sanctified and by His Spirit that we are being transformed into the image of Christ.
We are now part of the body of Christ. We are in Him and He is in us, through His Spirit.
In John 15, Jesus paints a beautiful picture describing our newfound relationship with Him. We are branches attached to the one True Wine. We have been grafted into the Wine. We, now, through the Spirit, abide in the Vine. There are many branches, but only one vine.
Connections Provide Growth
In Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age, it stated that “Our connection to Jesus, which he likened to vine and branches growing in a vineyard, makes possible our connections to other Christians. These spiritual connections serve as interactive conduits for the exchange of spiritual nutrients and resources that lead to mutual growth and maturity.”1
Wow! Not only are we connected to Him, but we are connected to all the other branches that are abiding in the one vine. As believers, we are connected first to Christ and then to one another.
As Christ provides us with spiritual nutrients for growth and maturity, we, in turn, become “conduits” to pass on these nutrients to our fellow branches.
Growth Leads to Transformation
Paul told us in Romans 12, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2, NKJV).
Make no mistake, we are justified and the work is finished, however, we are still in this earthly tent. We are still walking the pilgrim’s pathway.
We need to be continually transformed, spiritually formed into His image. For what reason?
To prove what is the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Jesus summed up all the law and prophets into two commandments. Therefore, spiritual formation boils down to the greatest commandments.
Two Keys for Transformation
First, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).”
It all starts here. If we get this wrong, we are doomed. But how do we love Him in this manner?
Just like in the garden, He desires to commune with us. He wants to spend time with us. He wants to speak with us. We need to cultivate this relationship through continual prayer. We need to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). He will meet us and speak to us through prayer.
He also speaks to us through His Word. We need to meditate upon it day and night (Joshua 1:8). We will not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from his mouth (Matthew 4:4). We need not starve spiritually, when the Word is so accessible.
Clear the dust off your Bible and make reading it a daily discipline.
Second, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Only after we love in the vertical, can we love in the horizontal. We must first be grafted into the vine before we can connect with our brothers and sisters.
That same Spirit that flows through the Vine, flows through each one of us. By one Spirit, the body of Christ is held together as one organic spiritual, unit. All parts are working together, with Christ as the head.
We help spiritually form each through this connection by not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:24-25). We continue to edify each other through different giftings. Pastors, teachers, evangelist, prophets, and apostles all have their place in edifying the members of the body (Ephesians 4:11-12).
When abiding in the Vine, we begin to produce the fruit of the Spirit, thereby shining forth His glory and further edifying our fellow members with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Conclusion
Notice how everything in the Bible hangs upon these two commandments. The rest of the commandments depend on these two instructions; the entire content of the law; the content of the prophets and everything they prophesied about; the entire New Testament. Even through eternity. If we had to sum up the Bible’s instructions, these two are it.
The entire content of the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and all twenty-seven books of the NT are summed up in two sentences. Out of all the instructions given, we should be able to relate them back to these two commandments. Love God and love your neighbor.
We are spiritually formed by following these two instructions.
In one sense so simple, yet in another, unfathomable depth.
Reference
1-Stephen D. Lowe and Mary E. Lowe, Ecologies of Faith in a Digital Age: Spiritual Growth through Online Education (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018), 5.
Dan Buteau has been married for the last 33 years and is a father of four adult children. He is also a grandfather to five children. He serves as a Pastor at a church in southern Maine. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Math Studies from Granite State University and he is currently a Master’s of Theology student at Liberty University. In addition, Dan served in the United States Marine Corps for four years and is retired from a 25-year career in law enforcement. He has a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and is continuing to obey the calling of his Savior, Jesus Christ, as he carries out the Great Commission.
