Our Quest to Be Spiritual
By Mark Larson
www.cvillechurch.com
Now, more than ever before in our country, there is a desire to be “spiritual.” While the interest in churches or organized religion is in decline, the pursuit of spirituality has become ever more popular. So popular in fact, that spirituality has become recognized by society as a legitimate need to be met for our complete happiness. In the past, if one spoke openly about their need to be spiritual, they could expect ridicule and accusations of being strange, odd, or radical. Today, there is acceptance and mutual respect of each person’s quest to be spiritual.
Many Look to Our Religious Diversity for Answers
Religion in America has changed dramatically in the last thirty years. The change in laws of immigration has opened the door to make it much easier to come to our country and become a resident. This change in law not only resulted in millions of new residents, but also “new” religions that have been brought to America by the people of other nations.
America, which was once a solely “Judeo-Christian” nation, has now become the most religiously diverse nation in the world, which now includes Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism.
Such great religious diversity has been seen by our youth as very appealing. In the search for “true spirituality,” many people are now turning to other religions for help. Instead of the Bible as their guide, many now believe that spirituality can be achieved in different ways through most any religious method or means. The prevailing attitude is: “What can I learn from each religion to enhance by spiritual life even more?”
There Are Many Different Ideas of Spirituality.
The majority of Americans associate spirituality with religion. However, there are a growing number of people who believe spirituality has very little to do with organized religion. For them, being spiritual is highly individualistic and personal. Each person decides for himself what is spiritual and thus defines it according to one’s own personal desires, feelings, and experiences. This is why New Age and Existentialism has become more popular in recent years or why books or magazines on the topic of spirituality have received more fanfare. The common belief now is: “Whatever feels good is spiritual!”
Let’s not Forget Our Spirit in the Word Spiritual!
In all of the talk about spirituality, it is a wonder how people often lose sight of their own spirit! To best understand spirituality, we need to remember our spirits as given to us by God (Prov. 20:27; Eccl. 12:7). Everyone has not only a body, but also a soul and a spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). The soul represents life (Gen. 2:7), but the spirit is much more. The spirit is that limited expression of God Himself. The spirit each person has is in a likeness image of the Creator (Gen 1:26-27). Simply put: To be spiritual is to be like God! Hence, a person who is spiritual is a person who submits his or her spirit unto God. Spirituality by each person will be seen as he or she walks by the Spirit and obeys God’s word as revealed in the Bible. This will result in the development of the spirit to the glory of God, the bearing of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 22-25).
Why Choose Christ as the Way to Be Spiritual Over Others?
Why should the way of Christ be given first consideration? After all, there are so many religions we can now choose from in America, so many paths or methods toward “spirituality” offered that it may seem almost absurd or ridiculous to restrict ourselves to just one religion. What compelling reasons do we have that should motivate us to choose Christ over any other way to be spiritual?
Jesus’ Claim to Be God Is Backed Up by Historical Evidence (Heb. 11:1).
No other religion in the world has the historical evidence Christianity does to support its claims in spiritual matters. Why believe Jesus over, for example, Muhammad, Buddha, or Guru Nanak on what it means to be spiritual? Because only Jesus has proved to the world that He was God. After Jesus was crucified, he was raised from the dead by the power of God (Rom. 1:4). This historical fact is supported by the eye-witness testimony of the apostles (Acts 2:32; 3:14-15; 5:29-32; etc.) who pass the test as credible witnesses in every way (1 John 1:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:1-8; 30-32; Luke 1:1-4 – i.e., accuracy).
Spirituality Is Possible by Grace Through Faith, not by Personal Merit.
Christianity is unique from every other religion in the world in that it is the only one that offers spirituality and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). Other religions, each to a certain degree, have a meritorious system in which a person must achieve spirituality by one’s own personal efforts or earn salvation through personal merit. In contrast, spiritual life and salvation is made possible by Jesus and His atoning blood of the cross (Eph. 1:7; Rom. 6:3-11). In Christ, it is possible to be wise, righteous, holy, redeemed, and thus spiritual with no room to boast in ourselves (1 Cor. 1:30-31). By a living (obedient) faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1; cf. James 2:24, 26), a person can receive eternal salvation as a free gift, otherwise impossible to earn (Rom. 6:23; 3:23).
Spirituality in Christ Is Clearly Defined by God’s Spiritual Law.
Instead of basing spirituality on our feelings, which are unreliable (Prov. 14:12), or strictly on the basis of individual opinion, which is highly subjective, true spirituality can be learned by God’s spiritual law. “The law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14), therefore “the law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21) is spiritual. Thus, when we apply His law, as revealed in the New Testament, to our lives, we can discover what it means to be spiritual!
To truly “live in the spirit” (1 Pet. 4:6), only the gospel will do, which has the power to save us from our sins (Rom. 1:16). When we follow God’s spiritual law, we can live the kind of life we were meant to live (Eph. 2:10), as people who were made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and enjoy all the spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3).
www.cvillechurch.com
Now, more than ever before in our country, there is a desire to be “spiritual.” While the interest in churches or organized religion is in decline, the pursuit of spirituality has become ever more popular. So popular in fact, that spirituality has become recognized by society as a legitimate need to be met for our complete happiness. In the past, if one spoke openly about their need to be spiritual, they could expect ridicule and accusations of being strange, odd, or radical. Today, there is acceptance and mutual respect of each person’s quest to be spiritual.
Many Look to Our Religious Diversity for Answers
Religion in America has changed dramatically in the last thirty years. The change in laws of immigration has opened the door to make it much easier to come to our country and become a resident. This change in law not only resulted in millions of new residents, but also “new” religions that have been brought to America by the people of other nations.
America, which was once a solely “Judeo-Christian” nation, has now become the most religiously diverse nation in the world, which now includes Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism.
Such great religious diversity has been seen by our youth as very appealing. In the search for “true spirituality,” many people are now turning to other religions for help. Instead of the Bible as their guide, many now believe that spirituality can be achieved in different ways through most any religious method or means. The prevailing attitude is: “What can I learn from each religion to enhance by spiritual life even more?”
There Are Many Different Ideas of Spirituality.
The majority of Americans associate spirituality with religion. However, there are a growing number of people who believe spirituality has very little to do with organized religion. For them, being spiritual is highly individualistic and personal. Each person decides for himself what is spiritual and thus defines it according to one’s own personal desires, feelings, and experiences. This is why New Age and Existentialism has become more popular in recent years or why books or magazines on the topic of spirituality have received more fanfare. The common belief now is: “Whatever feels good is spiritual!”
Let’s not Forget Our Spirit in the Word Spiritual!
In all of the talk about spirituality, it is a wonder how people often lose sight of their own spirit! To best understand spirituality, we need to remember our spirits as given to us by God (Prov. 20:27; Eccl. 12:7). Everyone has not only a body, but also a soul and a spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). The soul represents life (Gen. 2:7), but the spirit is much more. The spirit is that limited expression of God Himself. The spirit each person has is in a likeness image of the Creator (Gen 1:26-27). Simply put: To be spiritual is to be like God! Hence, a person who is spiritual is a person who submits his or her spirit unto God. Spirituality by each person will be seen as he or she walks by the Spirit and obeys God’s word as revealed in the Bible. This will result in the development of the spirit to the glory of God, the bearing of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 22-25).
Why Choose Christ as the Way to Be Spiritual Over Others?
Why should the way of Christ be given first consideration? After all, there are so many religions we can now choose from in America, so many paths or methods toward “spirituality” offered that it may seem almost absurd or ridiculous to restrict ourselves to just one religion. What compelling reasons do we have that should motivate us to choose Christ over any other way to be spiritual?
Jesus’ Claim to Be God Is Backed Up by Historical Evidence (Heb. 11:1).
No other religion in the world has the historical evidence Christianity does to support its claims in spiritual matters. Why believe Jesus over, for example, Muhammad, Buddha, or Guru Nanak on what it means to be spiritual? Because only Jesus has proved to the world that He was God. After Jesus was crucified, he was raised from the dead by the power of God (Rom. 1:4). This historical fact is supported by the eye-witness testimony of the apostles (Acts 2:32; 3:14-15; 5:29-32; etc.) who pass the test as credible witnesses in every way (1 John 1:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:1-8; 30-32; Luke 1:1-4 – i.e., accuracy).
Spirituality Is Possible by Grace Through Faith, not by Personal Merit.
Christianity is unique from every other religion in the world in that it is the only one that offers spirituality and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). Other religions, each to a certain degree, have a meritorious system in which a person must achieve spirituality by one’s own personal efforts or earn salvation through personal merit. In contrast, spiritual life and salvation is made possible by Jesus and His atoning blood of the cross (Eph. 1:7; Rom. 6:3-11). In Christ, it is possible to be wise, righteous, holy, redeemed, and thus spiritual with no room to boast in ourselves (1 Cor. 1:30-31). By a living (obedient) faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1; cf. James 2:24, 26), a person can receive eternal salvation as a free gift, otherwise impossible to earn (Rom. 6:23; 3:23).
Spirituality in Christ Is Clearly Defined by God’s Spiritual Law.
Instead of basing spirituality on our feelings, which are unreliable (Prov. 14:12), or strictly on the basis of individual opinion, which is highly subjective, true spirituality can be learned by God’s spiritual law. “The law is spiritual” (Rom. 7:14), therefore “the law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21) is spiritual. Thus, when we apply His law, as revealed in the New Testament, to our lives, we can discover what it means to be spiritual!
To truly “live in the spirit” (1 Pet. 4:6), only the gospel will do, which has the power to save us from our sins (Rom. 1:16). When we follow God’s spiritual law, we can live the kind of life we were meant to live (Eph. 2:10), as people who were made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and enjoy all the spiritual blessings in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3).
posted by Mark E Larson | 10:41 PM
1 Comments:
Mark- This is a really well-written article. I plan to use it as the basis for a sermon. I fear that we may be "toning down" the exclusive nature of Jesus' message because of the intolerance of those who demand tolerance.
I added some additional comments about WHY all other belief systems cannot provide salvation: Regardless of the terminology used to "sell" their beliefs, the fundamental problem is 1)an underestimation of the seriousness of sin (the consequences) and, 2)lack of understanding of the absoluteness of God's righteousness. They have no way to erase sin!
There is either law-righteousness (all other religions) or grace. Only Christianity offers grace.
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