How to define spirituality? The Apostle Paul writes, “If anyone is caught out in an act of sin, those of you who are spiritual should humbly restore him, considering that the same thing might also happen to you.” (Galatians 6:1) Christian spirituality in this case is shown in the act of restoration. The spiritual person understands how vulnerable believers are to temptation.
Some see spirituality as vague, but spirituality is real, it is tangible. Some of our finest institutions had spiritual beginnings. General Booth of The Salvation Army was inspired to achieve great things in the areas of social welfare. Others did so in the fields of health and education. (Two of the USA’s top universities were founded on Christian values.) Over time institutions tend to lose their spirituality and become shells of what they once were.
Who are the most spiritual people in town? New Age people think it’s them. They see the Christian cross as a religious symbol, and cathedrals as ecclesiastical history set in stone. They view Christians as religious rather than spiritual. They question a spirituality which, charitable works aside, can be contained within walls — however architectually impressive those walls may be. Spirituality to them can mean many things, but nothing traditional or religious.
So, while Christians meet on hallowed ground, New Agers gather at street markets. They’ve prefer hums to hymns, and wind chimes to church bells. They marry in parks and gardens and choose to have their ashes scattered rather than their bodies buried. They believe in life after life rather than life after death, and reincarnation rather than resurrection.
New Agers say, “Everything happens for a reason,” and don’t think too much about what that reason might be. In saying, “What goes around comes around,” they mean that in the end most people get what they deserve. (The Bible calls this reaping what you sow.)
But what does it mean to be spiritual in Christian terms? Here are some Bible definitions that might be helpful:
• It means that a “born again” experience is an absolute imperative — what Jesus called a “must” (John 3:7). We are born natural (i.e. physical and psychological) and need to be reborn “from above” by the Spirit to even see the kingdom of God (much less enter into it).
• It means that life becomes more than happy. Happiness is a valid emotion, but joy is simply indescribable. Joy is to happiness what an Formula One racing car is to a Ford sedan.
• It means actually understanding what Christians and the Bible are all about as a result of a spiritual encounter (1 Corinthians 2:8-13). The real Ascended Master is the Lord Jesus, and a trancendental experience of the biblical kind happens when you are removed from the power of darkness and transported into the kingdom of God’s Son.
Most people don’t know it, but religion died the day Jesus was crucified (when the veil of the Temple was torn in two and the way was made open for us into the presence of God). The New Age really began 2000 years ago when the Holy Spirit filled people on the Day of Pentecost (which is why some people who have the same experience call themselves Pentecostals). (Read Acts 2:1-4)
Spirituality isn’t a ‘feel-good’ thing or a ‘quality of life’ thing — it’s more than that. It’s knowing that your sins are forgiven because Jesus was punished in your place. It’s a guilt-free relationship with God that’s based on what Jesus did — not on anything that you can do. It’s “love, joy and peace” on the inside. The only way to receive God’s Spirit is to believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and to then tell someone that you do. (Romans 10:9-10)
“God loved the world so much He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) So first things first: believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender your life to God; everything else will then become clear — crystal clear.
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