Archive for the ‘Spiritual Formation’ Tag
Adoption and Spiritual Formation
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity | Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Church, Jesus, John Calvin, Lent, Perichoresis, Spiritual Formation, Trinity
Comments (3) I really appreciated John’s post on Wednesday about narrative spiritual formation. I think he is right about the way the story of Jesus is told in the Christian calendar and how that annual journey through the story shapes our lives.
Spiritual formation is the theme of Lent and, for those of our readers who don’t follow The Surprising God blog too closely, I want to draw your attention to a great link on spiritual formation that Ted Johnston posted there last Tuesday.
The link is to an article by Julie Canlis called Calvin’s Institutes: A Primer for Spiritual Formation. Ted’s posting prompted several comments from different readers, including me, and I’d be very interested to hear comments from you guys about what you think of the article.
If you’re like me you usually think of Calvin in terms of dogmatic theology, not spiritual formation. What is remarkable about Julie’s short article is that she shows how Calvin, as a pastor, was deeply concerned about spiritual formation and rooted his thinking on the subject in the Trinity and in Adoption. That’s right – adoption! In fact, Julie makes this soul-thrilling statement:
Calvin jumps headlong into this world of God’s love, and our being caught up in it, by use of one word: adoption. Although he is best known for his formulation of justification, I believe his insistence upon “adoption” best captures the big picture of his theology. Historically, justification has been used in a limited way, primarily having to do with the event of Christ on the cross. By use of the word adoption, Calvin can communicate not only the miracle of our justification but also that for which we have been saved. Spiritual formation begins with this question: for what (and for whom) have we been saved? And Calvin is quite explicit that we have been saved not only from sin but also for a life of trust, joy, and intimacy as God’s own children. What is more, Calvin takes his cues for this life on earth from the hypostatic union: Jesus’ own intimacy with God, by the Spirit. The remarkable thing is that Calvin sees Jesus’ sonship—his life of intimacy with his Father—as being offered to us through the Spirit. It is not a nice “picture” for us to strive after. Instead, it is the reality into which we, unsuspecting, have been inserted. [emphasis is mine]
As you might guess, I am planning to go read a lot more of Calvin in the coming weeks. I do have one reservation though: Julie never makes it clear whether she believes that all humanity has been inserted “unsuspecting” into the Father/Son relationship (as I think) or whether it is only an elect portion of humanity that has been inserted. My guess – and this is really just a guess – is that she thinks it is only the elect, and I believe this is what Calvin thought as well. My guess is that Augustine still rules the roost on these subjects!
But even if that is so, I am still thrilled to see someone talking about Adoption and Spiritual Formation together. I’ll be interested to hear what you guys think.
~ Jonathan Stepp
Life (and Christianity) is for the “Birds”!
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Gospel, Trinity | Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Jesus, Perichoresis, Preaching, Spiritual Formation, Spirituality, Trinity
Comments (4) Everywhere I turn, lately, that is the message I have been getting!
On this very blog, in the form of a Trinitarian paraphrase, John Stonecypher translated Matthew 6:25-30 in the following way:
(25) The secret is this: Just chill out. Really. Don’t even stress about the necessities of life, like food and clothing. To worry is to be out-of-touch with the real world. (26) Birds know this. They don’t even have jobs; they just enjoy feasting every day from Papa’s own hand. Can you imagine the possibility that he cares for you at least that much? (27) Worrying – even about the basics of life – is a complete waste of time. (30) Flowers live for a day, and Papa clothes them wondrously for that whole day. Can you imagine the possibility that he just might take such good care of you? Can you look outside your blindness, see with my eyes and glimpse the truth?
So THAT’S why the birds fly so freely (and the flowers grow so beautiful and quickly), they are “allowing” the Father to take care of everything and meet every need!
I am currently in a class at Grace Communion Seminary entitled “The Practice of Ministry”, and guess what one of the main reading assignments is? That’s right – a book entitled The Crucifixion of Ministry! In this book we are being taught that there is only one ministry, the ministry of Jesus Christ. We are not called to have or do our own ministry, but only to participate in Jesus’ ministry as He (Jesus) does it! Andrew Purves quotes Thomas Merton from his book entitled New Seeds of Contemplation, and writes,
“How does an apple ripen? It sits in the sun.” That was Merton’s metaphor for Christian piety. We are to abide in, rest in, and have our home deeply in Jesus. It is that easy… One of the most difficult aspects of piety is learning that in a sense, there is nothing we need to do. ~ The Crucifixion of Ministry, p. 119.
Talk about a pastoral ministry and life yoke that is more easy! UNDERSTATEMENT!
Finally, I have been re-inspired in my 2nd reading of Robert Farrar Capon’s book The Foolishness of Preaching with these helpful thoughts resulting from the scandal of the Gospel:
For in the end, nothing counts, and nothing alone counts, in the drawing of his Love and the voice of his Calling. Even your faith doesn’t matter. I mean that. Your faith may make a difference to you – to your enjoyment of the divine comedy you’re selling tickets to, and the hilarity of your pitches for it. But it doesn’t matter to God. He’s assured you that he’s brought the scenario of creation and redemption to its conclusion all by himself, without assistance from you or anybody. You may believe in him or not believe in him. You may trust him on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and decide he is full of baloney on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. And on Sunday, you may proclaim your faith in him, or prattle on about your erudition, or indulge your talent for quoting second-rate poetry. Or you can call in sick. But none of it will hold even an unlit candle to what he has done for you. ~ The Foolishness of Preaching, pp. 28-29
It is probably by grasping this subject that GK Chesterton is quoted as saying, “Angels fly because they take themselves lightly.”
Ha-Ha! I think I am finally getting the point and want to live more and more like the birds! How about you????
~ Timothy Brassell