The Journey
Invitation
to a Journey ~ A Road Map to Spiritual Formation
M. Robert Mulholland & Ruth Haley Barton
plus
Notes and writings on Spiritual Formation from the
Institute for Spiritual Formation, Biola University
Lesson 4
Opening Prayer—Chapter 2—Being Formed
pp. 33-34
1. Thoughts
from last time?
· The Sanctification Gap
· Making ourselves available to God so that He can
transform our lives.
2. I’d Rather Do It Myself!
· Graspers
o
What is ‘grasping’?
o
How do you grasp things in the world?
o
How do we resist being ‘grasped’ by God?
· Manipulators
o
What does it mean to manipulate the world?
o
How do we manipulate people?
o
Is it intentional or unintentional? Conscious or unconscious?
· Controllers
o
How do we control our world?
o
How much control do we really have over
circumstances? People? Ourselves?
o
What is the difference of being a steward and
controlling?
· Possessiveness
o
Why do we feel that what we possess gives us value?
o
Does possession of knowledge and technique perfect
our souls?
3. Flesh vs. Spirit: Galatians and II Corinthians
· Galatians 3: 3
“ Are you so foolish? Having
begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”
· II Corinthians 3: 6b “for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives
life.”
4. Common Grace and Natural Law
· Common Grace—The state
under we now live after the fall
o
The rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matt.
5:45)
o
Fortitude—the “gift” of the Fall—enables us to do
life ourselves without God
o
The ability to work and live in the world, even
though “dead” in our sin.
· Natural Law—How the
universe is designed to work
o
Proverbs describes how the world works—working with
it makes life easier.
o
Classical World View—Man has a purpose and the goal
if for him to discover and do
well at it.
o
Natural Virtue
5. “Moralism”
· What is
morality?
· What
makes us “moral”?
· Bootstrap
Theology
· Trying
and Striving to do it ourselves
· Red
Flags: Try more, work harder, use a different approach, “next time I’ll…”
6. Flesh vs. Spirit Charts
Unbeliever (Death)—can build virtues or vices, good or
bad, right or wrong, but they always come from spiritual Death—no relational
connection to God, no opportunity for spiritual Life. Their whole life is a defense against God, a defense against the deepest guilt and
shame. Anything that you use to keep
away painful self-awareness is a “defense”.
Virtue in the state of Death is one of the most damning states—they have
a pretty good life under “common grace” but still go to hell.
UNBELIEVER—DEAD IN SIN—Romans 5:12
|
VIRTUE/GOOD
|
VICE/EVIL
|
|
Loving
Kind
Faithful
Patient
Keeps temper
Sexually moral
Etc….
|
Hateful
Mean
Unfaithful
Impatient
Terrible Temper
Sexually permiscuous
Etc…
|
Believer (Spirit or Flesh)—can engage in acts of obedience,
practice spiritual disciplines, acts of affection/devotion for God, BUT it can
come from being in the Spirit, in Christ, in Faith, full forgiveness, full
acceptance—or being in the Flesh (where you can’t come to the cross), using
acts of obedience, discipline, devotion to cover guilt and shame (Gal 3:3)
BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN – Romans 6:11
|
SPIRIT—in
Christ
|
FLESH—cover
guilt/shame
|
|
Loving
Kind
Faithful
Patient
Keeps temper
Sexually moral
|
Loving
Kind
Faithful
Patient
Keeps temper
Sexually moral
Hateful
Mean
Unfaithful
Impatient
Terrible Temper
Sexually promiscuous
|
Philippians
2:12-13 “12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in
my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with
fear and trembling; 13 for
it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good
pleasure.”
PRACTICE: Make A List
Start
with your 2 Prayers of Intention from last time. Then…
· Spend
some time with God prayerfully asking Him to show you places where you may
grasp, manipulate, control and possess.
Make a list, and ask for His forgiveness.
· Ask the
Holy Spirit to show you where there are pockets of Moralism in your life—places
where you are trying to do life yourself to cover up guilt and shame—things you
don’t like about yourself that you try hard to hide and cover.
· Ask the Holy
Spirit to show you where He is already developing spiritual virtues in your
heart. They may not be complete, but you
will be aware of how He is beginning to form them—places where you are
beginning to truly look like Christ.
· Do these
exercises in a position of full pardon and full accectance, knowing that you
are in Christ and already forgiven for all of these things--past present and
future.
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