We may claim to be a spiritual person but are we biblically?
How the Bible Defines Spirituality
Biblical spirituality is more than a bent toward God or being a good, moral person. We find a distinction between the natural and spiritual in 1 Corinthians 15:46-49 as that which comes from earthly origins versus heavenly. Hence, biblical spirituality takes us out of the natural and into the supernatural requiring God’s power to be at work in and through us. We cannot be spiritual, biblically speaking, without pulling on His divine power. — “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Pet. 1:3)
Two elements integral to biblical spirituality:
1) Biblical spirituality ties into who we are in Christ.
2) Biblical spirituality reflects the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.
Many Terms Used to Describe All Things Spiritual
Living within who we are in Christ and the Spirit at work in and through us involves so much it’s difficult to find one term that describes it all. The following list includes some terms or concepts found in the Bible. We don’t find the word “spiritual” in front of every one of these terms in Scripture but it’s implied if you look in the context showing that these are realities that take us beyond the natural.
Struggles in Our Quest to be Spiritual as in Biblical Spirituality
While Jesus came to give us abundant life, the devil comes like a thief “to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10). While the Spirit leads us into truth, Satan seeks to lead our minds astray from “sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3) with lies (Jn. 8:44; Col. 2:8) and accusations (Rev. 12:10). Some of the lies Satan perpetrates includes confusion about what truly defines spirituality. If we redefine it in accordance with the world or what might be politically correct, being swayed by the spiritual forces of evil, we will fail to live that godly and full life only found in Christ produced within us through His Spirit.
But, in Christ we also have spiritual weaponry that enables us to stand firm against the devils schemes (Eph. 6:10-18).
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
God equips us and empowers us to rise above and view life from our position with Him “in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). This is no pie in the sky type of spirituality. Rather, it is something that makes a difference here and now.