E-Book, Englisch, 367 Seiten
ISBN: 978-0-8308-8024-9
Verlag: InterVarsity Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
Diane J. Chandler (PhD, Regent University) is associate professor of spiritual formation and leadership at the Regent University School of Divinity. She is the author of Christian Spiritual Formation: An Integrated Approach to Personal and Relational Wholeness.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Weitere Infos & Material
1
Introduction
We are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most spectacular artistic masterpieces in human history.1 Composed of nine frescoes designed and painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, the ceiling depicts scenes from the book of Genesis, including the , the most well known. This scene portrays the God of creation and giver of life reaching out to touch the finger of Adam. Seemingly timeless, the beauty and luster of this and the other frescoes, including the , inevitably deteriorated.
Through the centuries, several restoration efforts have ensued to preserve these works of art. The most recent restoration took place between 1980 and 1994. Ceiling cracks, structural and water damage, the buildup of smoke and waxy residue from burning candles, automotive exhaust from the once-opened windows at the top of the structure, and the effects of thousands of annual visitors increasingly compromised the frescoes’ unsustainable beauty. What took four years to create five centuries ago required almost fourteen years of restorative work. The renovated ceiling, however, drew both praise and criticism, with some bemoaning that the original color and vitality were lost because of the misaligned techniques utilized by the conservators. As well-intended as the conservators were in the restoration process, they could not exactly replicate Michelangelo’s original work. Creation, whether in artwork or in human life, is left in the hands of its creator and is virtually impossible to duplicate.
Although Michelangelo intended to portray the moment when God infused life into Adam, he could not possibly depict the magnificent miracle of life that began at the moment of creation (Gen 1:26-28). The mystery of creation eludes even the most careful observer and researcher, such as those working on the thirteen-year Human Genome Project, completed in 2003.2 Although scientists have been able to identify over twenty thousand genes in human DNA, the life-generating substance within cell nuclei, they are unable to actually produce human life and uncover all its corresponding intricacies, as diligently as they may try. Despite what is known about human anatomy and physiology, God-given human capability involving the multiple dimensions of the human person cannot be reduced to mere scientific discovery and evaluation alone.
For example, as we have exceeded the seven billion world population mark, we acknowledge that each human being is created in the image of God with unique DNA, and that all life directly derives from God. But like the conservators trying to restore the Sistine Chapel ceiling to its original condition, only God can perfectly restore fallen humanity into wholeness through the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Only through the love and grace of God manifested by Christ’s death on the cross can we be restored and begin a process of being conformed to Christ’s image in order to bring God glory in every dimension of life. As Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel was created in beauty, experienced decay and was painstakingly restored, so too humankind was fashioned by God in beauty, experienced decay through sin and has been restored in Christ for those who believe. By responding to God’s love and grace in the person of Jesus Christ, we are able to be conformed to Christ’s image through the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
This book presents an integrated approach in which to view the formation and development of human persons from a distinctly biblical and theological perspective. Christian spiritual formation (CSF) describes the process of being restored into the image of God through Jesus Christ in its multidimensionality by the work of the Holy Spirit. The fall of Adam and Eve through the entrance of sin in the world corrupted the perfect image of God infused in humanity at creation. This corrupted image is restored through Jesus Christ.
As a result of divine intent, the love of God that infused creation is to be received and reciprocated (Ps 31:23; Mt 22:37-40) through fellowship with God (1 Cor 1:9) and others in the body of Christ (1 Jn 1:6-7) and through loving one’s neighbor (Mt 22:39). We glorify God by stewarding through grace all life dimensions in order to be effective ambassadors in a deeply broken world (see Ps 34:3; 2 Cor 5:20; 1 Pet 4:10). This process begins by acknowledging that Jesus died for our sins and paid the price for our eternal salvation and by receiving him through faith as our personal Savior and Lord (Jn 1:12; Acts 4:12).3 Then the restoration process of being conformed to the image of Jesus in order to glorify God begins in seven formational dimensions: (1) spirit, (2) emotions, (3) relationships, (4) intellect, (5) vocation, (6) physical health and wellness, and (7) resource stewardship. Each of these dimensions will be briefly explained in this chapter.
The purpose of this book is to (1) present an integrated approach to Christian spiritual formation in seven dimensions reflecting holistic integration; (2) biblically and theologically anchor CSF, beginning with an analysis of the (Lat. “image of God”), as derived from the Genesis creation narrative and furthered by understanding how Christ became the image to whom we are conformed; (3) demonstrate that receiving the love of God, as expressed through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is the catalyzing motivation for CSF; and (4) examine the seven formation dimensions and encourage authentic growth in each of them in order to glorify God. By wise stewardship of these seven God-given human dimensions through grace, we both reflect the through godly character and ethical living, and give God glory in the process. The CSF model, which unifies each chapter, is presented in figure 1.1.
Figure 1.1. Christian spiritual formation model
What Is Christian Spiritual Formation?
Throughout this book, CSF will be utilized for describing an integrated approach to human formation. The word connotes that all personal formation flows from the person of God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. For our purposes, the word relates to more than simply the nonphysical and mystical components of life lived in God; rather, it is utilized to describe as influenced by the Spirit. refers to both what is formed and the manner in which it is shaped.4 In other words, CSF advances a whole-person theology.5 Hence, Christian spiritual formation connotes both the process and the result of this shaping process. For followers of Jesus, the CSF process is fostered by God, yet we must cooperate with God for holistic growth to occur.6
Through refining the scope of CSF, I offer these seven life dimensions because they are universally shared across cultures as being those in which the human person is both inherently endowed and capable of exercising autonomy for personal growth and development.7 Further, for believers to be Christ’s ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20), I argue that these seven dimensions are intended by God to coalesce into an ethical lifestyle that witnesses to the unbelieving world of God’s redeeming love.
CSF is predicated on believers receiving the abundant grace of God in salvation and throughout life as they are conformed into the image of Jesus (Eph 1:7-8; 2:4-5; 2 Pet 3:18). The , being created in the image of God, fundamentally derives from God’s love for humanity, indicated by the inner circle in figure 1.1. The CSF model offers a graphic illustration of various dimensions of formation, with the love of God as the primary catalyst, demonstrated by Jesus’ death on the cross. Therefore, the center circle in figure 1.1 represents God’s love as being the very core of CSF, with the cross of Christ reflecting what Stephen Seamands suggests as the visible manifestation of divine love: “Christ’s death not only supremely reveals the nature of divine love, it also discloses what is eternally etched in the heart of the triune God.”8 Further, Jürgen Moltmann asserts, “The cross is the center of the Trinity. . . . Before the world was, the sacrifice was already in God. No Trinity is conceivable without the Lamb, without the sacrifice of love, without the crucified Son.”9
Paul Fiddes simply states, “God creates out of love”; and as loving Creator without deficiency, God desires reciprocal love from humankind.10 Accordingly in figure 1.1, the seven bidirectional arrows, which connect the center circle to the seven circles signifying the formation dimensions, represent reciprocal love: the love of God extended to humankind and humankind’s love response to God. The larger dotted circle connecting each of the seven circles signifies the interrelatedness of each of the formation dimensions to one another. The solid outer circle, representing ethical living, conveys the outward demonstration of love to...
