Spiritual Formation in the Bible

Spiritual formation is the process by which the Holy Spirit transforms the believer into the image of Christ. Romans 8:29 declares that God predestined His own "to be conformed to the image of his Son," making this likeness the very goal of the Christian life. It is not an instantaneous event but a gradual work that embraces the whole of existence. 2 Corinthians 3:18 describes it beautifully: we are "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Spiritual formation works through several means: the spiritual disciplines, which open the space of grace; the community of believers, where we learn to love and to forgive; suffering and trial, which purify faith; and the Word, which renews the mind (Romans 12:2). The apostle Paul assures us that this work does not ultimately depend on us: "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). Spiritual formation does not make us strangers to ourselves; it restores us to the person God designed us to be. Sanctification does not destroy the personality: it purifies and fulfills it, removing what disfigures so that the restored divine image may shine in every child of God.