A Spiritual Person
Part II

In the late 1600's, Jacob Spener wrote a little preface called Pia Desideria. His "heart-felt desire" was that the church, which had just experienced the Reformation, be reformed yet again at its core. The problem was that although Christendom had been realigned theologically, it was in great danger of enshrining its theology over and above its God. Preachers were preaching in order to be admired for their knowledge, not to draw people into the presence of God. And so, laymen received a message that said, "Be careful to be seen as moral, orthodox, and, especially, theologically apt." What they did not hear, and the absence of which appalled Spener, was the Gospel: "For he is a Christian who is one inwardly, and righteousness is that which is of the heart, not of the flesh; such a one gets his praise from God, not man." Spener sought to provoke clergy and congregations to shift their focus back to God, back to the Scriptures, and back to the inner man.

I shall here gladly pass over additional observations that might well be made about sermons, but I regard this as the principal thing: Our whole Christian religion consists of the inner man or the new man, whose soul is faith and whose expressions are the fruits of life, and all sermons should be aimed at this. On the one hand, the precious benefactions of God, which are directed twoard this inner man, should be presented in such a way that faith, and hence the inner man, may ever be strengthened more and more.

It is the New Covenant's promise to change the heart that Spener saw missing from evangelical preaching. True Christianity starts inside a person. In light of this irreducable core, the Gospel prohibits us from mere behavioral modification. Spener lambasted such postering and brought it to the light:

On the other hand, works should be so set in motion that we may by no means be content merely to have the people refrain from outward vices and practice outward virtues and thus be concerned only with the outward man, which the ethics of the heathen can also accomplish, but that we lay the right foundation in the heart, show that what does not proceed from this foundation is mere hypocrisy, hence accustom the people first to work on what is inward (awaken love of God and neighbor through suitable means) and only then to act accordingly.

The tree cannot have fruit stapled onto the branches; it must be vivified from within, at its root. And so, to be spiritual, or to be a Christian, or to be like Christ, what are we to do?

What have you been told is the way to spiritual maturity? Perhaps these:

1. Read your Bible.
2. Pray.
3. Do what God says.
4. Share your faith.

Or, maybe you're a bit further along in your walk, so:

1. Expositional is best.
2. Elder-led is best.
3. "Biblical" counseling is best.
4. Edgar's is best (for my SBTS friends).

Which gets back to my first question: what motivates, or empowers, the spiritual person? If the way to spiritual maturity is a set of do's and best's--a law, in other words--then the motivation and power is the will of man. So, we are told that the way to godliness is by doing godly things. And while we clean the outside of the cup, the inside cries for life, and we are still empty.

Fortunately, there is a river of grace ready to slake our thirst. Before one can step into it, however, he must not think that it is by his doing. Sanctification is not in our power, just as salvation is not. We have nothing to do. We receive. The inner room is not a desk where a Bible lays open and a prayer journal is written. It is not a closet where many prayers are offered. It is not a check-out counter where we pay God for the good day we hope to have, the forgiveness we need, the weaknesses we want removed, the strengths we want fortified, or the people we want saved. The inner room is the soul of man. There the life of God is received at any time and any place. But it must be received, not bought.

To buy the life of God is impossible. What is bought in such a transaction is not the life of God, but perhaps a theological nugget, a method for daily living, or a panegyric for oneself. And one who gets these things receives their reward in full. What distinguishes this person from the spiritual person is a total exclusion grace. Grace must be let inside, or all one gets is law, and all one becomes is a hypocrit. As Spener says:

Hence it is not enough that we hear the Word with our outward ear, but we must let it penetrate to our heart, so that we may hear the Holy Spirit speak there, that is, with vibrant emotion and comfort feel the sealing of the Spirit and the power of the Word.

Why are you and I spiritual people? Because we are beloved, healed, and empowered in Christ, right now. Spiritual life is not a goal to be attained in one sense. For, although we are not yet glorified, we are resurrected to the same life that Christ lives, right now. Receive and believe what is true about you; do not try to buy what is already yours. The spiritual disciplines are not bargaining chips, they are new sandals, fresh robes, and rings on our fingers. They are the voices of a feast about to be had with a Father that loves us dearly. They tell us that we are His children, we are loved, and we have power to walk with Him. When we truly listen, then we may rise up and live the life of a spiritual man or woman, having assumed the life of God in our inner man.