Spiritual Formation

Old & New Testament Spiritual Transformation

At the heart of spiritual formation is transformation into Christ-likeness or as the Apostle Paul coined it “becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13b). This process is not to be achieved by human effort, rather it is “what God does to and for us, along with all he makes available to make this transformation possible”[1]. Using New Testament language, spiritual formation is defined as “an inside job”[2]. The result of the Holy Spirit empowerment is a people transformed to live out “God-honoring lives within the context of community and healthy relationships”[3]. The above-mentioned statements describe the reality of a New Testament model of achieving transformation. But what of the Old Testament?

Bible Inspiration & Inerrancy

The Inerrancy Debate and the Contemporary Church

A survey of Scriptures reveal that the biblical writers testified to the doctrine of Inerrancy and Inspiration. Time and time again their use of Scriptures affirm that “the Bible originated from God and is His message to the human race”[1]. Commonly used Scriptures in support of the doctrine of Inerrancy and Inspiration include 2 Timothy 3:16, and 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 10:35b). In the process of God’s superintendcy upon the authors of the Scriptures, He conveyed the humanness of the authors. Erickson[2] makes this point very well in describing the acts of Peter and Paul. While God directed the thoughts of Luke (the result of his careful research) to give and account of Peter’s ministry to Cornelius in Acts 10, Peter willfully ignored God’s commands in Acts 10:9-15 and “compromised by withdrawing from eating with Gentiles and certain Jews” in Galatians 2:11-12. We can learn a thing or two from reading about the triumphs and failures of those that have gone before us. The Apostle Paul said it well: “For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction…” (Romans 15:4a).