What Does it Mean to Be "Spiritual?"

What does it mean to be "spiritual" but not "religious"?  Most people I talk to usually mean that they do not attend a religious institution and do not get bogged down in biblical dogma.  They have little if any focus on religious rules, command, practices, or principles found in scripture.  But is it possible to truly be spiritual without being religious?

It seems to me that if the Bible is God's word, then we need to refer to the Bible to tell us what it means to be spiritual.  After all, the scriptures were written by those who were "moved by the Spirit" to communicate God's word accurately and with authority (2 Pet 1:20-21). 

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 is one passage that describes true spirituality.  Read it carefully, and note the following about spirituality:

1) Spirituality brings godly wisdom not the wisdom of the world:   "…a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away" (1 Cor 2:6).  The theme of wisdom is actually introduced in chapter one, where it says, "Where is the wise man?  Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?   Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Cor 1:20).  In applying it to today, we could add, Where is the college professor?  Where is the celebrity?  Where is the politician?  Where is the news anchor?  Etc.  Our wisdom does not come from the world because we are " in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God" (1 Cor 1:29).  Jesus is our wisdom, which is not the wisdom of the world.

2) Spirituality is knowing God's thoughts, what he loves, what he hates, and what his will is:  "Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God" (1 Cor 2:11-12).  One cannot be "spiritual" unless you know God.  This means knowing God, and not some caricature of God one may make up in his mind, which amounts to idolatry.

3) Spirituality is communicated with words from the mind of God:   "…which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words" (1 Cor 2:13).  This is why it is absolutely necessary to have the word of God in order to grow in spirituality.

4) Spirituality is what enables us to understand God's will as wisdom, and to see the world's way for what it is:  "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things" (1 Cor 2:14-15).  Worldly wisdom and Godly Wisdom are an eternity apart.  To be spiritual means to apply God's wisdom in every circumstance.

After 1 Corinthians 1 introduces godly wisdom as a major theme, chapter 2 explicitly connects this wisdom to the Spirit.  Spirituality and godly wisdom go hand in hand.

Using this as a template to understand everything else in 1 Corinthians, it becomes evident that 1 Corinthians is a book about being "spiritual."  For each topic in 1 Corinthians, it is helpful to compare the "spiritual" way of thinking about and dealing with it to the "worldly way of thinking about and dealing with it." 

Here are some examples: 

In chapter 3, a spiritual person is humble and recognizes that he is one of many partners in doing the work of God.  The credit and recognition goes ultimately to God who causes the growth and was the one who laid the foundation.  Unspiritual godly wisdom would see personal ambition that calls attention to personal accomplishments as a good and worthy thing.  However, it will not withstand the test because the foundation would be on the teacher rather than on Christ.

In chapter 5, a spiritual person understands God's view on sin and how ongoing sin not only devastates a relationship with God.  He will not only mourn the sin, but take steps to motivate the brother to repent and keep the sin from spreading to others.  Unspiritual godly wisdom would pride itself on being enlightened rather than archaic and backwards.  It would brag about tolerance and acceptance.  However, the end result of this would be eternal condemnation not only for the one brother, but possibly others to whom the sin might spread.

In chapter 6, a spiritual person recognizes that Christians are the ones with godly wisdom that can help with a dispute between himself and a brother.  He will avoid going to worldly courts to try and arbitrate because they are of the world.  If it cannot be resolved with his brother, he will simply swallow the loss and move on. However, unspiritual worldly wisdom would say to take your brother to court, call a news conference, and fight for what is yours.  The former would seem like foolishness to the world, but to us it is a demonstration of the wisdom of God.

Spirituality according to the Bible looks very different than what many people call "spirituality."  That self-made religion amounts to idolatry.  Spirituality can only grow through regular meditation on the word of God with faithfulness and humility.  This creates the environment in the heart for the Spirit to lead and transform us into a true "spiritual" person.

Adam's Transformation

"Arrrrgh! Me do it! Go away!"

Adam was determined to do it all by himself. His mother, Ruah, had tried to sit her tiny son on her lap to guide him through the process. Ruah thought that little Adam might have ODD and had him tested. After several visits, everyone discovered that Adam did no have ODD after all. He was just a stubborn child.

The incident at school that sent them to the doctor to get Adam tested for ODD was three years ago. The school regularly had problems with Adam. Ruah remembered how she cringed every time her cell phone would ring during work. It was either her mother in Omaha, or it was the school calling about Adam.

Ruah remembered that dreaded phone call like it was yesterday . . .

"Mrs. Ruah Devine?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

"This is Mrs. Granger at Crossway Academy. We have a problem with Adam and need you to come and get him."

She sighed, "What did he do this time?"

"Well, it was time to come in from the playground and he refused. We tried to coax him inside, but nothing work. When Miss Thompson held out her hand to him, he bit it and took a chunk of skin with it. Miss Thompson had to go to the hospital."

That was his last day. They asked her not to bring him back.

Here they were, three years later. The stubbornness had gotten better, but it was still a challenge.

Ruah watched Adam twist his shoestrings around his fingers, holding his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration.

"Son, you are going to get it into a knot. Here, let me…"

"No!" shouted Adam, "Adam do it!" Adam ran across the room.

Pursing her lips in frustration, Ruah answered, "Fine. Do it yourself." With that, Ruah went down the hall to the kitchen to fix breakfast.

Right as she inserted the bread into the toaster, she heard a frustrated growl followed by a scream from down the hall. She wanted to run down the hall, but stopped herself. She was very familiar with this sound. She paused and listened. Then she heard Adam's familiar "Arrrrgh!"

Silence. . . Then the sound of sobs.

"Mommy! Me can't do it!" Adam sobbed.

With that, Ruah went back down the hall and walked into Adam's room.

"Do you need help Adam?" She replied.

"Yes," said Adam, as he held back his sobbing "please help me Mommy!"

Adam looked up and saw his mother standing in his doorway with her hands over her mouth. She just stood there a moment looking at him, trying not to laugh. Adam's fingers were tangled in his shoestrings. His hands were stuck. She gathered her composure, knelt down in front of him, and looked straight into his eyes. "Adam, look at me… if you want me to help, then you have to let me show you how to do it without interrupting me …you can't run away…you can't argue. Do you understand?"

Adam stopped sobbing, and looked back down at the tangled mess that had enslaved his hands. "Yes mommy."

With that, she picked Adam up, sat down in the chair by the bed, and sat him in her lap. After gracefully undoing the knot and freeing his fingers, she took his hands in hers and began to guidthem through the process of tying his shoes. Adam started to protest again.

"Adam, do you remember what I said?"

Adam sighed and quietly stopped his protest.

With his mother's hands to guide his hands, they made a beautifully tied knot on both of his shoes.

"Adam, we are going to need to do this several times until you are comfortable with doing this yourself? Do you understand?"

"Yes mommy. Can I go eat breakfast now?" asked Adam.

"Yes, Adam. Why don't we……"

. . . . . . .

"What are you thinking about?"

"Huh?" said Adam, as he snapped back into the present.

"Are you ready to go on?" asked Dr. Dodd. "It looks like your mind was a million miles away."

"Oh," said Adam "Actually, my mind was about 40 years away. I was thinking of my mother and when I was growing up."

"Well, it's time. Dr. Winklestein is about to give your introduction. Are you ready?" Asked Dr. Dodd.

"Yes," Adam replied.

Adam looked across over the wall to wall crowd as Dr. Winklestein began. . . "Today, it is my privilege to introduce Doctor Adam Land. . ."

Adam gathered himself as Dr Winklestein finished his introduction. He picked up his notes and Bible from the chair beside him, and walked with a smile to the podium.

"Control," he began as he looked at the overflow conference crowd, "It is an illusion. That is something I had to learn at a very early age. There is a reason why the Bible says to be still and know that he is God. The more we try to control things, the more frustrated and rebellious we became. I know because I was a very stubborn child. My stubborn tendency caused me to become angry, bitter and frustrated. When I became older, I finally learned what faith was all about. It is about letting go of control. It is about letting God guide your hands, your feet, your heart, and your mind. And so, let's open our Bibles…."