St Paul Church of Columbus

June 10, 2024

Bob Mulholland was one of my favorite professors while I attended Asbury Theological Seminary. He was a gentle giant on campus. While at school, I attended Lexington First Methodist where he taught Sunday school. I remember him teaching Revelation with only a small Greek text. He simply went word by word, translating it into English. I was amazed.  One of the things I learned from Bob’s lessons is what I call the slow walk of obedience. Being a Christian is a way of life that is minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour, and day-by-day. It is not a flash-in-the-pan event to later be set on a shelf. In memory of Bob, I want to share his idea of spiritual formation from a portion of his book, Shaped by the Word. 

Spiritual formation is not an instantaneous process, although there may be instantaneous experiences at certain points along the journey. Spiritual formation is a lifelong process of growth into the image of Christ. This gradual aspect of spiritual formation moves against the grain of our instant gratification culture, as we now have been conditioned to expect almost immediate returns on our investments of time, energy, or resources.  For this reason, you may find it difficult at points to accept the necessity of undergoing a lengthy period of spiritual discipline before experiencing any substantive change in your life. Spiritual formation is not an option. Spiritual formation is not a discipline just for “dedicated disciples.”  It is not a pursuit only for the pious. Spiritual formation is not an activity for the committed alone.  Every event of life is an experience of spiritual formation. Every action taken, every response made, every dynamic of relationships, every thought held, every emotion allowed: these are the minuscule arenas where, bit by bit, infinitesimal piece by infinitesimal piece, we are shaped into some kind of being. We are being shaped either toward the wholeness of the image of Christ or toward a horribly destructive caricature of that image. This is why Paul urges Christians, “whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17). The Christian’s spiritual journey is a life lived in, through, and for God.

Dietrich Bonheoffer once said, “Only the believing obey, only the obedient believe.”  Often, we think of faith and obedience as dichotomies.  In fact, they are twins, for they are linked together with a closeness that should be seamless.  Faith and obedience are one and the same where the follower of Christ has faith and naturally walks in obedience.  It should be natural.