In our quest for a simpler spirituality it’s important to define the term. I’m writing from the belief that true, biblical spirituality is the pursuit of God and the things of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit in accordance with God’s self-revelation (that is, the Bible). The goal of biblical spirituality is intimacy with and conformity to Christ, and is practiced in connection with the local church.
The words of the apostle Paul in Colossians 2:16-3:2 provide inspired guidance on true spirituality. False teachers in Colossae were saying that spirituality involved not only the pursuit of God through Jesus, but also the worship of angels and other types of mystical experiences. They taught elaborate rituals and ascetic practices which anyone serious about spirituality was required to observe.
Paul admits that while “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body,” in reality “they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (2:23). In other words, these activities may look like marks of true spirituality, but they’re worthless for changing one’s heart or relationship with God.
But then Paul directs us to the basics of biblical spirituality: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (3:1-2).
Unlike the common belief that most people are “spiritual” by nature, Paul’s teaches that spirituality has a definite starting point—“If then you have been raised with Christ.” This is biblical language for being united by faith to Jesus Christ in His life, death and resurrection. Until a person comes to the place where spirituality truly begins, and receives the benefits that flow from this union with Christ—namely eternal life and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit—that person has no real spirituality, regardless of his or her desires or efforts.
Notice also that genuine spirituality seeks the things of God, or more specifically, “things that are above, where Christ is.” If a spirituality does not seek—above all other pursuits— things like the will and glory of God in everything, intimacy with and conformity to Christ, and biblical love, it is a false spirituality.
But true spirituality doesn’t just propel the heart toward the right activities; it also pushes the mind in the right direction. For in verse 2 Paul continues, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” True spirituality is characterized by a mind preoccupied with “things that are above.” And not “things that are above” merely as we might imagine them, but rather as God has revealed them in Scripture.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t think about earthly things, for Paul himself gives lengthy counsel about such matters (marriage, parenting, work, etc.) just a few verses later, from 3:18 to the end of the book. Rather the spirituality that flows from Heaven causes “things that are above” to become a magnet for the mind, so that no matter what we think about, eventually we can relate it somehow to “things that are above.” For instance, we often find ourselves asking questions like, What would the Lord have me do in this situation? or, What is God’s view of this? or even, What does God think about what I’m thinking right now?
Don’t be deceived by a complex spirituality that gives the appearance of wisdom but doesn’t start with “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). And don’t become entangled in any spiritual practices that sound helpful but incline your mind and heart away from the “things that are above.”
