Here is the remainder of my summary of Dr. Darrell L. Bock’s chapter entitled New Testament Community and Spiritual Formation in a work edited by Paul Pettit entitled Foundations of Spiritual Formation. (For bibliographic data, see the previous post.)

The agent of spiritual formation is the Holy Spirit working in the “natural flow of life” of the believer (p. 105). The Spirit molds Christians into the likeness of Christ by using the often mundane, everyday happenings they encounter. In fact, the Spirit working in the life of the believer is what Paul deems the “power of the gospel,” (Rom 1:16) as it is the Spirit who empowers believers for spiritual growth (p. 106). The Holy Spirit (and by extension the Christian’s degree of spiritual formation) is exemplified in their relationships with the community (p. 108). By drawing on the power of the Spirit, believers are empowered not to necessarily do righteous acts, but to be perfectly righteous, leading God-honoring lives as a community.

The dynamic of the spiritual formation process, as already mentioned, is the community of Christ. The New Testament often presents the image of the Spirit as one who is filling a vessel. And although this concept is occasionally used of individuals, Bock writes “It is the community that is described this way more often than the individual,” (p. 108). Bock illustrates this fact through Paul’s message about “horizontal” reconciliation in Eph 2:11-22 (p. 109). Christ has made it possible for Christians to receive God’s grace (Eph 2:1-10), and the context where this becomes a reality is in the new relationship of Jew and Gentile. Bock notes the numerous occurrences of “together” ideas in the passage. Furthermore, the spiritual person realizes he must put off his old man and be clothed in the new man which the Spirit offers (Eph 4:22-24). For Bock, this “new man” as defined by Paul is actually the “new community” as defined in Eph 2:15 (p. 111). Again, the Spirit works through believers in the context of the community Jesus himself established.

The Spirit is working in the lives of Christians, but believers are not one hundred percent passive in the process. For the process of spiritual formation to work, believers must have a heart which seeks growth. Christians must pursue spiritual growth as the world pursues silver and gold,” (p. 113). Jesus encourages his listeners to have “ears to hear,” and Paul commands Christians to have their minds transformed. Both of these assume an active process on the part of the believer.

The goal of spiritual formation is that “we carry out the will of God,” (p. 114). One way believers carry out the will of God is by realizing they are “called to proclaim his way in word and deed,” (p. 114). The antithesis of individual spiritual formation is a spiritually transformed individual (in the context of community) who realizes the need to be a part of the Spirit transforming the lives of others. Bock writes, “Spiritual formation is far from a private exercise between God and myself as an individual believer. Though he does the work in me, it is never just for my own benefit,” (p. 115, italics added). This goal of spiritual formation is the final step and the ultimate litmus test for our community’s growth and their spiritual maturity.