What is the Biblical basis for your spirituality?
I’ve got a few questions for you. Well, there’s a Biblical basis for spirituality, yours and everyone else’s, that cuts through all the conflicting opinions.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how aware are you of your spirituality? On a scale of 1 to 10, how spiritual do you feel?
If you’re like me, sometimes the answer to those questions are different depending on the day you ask me or the circumstances in my life at moment.
But if you base your sense of spirituality, your spiritual identity, on how you feel on a given day or in a specific situation, there’s no consistency or stability, and it can feel like you’re a dry leaf blown by the wind in every direction.
A Biblical basis for spirituality
The good news is there’s a Biblical basis or foundation for your spirituality. One of the golden threads running through the whole Bible is the spiritual nature of God’s sons and daughters.
And it begins in the very first chapter of the Bible. You’ve probably heard this hundreds of times. I quote it all the time on the podcast.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: Genesis 1:26 KJV
So what does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God? I did a whole podcast episode on that years ago. Episode 37: You Are the Image and Likeness of God. What the Heck Does that Mean?
Who is God?
In order to figure out what God’s image and likeness is, you first need to have a clear idea of who and what God is. Fortunately, Jesus gives us the simplest, most straightforward answer to this question.
God is Spirit, John 4:24 NLT
There are so many other aspects of God’s nature, but this sums them all up: unlimited, ever-present Spirit.
Another equally simple but profound description of God is in
God is love. 1 John 4:8 NLT
This goes along with what Jesus said because the love that is God is totally spiritual.
Biblical basis for your spirituality
That means the Biblical basis for your spirituality is the fact that you are the image and likeness of God, who is Spirit. You are the image and likeness of God, who is Love.
That means as this image and likeness, your actual identity is necessarily spiritual and loving.
Now you may be thinking: Hey James, this all sounds great and I know what you mean, but some days I just don’t feel very spiritual or loving.
Well, I have those days too. But the beautiful thing is that your spirituality is always the truth about who you are as a child of God, whether you’re aware of it or not.
You are spiritual whether you know it or not
For example: When I was in fourth grade, we read a story in school about a king and queen who didn’t want their son, the heir to the throne, to be spoiled or arrogant, so they asked one of the blacksmiths in the kingdom to raise their son, train him in a wide array of skills and life lessons, but most importantly, teach him to be loving and humble. They did this so their son would be a good ruler when it was time for him to be king.
The young man did not know he was the prince. He didn’t know he would one day be king. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t true. His circumstances didn’t change his identity. Eventually he learned his true identity and was a much better person because of the way he was raised by the blacksmith.
You are the son or daughter of God. Whether you are aware of it or not does not change the fact that you are the image and likeness of God, who is Spirit and Love. This is the Biblical basis of your spirituality.
Whether you believe it and feel it, or not, doesn’t change the fact of who you are, your spiritual identity.
No circumstance can change that fact. Nothing you do or someone else does can change who you are spiritually.
So much in the Bible about your spirituality
Now you may be wondering if the Bible says anything else about your spirituality. It certainly does.
Jesus frequently talks about the need to discover and live our spirituality. Every command he gave, every lesson he taught, every healing he performed, pointed to fact of our spiritual nature.
And Jesus told anyone who would listen. In his Sermon on the Mount, he encouraged his followers to focus on and prioritize spiritual things.
…seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… Matthew 6:33 NKJV
Jesus instructs us to pursue God’s kingdom, because he knows it’s the only thing that can actually satisfy our deep spiritual yearnings and help us experience our spirituality.
Jesus told Nicodemus he needed to be aware of his spirituality, his spiritual nature. He called it being born again, or being born from above, born of the Spirit.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:3, 5, 6 NIV
Your origin is spiritual
Jesus’s words for Nicodemus are meant for you and me as well. We need to embrace our spiritual birth, our spiritual origin.
Think about that for a minute. Your true origin is Spirit. It always has been. Just like the young prince who didn’t know he was a prince, whether you know it or not, you have always been spiritual, the son or daughter of God, the image and likeness of Spirit and Love.
This is your birthright and spiritual inheritance.
Paul points this out in his letter to the church in Rome. He talks pointedly about the complete difference between being materially minded and spiritually minded.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Romans 8:5-9 NIV
Let that soak in: You are not in the realm of the flesh but in the realm of the Spirit.
The Biblical basis for your spiritual heritage
But Paul doesn’t leave us with just the fact of our spiritual identity. He explains it is our heritage as children of God.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:14-17 NIV
Your spirituality is not something you create or imagine. It’s the natural result of you being a child of God. Because God is Spirit, your deep-down, below-the-surface identity is spiritual. You can’t see it with your eyes, touch, taste, hear, or smell it with the five material senses.
Spirituality versus materialism
Spirituality is the opposite of being material, like love, or gratitude. You can’t see love or gratitude with your eyes, but you can know when you love or are grateful for someone, or when someone loves and expresses gratitude to you.
Just so, you can’t see your spirituality or anyone else’s with your eyes, but you can feel it and see the ways it’s expressed.
The Bible has so much more to say about your spirituality and one of the best ways to discover its Biblical basis is to do a study of the word “spiritual” or the phrases “things of the Spirit” and “fruit of the Spirit.”
The Biblical basis for taking care of the body
Now you may be wondering: Hey James, you keep talking about me being spiritual, but when I look in the mirror or down at my hands and my feet, and even my whole body, it seems pretty material to me. How do I reconcile these two different parts of who I am, the material and the spiritual?
That’s a great question. Here’s what I’ve seen to be true over many years. Have you ever noticed that when you’re happy and feel loved, usually your body feels more peaceful. If you’re angry and yell at someone, your body tenses up, your face turns red, and you may feel physically hot and irritated. If you’re afraid or full of anxiety for the future, or burdened with guilt from the past, you feel these in your body.
All too often we think the body makes us feel a certain way, but actually the way we think and feel has a powerful effect on the body.
The more you focus on “the things of the Spirit” and “seek first the kingdom of God,” the more your body will respond to your spiritual way of thinking.
Obviously you need to take care of yourself, which includes caring for your body, but a huge part of that is imbibing spiritual ideas and living them in your life.
How to be more spiritual
Sometimes people ask me: How can I be more spiritual? Well, there’s no one perfect answer, but there are lots of things that help you discover and embrace your spirituality in your daily life.
The first thing that comes to mind is to set aside some specific time each day to pray and study, not just read, your Bible. You may already have a very effective prayer routine. But if prayer is something new to you or you’d like your prayers to be more effective, just start by talking to God, asking Him questions, and listening for His answers. The Biblical basis for prayer is basically talking to God, listening to and obeying God, getting to know God, and understanding your relationship with God. One. Step. At. A. Time.
And if you don’t have some sort of Bible study approach, I would suggest starting with the four Gospels in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Look at everything Jesus says and does. Pay attention to what he tells you to do and how to think and pray.
Then take all these ideas from your prayers and Bible study, make a list if you need to, and practice them to the best of your ability each day.
This will set you on the road to becoming more aware of and living your spirituality.
When your spirituality feels lost or opposed
But what do you do when it feels like your spirituality has been overwhelmed by all the material influences in your life, or that your spirituality is being attacked or opposed?
Maybe you’re tempted to do something you know you shouldn’t, but in a moment of weakness, you do it anyway.
First of all, it might be helpful to know you’re not alone in this struggle. Even Paul had to deal with the temptations of the material world. He says,
For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Romans 7:22-25 ESV
And that’s the answer. Only through Christ can we be delivered from the cycle of temptation and sin. Because Christ shows us our spiritual nature, our “inner being” as Paul calls it. Christ encourages and strengthens our spirituality.
The Biblical basis for facing temptations
Even Jesus had to face temptations. But it’s interesting when the temptations came. Right after that glorious moment after John baptized Jesus, God’s voice from heaven declared,
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 NIV
What an amazing revelation this was to everyone standing there. But think of the way Jesus must have taken in that message from his heavenly Father.
But he didn’t have to long to think about it. The very next verse in the Bible says,
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 NIV
Immediately after Jesus received an uplifting message from God, he found himself in a place where temptation knocked on the door of his heart.
If this happened to Jesus, don’t be surprised when it happens to you. When you have had a beautiful spiritual experience, had a healing, or been inspired, don’t be caught off guard if some sort of material temptation comes to you to do, say, or think something you shouldn’t.
When you resist temptation, you grow stronger spiritually.
If you’ve given in to temptation
But what happens when you give in to the temptation? It feels like your spirituality has dissolved into almost nothing.
Whenever this has happened to me, I try to remember David’s prayer in Psalm 51:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.Psalm 51:1-3 NIV
You have to admit to yourself what you’ve done wrong and take responsibility. You can’t blame anyone else the way Adam blamed God and Eve for his own sin.
So how do we overcome the temptations of the material world and hold onto our spirituality?
Prayer and Bible study, as I mentioned earlier, is a good place to start.
But we often need more focus.
The Biblical basis for defending your spirituality
I love this passage from Ephesians.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
This is the Biblical basis for resisting temptation. You have everything you need to not give into all the temptations of evil and the materialism of the world. And if you do give into a temptation, you can resist the temptation that you’re not able to reclaim your spirituality, pick yourself up, and go forward.
The reason you have the ability and authority to resist temptation is because you are spiritual. Your spirituality is the truth about who you are on the deepest level. The Biblical basis for your spiritual identity is the fact you are the image and likeness of God.
Nothing can change that. No mistakes you make, nothing anyone does or says, no circumstances can change the way God originally created you in His image and likeness.
This is your heritage, your birthright, your spiritual identity. This fact is written in heaven by the finger of God. And here on earth God writes it in your heart.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by learning to think, pray, and love like Jesus. Contact him here.
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Bible References
Genesis 1:26 KJV
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
John 4:24 NLT
24 God is Spirit,
1 John 4:8 NLT
8 God is love
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
33 …seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…
John 3:3, 5, 6 NIV
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
Romans 8:5-9 NIV
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.
Romans 8:14-17 NIV
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 7:22-25 ESV
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Matthew 3:17 NIV
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 4:1 NIV
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Psalm 51:1-3 NIV
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
