Spiritual Formation - Ontological Dualities

SPIRITUAL FORMATION – ONTOLOGICAL DUALITIES
- John Piippo

In Romans 12:1-2 Paul views the human heart as having a shape, a form. The heart is pliable, and can be shaped into one of two things: 1) the form of this world; or 2) the form of Christ.

The biblical Greek word for “transformed” is metamorphe. This means, literally, a “change of form.” For every Jesus-follower God desires to morph the heart into the form of Christ, into Christlikeness. Paul’s desire, expressed in Galatians 4:19, is that “Christ be formed in you.”

How does this happen? Here’s how this looks to me, in terms of stages or a process. I acknowledge that God can micro-morph our hearts in an instant. But mostly this is a process, with identifiable steps along the way.

STAGE ONE: THE NEED

STAGE TWO: THE GAP

STAGE THREE: THE MAGNITUDE OF THE TRANSFORMATION

STAGE FOUR: SELF-TRANSFORMATION IS IMPOSSIBLE

STAGE FIVE: ONLY GOD CAN DO IT

STAGE SIX: THEREFORE, DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
(You can't consistently dwell in God's presence and remain unchanged.)

What does the transformation look like?

1.    The transformation happens in the “deep waters of the human heart.”

a.    Proverbs 20:5

2.    God deconstructs the false self.

a.    Jesus said to his disciples:

b.    As we spend much time dwelling in God’s presence God purges us from:

                                          i.    Self-love

                                        ii.    Self-hatred

                                       iii.    Self-pity

                                       iv.    Self-hiding/kosmeo

                                        v.    Self-justification

                                       vi.    Self-righteousness

                                      vii.    Self-will

                                    viii.    Self-centeredness

                                       ix.    Self-seriousness

                                        x.    Self-attention

                                       xi.    Self-inflation

                                      xii.    Self-ignorance

3.    Ontological Dualities: the From-To Nature of Spiritual Formation and Transformation

a.    “Ontological” means: lying at the root of our being.

b.    The deeper we go inside persons, the more we are all the same.

c.    I have found these deep dualities to be cross-cultural, cross-historical, and cross-gender. The gospel addresses all of these.

                                          i.    PRIDE/SHAME to --------------    HUMILITY

                      ii. CONTROL to --------------------    TRUST

                      iii. REJECTION to -----------------     AFFIRMATION

                      iv.   EVIL to --------------------------     GOOD

                      v. FEAR to ---------------------------     FAITH (RISK; OBEDIENCE)

                      vi. MATERIALISM to --------------     SIMPLICITY

                      vii. DEATH to -----------------------      LIFE

                      viii. PROTECTIONISM to -------      SACRIFICE

d.    On the left side are core attributes of the kingdom of darkness. On the right side are core attributes of Christ and his Kingdom.

                e.    A fully morphed human heart is:

                                          i.    HUMBLE

                                        ii.    TRUSTING

                                       iii.    LOVED

                                       iv.    GOOD

                                        v.    RISK-TAKING

                                       vi.    SIMPLE (not simplistic)

                                      vii.    LIFE-GIVING

                                    viii.    SACRIFICIAL – for the sake of others and the Kingdom