Peter K. Nelson - Spiritual Formation: Ever Forming, Never Formed

Peter K. Nelson

InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400
Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
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ISBN: 978-0-8308-5948-1

Copyright 2010 by Peter K. Nelson

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.. Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Figure on page 103 from James Wilhoit, Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered, Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2008. Used by permission.

In memory of my grandfather
Rev. Anton E. Sjolund (18921951)
Pastor, evangelist, student of Gods Word
Godly guide on the way of spiritual formation

O ver the last decade, in my own faith journey with Christ and while serving as a pastor and Bible professor, this book has been gradually taking shape in my mind. And along the way there have been many people whove provided me with vital input and support.

I presented seminar papers at the 2004 and 2005 Evangelical Theological Society annual meetings on themes related to this book. The feedback of colleagues, including those in the Spiritual Formation / Sanctification Section, was of great help in refining my thoughts about the interplay of growth in godliness and the ongoing battle against sin.

While teaching at Wheaton College there were numerous occasions to share my thoughts on ever forming, never formed with colleagues and students. In the laboratory of dialogue I was helped to ask new questions and probe Gods Word deeply regarding spiritual formation. In particular, Im grateful for the input of Jim Wilhoit, Scott Hafemann, Doug Moo, Sam Storms, and Gary Burge.

My church family (Goshen Baptist Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania) has been a center of joyful camaraderie for me as weve sought the Lord together and as Ive carried on with this writing project. I thank the Lord for their partnership in the gospel. In 2007 I preached a sermon series called Under Construction, focusing on the key Scriptures that would be foundational for this book. Im grateful for the stimulating conversations and constructive feedback I received in connection with that series. Further, I thank the Lord for the prayer support from the small group at Goshen in which my wife and I have been involved.

Numerous friends and ministry partners have challenged and encouraged me as Ive pursued this writing task, including Brett Payne, Bob Kinzel, Wylie Johnson, Gene Smillie, and many others. Im also indebted to authors with whom Ive had enlightening conversations, including John Piper, Dave Harvey, and Ron Sider. In addition, Im thankful to the various churches and Bible study groups in which, over the years, Ive been able to preach or teach on spiritual formation and receive valuable feedback.

Im grateful to the team at Biblica Publishing for taking on this project and seeing it through. Volney James has been encouraging from the start and patient with me through a season of ministry transition (he was gracious enough to extend my deadline twice). And the kind, careful help of John Dunham and Kay Larson in refining the book has been very much appreciated.

I would be hard pressed to overstate the importance of the support Ive received through Gods gift of family. My parents, Ken and Connie Nelson, have been a source of constant affirmation. Cheryl, my beloved wife and best friend and partner in pondering, has supplied much thoughtful input, especially on the urgency of prayer, over the long haul of this writing project. And my children, Elliot, Jeremy, and Emily (in their teens and early twenties), have often blessed me both through their interest in the things I write about and by distracting me from them. I give thanks to the Lord for the blessing of my family.

A s a child Id count the days until Christmas. And not just during December, but for months in advance. Once summer vacation was over, there really wasnt anything else on the calendar worth getting excited about. Now the major appeal of the Christmas season, in my young mind, was the presents. As gifts accumulated under the tree in the weeks leading up to the big day, my anticipation went through the roof. I knew the true meaning of Christmas had to do with Jesus, but still, I was preoccupied with the giftswhat was under that tree, and which packages were for me. The suspense was almost too much to take, waiting for the moment wed finally tear into all that colorful wrapping paper.

But time changes things, and I had new questions about holiday traditions: how much should we spend, are we inadvertently spreading a consumer mindset to the next generation, and do the gifts upstage the wonder of Christs birth? Thus holiday merriment was muted by concerns that come with maturity. We may wistfully long for the good old days, a sunny past when life wasnt so complicated. But those days fade, and change is inescapable.

Decades after attending Nathan Hale Elementary School in south Minneapolis, I visited the building and was amazed at how it had shrunkor so it seemed. Part of our educational experience at Hale School had been the occasional 1960s air-raid drill. We would move swiftly but calmly into the hall, line up in a long row, and bow down toward the wall, putting our hands over our heads so that we could withstand an atom bomb from the Soviets. Such ominous images filled my memory of this school building. But years later I saw the vast, cavernous hallways that had once struck awe into me were now the corridors of a very ordinary building. Time changes things.

So how does the passing of time influence our lives as Christians? The journey of spiritual formation takes us through seasons of the soul. After a stage of initial zeal followed by an episode of eager learning, disenchantment and even bitterness can develop. Pressures and temptations never anticipated in the earlier, simpler seasons of spiritual life eventually confront us. As it is on a long road trip, the journey with Jesus takes many turns, and we cant envision what awaits us around the bend. In particular, we dont foresee where the clash with sin and temptation may take us.