When someone is asked about their religion today, it isn’t uncommon for them to respond that they are “spiritual” but not “religious.” What is meant by that statement can be anything from the person being anti-church, to the person being heavily involved in Eastern meditation practices, to someone just wanting to have their own way in the world and not to be challenged by anything. However, spirituality is an important topic for us as Christians. What does it mean to be spiritual?
From a Christian perspective, there are two key elements to being spiritual. Without these elements, the claim to spirituality is of little significance. First, spirituality involves connection with someone or something. Second, spirituality has to do with living in a reflective relationship with someone or something.
Having said that, I find the best understanding and usefulness of spirituality to be in the context of connecting with God through Jesus Christ and then living out that connection so that it is more than just a claim to being a Christian.
Sometimes the best way to see what something is, is to understand what it is not. That isn’t the same thing as understanding what it is, but it can cut away some of the clutter that accumulates around any idea of what something is.
There are three things that come to mind regarding what spirituality is not. Spirituality is not a specific set of beliefs. Spirituality is not a show of righteousness. And spirituality does not mean that one has all the answers to life’s questions. Let me expand on each of these.
Sometimes people get the idea that if they hold all the right beliefs, that will mean they are spiritually healthy. There are several things that show this to be nonsense. Belief in one God is a central concept to Christianity. Yet, as James points out in his letter, “Even the demons believe that (in one God) — and shudder.”1 Right beliefs alone don’t lead to being spiritually healthy.
Sometimes people get the idea that being spiritually healthy means they act in a certain way. They do all the things that are considered holy or righteous. Jesus warned about this when he told his followers to beware not to do things that appear righteous just to be seen by others.2 Many people assume if they just act “right” they are being spiritual. Spirituality isn’t just about behaving right.
The last thing that spirituality is not, is that it doesn’t mean one has all the right answers. Sometimes a person will think they have all the right answers. If you talk to those who believe they have all the right answers, you may feel stupid or afraid you are wrong. Sometimes we encounter a person who talks like they have all the right answers, and we assume they must be right because they sound so sure of themselves. We tend to interpret self-assurance as spirituality.
True spirituality will always include a lot of humility. Without true humility, it is impossible to be spiritually healthy.
True spirituality is about connection and living in relation to what you are connected with. The connection is that you realize you aren’t the center of the world and that you need the connection. Living with the connection is about ordering your life in such a way as to reflect who or what it is you have the connection with. True spirituality is an ongoing, sometimes difficult process.
Ross T Lucas 