We Are Always Being Formed

What does it mean to become more like Jesus while living in a world that often pulls us in a different direction? Whether we realize it or not, we are always being formed. Our relationships, experiences, and the media we consume influence how we think, what we desire, and how we live. The values of our culture also shape us, often without our awareness.

Some of these influences are good. Yet we live in a fallen world whose prevailing patterns often oppose God's design (1 John 5:19). Without realizing it, we can gradually become more like the world around us rather than more like Christ.

We live in God's created world, but we must resist being conformed to its fallen patterns. As Paul writes, 

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will." — Romans 12:1-2 NIV.  

God does not call us to escape everyday life but to learn to live faithfully within it. Spiritual formation is God's work of shaping us into the likeness of Christ as we respond to His grace and actively participate in what He is doing. He has not left us to accomplish this on our own. Through His Word, His Spirit, and His people, He helps us recognize what is true, discern what needs to change, and learn to live differently.

Seven Dimensions of Whole-Person Discipleship

These seven dimensions describe interconnected aspects of our lifelong apprenticeship to Jesus. God's design helps us understand our humanity. His Word reveals truth, His Spirit guides and empowers us, and His people help us grow through relationships. Everyday life provides opportunities to practice what we learn. Personal responsibility and an equipping church support our active participation, while continual growth reminds us that becoming like Jesus is a lifelong journey. 

These are not seven steps to complete or separate programs to follow. They are complementary aspects of one life of discipleship, lived in relationship with God.

The question is not whether we are being formed, but what is shaping us — and whether we are responding to God's work in our lives.

1. God's Design: Honoring the Whole Person

God created us as whole human beings. Our thoughts, emotions, and desires are connected to our choices, bodies, and relationships. Each influences how we experience and respond to life. 

Growing in Christlikeness involves understanding our humanity, recognizing our needs and limitations, and wisely caring for what God has entrusted to us. Sometimes we make harmful choices. At other times, we fail to recognize how our needs, emotions, or habits influence our behavior. Both reveal areas where we need greater wisdom. 

God calls us to care for our bodies, understand our emotions, and examine our desires. He also teaches us to make faithful choices that honor Him and others.

God is shaping us as whole persons, not merely changing our religious behavior.

2. God's Word: Knowing the Truth and Living It

Scripture reveals God's character and purposes, bearing witness to Jesus Christ as the fullest revelation of who God is (Hebrews 1:1–3). Through Scripture, we recognize distorted thinking, examine our desires, and discover where our lives need to change. Yet we can read the Bible without allowing its truth to examine us. We may accumulate knowledge, avoid uncomfortable passages, or use Scripture to defend our opinions. 

We therefore approach God's Word with humility, allowing it to correct and renew us. As we learn to see life through the lens of Jesus, we put His teachings into practice in our attitudes, choices, and relationships (James 1:22–25).

Knowing God's Word should lead us to know God more deeply and live more like Jesus.

3. The Holy Spirit: Living in Relationship and Dependence

The Holy Spirit brings us into living fellowship with God. He helps us know Him, understand His truth, and become more like Christ. He convicts us of sin, guides us into truth, and empowers us to follow Jesus beyond what we can accomplish through our own strength (John 16:13; Galatians 5:16–25). 

Yet we can ignore His prompting, resist His correction, or rely on our own understanding. Scripture warns us not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). 

Having the Holy Spirit does not mean we automatically cooperate with Him. We must learn to discern His leading and respond. We grow in this relationship by abiding in Christ, remaining attentive to the Spirit, and responding with trust and obedience. As we walk with Him, He renews how we think, what we desire, and how we relate to others.

The Holy Spirit is not simply someone we turn to for help. He is God present with us, teaching us to live in fellowship with and dependence upon Him.

4. God's People: Growing Together in Love

God never intended us to follow Jesus in isolation. We need believers who encourage us, challenge our assumptions, and help us recognize what we cannot see on our own. Relationships reveal our blind spots and provide opportunities to practice forgiveness, receive correction, and work through disagreements. We discover that loving others requires more than good intentions.

Within God's family, we are not merely recipients of teaching and care. We are called to encourage one another, share what we are learning, and help each other grow (Hebrews 10:24–25). As we practice Christlike love within the church, we become better prepared to love those beyond it, including people who do not share our faith.

We grow together as we learn to love others in the way Jesus loves us.

5. Everyday Life: Where We Learn to Live Like Jesus

Everyday life is one of the primary places where spiritual formation takes place. Our responses to difficulties, relationships, and responsibilities reveal what is happening within us. Yet we do not always interpret situations accurately. Past wounds, fears, and desires can distort how we understand people and circumstances. We may experience correction as rejection, disagreement as hostility, or uncertainty as a threat. At other times, our concerns may point to genuine harm that requires wise boundaries or protection. 

Our feelings are real and deserve attention, but our interpretation of a situation may not always be accurate. Following Jesus therefore involves more than managing our behavior. We must learn to examine what we perceive, what happens within us, and how we respond. 

With the help of God's Word and Spirit, we learn to test our assumptions, understand our reactions, and choose responses that reflect Jesus (Romans 12:2). A difficult conversation, a stressful day, or an unexpected disappointment can become an opportunity to practice patience, humility, or trust. As we reflect on these experiences, we recognize where we are maturing and where further growth is needed.

Everyday life is not an interruption to discipleship. It is where much of our discipleship takes place.

6. Personal Responsibility and the Equipping Church

Every follower of Jesus must actively participate in their spiritual growth. We cannot depend entirely on pastors, programs, or favorable circumstances to help us mature. We learn to search Scripture, seek the Holy Spirit, and receive help from others. We also put what we discover into practice. This is not growth through self-effort alone. We respond to God's grace, trusting Him to work in us as we act in obedience (Philippians 2:12–13).

Church leaders are called to equip believers rather than keep them dependent. Their responsibility is to help God's people follow Jesus faithfully and contribute to the growth of others (Ephesians 4:11–16). A healthy church is therefore more than a place where people receive teaching and care. It is a community where every believer is encouraged and equipped to contribute.

Mature disciples do not simply receive ministry. They increasingly help others grow in Christ.

7. Continual Growth: Pursuing the Inexhaustible Christ

Discipleship is not a course we finish or a curriculum we complete. It is life before God, with God, and unto God. There is always more to discover about Jesus, more to understand about His ways, and more of His character to reflect in our lives (Philippians 3:10–14). This calls for lifelong humility, curiosity, and a willingness to learn. No matter how long we have followed Jesus, we remain His disciples.

The same is true for church leaders and congregations. We must remain willing to examine our assumptions, learn from experience, and refine how we help others follow Christ. Our calling is not merely to pass along what we know or reproduce a particular system. It is to help people become lifelong apprentices who continue learning from Jesus and helping others do the same.

We will never exhaust the riches of Christ. Therefore, we should never design discipleship as though we have.

The Destination: A New Humanity in Christ

God has placed us in His world, not to conform to its fallen patterns, but to learn to live in the likeness of His Son. Through Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and His people, He teaches us to navigate everyday life with increasing wisdom and faithfulness. We learn to understand ourselves more truthfully, relate to others more lovingly, and respond to life's challenges in ways that reflect Jesus.

In Christ, God is creating a new humanity (Ephesians 2:14–16). As we put off the old self and put on the new, our thoughts, desires, and actions increasingly reflect His character (Ephesians 4:22–24; Colossians 3:9–11). This transformation is neither automatic nor something we accomplish independently. God is the one who changes us, but He invites us to respond to His grace through faith and obedience.

We are in the world, but as we actively participate in God's transforming work, we are being formed in the likeness of Christ — learning to live before God, with God, and unto God in every reality of life.