I like to think of the line between Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Transformation as a perforated piece of paper; they really are a piece of the same large sheet. Yet the fragile line between the two, if broken, will turn them into two separate things entirely.

Spiritual Formation is wildly popular in the church today. There has been a growing interest in books like Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline" or Dallas Willard's "Spiritual Disciplines". I think that the interest in spiritual practices is largely helpful and mostly good. For too long the church has neglected the fact that biblical faith necessitates movement. Free grace has become cheap grace.

It should not be so.

In response to this easy believeism, the emphases has begun to be placed on taking action and doing more things. Practice of virtue and exercising individual will have started to reign supreme in the pulpits of our churches and the hearts of our fellow believers. I'm thankful for this emphases in so much as it has encouraged me to take obedience to Jesus very seriously by squashing my laziness and encouraging zealousness.

However, if we are not careful to keep the perforated line between Formation and Transformation in tact, we may soon tear ourselves away from the power of the cross and the glory of Christ.

The Stone and the Clay

Formation
Often times, spiritual formation can be likened to giving a sculptor a lump of clay and a small, ugly stone and telling them that they can do whatever they want with the stone and the clay, but they can't discard either one. In order to hide the ugly stone, the sculptor will always choose to mold the clay around the stone. The clay can be molded by the sculptor with their hands using water and shaping tools and physical exertion. But no matter what the sculptor does with the clay, the stone inside will always be stone. The clay may look good and even be pleasing to the sculptor after enough refining and molding.

Spiritual formation without the cross of Christ turns US into both the sculptor and the clay and fails to do anything about the stone. Discipline and exertion and pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps will help the clay to form and change, but it will not do away with the stone inside.

In a way, this spiritual formation is not unlike the self-help movement of our day. Tips and tricks and tools are touted as the way to truly accomplish change.

Transformation
Spiritual transformation, in using this analogy of the stone and the clay, is the removal of the stone altogether. It's replacing a heart of stone with a heart of flesh. In spiritual formation, the sculptor cannot get rid of the stone no matter what he does. But in spiritual transformation, God is the sculptor and he can do with the stone whatever he pleases.

As fallen human beings, we are in need of a transformation. We are in opposition to God with no desire to please or obey him. This is the bad news of the consequence of sin. The good news of the Gospel, however, is that God has made a way, through the cross of Christ, to pay the price for our sin and transform us into the image of his Son.

The Love of God

Never More Loved
The fact that our spiritual transformation is based on God's justifying grace alone teaches us that God's love for us is not based on our behavior (good or bad). In his love, he has made us right with himself (justified us) and we are never more justified as we mature in the faith. Think of a marriage, for example: if you've been married for 5 years, you're no more married this year than you were in year one. 

Consider the words of Titus 5 3-7 and what it says about our permanent place in Christ because of his righteousness:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Always More Lovable
While we are never more or less justified after that glorious moment of conversion, we must understand that we can be more or less pleasing to God after the moment of conversion. We are saved for good works (Eph. 2:10) and ought to be insistent on workout out our faith. Verse 8 of Titus 5 says,

"The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people."

Our working to discipline ourselves in pursuit of holiness is because of our love for our Father and our desire to please him. It is not to initiate our relationship to him as Father, it is to grow in our love for him as adopted children.

Glory to God

Our spiritual formation has one goal: pleasing God through bringing him glory. The foundation of our spiritual transformation in Christ is what allows a weak humanity to be formed and shaped into a pleasing, living sacrifice. 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Ro 12:1-2)