Dr Paul Allen

God calls all Christians to become more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18), and this transformation happens in the innermost part of a person: their heart. This progression is called spiritual formation, which involves learning to hear God in his Word, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, and bearing lasting fruit. One way we experience this transforming power of God’s grace is through spiritual disciplines like reading and meditating on God’s Word, prayer, and journaling. Here are 14 verses that speak of God’s intention for the progression of spiritual formation. On the importance of God’s Word  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you...

Lack of growth is sad to see in anyone or anything. It is especially tragic in Christians , but unfortunately too many believers don’t seem to be growing very much in their faith. The major cause of their lack of growth is failure to read and study God ’s Word. In 1 Peter 1:23–2:3, the great apostle compares God’s Word to two things that are vital for life and growth: an imperishable seed and the milk of the Word. As Christ taught in His parable of the sower , God’s Word is like a seed that brings about new birth. Just as a seed contains the power and energy of life, so does God’s Word. Before a Christian can get the most from feeding on God’s Word, he or she needs to get rid of the “junk food diet” that is so tasty to the flesh that all believers still have within them. Peter describes this junk food diet as the evils of worldly malice, the guile of deceitfulness, and the phoniness of hypocrisy, the self-centeredness of envy, and the slander of gossip. If we want to change our d...

Christian discipline is not about self-improvement.  As much as we may feel drawn to make growing in Christ the goal of our various spiritual disciplines, or habits of grace, we have something far greater that warrants our explicit focus. Now, to be sure, growing in Christ is a wonderful thing. It is important, as Paul celebrated to the Thessalonians: “your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). It is essential, as Hebrews makes plain: “Strive . . . for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). It is a command, as Peter instructs, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We should never minimize the value or vitality of growing in Christ. It is indeed important, essential, and commanded. Yet we should often clarify, for ourselves and for others, who it is that makes it happen, how we go about pursuing it, and what is the greater ...

“The word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.” ( Isaiah 28:13 ) This familiar passage (repeated mostly from Isaiah 28:10 just before it) is often cited in support of a detailed, verse-by-verse method of Bible study and exposition. However, the context is one of rebuke to the people of Ephraim (that is, the Northern Kingdom of Israel) in the days of the divided kingdom. Isaiah especially castigates the priests and prophets who should have been teaching God’s Word to the people, but who had instead become proud and then drunkards, leaving the people in great ignorance and spiritual confusion. Therefore, cried Isaiah: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts” (v. 9). Before they can really grow in the knowledge...

“For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” ( Hebrews 5:13-14 ) The Scriptures are compared in these verses to our daily food—milk and meat. Milk is the necessary food for babies ( 1 Peter 2:2 ), but it becomes grotesque when a baby continues year after year as a baby, still incapable of partaking of anything but milk. This was the case with the Corinthian Christians who were, according to Paul, “babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it” ( 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 ). It was also true for these Hebrew Christians: “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again . . . the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” ( Hebrews 5:12 ). Sad...