In Christian circles, people talk a lot about being spiritual or growing in spirituality. To those who are not of the Christian faith, this language can be confusing. Heck, it’s confusing to many who do consider themselves Christians.

What is spirituality? What does it mean to be spiritual? After all, we all have spirits and have the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, so do we need to do anything to be spiritual?

Well, the contemporary understanding of spirituality refers to the relationship between people and God. Being spiritual or growing in spirituality means to explore and develop your relationship with God. 

This looks different for everyone because the Holy Spirit interacts with people in different ways. However, there are some traits of spirituality that everyone shares that can help you understand spirituality better.

Spirituality is a journey

Spirituality isn’t something that you’re born with. It’s something you develop. Becoming a more spiritual person is a journey of growth, learning and desire.

As you learn more about God and experience His presence, your love for Him grows. This is an indication of your growth in spirituality.

Spirituality is personal

In many modern churches, people seem to want the pastoral staff to take care of their spirituality for them. While church leaders do have a role in guiding people and fostering their growth, your own spiritual growth is ultimately your responsibility.

To grow in spirituality, which is to grow closer to God, you must take the initiative to accept your own responsibility in the matter. The Holy Spirit guides you and God draws you nearer to Him, but you have the ability to refuse His presence when you choose not to pursue Him.

Spirituality is corporate

Wait, didn’t you just say spirituality is personal?

Well, yes, we did. But, this doesn’t mean it’s not also corporate. 

Part of spirituality is loving others, listening well and teaching. As Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, we can see that many of these fruits are relational, not just personal:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)

At Unfiltered Radio, we take spiritual growth seriously. We understand that everyone is not in the same place spiritually, so we never expect people who are new to the faith or just curious to have spirituality mastered. If you think about it, no one really does. We’re all just trying to grow in it more as God draws us closer to Him.