According to a recent Pew Research poll, almost 30% of American adults are religiously unaffiliated. We call such people “nones,” indicating that they have no religious connections and don’t attend church. That does not mean that they don’t believe in God; many of them do. In fact, many of them would return to church if they were asked.

According to the poll, about half of the “nones” say that spirituality is very important in their lives or say they think of themselves as spiritual.

Sadly, the spirituality of some of the “nones” is not at all Christian. Many of them believe animals have spirits, and many say that parts of nature, such as mountains, rivers or trees have spirits or are part of the spiritual world.[1] The word “spiritual” can mean a lot of different things to different people.

The Bible uses the word “spiritual” to describe some Christians. Every believer has the capacity—the potential—for being spiritual. Saved people are indwelt by the Spirit of God and are spiritual to a degree. Every Christian should pursue greater degrees of spirituality. All of us should seek to fit the biblical description of a spiritual person.

What does it mean to be “spiritual” in the biblical, Christian sense of the word? Today I want to take a look at what the Bible says about true Christian spirituality.

1 Cor 2:12-15  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

What does it mean to be spiritual?

[1] www.pewresearch.org