Henry Scougal (1650-78) writes in The Life of God in the Soul of Man the following:
In short, the answer to questions of Christian maturity to some measure involves God dwelling in our soul, i.e. Christ being formed within us.
They know by experince that true religion is a union of the soul with God, a real participation of the divine nature, the very image of God drawn upon the soul, or, in the apostle's phrase, "It is Christ formed within us.".This state, which Scougal calls "Divine Life", is a large component of what I mean when I ask questions such as What does it mean to present every man mature in Christ? or What does a mature Christian look like?
In short, the answer to questions of Christian maturity to some measure involves God dwelling in our soul, i.e. Christ being formed within us.
3 comments:
Christ formed in us.... The very thought captivates! Why is this not emphasized in our pulpits? I believe we have have swung the pendulum in our vigilance against mysticism and new age spiritualism. And yet, how mysterious and blessedly spiritual it is!
A great book! Scougal talks about the motivation in the Divine Life vs the natural life. He says the natural life is motivated strictly by external circumstances; rewards, punishments etc... while the Divine Life is motivated by love - love for God. Why obey any commandment? Because of ones love for God and a desire to please Him.
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