In our Bible study at church we have been exploring the book of Romans. We have spent the past couple of weeks in chapter 8 and the question arose "What, exactly is this life in the spirit?" A great question. And I can give all manner of spiritual sounding answers for it. But how do we achieve it? And does it make any difference. The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, a true masterpiece which will become to be considered a spiritual classic, I am sure. He speaks of five dimensions or phases in the process:

1. Confidence and reliance upon Jesus
Before we can start the process we have to be confident that following Jesus will get us there.

“...and everyone who looks up to him, trusting and expectant, will gain a real life, eternal life.”
John 3:15 (the Message)

This confidence leads to:

2. A desire to be Jesus’ apprentice
Willard: “Only a sustained historical process involving many confusions and false motivations could lead to our current situation, in which faith in Jesus is thought to have no natural connection with discipleship to him. Our apprenticeship to him means that we live within his word, that is, put his teachings into practice (John 8:31). And this progressively integrates our entire existence into the glorious world of eternal living. We become ‘free indeed’ (John 8:36).”

3. Obedience
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments...They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” John 14:15,21
We have to put into practice what God reveals to us.

Willard: “Love of Jesus sustains us through the course of discipline and training that makes obedience possible. Without that love, we will not stay to learn.

Obedience , with the life of discipline it requires, both leads to and, then, issues from the:

4. Pervasive inner transformation of the heart and soul
WE BEGIN TO CHANGE.

Galatians 5:22: By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These “fruits of the spirit” are examples of what starts to naturally happen to us. We don’t try to be patient. We don’t force ourselves to be peaceful. That is just what we are.

This, in turn, leads to an area we rarely, bordering on never, talk about:

5. Power to work the works of the kingdom

Jesus said to his disciples in John 14:12: “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these...”

Do we believe this?

Willard: “Perhaps we feel baffled and incompetent before this statement. But let us keep in mind that the world we live in desperately needs such works to be done. They would not be just for show or to impress ourselves or others. But frankly, even a moderate size ‘work’ is more than most people’s life could sustain. One good public answer to our prayer might be enough to lock some of us into weeks of spiritual superiority. Great power requires great character if it is to be a blessing and not a curse, and that character is something we only grow toward.

Yet it is God’s intent that in his kingdom we should have as much power as we can bear for good. Indeed, his ultimate objective int he development of human character is to empower us to do what we want. And when we are fully developed in the likeness of Jesus, fully have ‘the mind of Christ,’ that is what will happen--to his great joy and relief, no doubt.”