On Thursday 29^th November George Harrison of ‘The Beatles’ fame, died. He was a very spiritual person. The press recorded the following about him, ‘He died as he lived, conscious of God, fearless of death, at peace’. ‘Everything else can wait, but the search for God cannot wait’. ‘The purpose of life is “Why am I here? Where am I going?”’ His former manager said ‘George found it’ (the meaning of life) ‘in his Hare Krishna’s beliefs’. George Harrison was very spiritual.

Many people are inclined to think that if a person is spiritual then they are ‘good’ and on their way to heaven. But there are evil spiritualities. In fact the Christian warfare is not against people but “against principalities and powers against spiritual hosts of wickedness” (Eph 6:12). It is because of the reality of evil spiritual forces, that Paul goes on to instruct us how to defend and attack these forces with spiritual weapons.

Because a person believes in God, that does not necessary make him a Christian. Neither does the fact that he prays. Few people actually disbelieve in God. Few people never pray. The question is what kind of God do they believe in? What kind of God do they pray to? Many people today have ‘their own view’ of what God is like. They make God in their image. The Psalmist met people who thought God had the same values, ideals and views as themselves “You thought that I was altogether like yourself” (Ps 50:21).

Nor in fact, is a person necessary a Christian because he holds to principles that accord with the Bible. Biblical principles are exceedingly wise, logical and workable. Family, business and social relationships benefit from the wise counsel in the Scriptures. It is no wonder that people still hold to much of the Bible’s teaching because they have stood the test of time and have been tried by a wide range of cultures over a long period of time and proved successful.

It is indeed encouraging that many are now turning away from the materialism and sexual pleasures which are not satisfying the basic needs of mankind. It is good that people are turning to spiritual things, but it must be true spirituality. False spirituality abounds. Satan knows it is just a matter of time before humankind will turn from the unsatisfying pleasures of secular ideology. So what is true spirituality? What is Christian spirituality?

A Christian is a person who believes what Christ believed. A Christian believes what Christ taught. “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My Words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed” (Mark 8:38). The Christian’s spirituality is defined by the person of Jesus Christ and the words of Jesus Christ. He accepts the life and teaching of Jesus. He subjects his whole understanding of reality by what Scripture says.

A Christian believes in the reality of sin as defined by God in Scripture. It is an evil that deserves punishment from God and must be forgiven if eternal life is to be enjoyed after death. It is not what we think of sin, nor what the government think sin is, but what God says it is. The prophet said “your sins have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you” (Isa 59:2). Solomon said “sin is a reproach to any people” (14:34). Paul said “the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Sin is the cause of all the misery in the world.

The Christian believes that sin can only be forgiven through Jesus Christ – there is no other way to be forgiven. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

True spirituality focuses on Jesus Christ as the saviour of His people

He came into the world to save them and to deal with their sin. His very name means “He will save His people from their sins” (Mat 1:21). After healing people He would say to them “Go and sin no more” (John 5:14, John 8:11). Sin was the big problem that had to be dealt with. True spirituality takes cognisance of the significance of sin. Some religions refer to ignorance as mankind’s problem, but the Bible tells us it is sin.

Central to Christianity is the Cross of Jesus. The traumatic events of Calvary are fundamental to the salvation of the Christian. A spirituality without the significance of the Cross is not Christianity. Jesus came, not so much to preach the gospel but to live and die so that there would be a gospel to preach. The Cross brings peace and satisfaction to the guilty sinner. The Cross was the means whereby all our sin was removed.