Aug. 24, 2025 - Intuitive

How are things with your soul? It's a question worth pondering regularly, as our spiritual well-being is just as crucial as our physical and mental health. Just as we exercise our bodies and stimulate our minds, we must also nurture our faith to prevent stagnation and decay.

Scripture clearly shows that God intends for us to grow in our faith. The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, describes how we all start as spiritual infants, needing the "milk" of basic teachings. But God doesn't want us to remain in this infantile state. The book of Hebrews echoes this sentiment, emphasizing God's desire for us to develop a mature, complete faith.

This growth process isn't instantaneous; it occurs in stages, much like human development. Today, let's explore the second stage of faith development: the intuitive stage.

In childhood development, this stage is characterized by reliance on intuition and imagination. Children at this age often have stuffed animals or imaginary friends, blending fantasy with their growing awareness of reality. It's a time of endless "why" questions as they try to make sense of the world around them. They also tend to be egocentric, unable to see perspectives beyond their own.

When we translate this to faith development, we see similar patterns emerge. This stage is marked by literalism and concrete thinking. Stories from Scripture are taken at face value, without deeper interpretation. There's a simplistic view of justice and reciprocity – if you're good, God will bless you; if you're bad, you'll be punished.

This stage of faith is often referred to as "embedded theology" or "deuteronomistic theology." It's the faith we typically absorb as children, learned from parents, Sunday school teachers, and other influential figures in our early spiritual formation. While not inherently bad, this faith is often incomplete, lacking the depth and nuance that comes with mature theological understanding.

Unfortunately, many Christians remain at this stage throughout their lives. When confronted with ideas that challenge their childhood understanding of faith, they instinctively reject them rather than engaging and potentially growing. It's a comfortable place to be, but it's not where God intends us to stay.

The deuteronomistic worldview, derived from the book of Deuteronomy, presents a black-and-white perspective: follow God, and you'll be blessed; disobey, and you'll face consequences. While there's truth in this, life often proves far more complex. We've all known deeply faithful people who have faced tremendous hardships, challenging this simplistic formula.

This stage of faith often manifests in formulaic thinking about spirituality. We might believe that if we pray in a certain posture or follow specific rituals, God will respond in predictable ways. We see echoes of this in the disciples' questions about who sinned to cause a person's blindness, or in Jesus' teachings that push beyond literal interpretations of the law to address the heart's intentions.

The story of Abraham provides a powerful illustration of this stage. Despite God's promises to make him the father of nations and to bless and protect him, Abraham's faith faltered when faced with famine. Fearing for his life in Egypt, he lied about his relationship with Sarah, calling her his sister instead of his wife. This self-preserving act, born from an egocentric perspective, had painful consequences for Sarah and others.

Many of us find ourselves stuck in what we might call the "flannel graph" stage of faith. We know the Bible stories – Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jesus – but we haven't allowed these stories to truly impact our lives. We recite what we've been taught without delving deeper or questioning how these ancient narratives apply to our modern experiences.

But there's so much more to discover when we push beyond this surface-level understanding. The story of Jonah isn't just about a man swallowed by a whale; it's a profound exploration of forgiveness and loving our enemies. The creation account isn't merely about the number of days God took to create the world; it's about God bringing order out of chaos and declaring the goodness of creation – truths that can deeply resonate with our personal experiences.

So how do we move beyond this stage? It begins with allowing ourselves to wrestle with Scripture, to ask difficult questions, and to seek deeper meanings. We need to examine our beliefs and ask ourselves, "Do I really believe this? How does this make sense in my life?"
Consider:

- How has the Bible come alive in your personal experiences?
- Are you satisfied with a surface-level understanding of Scripture, or are you yearning for something deeper?

- Can you relate to Abraham's moment of fear and self-preservation? How might your faith guide you differently in similar situations?

- In what ways might your understanding of God and faith still be influenced by childhood teachings that you haven't revisited as an adult?

Growing in faith often requires us to step out of our comfort zones. It means being willing to engage with challenging ideas and to see familiar stories in new lights. It's about allowing the Word of God to truly transform us, not just inform us.

As we reflect on our spiritual journey, let's challenge ourselves to move beyond the flannel graph. Let's seek a faith that is vibrant, questioning, and deeply personal. May we grow in our knowledge and love of God, allowing the stories of Scripture to leap off the page and into our hearts, shaping our actions and perspectives in profound ways.

Remember, faith development is a lifelong journey. Wherever you find yourself today, there's always room for growth, always new depths to explore in your relationship with God. So again, we ask: How are things with your soul? And more importantly, where is God calling you to grow from here?