The Spirit speaks through Scripture: On Protestant Spirituality

Spirituality is in many ways a difficult term to understand for laypeople. It is a term which has been used mainly in recent years to express how faith is experienced.

Many people are uncertain about its meaning, they even have problems pronouncing it when they hear it for the first time. And, as is to be expected, they feel uncertain, even threatened by it, with, as a consequence a negative feeling.

It is helpful to recognise the word "spirituality" as a word which focusses on the “Spirit" and thus the Holy Spirit. Spirituality has to do with a life in the Spirit. Hermeneutics, the science of interpretation or understanding, which every theologian and pastor know as an important part of their training, becomes within Spirituality, “spiritual hermeneutics” which is interpretation with a spiritual character.

Among Protestants there are reservations because some confuse it with spiritism – the communication with the dead, which is certainly not what it is. Or others think it has to do with an excessive emotionalism, with ecstatic, uncontrolled experiences or with a work righteousness which reflects a sanctimonious attitude.

But Spirituality is nothing of this kind.

When one speaks with Protestants they always claim certain important acts of piety as typical of their tradition. They speak, for example, in quite a natural manner of sanctification. To live holy, is to live a life in obedience to the Spirit. In a simple manner this means one has “quiet time” each day in the morning and/or evening. People do this in their rooms as personal Bible study or also with their families. Then one reads the Bible first, reflects on it and prays. One would also go to church on a Sunday where much is made of preaching the “Word.”

In all these cases there is a focus on The Word of God. This is an important feature of Protestant piety or spirituality. although there are many others. In Protestant Spirituality one could translate these acts of piety as meaning that the Spirit speaks to believers through the Word of God. Therefore one has respect for the Bible and takes it as a guideline for one’s life.

Though Spirituality is a new word, it actually reflects very important traditions – of which only one example has been named here. Spirituality is then about how the relationship between God and humanity changes people over a period of time. It includes sanctification, but it is also more than this. In Protestantism this process of transformation is typically and closely linked with Scripture as the exclusive and only source of sanctification. In other traditions similar thoughts are found, but they are expressed differently.

Spirituality is a modern term which refers to one of the deepest dimensions of human existence.