The phrase spiritual formation can make some conservative evangelicals slightly uneasy. It can sometimes be associated with mystical practices, vague spirituality or disciplines borrowed uncritically from Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Yet the Bible clearly calls Christians to pursue spiritual maturity – to keep our hearts diligently, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.
The question, therefore, is not whether Christians should be spiritually formed, but what should form us, and how that formation takes place.
In A Heart Aflame for God, Matthew Bingham argues that Reformed Christians do not need to look outside their theological heritage to discover a rich, serious and deeply experiential approach to the Christian life. Drawing particularly upon the Reformers and Puritans, Bingham retrieves a vision of spirituality that is firmly grounded in Scripture, shaped by the gospel and centred upon communion with God.
At the heart of the book is what Bingham calls the “Reformation triangle”: Scripture, meditation and prayer. We hear from God through his Word, reflect carefully upon what he has said, and then respond to him in prayer. These are not three disconnected religious duties but interrelated means through which the truth of God moves from the page into the heart and life of the believer.
That emphasis is desperately needed. Many Christians read the Bible but seldom pause to meditate upon it. We may finish a chapter, close the Bible and immediately turn to the next notification on our phone. The words have passed before our eyes, but they have not been allowed to settle deeply into our hearts. Bingham’s recovery of biblical meditation reminds us that the goal of Bible reading is not merely to complete a plan or accumulate information. We read so that we might know God, love Christ, fight sin and increasingly reflect the character of our Saviour.
The book also widens its focus to consider self-examination, the natural world, Christian relationships, the connection between our physical and spiritual lives, and the experience of spiritual weakness. This makes it more than a book about establishing a private devotional routine. It presents a broad vision of Christian maturity in which the whole person is being shaped into the likeness of Christ within the life of the church.
One of the book’s greatest strengths is its insistence that doctrine and devotion must never be separated. Reformed theology, rightly understood, is not cold, cerebral or spiritually lifeless. The great doctrines of grace are meant to humble us, comfort us, draw us into worship and produce lives of joyful obedience. The Puritans understood this well. They did not believe that Christians must choose between theological precision and spiritual warmth. They wanted light in the mind and fire in the heart.
This is also why the book is particularly timely. Some believers, disappointed by the apparent shallowness of contemporary evangelicalism, are tempted to seek spiritual depth elsewhere. Bingham’s answer is not to dismiss that hunger but to show that the Reformed tradition possesses substantial resources for cultivating serious, affectionate and Christ-centred godliness. The solution to shallow evangelical spirituality is not less Bible, less doctrine or less gospel, but a deeper engagement with all three.
At 368 pages, this is not a light devotional book to be hurried through. It is best read slowly, perhaps one chapter at a time, with space to reflect upon its arguments and consider how its insights should affect our habits. Although it will be especially valuable for pastors, elders and theological students, thoughtful Christians who want to grow in their walk with God will also find much here to encourage and challenge them. The publisher describes it as an intermediate-level study, and that is a fair indication of the attention it requires.
A Heart Aflame for God offers an important reminder, that spiritual maturity does not develop accidentally. God is sovereign in our sanctification, but he ordinarily grows his people as they make diligent use of the means he has provided. We open his Word, meditate upon his truth, seek him in prayer, examine our hearts, live in fellowship with his people and depend continually upon his grace.
Bingham encourages us to recover these practices without legalism, novelty or spiritual gimmicks. His goal is not simply to make us more disciplined Christians, but to help us become believers whose minds are filled with God’s truth, whose lives are shaped by God’s grace and whose hearts are increasingly aflame with love for God.
This is a timely and worthwhile contribution to the conversation about Christian maturity, and I warmly recommend it.
Chalmers' Blog 