In the
classical tradition of spiritual theology, which is itself an ancient form of
Christian Psychology, three development stages have been identified as relates
to the progress of a Christian in terms of his or her relationship with God.
These three stages have traditionally been referred to as the purgative, illuminative,
and unitive ways. As a Christian reaches deeper levels of sanctification (what
the classical tradition often refers to as holiness), they advance through
these stages, though most mystical writers readily admit that few persons
advance to the unitive stage in this life.
One of the
attractive and useful features of this model of human understanding is that it
centers human anthropology, development, and maturation in light of an
individual’s relationship with God. In addition, it takes seriously the
development of a robust interior life that is sometimes lacking in other
approaches to Christian discipleship. In other words, behavioral modification
and thought sanctification are merely the beginning of the Christian life.
The purgative way is the stage of the
Christian life where the believer is actively doing battle with a variety of
personal sins. It is a time where personal habits and character are brought
into alignment with the basic ethical teachings of the Christian life. This is
done in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, often making use of various spiritual
disciplines. Most pastors and Christian counselors will quickly deduce that the
vast majority of Christians fall into this category, including themselves. The
classical writers would affirm this reality and its truth is not merely a
testament to the power of sin in this earthly life (Romans 3:23) but to the
fact that Christian communities have seldom focused on higher levels of
sanctification beyond that of behavioral alignment with Biblical standards.
This way is often described as the way of beginners in classical Christian
literature.
The illuminative way marks a transition in a
believer’s life where he or she begins to see the light of Christ more clearly
in his or her life, as well as in the life of others and in the world around
them. It is a stage where sin is still a concern (perfection is not possible in
this life), but now the attention of the believer’s mind and heart is focused
on the positive aspects of life with God and attuning one’s self more deeply to
the will of God as manifested in Jesus Christ. Increasingly, spiritual
realities become more dominant in the mind of believers experiencing the
illuminative stage, to the point where earthly concerns and matters become less
important and less appealing. Here the Christian more readily, and more
eagerly, ponders and meditates on the truths and realities of God. This way is
often described as the way of the proficient in classical Christian literature.
The unitive way is a stage in the Christian
life that anticipates the full union of the believer with God in paradise (1
John 3:2). Whereas the beginner (purgative way) is usually consumed by sin, and
the proficient (illuminative way) still occupied with earthly matters a good
deal of the time, the mature saint has an awareness of God that permeates all
of their activity, wherever they may be. This awareness is continual versus the
occasional or fixed periods of awareness that characterize the earlier stages
of the spiritual life. While still sinners saved by grace, these Christians are
usually undisturbed by most earthly enticements and are living more or less
continually in the mature expressions of the fruits of the Holy Spirit
(Galatians 5:22). Most writers in the classical tradition of spirituality claim
that few individuals, during their earthly pilgrimage, advanced to this stage
of union with God.
As Christian counselors and pastors the
traditional classifications of the spiritual life provide us a rich resource
when working with individuals or congregations. This paradigm has been followed
and written about for centuries in the Christian tradition. There are writers
who describe tools and methods for advancing through the stages based on
centuries of Christian experience. Of course, it must be mentioned, that like
with many schemes it is usually quite difficult to discern the exact place of
an individual in the three-fold pattern, particularly with individuals in the
later beginner (purgative) and early proficient (illuminative) stages. As we continue to discover, spiritual theology
is in every sense a full expression of Christian psychology, already developed,
nuanced, and ready for use by contemporary Christians.
Provincial
Province of the Resurrection (North America)
Anglican Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
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