“Christian spiritual formation is focused entirely on Jesus, the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself.

“Its goal is an obedience or conformity to Christ that arises out of an inner transformation accomplished through purposive interaction with the grace of God in Christ.

“External manifestation of “Christlikeness” is not, however, the focus of the process; and when it is made the main emphasis, the process will certainly be defeated, falling into deadening legalisms and pointless narrow-mindedness.”

—Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart