This post is really just a continuation from the last one, where we contrasted how spiritual formation is experienced within soteriological visions that emphasize either sanctification or justification. I want to dig a little deeper here.
In Catholicism and Orthodoxy the purpose of sanctification is union with God. As Jesus put it in the Beatitudes, the pure in heart see God. Thus, achieving purity of heart creates the capacity to see God. In the Orthodox vision, this journey is called theosis, our becoming like God. One can see, therefore, how ascetical practices are integral to this journey. Sin must be purged in order for salvation, understood as union with God, is to be achieved.
A literary example of this is Dante’s Divine Comedy, especially Part 2, The Purgatorio. In The Purgatorio the saints ascend the seven levels of Mount Purgatory. On each level of the mountain one of the seven deadly sins is purged. Consequently, as the saints go up the mountain, level by level, they are purified and cleansed of sin. They experience complete purgation when they arrive at the top of the mountain. And this purity allows them to ascend through the seven circles of heaven to finally arrive at the Beatific Vision.
Notice how, in Dante’s vision, the presence of sin prevents divine union. Holiness and purity are, therefore, necessary for salvation. In this sense, spiritual formation just is salvation. Without personal holiness, salvation is impossible.
In Protestant spaces, by contrast, salvation is framed not as divine union but juridically and forensically. Salvation isn’t personal purity but is, rather, a legal declaration. Crucially, this is a declaration that you are saved while yet being a sinner, and even as you remain a sinner. This makes sense if salvation is a legal verdict, but it is impossible if divine union is the goal. Our sin would always intrude.
I bring all this up because, within the spiritual formation tradition, there is a description of what is called the three-fold path: the Purgative Way, the Illuminative Way, and the Unitive Way.
The Purgative Way is the start of of our spiritual journey and it involves the soul being cleansed and purified from sin. Through repentance, ascetic practices, and prayer we distance ourselves from sin and our virtue is stabilized. Our disordered desires are gradually healed.
Next is the Illuminative Way. As our virtue is stabilized we become increasingly more aware of God. Better able to walk in step with God, more capable of seeing and hearing God. Our communion and connection with God becomes more constant.
And finally, the Unitive Way is the culmination of the journey. The purified and illuminated soul deepens its participation in the life of God. In the language of 2 Peter we come to share in the divine nature. An ontological transformation begins to take place.
So here’s the point. The three-fold path makes sense within the historical soil of Catholicism and Orthodoxy because those traditions have generally understood salvation as a developmental journey toward divine union. The movement from purification to illumination to union is not an optional add-on to salvation, it is salvation itself.
But when these practices are transplanted into traditions whose dominant soteriological vision is forensic and juridical, transplant shock can occur. Practices developed within a framework of theosis can be adopted in spaces where the underlying vision of salvation remains justification. The practices are transplanted, but their original purpose and logic can become unclear or misunderstood. Simply put, the integral relation between spiritual formation and salvation has been severed. When salvation is primarily understood to be a legal declaration then the need for purification and transformation becomes secondary and optional rather than as necessary and urgent.
