STUDENT LIFESTYLE Sept 2019 103

Christian Spiritual Transformation

Informed by the richness of the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) movement of holiness and unity, Anderson University pursues Real Life. Transformed.

Real Life. Transformed.

Our world is in desperate need of transformation. Where peace is desired, progress is promised, brokenness remains the rule. Surely what was true for the apostle Paul is still true today: creation looks forward in anticipation — it groans for the promise of restoration. Anderson University has always been about the business of preparing people for service to the church and the wider culture. As we enter our second century of impact, the challenge remains…the need is as great as ever. Creation groans for more; it “waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God” (Rom 8:19). What the world needs is a generation that has come to life — servant leaders who have been transformed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

This is where Anderson University’s commitment to Christian spiritual transformation begins. We will be a community where students, faculty, staff, and even our neighbors — are transformed together into the fullness of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that real transformation involves the compelling grace of God as well as the courage of our response. We are transformed by God (2 Cor 3:16-18), after all. God has invited us to participate in our own transformation (Rom 12:1-2), and in the reconciling work taking place across the world. At Anderson University, the journey to transformation begins with three simple questions:

Who is God?

God is the one who transforms us, through the Holy Spirit, into the likeness of Jesus.

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” — Revelation 1:8

Who am I?

I am the bearer of the image of God, on a journey of transformation into the likeness of Jesus, and I am a valued member of a family comprised of brothers and sisters who also bear this image.

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” — Galatians 3:26-28

How do we live?

We eagerly cultivate the growth of the fruit of the Spirit, and, living by the power of the Holy Spirit, participate in God’s work in the world.

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation… Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 5:18, 20 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…” — Galatians 5:22-23

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