Life with God

Richard Foster's Life with God serves as the interpretive companion to the Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, emerging from Foster's conviction that most Christians lack a coherent understanding of how spiritual formation actually works across the sweep of biblical history. Writing in 2008 after decades of teaching and writing on spiritual disciplines, Foster recognized that believers often approach spiritual growth haphazardly, without grasping the unified narrative of God's formative work with humanity from Genesis to Revelation.

Foster argues that spiritual formation follows a discernible pattern throughout Scripture, which he traces through twelve key periods from creation to the early church. Rather than treating spiritual formation as a modern therapeutic concept, he demonstrates how God has consistently worked to form human beings into the image of Christ through specific means and in particular historical contexts. The book examines figures like Abraham, Moses, David, and Paul not as moral exemplars but as case studies in divine formation, showing how God used circumstances, community, and spiritual practices to shape their character. Foster emphasizes that this formation always occurs within the context of community and mission, rejecting individualistic approaches to spirituality. He integrates insights from multiple Christian traditions—Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant—to present spiritual formation as the church's central calling across all denominational boundaries.

The work has provided many Christians with their first systematic framework for understanding spiritual growth as both deeply personal and fundamentally communal. Foster's historical approach has helped bridge the gap between academic biblical scholarship and practical spiritual guidance, making the concept of formation accessible to ordinary believers while maintaining theological depth. Who should read this: Christians seeking to understand spiritual formation within the broader biblical narrative rather than as isolated techniques, and those wanting an ecumenical approach that draws from the whole church's wisdom. This book is not ideal for readers looking for step-by-step spiritual exercises or those preferring denominationally specific approaches to formation.