2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
We were created WHOLE… in the fullness of our identity in Christ. The trouble comes in that we lose sight of that as we become conditioned to look at ourselves through any eyes other than the eyes of Christ. This text reads differently if we read it in this light.
God gave us a spirit. Period. That spirit is not one shaped and conditioned by fear. Instead, it is formed in the image of God who is the perfect image of power, love, and self-control. Understanding this changes the way we think about things like repentance. In this understanding, repentance is not simply saying sorry for the wrong things we’ve done, it is a return to the spirit in which we were created. It is a re-awakening in us of that which has always been.
Our religious practice should be that which leads and directs us to who we already are… who we have been since the beginning. If it doesn’t religion/religious practice is a wasted effort.