This book was unlike any book I’ve ever read before. It was heavy, challenging, and deep but also full of important truths. The book walks through what the process of spiritual transformation entails and how to practically live that out both personally and in community. This read is truly meant for those who are willing to tackle a difficult but rewarding book.
During my time in The Fellowship Residency Program, I will be reading a long list of powerful books. To read more about my residency experience click here. One aspect of my assignments is to summarize and write key takeaways from each of the books. This is a summary of "Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ" by Dallas Willard.
Chapter 1: Introducing Spiritual Formation – The “Beyond Within” and the Way of Jesus
It first introduces us to the idea that the situations in which we find ourselves are never as important as our responses to the situation. When proper spiritual transformation has occurred, the difficult situations can be redeemed whereas others will be stuck saying “why.” Willard argues that Jesus’s revolution is one of character, which involves changing people from the inside through ongoing personal relationship with God and one another. What our life amounts to is usually indicative of our character within as well as our thoughts, feeling, intentions, and their deepest sources. True healing of the within can only occur in close relationship with Christ. Apart, it is impossible. Spiritual formation for the Christian refers to the spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself. It requires intentional interaction with the grace of God in Christ. Outward expressions of “Christlikeness” are not the focus, because they only increase pride and do not allow genuine transformation of who one is living richly in His kingdom. Christlikeness of the inner being is not of our own doing, but a gift from grace. It is done BY the spirit and BY the spiritual riches of Christ.
Chapter 2: The Heart in the System of Human Life
Our heart or “will” is the center component’s ability or power to initiate, create, and bring about what did not exist before. Well prepared hearts allow one to respond to life events with good and not evil. There are six dimensions of a human’s life: thought, feeling, choice, body, social context, and soul. When all parts of the self are organized around God, they are able to be restored and sustained by Him. Our thought dimension brings things to our mind and allows us to consider them and relate them to other thoughts. We think by using our conscience to consider past, present, and future, by reasoning, imagination, or divine revelations. Our feeling dimension pulls us towards or pushes us away from the thoughts whether or not there is positive or negative reaction to the thought. Our “will” dimension revolves around our choices or the exercise of the will with power to do good or evil. Our body dimension are our sources of strength and the social place from which we live. Our social dimension involves how we are innately rooted in others, and ultimately, God. The final dimension is our soul which connects each of the aspects together to create one life. Together, we take action. Our actions are derived out of the interactions between the other aspects of life. Action is not of will alone but an expression of who we are as a whole. Those who are without God are at the mercy of the will rather than God and the spirit. However, those with God are encouraged to use the scriptures to transform all six dimensions into Christlikeness under the direction of the will and by the grace of God.
Chapter 3: Radical Evil in the Ruined Soul
Willard reminds us that all go through spiritual formation. Some transform towards Christ and others away. It is in our choices that sin takes over and directs the transformation. Unfortunately, sin and tainted souls are present both within and outside of the church. The medicine for the ruined soul is Christ. Specifically, it is growing in knowledge and experience of God. As one comes to know God, the conflict with the internal sin highlights the need for spiritual reformation. This chapter included one of the bigger takeaways. Willard uses the example that no matter how great the potential is, lost car keys are completely useless. Even if we desire for them to be near us. Likewise, when people are lost from Christ, they are useless even though He desires for them to be near to Him. The further one walks away from the morality, the more likely they are to cross lines that cannot be undone. The lost put themselves in the center of their universe instead of God and fail to consider other people’s needs, wants, etc. Willard brings us a point that requires immense contemplation. He says that, “One does not miss Heaven by a hair, but by constant effort to avoid and escape God.” Ultimately, inner transformation cannot take place unless we recognize the evil in our soul and need for a savior.
Chapter 4: Radical Goodness Restored to the Soul
So, what does it look like to restore our souls? It starts with self-denial as a battle of the self. Though as Christians, we are still “able” to sin, we increasingly won’t as we begin to die to self. In fact, as we reach Christlikeness, the sinful things won’t matter as much. We are to increase our desire for what we have not wanted before and be willing to give more of ourselves for the Lord’s glory. We are encouraged to submit to God’s will. In doing so, we may be released from our need to have our own way and freed from the slavery of anger, bitterness, and retaliation.
Ch. 5 Spiritual Change
“Spiritual formation in Christ is the process by which one moves and is moved from self-worship to Christ-centered self-denial as a general condition of life in God’s present and eternal kingdom.” Willard reminds us that the true tragedy of one’s failures, particularly of a spiritual leader, is that their inner being is revealed. Too often we demand changed behavior rather than the fruit-producing inner transformation of the heart. We will always be sinners, but we must not distort the truth into the claim that we are unable to change our hearts for that goes against scriptural direction. My favorite quote of the entire book says, “The transformation of the inner being is as much or more a gift of grace as is our justification before God. Of course, neither one is wholly passive. (To be forever lost you need only do nothing. Just stay your course).” Transformation requires both vision and intention. Without these two things, our efforts will be lost. Transformation begins with envisioning life in the Kingdom of God (both present and future). However, the problem is that Christians do primarily live according to their beliefs about Jesus, and therefore many people’s belief in Jesus in inherently wrong. Thankfully, if we have the vision and intention (and therefore have DECIDED to do it), then God will help us implement the means.
Chapter 6 Transforming the Mind of Thought
We must first recognize that we have the freedom to select what we dwell on in our mind and what we allow to take up that space. We cannot evoke thoughts by feeling a certain way, but we can evoke feelings by directing our thoughts. The realm of thought has four factors: ideas, images, information, and our ability to think. Jesus should be our first stop for the necessary shifting in idea. Ideas are represented to us through images. Thankfully, Jesus, the Master of images, has gifted us the greatest symbol of all time, the cross. Willard reminds us that, “After [God] has implanted new life from above in us by Word and Spirit, we can (and must) also begin to take initiative in progressively retaking the whole of our thought life for God’s kingdom,” (p. 102). The Gospel itself rebukes anything that is not in alignment with truth, the meaning of life in the kingdom, and the evil control of our thoughts. We must therefore seek God to understand the facts and truths of the Gospel. We have a desire to shut out others, including God, to avoid scrutiny in our areas of sin. Conversely, standing before God will allow our thoughts to be transformed. Removing the evil thoughts of pride, overconfidence, ignorance of fact, allowing our desires or the desires of others to guide our thinking, the desire to be right, and what we do with the images we allow into our minds is a crucial part of the spiritual transformation process. To transform our thoughts and mind for the better, we must expose ourselves to positive images and ideas and find others in Christ who can walk with us through the process.
Chapter 7: Transforming the Mind of Feeling
No one, not even Christians, are able to master their feelings by taking them on themselves or redirecting them by willpower in the moment. Another major takeaway from the book came from Willard’s idea that true spiritual power is found in avoiding sin, temptation towards sin, and feelings that lead towards the temptations. In other words, we should be working to avoid even the feelings that lead us to pursue our sin tendencies. Feelings can encourage us to act, but they can also enslave us. Rather than deny, suppress, or ignore negative feelings, we should replace or walk away from the destructive feelings. In our modern world, people are overwhelmed with decisions and often lean on feelings as their basis for those decision. Unfortunately, many are unable to discern between their will, feelings, and facts. Willard says, “Self-control is the steady capacity to direct yourself to accomplish what you have chosen or decided to do and be, even though you ‘don’t feel like it.” Love, joy, and peace are conditions of the person that are accompanied by positive feelings and characteristics. The three dominate in a life that has been inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit. Faith and hope are close seconds in the dimension of mind and soul. There will be times when we are in struggles with others. It does not mean that we have to be in struggle with ourselves and allow our love, joy, and peace, to be disturbed. The final caution: feelings, more than any other component or aspect of our nature, trigger us into sinful action.
Chapter 8 Transforming the Will (Heart or Spirit) and Character
The condition of our minds is primarily a result of the direction that our wills are focused. Will alone will not change us, but implemented through changing of one’s thoughts and feelings can result in becoming the kind of person who simply doesn’t continue to participate in the same sin. The will is the origination of events and things from our own radical capacities and our ability to give or not to give consent. Character is most revealed in what we feel without thinking where as choice is the exercise of the spirit and the will. Willard accurately reminds us that, “human life is characterized by conflict between the wills and within the will.” We can choose to act, but we do not have control over the consequences of our choices. In fact, a common consequence of sin is enslavement to the will. Ultimately, God desires our heart be transformed and does not care about the outward show. The condition of our heart is an indicator of who we are, what we are, and what we have chosen to be. Transformation of the will begins with surrendering our will to God’s and recognizing his supremacy in all things. From there, we move from a place of complaining surrender to joyous surrender. Finally, we move from contentment to active participation in moving His will to our world.
Chapter 9: Transforming the Body
We must adamantly refuse to become enslaved to our bodies as that can have a drastic effect on the condition of the spirit. While we do possess evil within the body, we also possess the Spirit. Unfortunately, a common response is to hate the body, but to hate the body is to hate what is of God. Instead, we should redirect the hatred to the sin and remove the power of sin over the body itself. We must release the body to God, remove the body as an idol, avoid misuse of the body, and properly care for the body with honor. The path towards bodily transformation begins with rest and peace in Christ.
Chapter 10. Transforming our Social Dimension
Every social circle is hopeless if it is not seeking the only self-sufficient relationship found in Jesus Christ. In Him is where all other social circles can seek healing. Often our social dimension is defined by attacks and withdrawals. Those who are truly transformed do not participate in these kinds of relationship strategies. Instead, they seek love found in Christ and share it with those around them. Our world today believes that society can be fixed with tolerance and education, but it refuses to address the spiritual problem that is at play. The elements of spiritual transformation in the social dimension includes people coming to see themselves whole as Christ sees them, abandonment of all defensiveness, the vanishing of all pretense from their lives, and opening up towards redemption for others. It requires people be known intimately for their true character. Finally, Willard lists guidelines for healthy social interactions including:
o Letting love be completely real
o Abhorring what is evil
o Clinging to what is good
o Being devoted to one another in family-like love
o Outdoing one another in giving honor
o Serving the Lord with ardent spirit and all diligence
o Rejoicing in hope
o Being patient in troubles
o Being devoted constantly to prayer
o Contributing to the needs of the saints
o Pursuing (Running after) hospitality
o Blessing persecutors and not cursing them
o Being joyful with those who are rejoining and being sorrowful with those in sorrow
o Living in harmony with each other
o Not being haughty, but fitting right in with the “lowly” in human terms
o Not seeing yourself as wise
o Never repaying evil for evil
o Having due regard for what everyone takes to be right
o Being at peace with everyone, so far as it depends on you
o Never taking revenge, but leaving that to whatever God may decide
o Providing for needy enemies
o Not being overwhelmed by Evil, but overwhelming evil with good
Chapter 11: Transforming the Soul
Transforming of the soul is compared with the man in Psalms 1 who trusts and plans on God and delights in His law. However, if we begin to delight in ourselves over God, then we begin to place ourselves as the wise authority over “right” and “wrong.” Willard reminds us that some people’s souls are damaged from childhood, “The protective walls of the soul seem to have been broken down by pain and evil, leaving the person at the mercy for everything that happens.” Scriptures describe the soul as the simplest and most centralized level of life for the individual and is rooted in Christ by nature. “Rest to our souls is rest in God. My soul is at peace only when it is with God, as a child with its mother.” God’s word is not to be used as a tool to manage ourselves and God. Instead it is the primary instrument of spiritual transformation towards alignment with the soul of God.
Chapter 12: The Children of Light and the Light of the World
Willard then describes what the “children of light” resemble. He describes them as thinking on the goodness of God, expressing feelings associated with love, and devoted to acting based on what is right automatically. They are selfless, transparent, righteous, free of unloving desires, and avoid condemnation and evil. Though not perfect, their souls are tuned in to the will and spirit of Christ. This begs the question of how do we get that? We can become children of light through diligence, faith, confidence in God, virtue, knowledge and understanding, perseverance, godliness, kindness and gentleness, and agape love. Children of light do not make this list into a “to-do” but rather a process of transformation. Overtime, the law of God is a gift full of grace and encouraging of sanctification. Transformed Christians do not defend themselves, because they are justified by grace alone. They don’t feel they are missing out when they are not participating in sin. They are focused on doing good rather than avoiding doing bad. Life begins to become easier and joyous as the transformation takes place. To be transformed, one must live in alignment with what they believe and what they speak.
Chapter 13: Spiritual Formation in the Local Congregation
Willard ends by discussing how the church can support individuals in the spiritual formation. He believes that churches fail due to distraction and majoring on the minors of the Biblical absolutes. “Christians are routinely taught by example and word that it is more important to be right (Always in terms of their beloved vessels, or tradition) than it is to be Christlike.” This idea “aims to get people into heaven rather than to get heaven into people.” God’s plan for spiritual formation involves making disciples or apprentices of Jesus, immersing the disciples in experiencing God, and inwardly transforming the disciples so that the good works of Christianity are not the goal but the outcome of the process. To successfully lead transformation, the church must be spirit led, Bible informed, intelligent, experimental, and persistent.