Renovation of the heart: putting on the character of Christ

¶ … Dallas Willard's book, Renovation of the Heart, the author presents his views concerning the need for spiritual development and growth through an inner transformation that will align people with the inner self of Christ so that Christlikeness is a natural outpouring. This paper provides a personal interpretation of Willard's book, including how the author's concepts can help people grow as Christians, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ

In his book, Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard describes some fundamental issues that are related to and required for spiritual development and growth with the overarching goal of helping people change and grow as Christians. Because humans are reluctant to change, though, these issues require thoughtful analysis, interpretation and application in order to achieve this laudable goal. To this end, this paper provides a personal interpretation of Willard's book, including how the author's concepts can facilitate this growth as Christians. A summary of the findings that emerge is presented in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

The eternal salvation promised by Christ is available to all, but Willard emphasizes that many Christians falter in their efforts to find their way. Citing Willard's work, Leffel (2007) reports that, "Various observers of contemporary Christianity (both within and outside the community of faith) have become alarmed with what they perceive to be a critical deficiency in much present day practical theology. Their charge is that the end and means of practical theology are not always very well aligned" (p. 264). In an attempt to provide this alignment, Moon (2002) notes that Willard describes Christian spiritual formation "as allowing the word and Spirit of Christ to enter into the depths of one's being and begins to transform each component of the human being to Christlikeness -- under the direction of a regenerate will and with constant overtures of grace from God" (Moon, 2002), p. 264). According to Moon, "Willard acknowledges that such transformation is not the result of mere human effort and cannot be accomplished by direct human effort. It is a matter of cooperating with grace and desiring to have Jesus live his life through me" (2002, p. 264). This point is also made by Willard who notes, "It really isn't true that where there is a will there is automatically a way, though of course will is crucial" (2002, p. 10). Assuming that people have the will, then, they must then take the steps that are needed to transform their hearts to become better Christians. In this regard, Willard emphasizes that, "The greatest need that you and I have -- the greatest need of collective humanity -- is renovation of our heart. That spiritual place within us from which outlook, choices, and actions come has been formed by a world away from God. Now it must be transformed" (p. 14).

This transformation, of course, is easier said than done and humans are notoriously difficult creatures to change, even when the catalyst for change exists. According to Willard, this change is absolutely essential, though: "The only hope of humanity lies in the fact that, as our spiritual dimension has been formed, so it also can be transformed. . . . Disagreements have only to do with what in our spirit needs to be changed and how that change can be brought about" (p. 14). One of the more interesting observations by Willard concerns the inability of humans to achieve this transformation in isolation from God. In this regard, Willard emphasizes that, "It lies beyond the reach of programs of inner transformation that draw merely on the human spirit -- even when the human spirit itself is treated as ultimately divine" (p. 20).

Fortunately, despite the formidable constraints, obstacles and challenges that stand in the way of humans seeking to grow in Christ, Willard also notes that this transformation is possible when people take the initiative. As Willard puts it, "Spiritual formation for the Christian basically 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" (p. 22). Certainly, it would be a foolish enterprise to try to know the mind of God, but aligning the inner self with that of Christ is not only possible, it should be the ultimate goal of all Christians (Willard, 2002). These inner aspects of the renovation of the heart are the essence of what Willard is positing. Indeed, Willard points out that, "External manifestation of 'Christlikeness' is not the focus of the process, and when it is made the main emphasis, the process will certainly be defeated. That is what happened so often in the past, and this fact is a major barrier to wholeheartedly embracing Christian spiritual formation in the present" (p. 23). By concentrating on transforming the inner self to become aligned with that of Christ, then, Christians who are struggling with their spiritual formation and growth can truly transform themselves in meaningful ways. Because all human actions originate in the heart, Willard points out that, "Profound transformation is the only thing that can definitively conquer outward evil" (P. 24).