Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Week 11: Chapter 10 — A Curriculum for Christlikeness
Read Chapter 10 of Renovation of the Heart. Key passages: Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount); Luke 9:23.
Previewing Week 11 of Renovation of the Heart
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 15-week guide when you’re ready.
Willard now turns deeply practical, asking what a structured, intentional approach to spiritual formation actually looks like for a real person living in the real world.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Willard uses the word 'curriculum' deliberately — he wants us to think of spiritual formation as something that has content and a plan, not just good intentions. What is your current 'curriculum' for becoming more like Christ? Is it intentional and structured, or largely accidental?
2.He points to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) as the essential 'syllabus' of kingdom life — not a list of impossible ideals but a description of what a transformed person actually looks like from the inside. How does reading the Beatitudes through the lens of spiritual formation (rather than as moral demands) change their meaning for you?
3.Willard argues that Jesus's call in Luke 9:23 — 'take up your cross daily' — is not primarily about suffering but about the daily, deliberate choice to follow Jesus's way of life rather than our own. What does 'cross-bearing' look like as a daily curriculum rather than a dramatic sacrifice?