Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Flesh: Transforming the Body
Read Chapter 3 of Renovation of the Heart. Key passages: Romans 6:12-13; 12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
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For many Christians, the body feels like an obstacle to the spiritual life rather than a participant in it — Willard wants to correct that misunderstanding from the ground up.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Willard argues that the body is not a prison for the soul but an essential part of who we are, and that bodily habits powerfully shape our spiritual condition. How does this challenge any dualism you may have absorbed — the idea that the spiritual and physical are unrelated?
2.He points out that the body has its own 'tendencies and inclinations' — that we can, through years of habit, train our bodies to respond in certain ways without conscious thought. What bodily habits have you formed that support your spiritual life? What habits work against it?
3.Willard speaks of 'the body's urges and drives' as morally neutral in themselves — it is their misuse and disorder that creates spiritual problems. How does understanding the body as morally neutral (rather than inherently evil) change how you approach temptation?
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