Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
Week 9: Chapter 8 — The Soul and Its Transformation
Read Chapter 8 of Renovation of the Heart. Key passages: Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 23; Mark 8:36.
Previewing Week 9 of Renovation of the Heart
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 15-week guide when you’re ready.
The soul is the deepest and most mysterious dimension of the human person — Willard describes it as the integrating center that holds all the other dimensions together, and its health is the health of the whole self.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Willard defines the soul as the dimension of human life that 'organizes all the other dimensions of the self around God.' This is distinct from the popular understanding of soul as simply the spiritual part that survives death. How does Willard's definition expand your understanding of what the soul is and does?
2.He describes a 'diseased soul' as one that is fragmented and disintegrated — where the various dimensions of the self are pulling in different directions without a unifying center. Does that description resonate with any experience of your own inner life? What does fragmentation feel like from the inside?
3.Willard draws on Jesus's invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 — 'Come to me... and I will give you rest... for I am gentle and lowly in heart' — as the primary prescription for a troubled soul. What is the connection between actually coming to Jesus (not just believing in him conceptually) and the healing of the soul?