The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Week 6: Chapter 5 — The Disciplines, the Body, and the Human Person
Read Chapter 5 of The Spirit of the Disciplines. Key Scripture: Romans 8:1–13; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20.
Previewing Week 6 of The Spirit of the Disciplines
Read 3 of 6 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 12-week guide when you’re ready.
This chapter is one of the most philosophically rich in the book — Willard argues that because we are embodied creatures, genuine spiritual transformation must involve the body, not bypass it.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Willard insists that the human person is not a soul trapped in a body, but an integrated whole in which body, mind, soul, will, and social relationships all interact. Why does this holistic anthropology matter for how we approach the disciplines?
2.He makes the striking claim that our bodies are not simply instruments of our choices — they are, in part, the source of our choices, because habits are inscribed in the body. What does it mean that your body has its own 'knowledge' and 'tendencies'? How have you experienced this in your own life?
a.What body-level habits — automatic reactions, ingrained patterns — would you most want to change?
b.What would it look like to engage those habits at the level of the body, not just the mind?
3.Willard draws a careful distinction between the body and the flesh. The 'flesh' in Paul's letters is not the physical body per se, but a set of dispositions — self-centered patterns of desire and habit — that have been inscribed in the body through years of sinful living. How does this distinction help you understand what Paul means when he says 'put to death the deeds of the body'?