Renovation of the Heart: Putting On The Character Of Christ - Softcover

Willard, Dallas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 085111282X ISBN 13: 9780851112824

Publisher: IVP, 2002

Synopsis

I'm not okay and you're not okay. We're in serious trouble.
And yet the life that we are promised in Christ should be one of spiritual maturity and increasing holiness. We should be light and salt to a dark and flavourless world. We should be brimful of the fruit of the Spirit. So, why the yawning chasm between what we are and what we should be?
When around half of marriages fail, when there are massive problems with addiction, when our leaders are moral failures, when there is war and world famine, who can we blame? Only ourselves, says Dallas Willard. We live from the heart - the spiritual place within us from which outlook, choices and actions have been formed by a world away from God. Now it must be transformed.
With piercing cultural analysis Dallas Willard shows how the spirit of the age has blinded Christian people to the truth of their moral responsibilities. He presents a radical challenge to be transformed to the likeness of Christ in every dimension of life - thought, emotion, character, soul and body. Drawing on biblical and practical resources he explores the spiritual disciplines that are crucial if, by the grace of God, we hope to acquire renovated hearts.

About this title

From the Publisher

Putting on the character of Christ

From the Back Cover

BACK: Take on the character of Christ through the transformation of your spirit. We aren't born again to stay the way we are. But how many times have we looked around us in dismay at the lack of spiritual maturity in fellow believers? It is evident in the rising rate of divorces among Christian couples. We find it in the high percentages of Christians, even pastors, who regularly view pornography. And we face it each time a well-known leader in the Christian community is found in sexual sin or handling finances dishonestly. Perhaps you have struggled with your own character issues for years, even decades, to little avail. There's good news. You can experience significant growth in your Christian walk, shed sinful habits, and increasingly take on the character of Christ. In Renovation of the Heart, best-selling author Dallas Willard calls it "the transformation of the spirit"--a divine process that "brings every element in our being, working from inside out, into harmony with the will of God or the kingdom of God." In the transformation of our spirits, we become apprentices of Jesus Christ. Willard suggests that many Christians today are crying out, "Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart." If that is your heart's cry, this book is the tool to take you to the next level in your quest for true, inward Christlikeness. FRONT FLAP: A high school student raised in a Christian home who turns to drugs and alcohol. A woman who has tried to stop criticizing others--for ten years. A father who knows he needs more patience with his children, but his efforts seem in vain. What do these people have in common? They are all in desperate need of further renovation of the heart, of transformation of the spirit. But just what is this transformation? Author Dallas Willard explains that its ideal end is when "all of the essential parts of the human self are effectively organized around God, as they are restored and sustained by him. Spiritual transformation in Christ is the process leading to that ideal end, and its result is love of God with all of the heart, soul, mind, and strength, and of the neighbor as oneself." Although you may acknowledge this as the ideal, you may still wonder, How do I get there? Renovation of the Heart helps to answer that inquiry. It lays a foundation for understanding the ruin and restoration of humanity, by discussing human nature and its components, how they operate, and how they are renewed. It describes common misunderstandings about our human nature, and the discipleship process. Most important, it outlines the general pattern of personal transformation--not as a formula, but as a systematic process that we have the responsibility to undertake as intentional apprentices of Jesus. Only then will our transformation be accomplished, through interaction with the grace of God in Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and spiritual treasures stored in the body of Christ.

Edition details

• Publisher: IVP
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 085111282X
• ISBN 13: 9780851112824
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224