Spiritual Formation Insights from Dallas Willard
This article is the ninth and final in a series looking at the top insights from the life and work of Dallas Willard. In this article, we look at the eighth insight – Character and Eternity.
- The first article was an introduction (Dallas Willard – Spiritual Formation Insights That Will Propel Your Growth).
- The second was about the four great questions of life (What did Dallas Willard Believe About Reality and the Good Life).
- The third article was about identity and death (Dallas Willard: Insight #2 – What is a human being?).
- The fourth article was about the genius of Jesus (Dallas Willard: Insight #3 – Jesus Is the Greatest Genius).
- The fifth article was about spiritual disciplines (Dallas Willard: Insight #4 – What are Spiritual Disciplines For?).
- The sixth article was about discipleship (Dallas Willard: Insight #5 – What is Discipleship?).
- The seventh article was about belief (Dallas Willard: Insight #6 – What Is Belief?).
- The eighth article was about grace, effort, and earning (Dallas Willard: Insight #7 – Grace, Effort, and Earning).
This is the last article in this current series highlighting insights from Dallas Willard.
#8 Character and Eternity
We are pulled in many different directions as we try to seek meaning and navigate the stresses of life. It can be easy to mindlessly go along with what culture says is important. We seek wealth, power, popularity, security, or adventure thinking this will provide long term contentment and fulfillment. The reality is that these are all fleeting and will fail to deliver. We can also seek to fill our lives with religious activities and practices, but even these will not provide meaning because they are still focused on what we do and not who we are.
Character Formation For Eternity
The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it’s who you become. That’s what you will take into eternity.
Dallas Willard
Dallas Willard calls out the importance of who we are over what we do. Spiritual formation is character formation. We become the type of person who does the right thing naturally by default through the process of transformation. Our possessions, power, relationships, and good deeds are all temporary. We will not take them into eternity. What we do take into eternity, is who we are.
This can look different for different people but will often include two main components. First, it will involve a refocusing from self-centeredness to other-centeredness. Second, it will involve spiritual practices that God uses to form us. These two aspects overlap. The spiritual practices help us become the type of person is more focused on others than ourselves. We can become more in tune with God’s will and what he is doing in the world around us.
The fruit of the Spirit provides a concise summary of the attributes that make up the character of someone following Jesus.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
These attributes involve both an inward way of being and an outward demonstration that overflows from who we are. Or more accurately, who we are becoming with the help of the Spirit. Character formation is a lifelong partnership with the Spirit, not something we can achieve solely on our own. The best indicator of this inward transformation is our outward actions towards others. While not easy, Dallas Willard provides a compelling vision for what a life of character formation can look like as we prepare for eternity.
Conclusion
Dallas Willard provides a helpful perspective on what really matters most in life. At the end of our life, all we have is who we have become.
Let us know what you think about Dallas Willard’s perspective on character and eternity in the comments section below. Where do you agree or disagree? What difference does this make in your life?
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Resources
- Divine Conspiracy (https://amzn.to/41Eo9Aw)
- Renovation of the Heart (https://amzn.to/3H1GGgN)
- Hearing God (https://amzn.to/47nptcm)
- Life Without Lack (https://amzn.to/3tCM7jc)
- The Spirit of the Disciplines (https://amzn.to/41SGzO8)
- Becoming Dallas Willard by Gary Moon (https://amzn.to/3NN9n4
- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster (https://amzn.to/3SjkjtN)
Also take a look at our Resources page for what has influenced our thinking.
Take a look at our other Blog posts for articles engaging culture with faith and reason.
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