Dallas Willard on the Folly of Believing in Jesus Without Wanting to Obey Him

A few years ago, I picked up The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. I had heard about the book for years, but had never bought it. After buying it, I didn't read it. It was one of those books that I was glad to have on my shelf and thought that I would eventually get around to reading it one day. Plus, if anyone mentioned it, I could say, "I've got that book!"  That way, people would think I was spiritual and what not.

Well, I finally decided to pick it up and start reading through it. I made it through the introduction this morning and was left deeply impacted by several statements that Willard made. I'll reproduce them here with some commentary, for your reading pleasure:

My hope is to gain a fresh hearing for Jesus, especially among those who believe they already understand him. In his case, quite frankly, presumed familiarity has led to unfamiliarity, unfamiliarity has led to contempt, and contempt has led to profound ignorance.

Here, Willard has exactly described the situation among cultural Christians in America, especially in the South. People here have had just enough Jesus to think they know all about Him. They have heard some Bible stories and maybe attended church a little. But, they don't really know Him. You have to get into the quiet place to really meet Jesus, but we don't do that and we know just enough of Him to immunize us against the real thing. If we ever do truly face His claims upon our lives, we tend to think that they are too radical and unrealistic. In short, we have watered down the teachings of Jesus to almost nothing, and we wonder why He is not changing people. Perhaps we have not given Him a chance.

More Willard,

It is the failure to understand Jesus and his words as reality and vital information about life that explains why, today, we do not routinely teach those who profess allegiance to him how to do what he said was best. We lead them to profess allegiance to him, or we expect them to, and leave them there, devoting our remaining efforts to "attracting" them to this or that.

Whatever the ultimate explanation of it, the most telling thing about the contemporary Christian is that he or she simply has no compelling sense that understanding of and conformity with the clear teachings of Christ is of any vital importance to his or her life, and certainly not that it is in any way essential . . . More than any other single thing, in any case, the practical irrelevance of actual obedience to Christ accounts for the weakened effect of Christianity in the world today, with its increasing tendency to emphasize political and social action as the primary way to serve God. It also accounts for the practical irrelevance of Christian faith to individual character development and overall personal sanity and well-being.

My seminary professor, Thom Wolf, has said that most Christians are so subnormal in their walk that whenever we see a normal Christian, we tend to think that they are abnormal. He has also said that we teach people far beyond their desire to obey. If believers will not obey what they already know, then we should not keep teaching them new things hoping this will unlock something. Because of this, they end up thinking that obedience is optional. We think that we will change people if we give them enough information, when what they really need is to start obeying what they already know. What if we all started obeying what we already knew to be the commands of God? The world would change. We don't need more teaching - we need more relationship with God and more obedience to what we already know.

He also said that the vast majority of the psychological and emotional ailments in our lives were because of some unconfessed and unrepented sin. Much of our depression and anxiety actually comes from some way that we are trying to be in control of our lives or because of some sin that we are engaging in. Colossians 1:17 says that in Christ "all things hold together." If we are not walking with Christ, then our lives fall apart. When people hear the truth, they might lie to us, but they never lie to themselves. They acknowledge the truth internally, even if they don't acknowledge it to others. Then, they decide whether they will obey it or not. When they decide not to obey, this is when they walk away from the Church, time spent with God, fellowship with the Saints, ministry, etc. They want to be away from convicting influences. So, the lack of discipleship and follow-ship of Jesus in the Church today, is at least partly, because people would rather stay in their sin and selfishness than follow God. I'm not trying to be harsh, but that is really what it is when you get right down to it.

One more Willard excerpt:

Actual discipleship or apprenticeship to Jesus is, in our day, no longer thought of as in any way essential to faith in him. It is regarded as a costly option, a spiritual luxury, or possibly even an evasion . . . Discipleship to Jesus [is] the very heart of the gospel. The really good news for humanity is that Jesus is now taking students in the master class of life. The eternal life that begins with confidence in Jesus is a life in his present kingdom, now on earth and available to all. So the message of and about him is specifically a gospel for our life now, not just for dying. It is about living now as his apprentice in kingdom living, not just as a consumer of his merits. Our future, however far we look, is a natural extension of the faith by which we live now and the life in which we now participate. Eternity is now in flight and we with it, like it or not.

God is renewing me in some incredible ways lately. I am asking Him to search my heart and show me where I have been living for myself and He is being faithful to show me. I am asking Him to make me His disciple and He is being faithful to bring me under discipline. I am realizing that I have been living from my own strength far more than I thought. I am realizing that I have argued away many of the hard commands of Jesus and I have reconciled them with a comfortable American lifestyle, baptized in a Christian veneer. Back at the beginning of January I started praying specifically for God to take all of me, that I would live crucified with Him. I see it happening slowly and I am beginning to live in more freedom, peace, and joy than I have experienced in some time. I praise God for His faithfulness to conform me to His image when I begin to submit to the hard road of discipleship. Maybe God saved this book for me to read at just the right time? At any rate, I want my faith to be living enough to produce obedience to God and conformity to His will. In that, there is true life.

   

Comments

[Wayne Smith]

Alan,

Excellent post and AMEN!!!

Frank Page in Baptist Press said today SBC's 'singular focus' is on God's Kingdom, Page notes . You can read it HERE

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27445

In His Name
Wayne Smith

[Todd]

Alan,
I would list Willard's book as one of the single most important reads in my life.

[Don]

The books and audio MP3's of Dallas Willard is what allowed me to get past many years of damaging impressions of what "Christianity" is. I am far removed from where I wish to be in my discipleship to Christ, but I now have a glimmer of the vision. And that is due to Dallas Willard ... not just the intellectual manner in which he teaches, but also the profound gentleness and humility he matches with his intellect.