James Wilhoit's Analysis
Who shall inherit the earth? Since the beginning of time and early civilization, human beings have understood the existence of a higher power who is almighty and created the universe and the heavens, even before it was written. They knew of a God who deserves respect, admiration, and adoration. Human beings also knew evil and sin as external forces, which made the mind impure and the flesh weak, the spirit would suffer as a consequence. James Wilhoit’s (2016) position on the role spirituality plays in an ethical conception of the body focuses on becoming Christ-like and taking on His character however the least understood aspect of progress in Christlikeness is the role of the body in spiritual life (Willard, 2012). This process is misunderstood because not only do human beings have a connection with God through the body but also the mind. We are aware there is a
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connection with a higher power that helps us embody Christ, leading us to a spiritual path. Willard talks about “spiritual formation” which essentially would manifest Jesus’s character and the way he lived his life from childhood to adulthood, including “fasting, prayer, solitude, silence, service, study, fellowship” (Willard, 2012). However, it is difficult to implement all of these disciplines because the “fresh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” (Willard, 2012) the nature of human personality is destructive and easily persuaded by temptations of lust, external influences, and people.
Willard’s attitude on unethical activities provided good examples on how we can apply the process of “Spiritual Formation” in everyday life to evade temptations.
For example, training our tongue to “to bless and pray for anyone who does something in traffic that endangers or displeases us.” (Willard, 2012) We are very quickly infuriated when someone drives drunk and endangers everyone else’s life on the road. We want to scold (flesh: tongue) that individual for thinking irrational or acting foolish, instead we can pray for that individual (spirit). Nevertheless, our bodies feel angry and frustrated and long to shout at this irresponsible driver. According to Willard (2016), the more we practice discipline or self-control, the stronger and pleasing our minds and spirit become to please God. According to the Bible, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matt 18-20 King James Version) If we do not practice self-control, the soul will always be conquered by evil and dishonors God. If we adopt Christ-like habits, God will live within us empowering our lives and
spirit.
Becoming Christ-like “never occurs without intense and well-informed action on our part.” (Willard, 2012) For this reason, walking in the spirit strengthens the spirit to train ourselves to sin less and bless more. Is this possible in today’s world? From Willard’s perspective, walking with the Holy Spirit, we can achieve Christ-like character. It may be more difficult to share God’s vision, love hope, feelings, and habits in a world where people seem obsessed with money, titles, and material possessions (Kasser, 2016).
On the other hand, Tim Kasser (2016) discusses the consequences on materialistic pursuits in three different categories: personal costs, social costs, and ecological costs. Personal cost, for example, has consequences on the body and spirit. The American society’s obsession with economic progress which is associated with negative well-being (p. 201-202). This is an interesting thought because, on a spiritual and physical level, human beings suffer enormously. For example, smoking tobacco and other products is harmful because it causes cancer, injecting or ingesting any drugs, and drinking alcohol, also cause tremendous harm to the physical body, the mind and the spirit. Kasser (2016) makes an interesting point here but I disagree. Eating unhealthy, for example, eating junk foods, lack of water intake, lack of exercise, lack of fast, etc) do tremendous harm to the body. In my opinion, when we deny our bodies of a healthy lifestyle, we are abusing it and, in turn violating the ethics of self-care. However, if we decided to adopt a healthy nutrition and exercise, our bodies repairs the damage caused and, in turn, our health and happiness improves. Although happiness is normally associated to material possessions, it can also help us find individual strengths, motivation, and give us a sense of freedom and individuality.
connection with a higher power that helps us embody Christ, leading us to a spiritual path. Willard talks about “spiritual formation” which essentially would manifest Jesus’s character and the way he lived his life from childhood to adulthood, including “fasting, prayer, solitude, silence, service, study, fellowship” (Willard, 2012). However, it is difficult to implement all of these disciplines because the “fresh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” (Willard, 2012) the nature of human personality is destructive and easily persuaded by temptations of lust, external influences, and people.
Willard’s attitude on unethical activities provided good examples on how we can apply the process of “Spiritual Formation” in everyday life to evade temptations.
For example, training our tongue to “to bless and pray for anyone who does something in traffic that endangers or displeases us.” (Willard, 2012) We are very quickly infuriated when someone drives drunk and endangers everyone else’s life on the road. We want to scold (flesh: tongue) that individual for thinking irrational or acting foolish, instead we can pray for that individual (spirit). Nevertheless, our bodies feel angry and frustrated and long to shout at this irresponsible driver. According to Willard (2016), the more we practice discipline or self-control, the stronger and pleasing our minds and spirit become to please God. According to the Bible, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matt 18-20 King James Version) If we do not practice self-control, the soul will always be conquered by evil and dishonors God. If we adopt Christ-like habits, God will live within us empowering our lives and
spirit.
Becoming Christ-like “never occurs without intense and well-informed action on our part.” (Willard, 2012) For this reason, walking in the spirit strengthens the spirit to train ourselves to sin less and bless more. Is this possible in today’s world? From Willard’s perspective, walking with the Holy Spirit, we can achieve Christ-like character. It may be more difficult to share God’s vision, love hope, feelings, and habits in a world where people seem obsessed with money, titles, and material possessions (Kasser, 2016).
On the other hand, Tim Kasser (2016) discusses the consequences on materialistic pursuits in three different categories: personal costs, social costs, and ecological costs. Personal cost, for example, has consequences on the body and spirit. The American society’s obsession with economic progress which is associated with negative well-being (p. 201-202). This is an interesting thought because, on a spiritual and physical level, human beings suffer enormously. For example, smoking tobacco and other products is harmful because it causes cancer, injecting or ingesting any drugs, and drinking alcohol, also cause tremendous harm to the physical body, the mind and the spirit. Kasser (2016) makes an interesting point here but I disagree. Eating unhealthy, for example, eating junk foods, lack of water intake, lack of exercise, lack of fast, etc) do tremendous harm to the body. In my opinion, when we deny our bodies of a healthy lifestyle, we are abusing it and, in turn violating the ethics of self-care. However, if we decided to adopt a healthy nutrition and exercise, our bodies repairs the damage caused and, in turn, our health and happiness improves. Although happiness is normally associated to material possessions, it can also help us find individual strengths, motivation, and give us a sense of freedom and individuality.