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Children Quote by Dallas Willard

“washing and little food rituals. The battle in the Gospels focuses on those. When Jesus tries to turn it to things that really matter, the scribes and Pharisees go away and ask among themselves, “How can we kill this guy?” It is fascinating to see how bloodthirsty the people around Jesus were, but…” quote by Dallas Willard
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““washing and little food rituals. The battle in the Gospels focuses on those. When Jesus tries to turn it to things that really matter, the scribes and Pharisees go away and ask among themselves, “How can we kill this guy?” It is fascinating to see how bloodthirsty the people around Jesus were, but that’s where the righteousness of the scribe and the Pharisee leaves you. It leaves you trying to manage affairs and make them work out as you think they should in your own strength, and so you need to have a little committee meeting here or get-together there and figure out how to get rid of this guy. Beyond the righteousness of the scribe and the Pharisee is where we experience the kingdom. It’s where we begin to enter interactively into the kind of change that allows us to live constantly in the action of God in our lives. As long as we stick at the level of action and of righteousness identified in terms of action, we will never move on to where the real action of the kingdom of God is. Of course, many people say, “Well, you’re not very sophisticated.” But that’s why Jesus talked about children and said that unless you repent and become like a little child, you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. You know, we have heard many sermons about how to do that, about how to repent and become like a little child. But that primarily means that we forsake the wisdom of men, of human beings, about how to deal with God. That’s the primary part of becoming a child. A little child runs to the door, hears the garbage truck and says, “I want to be””

Dallas Willard

About This Quote

Source Sermon: The Kingdom of God, Dallas Willard, 1990s

True spiritual life requires abandoning self‑reliant righteousness and embracing child‑like dependence on God, not merely external rituals.

In simple terms: Let go of self‑reliance, become like a child.

Key Takeaway

Seek humility and trust in God.

Themes

spirituality humility kingdom faith dependence

Mood

reflective hopeful serious

Type

teaching inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal prayer
  • small group study
  • confession
  • service
  • daily surrender

Key Concepts

theology inner transformation childlike faith

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does your own “righteousness” block deeper trust?
  • What does childlike faith look like in daily life?
A Different Perspective

Human traditions can obstruct genuine faith if not examined.

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