This is my third part in a three part series on the book Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. The blog Challies.com has gathered a group to study Christian Classics, and this is the book that we are all reading right now. You can find his web page by going to my blog roll on the side of this blog.
Christian Behavior is the next section of his book. He defines Christian behavior by pointing out its three areas; relationships between man and man, things inside each man, and the relationship between man and the creator. At this point in his discussion he points specifically to Christianity. He describes the Cardinal virtues; prudence, temperance, justice and fortitude. Being told about these virtues in the Law we then quickly realize that we cannot possess or live out these traits without a change from within. These cardinal virtues deal with how man relates to man, and we fast realize that to relate rightly we must have a change of heart. This in turn quickly makes us realize we need desperately to be rightly related to God, our Creator. Lewis speaks of forgiveness, sexual morality, Christian marriage, which all begin from rightly being in relationship to God.
His conclusion to this section is excellent. Christianity seems to start and be all about morality, and although it starts there it leads to something beyond morality. He said, “One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things except perhaps as a joke. Everyone there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes.” Someone that is not completely immersed in grace could never write these words. In fact, if someone has a problem with this section, then they have issues in their own heart with pride, arrogance, and "elder brother syndrome." I think back on these concepts as a red flag for my own heart and soul. When I have a problem with pride these words sting, and bring me to repent of my pride, arrogance, and my own "elder brother syndrome." This is the heart of the Gospel. It is not of me, it is all of His Grace! These last two sections in Lewis are his masterpieces. They have been used to literally change my life.
Book Four of Mere Christianity is titled, Beyond Personality: or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity. Lewis likens doctrine to a map, essentially practical. Christ is the very likeness of God. He is not created in the sense that He is the very essence of God as a man “begets". Christ but makes men. This is where the practical comes in; we were made to be taken into the life of God. As a Christian says his prayers to get in touch with God, God is prompting him to pray through Christ, which God the Spirit is prompting him to the goal of being in touch with God. This is the Trinity to Lewis. This is the essence of personality, personhood, personal. This is the mystery of the one and the many. There is so much more to say, so much more to explain, but I will leave that to a different day a different post. He then goes on to explain sin and depravity and ends with the gospel, and the Principle of First and Second things. This is worth the reading!! Matthew 6:33 explained in a concise, understandable, and practical way. I will never forget learning this from Lewis.
When I was in college I was able to give Mere Christianity to everyone of my secular professors. I think it is a marvelous treatise on Christianity. It is a marvelous way to sit down with someone you are disciplining and give them their first encounter with a master as he lays down the Gospel. As you do this, you can bring in the passages of Scripture that are pertinent. If you have a problem with some of his doctrine (as the Calvinists do in the discussion on Challies) then just glean what you can, be completely anchored in your beliefs, and learn, learn, learn. I am a Calvinist, and have learned so much. I am still a Calvinist, and I am not an Anglican nor am I a Roman Catholic. I have learned so much from this man.
The Church today needs to gain the concept that Lewis brilliantly illustrates, that Christianity is a far superior worldview than any other. This is a great place for Christians to start thinking in these types of terms.
His conclusion to this section is excellent. Christianity seems to start and be all about morality, and although it starts there it leads to something beyond morality. He said, “One has a glimpse of a country where they do not talk of those things except perhaps as a joke. Everyone there is filled full with what we should call goodness as a mirror is filled with light. But they do not call it goodness. They do not call it anything. They are not thinking of it. They are too busy looking at the source from which it comes.” Someone that is not completely immersed in grace could never write these words. In fact, if someone has a problem with this section, then they have issues in their own heart with pride, arrogance, and "elder brother syndrome." I think back on these concepts as a red flag for my own heart and soul. When I have a problem with pride these words sting, and bring me to repent of my pride, arrogance, and my own "elder brother syndrome." This is the heart of the Gospel. It is not of me, it is all of His Grace! These last two sections in Lewis are his masterpieces. They have been used to literally change my life.
Book Four of Mere Christianity is titled, Beyond Personality: or First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity. Lewis likens doctrine to a map, essentially practical. Christ is the very likeness of God. He is not created in the sense that He is the very essence of God as a man “begets". Christ but makes men. This is where the practical comes in; we were made to be taken into the life of God. As a Christian says his prayers to get in touch with God, God is prompting him to pray through Christ, which God the Spirit is prompting him to the goal of being in touch with God. This is the Trinity to Lewis. This is the essence of personality, personhood, personal. This is the mystery of the one and the many. There is so much more to say, so much more to explain, but I will leave that to a different day a different post. He then goes on to explain sin and depravity and ends with the gospel, and the Principle of First and Second things. This is worth the reading!! Matthew 6:33 explained in a concise, understandable, and practical way. I will never forget learning this from Lewis.
When I was in college I was able to give Mere Christianity to everyone of my secular professors. I think it is a marvelous treatise on Christianity. It is a marvelous way to sit down with someone you are disciplining and give them their first encounter with a master as he lays down the Gospel. As you do this, you can bring in the passages of Scripture that are pertinent. If you have a problem with some of his doctrine (as the Calvinists do in the discussion on Challies) then just glean what you can, be completely anchored in your beliefs, and learn, learn, learn. I am a Calvinist, and have learned so much. I am still a Calvinist, and I am not an Anglican nor am I a Roman Catholic. I have learned so much from this man.
The Church today needs to gain the concept that Lewis brilliantly illustrates, that Christianity is a far superior worldview than any other. This is a great place for Christians to start thinking in these types of terms.
1 comments:
I agree. Reading Lewis has been a great exercise for me, first for the obvious things, his unique perspective on the heart of man and the Christian life; and second, for the experience of learning from a man who came to Christ and learned of Him under a different "system" of doctrine. It was helpful to be able to see the differences, understand them, still disagree and yet still clearly see God's grace in his life and learn from him. He was and is an amazing gift to the church if we will but drop our pride and impatience with his imperfections (as if we are perfect in knowledge!) and listen. If we really believe in the doctrines, which we Calvinists are so fond of, of salvation by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, then we must regard Lewis as our brother and let him operate within the body of Christ as his gifts dictate.
Thanks for your review, and for speaking your mind.
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