Looking at God

Looking at God

            While C.S. Lewis did not always agree with Calvinist theology, both Lewis and Calvin emphasized the utter dependence that humans need to have on God. Christianity is based off this sole dependence. Once we recognize that we are sinners, the only way that we can be forgiven is through God. Nothing we do can change our sinful nature or undo the bad that we have done.  Engaging God’s World emphasizes human dependence on God in a way similar to Lewis. An important part of God’s relationship with humans is the reason for human existence. After establishing that humans need God, Cornelius Plantinga looks at what humans are to God. Ultimately, humanity’s purpose on Earth is to glorify God and work to further his kingdom on Earth. While not always apparent, Plantinga’s view on this topic is also very similar to Lewis’s.

Engaging God’s World gives a basic groundwork of Calvinist beliefs. The most basic of these beliefs is that “Jesus Christ came to put right what we human beings put wrong by our sin” (Plantinga 81). This righting of wrong does not come from humans. We are completely unable to do anything that will bring about our salvation. “Salvation is a gift of sheer grace, which God intend to flow through saved persons and out to others” (Plantinga 109). By doing this, God has given us a second chance, but we must give ourselves up to him completely in order for this to happen. It is important to note that, often times, these beliefs build off of and intertwine with each other. As such, in order to believe that Christ is the savior of the world, one must believe that he is God and man, and that he is the God who created the world. If it were not for God, humans would not be on this planet. This means that God chose to create humanity because “creation is neither a necessity nor an accident” (Plantinga 23). We depend on God for our existence in addition to our salvation. We owe everything we have to God’s grace.

Throughout his works, C.S. Lewis often returned to the same theme as Plantinga, human dependence on God. For Lewis to be a Christian he had to subscribe to the belief that “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God “(1 Peter 3:18).  However, Lewis took this need for God a step farther. Not only does our salvation come from the Creator, “our happiness lies in Him” (Human Pain 94). By saying this, Lewis is arguing that all other things in life are mere distractions from the true happiness that is waiting for us in heaven. We can achieve a small taste of this on earth if we surrender to God completely. In fact, the things that we have here on earth do not matter in the slightest because “he who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only” (The Weight of Glory 5). God is all fulfilling. The psalmist writes: “People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights” (Psalm 36: 7-8). The only thing that humans need is God.

By acknowledging that God purposefully made humans, it follows that Plantinga and Lewis agree that humans have a specific purpose in this world. This purpose is to glorify God by furthering his kingdom here on earth. As Plantinga puts it, “In Scripture, people are elected not to feel good (‘Look at me! I’m elected!’) but to do good” (109). Humans were not created for themselves, but for God. The best way to do this is to “Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always” (Deuteronomy 11:1). So many times, people forget that life is not about them. Rather than focusing on ourselves, “we might think of the created world as a stage not for humans, but for God, who puts on his shows in forest, sky, and sea every day” (27). Humans are the extras in the drama featuring God. When we can let go of ourselves and try to follow God’s bigger plan, then we will begin to fulfill the purpose that God has planned for us.

 Every person will execute their purpose in a different way. While many Christians tend to think that religious jobs are somehow better than nonreligious jobs, “all our merely natural activities will be accepted, if they are offered to God, even the humblest: and all of them, even the noblest, will be sinful if they are not” (Learning in War-Time 3). An activity is made holy by the attitude from which it is offered, not the result of the work that is done.  We must remember to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for [us] in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Lewis argues that we can offer up every aspect of our lives to the Lord. While our work is something that God can use, other things can glorify God as well: “The family, like the nation, can be offered to God, can be converted and redeemed, and will then become the channel of particular blessings and graces” (The Sermon and the Lunch 2). God is simply waiting to bless us, but we must first invite his blessings by offering ourselves up to him. When we do, our lives become complete.

My DCM class challenged me to think about what being a Christian in a fallen world really means. “Christian” is so much more than a label; it is a way of life. By identifying myself as a Christian, I am accepting a responsibility to take care of God’s creation. But I must be careful what I do in Christ’s name. “In the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed, dominion is never ‘lording over’; its more ‘lording under’ by way of support” (Plantinga 31). The fallen nature of humanity dictates that we cannot do this by ourselves. We need God’s help to make it through the deserts. But someday, we will look back on our dry times and see that God carried us through our deserts to help us reach our destination (Deuteronomy 1:31). The first step to accepting our role in God’s kingdom is realizing that we cannot do this on our own, we need “to trust Christ, to lean on him, to surrender to him, to shape [our lives] to fit inside Christ’s kingdom” (Plantinga 93).

When we truly give ourselves over to God’s plan, beautiful things will happen. We will be living “the Divine Life, which gives itself to us to be gods, intends for us something in which morality will be swallowed up” (Man or Rabbit 112). This is the beautiful life that God originally intended for humanity when he first created the world. Nothing in human imagination can compete with the resurrected Earth that God’s people will live in after Jesus’ second coming. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about God is that, even though the new Earth will outstrip the old one in every way, it will pale in comparison to him. When we consider that our purpose is to glorify God, “that is enough to raise out thoughts to what may happen when the redeemed soul, beyond all hope and nearly beyond belief, learns at last that she has please Him whom she was created to please” (The Weight of Glory 6). It is a wonder that we try to satisfy our hunger for God with earthly things when we think about the contentment that awaits us in heaven.

 Sometimes we have a tendency to think that what we do does not matter to God because it is not explicitly “Christian”. What we forget is that God loves everything that we do if we give it to him with the right attitude. A movie star can be an agent of renewal just as much as a missionary can be. Some concert pianists may be offering their gifts to God with a better attitude than some pastors. Our job is to find the vocation where God can use us and do our best to serve him with a cheerful and humble heart. Plantinga writes that “Christians follow their main vocation by playing a lively part in institutions and endeavors that, consciously or not, seek the interests of the kingdom” (114). Both Plantinga and C.S. Lewis believe that, to fulfill God’s plan for our lives, we must be completely dependent on God. By letting God take control of our lives, we will be working towards the renewal of God’s creation. Even if God is using us in ways that we are not accustomed to, we must remember to constantly glorify his name. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name” (Hebrews 13:15).

               

Work Cited

Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010. N. pag. Web. 24 Jan. 2011. <http://www.biblegateway.com/>.

Lewis, C.S. “Human Pain”. Print.

Lewis, C.S. “Learning in War-Time”. Print.

Lewis, C.S. “Man or Rabbit?”. Print.

Lewis, C.S. “The Sermon and the Lunch”. Print.

Lewis, C.S. "The Weight of Glory." Print.

Plantinga Jr., Cornelius. Engaging God's World: A Reformed Vision of Faith, Learning, and          Living. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002. N. pag.        Print.

Painful Surrender

“Human Pain” looks at what purpose pain has in human existence. Lewis starts out by defining what pain is. There are two types of pain, and it is “B. Any experience, where physical or mental, which the patient dislikes” (87), that Lewis looks at. One reason that there is pain, is so that we can realize that we need God. If we experience pain, then we realize that we need God or we completely rebel against the system, “but it give the only opportunity the band man can have for amendment” (93). When things go well in our lives, we tend to ignore God, but when bad things happen to us, we realize that we need him. Too often “We regard God as an airman regards his parachute; it’s there for emergencies but he hopes he’ll never have to use it” (94). Ultimately, Lewis concludes that, despite the fact that we have pain in our lives, God is extremely good by letting us experience it. He shows mercy and forgives us when we ask him to. In order to do this, we must surrender ourselves fully, which is an extremely painful but fulfilling process.

                This reading was very interesting. So much was packed into these 22 pages that I don’t really know where to start. I think the part that I identified with best was when Lewis talked about how we tend to ignore God when things go well. I haven’t really experienced anything all that bad or painful in my life. As such, I haven’t felt the need to lean on God as much as I should. For a long time, I’ve stayed in the same, comfortable place in my walk with him. Meanwhile, different people I am very close to have gone through some pretty horrific stuff. In this essay, Lewis talks about how our pain will either cause us to reach out to God or to rebel against him completely. One of my friends has struggled with rebellion against God. She is so angry at him for her pain that she goes through stages of complete and total disbelief and lukewarm dependence. Another person close to me has let her pain lead her straight to God. She gives everything to him and, as a result, is the most peaceful person that I know.  I only hope that, if I ever face excruciating pain, I can cling to God in the same way.

Adding Virtue

Plantinga’s chapter on vocation explores what it means to be a Reformed Christian in God’s world. The chapter begins by talking about how our job here on earth is to further God’s kingdom. This kingdom has lots of smaller kingdoms within it. These kingdoms may take the form of a church or school, a family or a form of government. We need to pay attention to what kingdoms we belong to and how these kingdoms interact with one another. Next, Plantinga looks at what vocation is within the kingdom of God. Each of us has been given a calling and each of our callings are different. But, it is important to note that God furthers his kingdom through non-Christians as well as Christians. Our vocations will probably change throughout our lives and they include more than just our jobs. As such, we need to do everything to the best of our abilities. Pastors are not better than farmers because of their job. We are all called to do different things and should not be looked down on by others for it. Plantinga ends his chapter by talking about how our vocations tie into our educations and what this looks like at Calvin College.

                I really appreciated this last section. Plantinga does a really good job of laying out the important things that Calvin emphasizes. That the goals of the college were divided into three sections was also encouraging. Not only are we going to leave Calvin with knowledge, we will, hopefully, be leaving with the skills and virtues that will help us put our knowledge to work. This section also helped me realize the diversity of strengths that people have. That we all have different subject matters that we are good at is apparent, but we sometimes look over the different skills we have and almost never see the virtues. As I think about some of the people that I met at Calvin, I recognize that we all have different virtues that we are good at. Some people are good at listen, others at taking good care of the things they have been given. We often forget to look past the flaws that others have when it comes to virtues. This is sad because we are all flawed in this area and we are all working hard to develop the virtues that Calvin is trying to instill in us. Instead of criticizing, we need to encourage one another to develop our weak virtues and complement each other when we see a good virtue being put into practice.

Morality vs. Divinity

                Of all of the readings that we have done in class thus far, “Man or Rabbit?” seems to have produced the most dissention in my class. Lewis sets out to answer the question “Can’t you lead a good life without believing in Christianity?” (108). In order to answer this question, Lewis first outlines what it is asking. It is clear that Lewis feels this question is a little pointless. The person asking this question does not seem to care whether Christianity is true; he only wants to know if it will help him be a better person. This would seem to go against human nature because, Lewis argues, one of the things that distinguishes humans from animals is humanity’s thirst to know the facts. By asking the aforementioned question, a human would be simply ignoring the facts. The facts, it turns out, make all the difference. Lewis then changes the question to ‘Can I lead a good life without Christianity?’ No one who thought Christianity was wrong would ask this question, because humans look at the facts and accept what is true. As such, a person asking this question is simply asking if they can get away with trying not to figure out if Christianity is true. This is cowardly says Lewis. “He is deliberately trying not to know whether Christianity is true or false, because he foresees endless trouble if it should turn out to be true” (111). Someone who does this is running away from God and not using their intellect. In order to ignore the facts, one has to shut off parts of their brain. Besides, “the idea of reaching ‘a good life’ without Christ is based on a double error. Firstly, we cannot do it; secondly, in setting up ‘a good life’ as our final goal, we have missed the very point of our existence” (112-113).

                While this reading did not produce in me the same confused emotions that were verbalized by some of my fellow classmates, this essay did give me a lot to think about. Lewis, as we know, was an atheist until his early thirties, and he acknowledges that he was a very reluctant convert. I feel that this essay is addressed to the people in the world who are like Lewis; ignoring God because they don’t want him to exist. Knowing this, what can established Christians take from this reading? I believe the moral of the story comes towards the end for us. Lewis says that “mere morality is not the end of life” (112). We are not put here to be “good”. We cannot, in fact, be good. The reason that we are on this earth is to glorify God. The Divine Life for which God intends us will swallow up morality (112). If we keep this as our focus, our tendency to stray towards legalism in our lives will fall away. We will simply wish to be nearer to God.

Fix the Church

                In “The Inner Ring”, C.S. Lewis takes on cliques. These social divisions are present everywhere and Lewis takes a look at how and why they impact us and whether they are good. He attempts to define “inner rings” at the beginning of the lecture. To people on the outside, inner rings are very different than to those who are in them. Those who are in them may not even realize that they are. It is all very strange and hard to define, “it is not so constant” (2). Though they are hard to identify and we cannot always say why we want to be in them, inner rings produce in us a desire to be included. Though they can sometimes produce bad behavior, inner rings do not always have to be bad. We must be careful to not purposefully exclude people from our inner ring and we must be careful to not compromise ourselves in order to be included in an inner ring. For we often find that “if you succeed there will be nothing left” (5).

                Inner Rings are present all over our society. This is not a new phenomenon. People have been excluded and included for as long as humans have been recording history. This is not always bad. I will admit that I have never felt particularly disappointed at not being included by a group of guys who are playing video games. Common interest does dictate that there are some natural divisions between groups. But what about the groups that exclude people who have similar interests or tastes? We are often guilty of excluding people for reasons that are superficial or wrong. American high schools evidence this every day. The need to be accepted is something that we humans are trying to fulfill.

Unfortunately, the pettiness of high school does not end as we get older. Calvin has cliques, our parents deal with group friction at their work places. Churches have to deal with the inner ring as well. I find this absolutely unacceptable. The “acceptable” sort of inner ring is one that is based off common interest and excludes people because they do not share the same interest. Churches are filled with people who share the most important common interest! Why is it that families are excluded from church activities? Why do some people feel ostracized in worship settings? This is absolutely unacceptable. In order to mend some of the hurt in the world we must ask for God’s help to fix the things that are wrong on the home front.

Christian Mystery

                C.S. Lewis’s chapter on Eros is full of observation, advice, and examples. Some highlights include: the distinction between Eros and sexuality, the “ludicrous and portentous solemnization of sex” (138), gender roles, and the idolization of Eros. This is a lot to cover, but Lewis does so adeptly and in a concise manner. We learn that Eros is something that is followed by sexual desire, not the other way around. Lewis then goes on to talk about how sexuality is often taken too seriously in today’s society, which makes many believe that it is okay to add into culture with reckless abandon. After this, Lewis delves into tradition gender roles in marriage. “The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church” (148). Finally, Lewis discusses how we must be careful not to make an idol of Eros. Falling in love is a sensation, he says, and being in love a decision. If we elevate Eros to too high of a position, we will always be disappointed.

                This reading felt a little different from some of the others that we have read thus far. Lewis addresses a lot of things in this chapter, which contributes to its 30 pages. Because of this length, many examples are used, which help to further the explanations that Lewis gives. One of the things that really stuck with me from this reading was the section where Lewis talked about the roles of man and wife in marriage. At first I was a little peeved with Lewis. Growing up, my parents always taught me that my gender should not hold me back. I felt that Lewis was going to descend into the old “woman’s place is in the home” jargon and I began to become disenchanted very quickly. Thankfully, our class discussion reeled me back in.

                In class we talked about what the examples that Lewis uses really mean in this context. The idea that the man is head of the wife is not something that belittles women. It is the way that God designed us. It is a beautiful and good thing. This does not mean that wives must stay at home all day and wait for their husbands. This passage is simply explaining the ways in which our differences can create unity. My favorite quote in this section is “He is to love her as Christ loved the Church…and give his life for her” (148). God has given us a physical example of his love for us in the relationships that we have here on earth. This way, whenever we see the one with love, we can be reminded of the special love that God has for us.

Finding "At-One-Ment"

                Today’s reading from Plantinga was hopeful. It went over the main points of how redemption works and what it means for Christians today. The introduction talked about the different ways that God has offered grace to his people. After this section, Plantinga talked more specifically about Jesus role in creation. There are three main elements to this: incarnation, atonement, and resurrection. Jesus became the word incarnate in human form. He atoned for our sins by dying on the cross. On the third day he rose from the dead. This is the basic belief of all Christians. After this, Plantinga goes on to talk about what our union with Christ means. Because we, as Christians, are now part of Christ, we die and rise with him daily. Whenever we sin, confess sin, or are sinned against by another, we are experiencing part of this cycle. “Double Grace” is another important thing that is talked about in this chapter. There are two sections to the grace that we receive from God, argues Plantinga. The two parts are sanctification and justification and, when put together, “the double grace releases us, relieves us, redeems us” (92).The final point that Plantinga talks about in this chapter is the reformed nature of Christianity. “Reformed Christians take a very big view of redemption because they take a very big view of fallenness” (97). This means that, in all we do, we should be seeking to change the world to further God’s kingdom here on earth.

                The quote that I thought about the most in this passage was on page 88: “Confession of sin is an enormously freeing thing to do”. I try to hide my sins from God so often. This is such a futile endeavor! God can see all that I do and he wants to forgive me for the sins that I commit. If I hide these sins from God, I start to pull away from him (as we’ve seen in The Screwtape Letters). I carry a weight that is impossible to hold. The beautiful thing is that Jesus can carry this weight and he already has. I just have to tell God about what is going on in my life, acknowledge that I have done wrong, ask for forgiveness, and try my hardest to do better in the future. Forgiveness is profound.