The section of Mere Christianity that we read about for class today is divided into five parts. The first is an introduction where Lewis clarifies what he will talk about. Lewis says that he will not talk about which denominations are better or delve into the theological meanings of things. The first chapter addresses the law of human nature. Lewis talks about how all humans have the same over all guiding Law of Nature. The important thing to acknowledge about the Law of Nature is that, while it is the same for all humans, not all humans follow it. Chapter two looks at some objections to Lewis’s thesis. By the end of the chapter, Lewis has disproved the ideas that morality is an instinct and a social convention. The Reality of the Law is looked at in chapter three. This chapter is devoted to proving that man’s lack of adherence to the Law of Nature is strange. Finally, chapter four delves into what causes this law. By the end of this chapter, Lewis has proved that there must be some directing force behind the law.
Mere Christianity is accessible and straightforward. Lewis tells us the facts and uses reason to prove his points. One thing that I took away from this excerpt was the importance of admitting your faults. Throughout the passage, Lewis states that everyone is wrong and fails at following the law. Lewis admits that he has questions which he does not have answers for and that he is not qualified to discuss theology. My favorite quote from this piece comes in the first book where Lewis states: “None of us are really keeping the Law of Nature”. He then goes on to say that he is not better than anyone else. This made me think. If C.S. Lewis, one of the greatest Christian thinkers of the 20th century and, perhaps, of all time, is no better than anyone else, then I most certainly am not.
So often, I fall into this trap of thinking I am better. I think that I am a better student or a better child or a better Christian. This is far from the truth. I have only to look at my hidden sins to realize that, though I may fool myself into thinking I am better, I am really the worst. This is the beauty of Jesus sacrifice. We are all equal in our sin, but we are also all equal in our redemption. Jesus did not come to save some people more than others. We are all equally DEPENDENT on God. How beautiful is that?
A lot of the time Christians get a sort of "high and mighty" attitude about them. We have probably all found ourselves doing it at some point or another or have realized what we did later on after the fact. I think that message Lewis brings us in this reading is a good reminder for all Christians new and old. No one is better than others. We are all equal in Gods eyes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with that Lewis does a great job in explaining idea of the moral order in an accessible way for everyone. I enjoy the fact that Lewis doesn't bring in anything religious into the argument, at least not at this point. By doing so, he's keeping his audience to everyone who's willing to listen.
ReplyDeleteYour last paragraph should hit home to many.. I know that I have felt that way before. It's so easy to get caught up in your own acomplishments that you forget about your downfalls. Like you said, God sent His son to redeem everyone equally. And that's what we have to put our hope in.
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you have bring up the point of being the "better"... It so often hits me without my full consideration of the thought that I have to right to something because ... But I like that you put a positive note to the end "We are all equal in our sin, but we are also all equal in our redemption." and that is equally important to remember
ReplyDeleteExactly, we all sin. We are all sinners. Who are we to judge. It's about helping eachoter through our struggles with sin.
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