As The Ruin Falls by C. S. Lewis

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.

I never had a selfless thought since I was born.

I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through:

I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.

Peace, re-assurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek,

I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:

I talk of love --a scholar's parrot may talk Greek--

But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.

Only that now you have taught me (but how late) my lack.

I see the chasm. And everything you are was making

My heart into a bridge by which I might get back

From exile, and grow man. And now the bridge is breaking.

For this I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains

You give me are more precious than all other gains.”

C. S. Lewis, Poems

The Source of Society's Strength

It is well with a kingdom when its great men know how to value its good men, when its governors look upon religion and religious people to be their strength, and consider it their interest to support them, and learn to call godly praying people, and skillful faithful ministers, the chariots and horsemen of Israel, as Joash called Elisha, and not the troublers of the land, as Ahab called Elijah.

-- Matthew Henry commentary on Zechariah 12:5

Truth vs. The Good Place’s nihilism of choosing non-existence

The conclusion of “The Good Place” cannot stand without rebuttal. Previous commentators have pointed out the fundamental errors that result from rejection of Christian basics. (The core problem is that getting to heaven by ethical behavior is impossible, only by receiving the provision of Christ on the cross will we enter in.) The ending, in which the main characters choose non-existence, apparently because of ennui, shows where that error culminates. 

What is missing? There are two fundamental omissions which, if included, transcend boredom of an unending morally perfect life.

• Heaven is defined by the reality of the Presence of God. The author of Ecclesiastes reflected on the vacuity of earthly life without God, and its meaninglessness. God is fundamentally separate from our universe, because of the basic logical construct. Everything in the universe has a cause, so what is the cause of the universe’s beginning? By definition, it was something not subject to the law of cause and effect. Ergo, God is beyond our comprehension. Even Aristotle knew that there had to be an immovable mover. Hence, God being outside of time, His Presence in heaven transcends temporal ennui. Beyond that, our earthly relationship with Him will be consummated, much as the Biblical metaphor of marriage implies. Not only is there the first day and night of togetherness, there is a long-term state of being happily married. Both passion and contentment. We cannot know this with God while on earth. (Exodus 33:18-23)
• The continuation of our earthly walk in heaven will be characterized by continually taking on an increased aspect of God’s character. The Bible, and especially the Incarnation, reveal God’s core attribute of agape - sacrificial love. His passionate agape motivated Him to create the universe, and humankind, as objects of His divine love. Jesus came to earth to redeem mankind, at incomprehensible cost, out of agape. As we take on increasing measures of His character we will find vast opportunities for new agape adventures. We cannot begin to imagine what these adventures will entail. Some on earth have already started down this road (e.g., Mother Teresa), but we are limited by physical bodies with finite lifespans. 

The vital effusion of life and love that flows from God is not an optional bonus, but the central reality of Christian faith. We  can only imagine the power of the transfiguration on the mount that Peter, James, and John experienced. The choices we make now do involve ethics, not as merely a guide to right behavior, but as a manifestation of that power within us on earth. Experiencing that power from within eliminates any misguided concept that non-existence is even an option, despite Solomon’s despairing remark. (Ecclesiastes 4:3)

It would of course be unacceptable in Hollywood to produce entertainment incorporating these truths.  The secular vision of heaven as suburbia sells well and offends few. Heaven is not suburbia, and suburbia is not heaven. But just as the rest of Hollywood’s products are fiction divorced from reality, we must recognize that the Truth Incarnate does not call us to an endless ennui, of philosophical meaninglessness. Rather, He invites us to join Him in an eternal adventure.

C. S. Lewis Missed the Point on Church Music

C. S. Lewis’ essay “On Church Music” (1949)[ published in Christian Reflections, Ed. By Walter Hooper, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967, p. 94-99.] is disappointingly shallow. He focuses on high vs. low church music and edification, which seems to him to be resolved if advocates of both adopt an attitude of intending to glorify God rather than pleasing their own taste. In humility, the ungifted glorify God by silence during trained musical excellence. Equally humbly, the musically gifted glorify God when sacrificing their own desires and provides the ungifted a coarser fare than he or she would wish. 

Unfortunately, Lewis did not deal with issues such as why music appears to be one of the main activities in heaven (Revelation 4:8&11, 5:9-13, 7:12, 15:3-4) , and why it has power to move soul and spirit in church, and why the Scriptures extol it (e.g., Psalm 150:3-5). The missing link is the nature and character of God. In the essay, Lewis nods to this as an afterthought, that God does not need our music in any substantive way, citing Psalm 50:12. But he knew better. It is intrinsic to God that he is both creative and compassionate. His passion for lost humans is so strong that He sent Jesus to die on the cross to save them, and His creative energy such that He created humans to begin with so that they might glorify Him and enjoy fellowship with Him. As Lewis himself wrote in Mere Christianity, regarding joy, power, peace, and eternal life: “They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry.“ Or, as Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38) 

God invested music with the power to directly stimulate man’s soul and spirit in our innermost being. For some, prayer is this channel of connection to God, but music is much more so, that both men and angels enjoy. Because that is the purpose of creation, to enjoy fellowship with God forever. (Sadly, music has such power that the evil one can use it to lead humans astray, but that is not the subject here.) What are we to enjoy? That God’s very essence of self-sacrificial love has been shared with us, both by nature and by redemption, and the fellowship of like-spirited beings is glorious. The melodies, harmonies, rhythms, instrumental sounds,  words, verses, and poetic structures all strike deeply embedded receptors in us, encouraging passionate response. The best music uses these attributes to enhance our response to its propositional content.

The bottom line on Church music is that it succeeds in submission to God’s purposes, and fails otherwise. God’s purposes are both knowable and achievable, if we are willing. Worship is more than music, and not all music is worship, but music of worship brings glory to God through our participation, and its impact on us.

Breaking Generational Curses

The concept of inherited curses goes back to the Mosaic Law, in which the Lord warned that He would visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and fourth generations  (Exodus 20:5, 34:7 et.al.). The natural outworking of children being trained in, or subconsciously adopting, the sins of their parents is undeniable. But the spiritual dimension of these curses reveals that there is a supernatural cause/effect relationship, that opening the door to evil by agreeing with the lies of the devil has an invisible spiritual reality. 

Generational curses are a special case of the more general curses that were articulated by Moses (Deuteronomy 27:15-26) and woes warned by Jesus (Luke 7:24-26).  Unequivocally Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10-13). Hence the primary means of redemption from the generational curses is that any descendant who believes in and receives Jesus as their savior is freed from this law. [Of course, younger generations are free to choose their own sins, not from their ancestors’ heritage - for that they are solely answerable - Ezekiel 18:4.] But what of the spiritual heritage of being insensitive to God’s voice and leading? Besides the humanly modeled parental behaviors such as pride, avarice wrath, lust, envy, gluttony, and spiritual sloth, does the Holy Spirit hold grudges against children? I think this question puts the issue in the wrong stocking. 

C. S. Lewis wrote a short section on being close to God, which a later editor paired with part of Psalm 73:

For, behold, those who are far from You will perish;

You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

That I may tell of all Your works.

 Psalm 73:27-28

C. S. Lewis’ words: “If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them. They are not a sort of prize which God could, if He chose, hand out to anyone. They are a great fountain of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you: if you are not, you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God, how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but wither and die?” (Mere Christianity, Book IV, chapter 4))

Other Scriptures reinforce this concept. 

• Jesus told His disciples “ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27)
• Jesus also said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
• The warning, “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” (Hebrews 10:25)

The juxtaposition of the themes of the blood of Jesus and intimate, personal relationship with Him seems odd. How can a dead person interact with the living? But that is on a purely natural level. In the spiritual eternity of God, the death of Christ becomes the doorway to connection with God. We remind ourselves and celebrate this supernatural, transcendent reality every time we take communion. 

This is the key to breaking the generational curse. It is not in the words of a prayer invoking the blood of Jesus, nor in the rote recitation of the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper, but in the continuous exercise of a relational interaction with God the Father, as an obedient and affectionate son, made possible through Calvary, that the curse is nullified. The core of the generational curse is the transmission of this lack of relationship. And this applies to all of us, regardless of the number of generations between us and Adam. The cure for all the curses is to remedy this root cause.

A Biblical approach to judging politicians?

Does the Bible allow rulers to exercise arbitrary authority without censure? A long story....

The first Biblical mention of human authority is in Genesis 1&2, in which God gave authority to Adam over the plant kingdom (2:15-17) and the animal kingdom (1:26&28; 2:19-20). Implicit in this account is the context.  Eden was a perfect garden. Apparently God walked in the garden in the cool of the evening (3:8) and since He called for Adam, we might reasonably infer Adam usually walked with Him (until the fall).

Of course, we also know that because of Adam’s disobedience, caring for plants would become tedious labor, not  the labor of the joy of loving plants, but of pulling weeds. (Genesis 3:17-19, 23) The effect of Adam’s sin on his authority over animals was not immediately identified, but it is plain that wild beasts became a source of fear and danger. Despite the fall of man, many human occupations involve caring for, tending, and controlling both plants and animals. Farmers, gardeners, landscapers, environmental scientists, and many others plant, fertilize, weed, and prune vegetation both for food and beauty. Ranchers, veterinarians, zookeepers, and pet-owners care for animals and control them. Either kingdom left to itself would run amok.

God later told Moses to appoint judges to interpret and apply His law, and gave instructions for kings. (Deuteronomy 17:14-20) When Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a king for them, he repeated God’s warning. (1 Samuel 8:10-17) Although David was a man after God’s heart, it was downhill after him; the history of Israel demonstrates both the blessings of godly rulers and the consequences of rulers who lead the people to rebel against God. (2 Chronicles 36:15-16)

There are many dimensions of Biblical standards for those in authority; even David did not meet all of them. But in the New Testament, Paul told his readers to obey, serve, and honor those in authority (Romans 13:1-7). Separately he told them to pray for them with a specific outcome in mind: that they may live in peace (2 Timothy 2:1-2). The primary historical and prophetic narrative in the New Testament is the failure of rulers to exercise authority under God’s commission, leading ultimately to their judgment. (Revelation 6:15-17) 

But what of our present day? The founders of our nation, and the most illustrious leaders since then, held a very strong Christian Faith. They were not infallible. The Civil War had running competition of theological narratives regarding slavery. Few in the 19th century said that the standard of right and wrong was separate from Christian and Biblical values - that is a modern fiction - but argued over interpretation.  At the core of government and political dysfunction, then as well as now, are unmentioned questions: how well do those in authority walk with Jesus in the quiet of the day, hear His voice, learn His will, and share His holiness? 

This line of thought leads to another. Who are we to question leaders, or they to question each other on this score? How well do we individually if we are questioned like this? If we do indeed retreat to the wilderness to be alone with God in the secret place, what then is our attitude towards others? After we experience just a bit of His holiness in our time with Him, dare we judge another? Our leaders may not measure up to our standards, but in the fear of God we should tread lightly in judging them. Perhaps we should pray that He not remind us publicly of how we have failed to meet His standards. 

Does this mean we should never judge anyone, as Jesus commands in Matthew 7:1, and hence no one should ever be accountable? Obviously, since the Lord told Moses to appoint judges, there is an earthly accountability. The New Testament balance is probably best captured when Paul told his readers, “... if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.” (Galatians 6:1) Two elements: gentleness (humility) in correcting; and self-awareness of the risk of sharing in like sin. John told his readers that the only limitation to seeking restoration is for mortal sin, which  he does not further define. (1 John 5:16)

Since the world rejects Christ, His ways,  and His kingdom (which is evidenced by its behavior), He will return in power and will judge it, as He is the only one qualified to pass judgment in love and holiness. (Revelation 20:11-12) What happens in the world in the meantime, apart from God’s kingdom, is likely to resemble the Hatfields and the McCoys.

Practical predestination and free will

The opposite of free will is not predestination, but God’s sovereignty. C. S. Lewis explains predestination in his essay, Miracles:

“When we are praying about the result, say, of a battle or a medical consultation the thought will often cross our minds that (if only we knew it) the event is already decided one way or the other. I believe this to be no good reason for ceasing our prayers. The event certainly has been decided—in a sense it was decided ‘before all worlds’. But one of the things taken into account in deciding it, and therefore one of the things that really cause it to happen, may be this very prayer that we are now offering. Thus, shocking as it may sound, I conclude that we can at noon become part causes of an event occurring at ten a.m. (Some scientists would find this easier than popular thought does.) The imagination will, no doubt, try to play all sorts of tricks on us at this point. It will ask, ‘Then if I stop praying can God go back and alter what has already happened?’ No. The event has already happened and one of its causes has been the fact that you are asking such questions instead of praying. It will ask, ‘Then if I begin to pray can God go back and alter what has already happened?’ No. The event has already happened and one of its causes is your present prayer. Thus something does really depend on my choice. My free act contributes to the cosmic shape. That contribution is made in eternity or ‘before all worlds’; but my consciousness of contributing reaches me at a particular point in the time-series.”

Thus, predestination misconstrues how God and time relate, which is easily misunderstood because we live in time and He does not. The harder question is this: if God is sovereign, how can we have genuine free will to obey Him or, more importantly, to defy Him? The answer seems to be, because He sovereignly respects our choices. 

But why? Why does a sovereign God allow us free will? Adam and Eve wanted to choose for themselves, instead of accepting God’s choice. They wanted to be like God. (Genesis 3:5-6) The builders of the Tower of Babel planned a tower to reach heaven, in their own power, not trusting God to get them there. (Genesis 11:4-6) God allowed these choices to be made, but limited the consequences of ambitious choices. Not that amateur gods could supplant Him (even Satan could not do that!), but in mercy He did not allow the fruit of errant free will to ripen fully.

Why did God create humankind with free will? We cannot discuss this meaningfully because God is beyond our comprehension, the uncreated creator of the universe. However, He revealed His nature and character in the Incarnation of Christ. In this context, we can choose for ourselves or accept His choices; we can try to exert power of our own, or trust that He will use His power on our behalf. Ultimately, it is His universe. 

Even if we complain or say it is unfair, justice is a concept He gave us and commands us to observe. (Genesis 18:25, Zephaniah 3:5) He apparently finds our struggle to overcome human frailty and temptation, to be like Him in nature and character, so desirable that He created the universe so it would happen. And we succeed only when we receive His grace. What does this say about our future? It is entirely up to the participants, not predestined. Do we trust God enough to do what He says, to ask Him what He wants? Grace is readily available to all who ask, but will never be forced on anyone. There is no predestined outcome. But there is a sovereign and omnipotent God who says, in effect, to receive His grace, or we will reap what we sow. As Solomon wrote, The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

To focus on predestination is to miss the primary point. Consider the Virgin Mary. We often see her as a young, sheltered girl to whom an angel was sent to announce to her that she would bear the Messiah. But isn’t it much more consistent with God’s modus operandi that she had an active life of faith as a child? My inference is that while growing up, she knew His voice, interacted with Him and talked with Him frequently, did what He asked, and learned that she could trust and lean on Him through experience. So that when the time came, even though the virgin birth was miraculous, she was prepared to trust God and continue her daily walk with Him. I think this is the only way she could have raised Jesus as a child. This was not predestined, but simply her loving God as the basis of her life. 

So how should we respond to this rather theological question? If believing in predestination encourages or causes us to accept what is wrong, especially in our own life, then James’ advice is to obey God and resist the devil. (James 4:7) Perhaps it takes the form of honoring others when you really are unhappy with them, for the sake of Christ and others (Romans 13:7), or abstaining from a lawful activity because it is a stumbling block for others. (1 Cor 8:7-13) Believing in free will does not free us from God’s sovereignty in the practical outworking of our daily lives. Obeying and trusting Him is a decision that must be made afresh every day.