Mere Christianity - Bk 2 - Ch 3 - The Shocking Alternative

Lewis gave this talk on the BBC on Feb. 1, 1942 as the third talk of the second round of talks he delivered.  When later published in "What Christians Believe" (and as "The Case for Christianity" in America, it bore the simple title, "3."  When republished within "Mere Christianity" in 1952, Lewis gave it a new title, "The Shocking alternative.

Lewis begins by asserting that Christians believe an evil power made himself the Prince of this World.  How can this state of affairs align with God - who has absolute power?  Is it part of God's will?

Lewis gives an example of a mother who tells her children they must learn to keep their room tidy, but does not accompany them every moment making sure they keep it tidy.  She wills tidiness, but allows her children some freedom to learn it on their own.  When her children leave the room untidy, it goes against her will, yet her will allowed them to do this.

Lewis applies this analogy to God.  He created us with free will so we can go either wrong or right.  If we had no possibility of going bad, we would not be free, or have free will.  We would simply be automatons - machines - incapable of love, goodness, or joy - incapable of the happiness of being united to Him or to each other - never reaching the ecstasy of love and delight best found in the love between a man and a woman.

How did the Dark Power go wrong?  Lewis guesses, based on our common experience, that Satan wanted to put himself first - wanted to be at the center - wanted to be God.  When Satan tempted Eve, he suggested she could be like gods - a basis for all the sins that followed.

Then God sends a shocker.  He sends to the Jews a man who talks about being God and who claims to forgive sins.  To Jews, trained to think about God as the all-powerful Creator and only God utterly different than humans, his statements amounted to the most shocking thing they ever heard.

Jesus claim to forgive sins only makes sense if he was God.  Otherwise it amounts to unrivaled silliness and conceit.  Yet the Gospels do not give this impression.  When Jesus says he is humble and meek - we believe Him - even though his claims of being God and forgiving sin hardly sound meek and humble.

Lewis says we cannot simply say Jesus was a great moral teacher, just not God.  A great moral teacher cannot be so if he falsely claims to be God and forgive sins.  Such a man would amount to either (1) a lunatic ["madman"], (2) a liar ["the Devil of Hell"], or (3) whom he claims to be ["the Son of God"].  Jesus simply did not leave us the option to simply regard him as a great moral teacher.

Bk 2 - Ch 2 - The Invasion

Bk 2 - Ch 4 - The Perfect Penitent

Overview