"If you are a Christian, you are free to think that all those religions, even the queerest ones, contain at least some hint of the truth."That is perhaps one of the foundational beliefs of Christianity, that because God loves all His children, He has given them light and knowledge, truth, that will lead them in the right direction. The problem lies in the fact that while some believe in God, others don't. That creates a problem because a false premise creates a false result, whether you're looking at Christianity as right or wrong. What is truth if you don't know the difference between that and untruth?
There has to be a separation between right and wrong, good and evil. Without that distinction, then there are no truths. There is no basis, it is just all objective, and then we have a problem. If we do believe that though, then where is the separation. Lewis contends that the only power there is in the world and universe is good, but evil borrows that power and uses it for its unruly gains. Lewis phrases aptly when he says, "And do you now begin to see why Christianity has always said that the devil is a fallen angel?"Lucifer was a son of the morning, but fell from grace because he twisted the good.
Free will, as Lewis reminds us, is the greatest gift that God has given to us. His love is so great that even His greatest desire to have us return to live with Him is overruled by His sense of love that requires us, gives us the choice to choose. The problem with that, says Lewis, is,
"The moment you have a self at all, there is a possibility of putting yourself first - wanting to be the center - wanting to be God, in fact. That was the sin of Satan: and that was the sin he taught the human race."Humans try to find happiness in different facets of life. But, when they realize that true joy can only come from God, that's when that free will is directed in the right direction. Free will gives us the choice not to do whatever we want, but gives us the opportunity to choose the right. God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could look towards Him to make the right decision. Many feel that Christ was just a moral teacher, but He was not. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book, where Lewis explains:
"He was the person... chiefly offended in all offenses. This makes sense only if He was really the God whose laws are broken and whose love is wounded in every sin."We have to try to imitate Him in some measure, to kill off every unworthy part of ourselves that holds us back from God. As we repent, and try and do that each and every day, then we can be better. The "little Christ" in all of us helps us to do that each and every day.
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