| Author: | C.S. Lewis | Rating: | *****(5) |
| Date read: | January, 2010 | ||
Read it twice now, and the second reading was even better than the first. The first part contains a reason-based argument for the existence of God and the truth of Christianity as a religion. Then some fairly universal Christian beliefs are discussed, which are not dependent on any particular denomination, though in a few cases the described Christian morals and beliefs might be considered a rather conservative interpretation of the scriptures.
I particularly like his description of God’s mission in the Christian’s life, which is to aim toward perfection, which of course cannot be attained in this life. However, this perfection is not that of the self, but of giving up on self and allowing Christ to live in and through one’s life more and more fully. This is accomplished by a continual making of mostly small decisions on a day-to-day basis, gradually letting oneself be governed a little more by that Christ-life and a little less by the selfish self.
Another inspiring discussion was his description of human forgiveness, how it works and what it is. When we decide to forgive someone who has wronged us, we are not saying what they did was ok, nor that we like them as a person, and not even that they should not be punished. We are saying that we hope things turn out well for them, that they can move beyond whatever is wrong and come to the knowledge of life in God’s love as we know it. A key insight he provides is that there is one person I am constantly forgiving for doing the wrong things – myself. The commandment, “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” in terms of forgiveness, means I should forgive others the same way I forgive myself.
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