Theophilus Monk’s Christian Internet Ministry

Last time in Coffee Talk Redux #55 we finished up our discussion of Lewis’ Mere Christianity through chapter 3 of book 3 on social morality. We talked about virtues as being a persistent habit to do what is good. There are two types of virtues and these are known as either theological or moral. These virtues can be theological in the sense that they are infused by God at the time of our baptism and keep us focused on God and His promise of our salvation and these are known as the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. We also talked a bit about acquired virtues like the cardinal virtues which are prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. These are also known as moral virtues and they guide are conduct.It is important though to recognize that virtues are those tendencies in our nature that lead to good actions and not the good actions in and of themselves.

We see then that Lewis is revealing to us that the presence of a moral law implies the existence of God who places within our conscience these guideposts or virtues that lead us to goodness. However, by our free will we still have to make a moral choice which is the act of choosing. This choice represents the actions of our feelings and thoughts using our intellect which acts on our will to make a moral choice. The moral choice can be normal or it can be unnatural or abnormal if we do not have control over our irregular desires. The raw material in man’s mind comes from his animal nature and this may be in conflict with his spiritual side which is his intellect and free will which has to control his animal passions for pleasure and satisfying of irregular desires as a result of concupiscence.

Interestingly we only see the results of a moral choice, we do not know the inner struggles a person may be dealing with in arriving at that moral choice. For some folks these choices may be very easy and oftentimes they may not even see that it is the gift of God’s grace that is giving them everything they have. For others it may be a daily struggle to overcome all kinds of emotional baggage and addictions and only by asking for God’s grace can they overcome their challenges and do the right thing. Hence Christians try not to judge another person as Christ tells us in Matthew 7:1-5, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbors eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?” God also ultimately judges us on our actions and not always on the raw thoughts and feelings which may enter our minds since these may be the result of temptations by the devil.

Lewis tells us that our moral choices are what leads one either to a conversion and a sanctification that takes one towards God, which is a true repentance or metanoia, the converting of one’s mind and the decision not to sin and to imitate Christ. Or these moral choices can take one away from God to a creature that hates God. So there are only two ways, one path leads to God the other path to Hell or an eternity spent without God. Paul warns us of this inner conflict in Romans 7:14-15 of these two ways when he says, “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Paul is saying that pleasure itself becomes a habit that cannot be overcome without asking for the needed grace from God.

Interestingly Lewis tells us that when man is getting better he sees the evil that is still in him. But when a man is getting worse he sees his own evil less and less making it easier and easier to make the wrong moral choices. Someone once said that the difference between a Christian and an atheist is that the atheist believes that man is born good and religion makes him bad but the Christian says that man is born in a fallen state and it is repentance and faith that makes him good and leads him to God.

Lewis next moves into the area of sexual morality. He begins by discussing the virtue of chastity. Chastity as a virtue falls under the cardinal virtue of temperance and can be seen as the right use of one’s sexuality. Chastity is also one of the fruits of Holy Spirit and is a sign that one is a follower of Christ. In the Christian sense chastity is either marriage with complete faithfulness meaning no adultery or if single or in a relationship total abstinence. Chastity is not the same as modesty or propriety since these are simply rules of behavior in our society concerning the display of one’s body or how we speak about the body or what are oftentimes considered to be simply good or bad manners. Clothing that is appropriate for the beach may look a bit odd if worn to work at a Starbucks.

Lewis asks whether an extreme sense of modesty is proof of chastity, or vice versa? Lewis even asks why chastity is so unpopular in our society today, which for him was over 60 years ago, imagine what he’d say today! However, today the media to sell stuff uses sexuality and as a result chastity is no longer seen as a virtue. In fact even the word virtue seems dated in today’s lingo. Lewis says the media’s goal is to create an obsession with sex since a man with an obsession has little sales resistance. In a Christian sense sex within the sense of the virtue of chastity is not a bad thing since it is an act of God’s creation and reflects the goodness of God so Christian’s do not have a disordered view of the body or the material world as say a Gnostic or a Manichean back in the days of Augustine would have. But using sex as a means to exploit others is clearly wrong. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that we are to glorify God in body and spirit, “or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” Ultimately though God judges us on our will to overcome these temptations and achieve chastity.

Overcoming these temptations to break from the virtue of chastity is a result of three factors: first of all Lewis says we fall from chastity because of our warped natures and the temptations of the devil, also the media makes this all look normal and healthy and that it is wrong to resist these natural desires, this is clearly an example of sin being institutionalized through the medium of advertizing. True happiness actually comes from restraint and recognizing that one needs to control these irregular desires, this can be achieved by simply asking God through prayer for the grace needed to overcome these irregular desires.

Secondly, Lewis says some folks just see this as to difficult so why even try. But in all these situations we have to do the best we can regardless and rely on and ask for God’s grace to overcome these trials. If you do fail ask God for forgiveness and keep trying. When you fall down get back up. Lewis says that often what God leads us first towards is not the virtue itself but to the power of always being able to try again. This develops the habit of the virtue itself which leads us to the good and teaches us to depend on God thus squelching spiritual pride and trying to be our own god.

Following the discussion on chastity Lewis then offers some his thoughts from the Christian perspective on marriage. Marriage is rich in symbols and many of these are found in the Bible. The two become as one flesh for life. Marriage is a unity and results from the formation of an indissoluble bond. Marriage as a unity of two natures is similar to the two natures of being fully man and fully God that are found in the one person of Christ known as the hypostatic union. As God’s love for man is everlasting and unconditional so should the love between a man and a woman. All of this leads to the fact that marriage is a commitment that endures until the death of one of the partners, there is to be no divorce since the partners in a marriage make a vow before God to keep the marriage promise.

Lewis says that marriage is not about love or being in love since if love is the whole point in a marriage there is no need for a promise. Love is a feeling which will change but a promise is something one can do, an action of what I can do which is to stay in the marriage. Lewis says that no one can promise to keep feeling a certain way. Love will change day to day but a promise must not be broken. Hence Lewis distinguishes between the feelings of love and sees basically three types of love; that is lust, falling or being in love, and real love. Clearly lust cannot make a marriage. Falling or being in love may lead one to marry but may not be sufficient to make the marriage last. Real love is a grace from God that maintains the marriage even when the thrill is gone. It is real love that allows the partners to keep the promise. Lewis sees real love as a rebirth in the relationship. Drawing on an analogy to Christ’s death and resurrection to a new life Lewis says that a thing will not really live unless it first dies. Lewis says to let the thrill go, let it die away, so that the real love can come to life in the marriage.

In chapter 7 of book 3 Lewis talks about forgiveness. Lewis says that forgiveness is even more unpopular and tougher to do than chastity. He says it is a lovely idea until you have to forgive. Forgiveness applies to friend and foe alike. Lewis says that he can look at some of the things he himself has done with horror and loathing but he still likes himself. So apparently even though he can also loathe and hate some of the things that his enemies have done, he still must love his enemies. Lewis realizes that despite his own limitations he still loves himself and we should therefore love others regardless of what they have done. Hate the sin but love the sinner. This does not mean that by loving your enemy there should be no punishment. If punishment or killing is necessary to protect others then it is necessary, but Lewis says we must not take pleasure in this or enjoy this. Lewis says that in the Christian view this means loving people who may have nothing lovable about them. That is the way God loves us and in His greatest commandment Christ says after being asked which commandment in the law is the greatest, “you shall love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Two questions then arise, what about capital punishment and when is war justified? Are there guidelines for a Christian on these? With respect to capital punishment the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an example teaches that if the identify of the perpetrator is confirmed beyond doubt and if this is the only way to protect innocent human lives then capital punishment is justifiable, but if non-lethal means can afford the same level of protection then capital punishment is not justified. The idea of a just war also means that the following four criteria must be satisfied: 1. The aggressor must have the potential to damage the nation in a manner that is lasting, grave, and certain, 2. All other means of resolving the potential conflict must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective, 3. There must be serious prospects of success if war is undertaken, and 4. The use of armed conflict must not produce other evils and disorders graver than the evil being eliminated by going to war in the first place.  ( Ronald L. Fournier © 2009 )