The Screwtape letters
This chapter of The Screwtape letters made me think of so many Christians today who have gone through a time when they were lukewarm or are going through that time now. The chapter title “Lukewarm Behavior” was appropriately picked in my opinion. It really revealed a lot about the chapter by just reading those two words. It seemed that this chapter was saying that the devil tries his hardest to get Christians to stay where they are in their walk and not grow anymore. To the devil that would be successful.
As long as he retains externally the habits of a Christian he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whore spiritual state is much the same as it was six weeks ago.
That verse has a very powerful message behind it. It seemed to say that if a person looks Christian on the outside and thinks of himself as alright in the eyes of God then he can stay put where he is and still go to heaven when he dies. However, this is not what God calls his children to do. He calls us to grow and flourish in our heavenly walk. This was discussed in class along with the question about church habits and how they can be good or bad. We all know how church habits can be good such as being involved in a community, taking Eucharist, being kept responsible by being convicted by the Holy Spirit through the message given etc. It is a little harder to think of way in which going to church can be bad. One that was brought up today was going to church just to be able to say that you went.
The second part of that quote reminds me of the theologian St. Augustine who became
convicted that his sexual addiction needed to be controlled. He had gone as far with it as to have sex in a church. So St. Augustine made a request to God for help. He said “Lord, Make me chaste, but not yet.” St. Augustine knew he needed to become clean and end his addiction but because he enjoyed it so much he did not want it to end just yet. As Lewis said in this chapter "this dim ineasiness needs careful handling." Addictions are a hard thing to cure and do have to be handled with much care and patience. St. Augustine let his natural sinful nature come out just as it does in everyone of us when we have a conviction about an addiction. We often can get a conviction about a sin we have that needs to end, but the human in us doesn't want it to end. However, with help from fellow Christians and our will backed by God we can overcome addictions which will bring us closer to God. They often take years and years of persistence and often relapse but with God all things are possible; not always easy, but possible.
The "not yet" idea is one that is so pervasive in many ways. I've met a lot of agnostics who have said that they will eventually become a Christian but not yet. The error in this lies not only in the fact that the "not yet" might never arrive but also in that our desires are, as Lewis said in Weight of Glory, to weak and we cannot find it in us to choose God over earthly sinful pleasures.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, St. Augustine's "not yet" is a phrase that I'm afraid many of us have echoed through the years. What are we waiting for? Are we hoping it will be easier to quit later on?
ReplyDeleteI'll admit I use "not yet" even in non-addiction situations. "I'll get into a regular habit of devotions, but not yet. I'll get involved in the youth group, but not yet." Thank goodness for reminders like this, that blatantly say, "Cut it out. Get GOING already!"