"The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were 'gods' and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him--for we can prevent Him, if we choose--He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what He said." (Mere Christianity, pp.174-75)
Good review!
It's one of those examples of how a logic course could have prevented alot of bad doctrine.
Yes, Grace is true, but it does not necessarily follow that therefore all will be saved. In fact, to claim so would be denying clear Scriptures to the contrary.
Salvation is offered the entire world, but that does not mean all will believe. In fact, Scriptures claim there are those who will not believe.
Lewis is wrong, however, if he says "The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command."
Instead, we find that the purpose of these laws is to show us that we CANNOT keep them, and that we need a Savior. The Laws very purpose is to show us that we fail. Failing excludes us from God's holy kingdom. ONLY if He, through GRACE, redeems us, can we be saved.
He DOES "command something impossible" for us to do. We are born into sin, dead in sins and trespasses. He says "Be ye holy as I am holy," Love Him with our whole hearts, love others as ourselves, and yet we do not, because we have a sin nature.
Our ONLY hope is His grace offered in Christ. HE was holy in our place. HE fulfilled God's laws in our stead. HE met the legal requirements for us. God accepted HIS fulfilment.
If right now you're thinking, "What, I don't have to fulfil them?", you're starting to understand the Gospel for the first time! We will want to be holy and want to please Him out of gratitude, but we will still have your sin nature. Paul said "I do what I don't want to do,. It is no longer I who do it, but sin which dwells in me."
Lewis misinterpreted the passage on gods, sounding more like a Mormon. Christians do not believe we will become gods, nor can ever be gods. We are creatures. There is only ONE God, of ALL universes.
The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less.
Well, Lewis got the "painful" part right, that's for sure! Of course it's easy to take Lewis out-of-context in this passage, as it seems some have already done. He is using the terms "god" and "goddess" poetically, not literally. It's his way of saying that we will be transformed into the likeness of Christ, IF WE COOPERATE with the work of sanctification that is administered by the Holy Spirit.
Excellent quote by Lewis, thanks for posting it!