2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) -- 2 Corinthians 6
"Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise and starting a sort of secret society to undermine the devil? Why is He not landing in force, invading it? Is it that He is not strong enough?
"Well, Christians think He is going to land in force; we do not know when. But we can guess why He is delaying. He wants to give us the chance of joining His side freely. I do not suppose you and I would have thought much of a Frenchman who waited till the Allies were marching into Germany and then announced he was on our side.
"God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else — something it never entered your head to conceive — comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left?
"This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It will not last forever. We must take it or leave it.
"Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other."
-- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Posted by gerardvanderleun at April 5, 2015 5:03 PM
As the prophet Amos said:
Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him.
Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18-20 ESV)
Thank you, and thanks to C.S. Lewis, too. Complete and utter redemption is yours for the asking, humans. Ask for it now, profess it today; there will never be a better time.
Posted by: raincityjazz at April 5, 2015 7:03 PMI have been a believer for a long time. I'd like to think I'm a Christian but I sin so much that it's ridiculous and for the most part I don't even know why.
As I've aged, my physical abilities and libido have headed South and internal chemical imbalances, even with drugs that are designed to counter those effects, have led to depression, weight gain, rheumatism and fatigue.
Then there are events in life that challenge or cripple….job loss being the most recent event, for me.
The last paragraph of Lewis' comment is probably true but like most things in life I'm not sure that it can be applied across the board due to all of the extenuating circumstances that affect us. Just a thought but it's hard to refute the expertise of this old Cambridge Don.
Posted by: Jack at April 5, 2015 7:38 PMI am a horrible sinner. I believe, but my mind is wicked and carnal. I do not love my neighbor as myself, because to do that you first have to love yourself. I hate myself, frankly, and so I hate my neighbor. The fact that most people are stupid and useless doesn't help the situation.
Still, I used to be worse than I am now. Perhaps I can be better tomorrow -- by means of His grace, of course.
All I can do -- all any of us can do -- is beg forgiveness and hope that Christ will have mercy on us.
Posted by: B Lewis at April 5, 2015 7:47 PMEcclesiastes 9
American King James Version
4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ah, more of that amazing love - offered. I've read this book, though here I at first thought it to be your writing. The question posed seems like one you might ponder. Philip Yancey, online at philipyancey.com, has written a couple of books, well, several, which might companion Lewis' contributions. Most recently I have read and can recommend Whats So Amazing About Grace". I'd like to read his follow up book, "Vanishing Grace". I like his work because even though he is a "Christian thinker/writer" he's not one of those happy snappy guys. Some of his questing resembles my own...and seems on track with the comments made above.
Anyway, beautiful reminder. Thanks Gerard.
Thank you, Gerard.
Posted by: AbigailAdams at April 8, 2015 5:55 PM
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