God's Invasion
Excerpt from C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity"
This is a must-read. I am reading this book for the second time in a row, I will probably start it over again as soon as I am done the second time. He puts Christianity plain and simple, yet doesn't dumb it down whatsoever. He was one of the greatest apologists of the 20th Century.
"Another possible objection is this. 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 realise what it wil be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on 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 concieve--comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? For 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: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised 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 for ever. We must take it or leave it."
posted by Modern Day Stonewall @ 9:37 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I have actually never read this book but I think I will now... Very interesting...
The Old Testatment is full of God giving people free will and hoping they will choose Him. It seems like it's just a series of screw ups on man's part. We worship Him, then we go astray, then we come back to God... He always accepts us. One thing I learned a long time ago and it seems so simple. God is ALWAYS there, it's us that turns our backs on Him, but all we have to do is just turn around, because He loves us unconditionally and He's there....
Have you ever read Max Lucado?? or Frederich Buechner? both are amazing... Try reading "Six Hours One Friday" by Max Lucado during the Lenten season. It really puts Easter and it's meaning in perspective....
Good choice of excerpt! :)
Please tell me you have read Lewis's "The Screwtape Letters" . . I rebought it the other day. My copy of Mere Christianity is buried at home, but you've inspired me to drag it out again.
Beachgirl, you were right to send me over here. He's terrific.
Beachgirl, wow, this is scary... What you said is pretty much exactly how I feel... no matter what we do, God is always faithful, He's always there waiting, no matter how undeserving or worthless we our. God's faithfulness to our lives is incomprehensible and so awesome that it's difficult to even try to imagine being faithful to the extent that God is to us. But that's our mandate, we must give our lives up as a sacrifice to God in all things that we do in our life.
No, I haven't heard of or read any of those guys to be honest. Hmm, I'll def. look into it, my mom might have some of them. The Lucado guy sounds kinda familiar.
That's exactly right, it's a series of screwups by us. We are the sinful ones, our only free will is to choose death and sin, because our nature is sinfulness and total rebellion against God. Only through accepting Christ and following Him can we do anything good, but nothing of it is through or because of ourselves.
“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” --Galations 2:17-21
Howdy meghandiscontent, No, actually I haven't read "The Screwtape Letters" YET. It's on my list believe me, in fact its on my bookshelf right next to "Mere Christianity" "The Great Divorce" and other Lewis books. But yes for sure, drag out "Mere Christianity"... it's incredible. Thanks for your comment!
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