We are in Book 3 of Mere Christianity
In Book 3, titled ‘Christian Behavior,’
Lewis addresses key aspects of" the moral law within humans
We must remember Lewis’s assertion
that the law of right and wrong, or the moral law is the key
to understanding the universe
This moral law, or natural law,
or the law of human nature,
is unique to humans and not found in nature
Its existence serves as important evidence
that the Creator, who made humanity,
is an absolutely good being
who governs the world
through this absolutely good principle,
or the Moral Law
There is a moral law within humans,
meaning we live under its influence
and feel its pressure
When we fail to live up to this law,
we feel discomfort,
and we often demand that others
also live according to it,
which can lead to conflict, strife, and and even war,
as explained in previous chapters
Now, the question of what we believe,
after explaining the basic truths of Christianity,
leads us back to the issue of morality
It's because God’s purpose in saving us
is to restore us as beings
who resemble His goodness
To fully restore us to the purpose for which He created us,
moral renewal within us is essential
This is different from legalism or moralism,
that we are saved by morality
or can approach God through moral law
It is beyond our own strength
The logic here is that only by the grace of Jesus Christ,
through the cross and precious blood
can we receive forgiveness, reach true repentance,
and have the restored ability to make right choices
Only then can we live
in obedience to the moral law
Mere Christianity Book 3 Christian Behavior
Chapter 1 The Three Parts of Morality
Now, returning to the issue of morality,
Chapter 1 begins with the title ‘The Three Parts of Morality'
Morality,
let's think about it
What comes to your mind?
C.S. Lewis uses the word ‘morality’
to draw out the universal concept
Asking an elementary school student,
‘What is God like?’, the answer goes,
'Who is always snooping around to see if anyone is enjoying himself
and then trying to stop it'
This is a strict, dull figure
who disapproves of our joy
God is such a strict and boring being
We share this thought
of a non-believing elementary student
When people think about morality,
C.S. Lewis says
they often view it as something that interferes with their lives,
preventing them from having fun
This, he explains,
is a misunderstanding of morality
Seeing morality as an intrusion
that robs life of joy reveals
is a big misunderstanding that reveals
how deeply humanity is
not only flawed,
but also entangled in sin
A soul transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ
finds the greatest joy in living
by the highest moral standards
Our true joy and fulfillment in life
come from living as God intended, upholding moral principles
Jesus taught us,
‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ [John 8:32]
That was his lesson
By living in the truth
and upholding true moral law,
we find freedom, joy, and happiness
That was Jesus' lesson
C.S. Lewis explains two points
as the purpose of morality
First, morality serves as guidance for maintaining the human machine
We might feel uneasy with the term ‘machine’
used to describe humans
You may think that
‘machine’ feels too impersonal a word
When Lewis says 'human machine',
it is more of a literary device
When considering whether
humans function according to God’s intended purpose,
the analogy of a ‘machine’ is
one of the most fitting ways to convey this idea
The second purpose is to prevent the ‘human machine’
from breaking down
So what is morality?
It is to ensure that humans operate as God created them to
and to prevent any breakdown
or malfunction
What was the very first moral directive
that God gave to humanity after creation?
'But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die’ [Genesis 2:17]
It was a single prohibition
Everything else was freely permitted
The first moral law was simple,
easy to follow,
and highly effective
God is not a being who delights in
hindering our joy or interfering with us
Rather, He grants us immense freedom,
asking only one simple command
(Disobedient humanity) Do not eat the forbidden fruit
By following this single rule,
the moral law He required would have been fulfilled
By breaking this simple rule,
[Fallen humanity] humanity came under the rule
of many complex moral laws
The guilt we feel is because
we violated even the simplest moral law
We cannot fully uphold this moral law,
and this leads us to seek God
Moral law guides us toward God,
who has placed this law within us
and calls us to seek what is right
This is the function of the moral law
Sometimes, those who strive to live by moral law
are labeled as idealists
and are associated with moral idealism
(Places the meaning of life only in moral or social ideals)
Lewis cautions against dismissing such people
The term ‘ideal’ is used in the sense
of something desired
yet seemingly unattainable
Saying something is ‘too idealistic’
implies it cannot be achieved
In truth, it’s accurate to say
we are not morally perfect
However, this does not mean
that we shouldn’t pursue it
While perfect morality is impossible,
it remains a continual goal of a task
for all humanity to strive toward
This book explains that
we should not dismiss this pursuit as ‘too idealistic'
In the next section, Lewis explains that there
are two ways humans can go wrong
The first way is when individuals act separately or clash with each other,
causing harm to one another
The second way is with an internal flaw
of personal issues within an individual
Humans can go wrong in all cases,
whether individuals clash,
act separately, or have personal issues
To explain this, he gives two examples
The first is a fleet of ships
on a long journey
For the ships sailing together
to navigate correctly,
two conditions are necessary
First, the ships must maintain
proper formation, avoiding collisions or deviations
Second, each ship’s engine and machinery
must function properly for the fleet to move forward
Another analogy he uses is an orchestra
Just as in an orchestra, where various instruments
must play in harmony without clashing,
it is crucial that each instrument is well-tuned
For this harmony to be achieved,
each instrument must be properly tuned
Each instrument must be properly tuned
to produce the correct sound
However, C.S. Lewis does not stop
with just two aspects
He adds a third, more crucial element
Whether the fleet is sailing together
or instruments are playing in harmony,
the most important question is,
‘Where is the fleet heading?’
For example,
if the fleet heading to America
are in perfect formation, operating well,
but in the opposite direction towards Africa, that is a wrong course
Similarly, if the orchestra is playing perfectly,
but they don’t know what piece they are playing, it’s also wrong
Lewis takes the three elements of morality as follows
First, the relationship between individuals,
how each person treats others fairly
and creates harmony with others
That is the first element of morality
Second, the inner harmony of each individual,
how their inner self is organized and aligned
Third, the relationship between humans
and the force that created humans (God)
The universal purpose of humanity,
what is our relationship with God who gave us that purpose?
What is the purpose of our creation?
What is the goal of our lives?
What is the song we are to play?
What is the destination of our journey?
To answer these questions is to complete true morality
Even if the first aspect of morality is well maintained,
it cannot be fully achieved without the second
And for the second to be realized,
the third element of morality must be established,
which is our relationship with the Creator
Once we understand the purpose of human life,
(The inner relationship) the second aspect of morality is resolved
which in turn leads to
(The relationship between individuals) the resolution of the first aspect
Lewis points out that people
often dismiss morality,
viewing it as outdated or mere moral idealism,
because they overlook the third element,
the relationship between
humans and their Creator
This is Lewis' point
Humans should not view life solely in terms of this finite world
If we consider our earthly lives
in light of eternity
and our relationship with the eternal,
we can live both morally
and as beings destined for eternity
This is precisely
the fundamental difference between Christian morality
and non-Christian morality, as discussed in Chapter 1
In Chapter 2, we will explore specific virtues in more detail
Chapter 1 The Three Parts of Morality
1. Purpose of Morality
1) Guide for the human machine
2) Prevention to avoid its breakdown
2. Causes of Breakdown in the Human Machine
1) Individuals clashing and harming one another
1) Internal issues within each
3. The Three Elements of Morality
1) Relationships between individuals
2) Internal harmony within one
3) Relationship with the force that created humans (God)