Chapter 2 explains the basic virtues
As in basic virtues,
he uses the term ‘Cardinal Virtues'
Here, ‘Cardinal’ does not mean a Catholic ‘Cardinal’
but rather something fundamental
These virtues are the core moral capacities God has given humanity
Despite human fallenness due to sin,
these virtues remain
within even fallen humanity,
under God’s common grace
Of the seven virtues,
(Prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude) he explained the four 'Cardinal'
(Faith, hope, and love) and three 'Theological'
The theological virtues refer to the three virtues
experienced by born-again Christians,
by the power of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ
These are faith, hope, and love
In Chapter 2, Lewis focuses on
the four fundamental virtues
out of the seven
The first virtue in the chapter
is called prudence
Prudence is
an essential judgment for living
as a human being, or practical common sense
So it is a practical common sense
Prudence for humans
is to foresee
the consequences of one’s actions
This is prudence as a practical common sense
Jesus’s instruction to become like children
refers to a pure-hearted state,
not to a reckless action of a chile
without moral discernment or foresight
Growth in the discernment, or prudence
that God grants us
is one of His great blessings to humanity
While prudence is
not exclusive to Christians,
history shows that believers
who receive the grace of Jesus Christ
and are reborn by the blood of His cross
experience a deeper,
maturing prudence as time passes
Comparing the prudence of believers
with non-believers reveals
that faith brings an enriched discernment
Therefore, true belief in Jesus itself
can be seen as an education
The second moral aspect is temperance,
which is the quality of moderation
This does not mean complete abstinence
practicing moderation and staying within limits
It aligns with the ‘self-control’
as a fruit of the Spirit
Importantly, temperance does not mean
imposing our abstentions on others
As we enjoy various aspects of life,
like sports, movies, and other forms of entertainment,
it’s essential to maintain moderation
Lewis emphasizes that
temperance is not about living
in complete isolation from culture
Since he himself was
a writer of literature
and many fairy tales,
he argues that viewing
cultural activities such as theatre
as sinful is misguided
It’s the content that matters,
not rejecting culture itself,
which is not what temperance is about
In this area, C.S. Lewis’s stance
on alcohol may be controversial
among Korean Christians
Lewis advocates for moderate drinking
rather than complete abstinence,
which may differ from a biblical viewpoint
Considering the Bible as a whole,
there are more commands encouraging abstinence
Jesus turning water into wine
does not justify drinking
In the New Testament era,
wine served as a key beverage
due to scarce clean water
in Jesus' time
Today, with less need for alcohol
with ample access to clean water,
interpreting Scripture’s overall context
suggests a stronger command toward abstinence
Thus, while C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien,
and other writers enjoyed conversations over drinks in pubs,
applying their cultural approach
of moderation, rather than abstinence,
directly to today’s context
may be challenging
Is moderate drinking truly feasible?
Unless for medicinal purposes
or specific health issues,
frequent or habitual drinking
often leads to alcoholism
or serious health risks
This lacks proper prudence
Therefore, this area
requires careful and prudence on our part
The third cardinal virtue is justice
This differs from legal justice
(Encompasses more than legal justice) A ‘not guilty’ verdict in court
(Includes what we call fairness today) is not always an actual innocence
Justice does not only refer
to those convicted and sentenced to prison
Many injustices occur
even if one is acquitted in court
Here, justice includes
honesty, fairness, integrity, and faithfulness in keeping promises,
qualities essential to our live
God is righteous,
honest, faithful, and trustworthy
When our lives reflect such justice,
we can truly say we are made in ‘the image of God'
The fourth virtue is fortitude,
meaning resilience or steadfastness
It is courage in pain,
or courage in adversity
It is also the courage
to overcome adversity
It is the strength to endure
and overcome hardship
as well as adversity
Let's go over the four again
First, prudence
Second, temperance
Third, justice
And fourth, fortitude
It is the courage to persevere through hardship
These are fundamental virtues
present in all humanity,
even in those not reborn through Jesus Christ
So these are virtues of humans
Let us remember Lewis' point,
that in those transformed by the Holy Spirit
through Jesus Christ, these moral virtues
can mature to an even greater degree
Lewis emphasizes that possessing these
moral virtues or traits is
not a requirement for entering
the eternal Kingdom of God
What Lewis means is,
If these qualities are
not cultivated and ingrained within,
we will never
truly find happiness, even if we receive
all God’s blessings on this earth
Even if God allows a taste
of heaven on earth, we would be unable to fully enjoy it
We would be unable to experience happiness, despite the circumstance
Ultimately, humans must be deeply moral
to enjoy the happiness
True happiness from God is
only attainable when humans live
according to the purpose for which God created them
Mere Christianity Book 3 Christian Behavior
Chapter 3 Social Morality
Chapter 3 is about social morality
Among the seven fundamental virtues,
faith, hope, and love
will be featured in later chapters
This chapter is about social morality
because for the three parts of morality,
many people are immersed and interested
in the interpersonal relationship
That's why Lewis dedicates a chapter
to talk about social morality
The key to social morality
is The Golden Rule
As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount,
‘So whatever you wish that others would do to you,
do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets’ [Matt. 7:12]
This is the Biblical Golden Rule
Meaning, all parts of morality
is condensed in this one verse
Do what you wish others
would do to you
(The Golden Rule) It puts one in others' shoes,
assessing oneself in their stance
Also, doing what one wishes to receive
from the other
completes social morality as Jesus has taught us
This does not only resolve problems
in all interpersonal relationships,
but also restores into the right relationships
Jesus did not talk about a new morality
or a new order
It is rather Jesus reminding us
the moral principle that has been there in history
The Golden Rule has appeared in the OldTestament,
in Deuteronomy and other historical contexts,
and this is a foundational principle
underlying God’s laws
In terms of social morality,
Lewis discusses the relationship between church and the world
He critically examines the idea that
the Church should lead the world
Whether it is true depends on
the intended meaning behind the statement
For it to be true,
The Church should lead the world by Christians
fulfilling their proper roles in all areas of the society,
economic, social, and cultural, as practical examples
of Christ in action
When the Church (or clergy) becomes politicized
and tries to lead the world through political agendas,
then it is misguided
Lewis comments on clergies,
Pastors are not called to advance political agendas
they are set apart to care for matters
essential to humanity as eternal beings
Perhaps it was what happened in Lewis' time,
but Lewis disagrees that clergies
leading political programs
or saying political agendas is necessarily leading the world
Abraham Kuyper of the Netherlands, though he served as Prime Minister
and entered politics as a Member of Parliament,
not as a pastor anymore
but to lead the world as a politician
When he was no longer Prime Minister,
the Dutch Reformed Church
invited him to return as a pastor
He declined,
not out of disregard for the pastoral role,
but because he was committed
to making a difference as a politician
This was not from political ambition,
but in response to a practical need
He was a great politician,
better than any pastors
Thus, leading society through pastors presenting
political programs is not the Church’s role
Instead, skilled and capable Christians in various fields,
in economics, society, culture,
education, and more
This is how the Church leads the world
Finally, he outlines what he believes to be
the most Christian vision for society
Let me read some quotes
The Christian vision he proposes is
a society where ‘those who do not work do not eat’
This is a biblical view of labor
'The society refrains from excessive luxuries and advertising,
and there is no place for arrogance or vanity,
and instead people respect and obey duly appointed officials'
'It is a place filled with song and joy,
where worry and anxiety are seen as evils to be avoided'
A healthy Christian society is not marked by gloom or sorrow
but rather by joy and celebration,
living a life that embraces festivity
Economically,
't is a society where loans are given without interest'
A society rife with usury
and people burdened by excessive interest rates
is not a Christian society
Finally, he emphasizes charity,
underscoring the importance of compassion and sharing
For charity,
It must be a society 'that gives a little beyond what is comfortable,'
offering more than it readily can'
And he writes a sharp insight
'If charitable giving never strains or limits
the household budget, then one is likely giving too little'
'There should be things you wish to do
but can’t due to charity'
True charity isn’t simply giving what’s left
after doing everything you wish to do
There should be things you can't do
due to charity in this Christian society
Thus, he presents a vision of a society
embodying true social morality,
grounded in the 'Golden Rule' found in Matthew 7:12
In the Old Testament,
this aligns with the society fitting the moral laws
that God provided in the law as shown in Deuteronomy
Even in those who do not believe in Jesus Christ,
such traits are evident in humanity,
created in God’s image
For those transformed in Jesus Christ, restoration comes
even more swiftly,
revealing something more beautiful,
such as a more moral society
This is why
we need the grace of the gospel
This is the approach Lewis takes
Chapter 2 The Cardinal Virtues
1. Seven virtues 1) Cardinal: Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Fortitude
2) Theological: Faith, Hope, Love
2. Four Cardinal Virtues
1) Prudence: Practical wisdom
2) Temperance: Not abstinence,
but moderation
3) Justice: More than legal justice
4) Fortitude: Courage against danger
Chapter 3 Social Morality
1. The Golden Rule [Mat. 7:12] Being in others' shoes
2. Church Leads the World?
Christian community practicing the Golden Rule in society
NOT the church or pastors presenting political programs
3. Lewis' Ideal Christian Society?
1) Those who don’t work don’t eat
2) Without excessive luxuries or advertising
3) Without show-offs or boastful people
4) With charity a little more than what’s comfortably affordable