Christian Behavior

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Chapter 7: "Forgiveness"

[Editor's note: this is one of the best treatments of forgiveness I've ever seen. I highly recommend John Eldridge's discussion in Wild At Heart to compliment the material that Lewis presents. Lewis gives us a complete 'why' for forgiveness, but Eldredge presents a fantastic 'how to' forgive.]

"Every one says forgiveness is a lovily idea, until they have something to forgive...."

"I did not invent it. And there, right in the middle of it, I find, 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sin against us.' There is no slightest suggestion that we are offered forgiveness on any other terms. Is is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive we shall not be forgiven. there are no two ways about it. What are we to do?"

• Start simple:
  • for give your sister, brother, wife, husband, parents, children, classmates or roommates for something they have done or said in the last week. (that should keep us busy for a little while.)
  • try to understand what loving our neighbor as yourself means. how do we love ourselves?

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Chapter 6: "Christian Marriage"

[Note: Many will try to criticize Lewis' authorship of this chapter on the basis that he had never been married at this point. That would be an ad hominim attack (attack on his character), with no relevance to the topic.]

• The Christian view of marriage is based on Christ's words that a man and a woman, in marriage, are a single organism, "one flesh."
• This is viewed as a fact, not a sentiment. Analogous to a lock and key, a violin and a bow.
• This union goes beyond sex, to a total combination of the two.
• The scriptures do not in anyway disdain sexual pleasure. It only clarifies the context of sex to be within marriage.
• Christianity regards divorce as "something like cutting up a living body."
• Although different Churches have different doctrines surrounding divorce, "They are all agreed that it is more like having both your legs cut off than it is like dissolving a business partnership or even deserting a regiment."
• Anyone who enters into marriage without the intent for it to be permanent is a deceiver.

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Book Three – "Christian Behavior"

Chapter 5: "Sexual Morality"

• The Christian rule/virtue of chastity must not be confused with the societal rule of 'modesty.'
  • Modesty simply sets the rules for how much skin should be shown in different situations, and what topics are allowed in conversations.
  • the rules of modesty are different at different times and in different places and for different groups of people, even different situations.
  • chastity is always the same at all times for all Christians
  • Christian chastity is "Either marriage, with complete faithfulness to your partner, or else total abstinence."

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Book Three – "Christian Behavior"

Chapter 2: "The 'Cardinal Virtues'"

The 'Cardinal Virtues' are Prudence, Temperence, Justice and Fortitude. These are all vertues that most civilized people will recognize and acknowledge. Most of the words have changed meanings over the years, but the meanings are still important. We'll interpret them to modern language as well as we can as we discuss them.

Parent: Mere Christianity: Leaders' Notes Series

Buy a copy of Mere Christianity from Amazon.com

Book Three – "Christian Behavior"

Chapter 1: "The Three Parts of Morality"

There is a story about a schoolboy who was asked what he thought God was like. He replied that, as far as he could make out, God was 'the sort of person who is always snooping round to see if anyone is enjoying himself and then trying to stop it'.

How morals seem: