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Nice People or New Men | C. S. Lewis
Deep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - Nice People or New Men
C. S. Lewis addresses the common objection that if Christianity is true, all Christians should be noticeably nicer than all non-Christians. While it is reasonable to expect genuine conversion to improve a person's outward behavior, it is illogical to demand the world be neatly divided into perfectly nice Christians and flawed non-Christians. The reality is complex, as people are constantly in transition, with some falling away from the faith and others unknowingly being drawn toward Christ. The true test of Christianity is not whether a Christian is nicer than a naturally agreeable non-Christian, but whether that individual is better than they would have been without their faith.
Lewis explains that natural niceness is merely a temporary gift from God, often resulting from good health, favorable temperament, and proper upbringing. Because nice people can easily rely on these natural advantages, they may feel self-sufficient and fail to recognize their need for God. In contrast, people burdened with difficult temperaments or traumatic pasts often realize their desperate need for divine help much faster. This explains why Christ notoriously attracted broken people. God's ultimate goal is not simply to elevate nasty people to the level of naturally nice individuals. Instead of merely improving humanity, God intends to fundamentally transform humans into entirely new creatures, akin to turning a normal horse into a winged creature.
During this transformative process, a person might still struggle with their inherent flaws. Using the visible shortcomings of a specific Christian as an excuse to reject the faith is merely an evasion of the real issue. Ultimately, every individual must face God alone, making all speculations about the flaws of others entirely irrelevant.
Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainer
Spotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdw
https://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730
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By Edison WuDeep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - Nice People or New Men
C. S. Lewis addresses the common objection that if Christianity is true, all Christians should be noticeably nicer than all non-Christians. While it is reasonable to expect genuine conversion to improve a person's outward behavior, it is illogical to demand the world be neatly divided into perfectly nice Christians and flawed non-Christians. The reality is complex, as people are constantly in transition, with some falling away from the faith and others unknowingly being drawn toward Christ. The true test of Christianity is not whether a Christian is nicer than a naturally agreeable non-Christian, but whether that individual is better than they would have been without their faith.
Lewis explains that natural niceness is merely a temporary gift from God, often resulting from good health, favorable temperament, and proper upbringing. Because nice people can easily rely on these natural advantages, they may feel self-sufficient and fail to recognize their need for God. In contrast, people burdened with difficult temperaments or traumatic pasts often realize their desperate need for divine help much faster. This explains why Christ notoriously attracted broken people. God's ultimate goal is not simply to elevate nasty people to the level of naturally nice individuals. Instead of merely improving humanity, God intends to fundamentally transform humans into entirely new creatures, akin to turning a normal horse into a winged creature.
During this transformative process, a person might still struggle with their inherent flaws. Using the visible shortcomings of a specific Christian as an excuse to reject the faith is merely an evasion of the real issue. Ultimately, every individual must face God alone, making all speculations about the flaws of others entirely irrelevant.
Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainer
Spotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdw
https://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730