Session 4. Free Will and the Shocking Alternative: Discussing Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Our study of this perennial classic is going splendidly. Many of us have read this book at some time in our journey and revisiting it for our parish has been a worthwhile endeavor. The insights offered by Metaxas and other speakers is illuminating.

We offer some some notes on the Freedom of Will in Scripture and quotes from the sermons and writings of the Early Church for you to contemplate during the week.

We hope you will join us for this splendid presentation.

Freedom of Will

 The ability to make decisions without being coerced by external forces. Scripture stresses that people are confronted with free choices between good and evil and commands them to choose good. However, it also notes that limitations are placed upon human actions through the enslaving power of sin.

Freedom of the will to choose between good and evil: Dt 11:26-28  “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, 28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.  See also Dt 30:15, 16-19; Jos 24:15; 1Ch 28:9; Jer 26:3; Eze 18:21-23

Freedom of the will to seek and find God Isa 55:6: Seek the LORD while he may be found; “call upon him while he is near;  

AUGUSTINE “How then am I to seek for you, Lord? When I seek for you, my God, my quest is for the happy life. I will seek you that “my soul may live,”for my body derives life from my soul, and my soul derives life from you. . . . Is not the happy life that which all desire, which indeed no one fails to desire? CONFESSIONS 10.20.  See also Am 5:4; Ac 2:21; Ro 10:11; Isa 28:16; Rev 22:17

The effect of sin upon freedom of the will

Sin prevents human beings from breaking free from its bondage Ro 7:14-20  For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: The will of the Spirit is one thing, that of the flesh is another. These two wills fight against each other and can never reach agreement. Man is carnal, but the law is spiritual. How then can the law ever become tolerable to those who struggle so hard against the sickness of sin? There is wisdom here, for if a man is carnal he is in some sense captive and reduced to the condition of slavery. EXPLANATION OF THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS.10  See also Ro 6:16-22; 7:25 Paul stresses that it is only through Jesus Christ that human beings can be freed from servitude to sin.

Sin hardens human hearts Heb 3:13 “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

CHRYSOSTOM: He said “today,” that they might never be without hope. “Exhort one another daily,” he says. That is, even if persons have sinned, as long as it is “today,” they have hope; let them not then despair so long as they live. Above all things indeed, he says, “Let there not be an evil, unbelieving heart.” But even if there should be, let no one despair, but let that one recover; for as long as we are in this world, the “today” is in season. ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 6.8.14    See also Da 5:20; Ro 1:21; Eph 4:17-19

God hardens human hearts Ex 9:12 But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses. See also Ex 4:21; 10:20; 14:4-8; Dt 2:30; Jos 11:19-20; Ro 1:22-24; 9:17-18

Human beings harden their own hearts 1Sa 6:6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? See also Ex 8:15-32; Ps 95:8; Pr 28:14; Heb 3:8-15; 4:7

More on Free Will from the Early Church:

Tertullian 160-225 AD

Some people act as though God were under an obligation to bestow even on the unworthy His intended gift. They turn His liberality into slavery…. For do not many afterwards fall out of grace? Is not this gift taken away from many? (Tertullian On Repentance chap. 6.)

The Apostle John  had a disciple named Polycarp, and Polycarp had a disciple named Irenaeus.

Irenaeus of Lyons 120-202 AD

”But although we shall be understood, from our argument, to be only so affirming man’s unshackled power over his will, that what happens to him should be laid to his own charge, and not to God’s, yet that you may not object, even now, that he ought not to have been so constituted, since his liberty and power of will might turn out to be injurious…Therefore it was proper that (he who is) the image and likeness of God should be formed with a free will and a mastery of him self;… At present, let God’s goodness alone occupy our attention, that which gave so large a gift to man, even the liberty of his will.” /Chapter 6

Ignatius 35-107 AD Bishop of Antioch in Syria.

Do not err, my brothers. Those that corrupt families shall not inherit the kingdom of God. If, then, those who do this in regard to the flesh have suffered death, how much more shall this be the case with anyone who corrupts the faith of God, for which Jesus Christ was crucified, by wicked doctrine? Such a person, becoming defiled, shall go away into everlasting fire and so shall everyone that listens to him. (Letter to the Ephesians 16)

Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens) 150–215 AD A theologian who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Among his pupils were Origen and Alexander of Jerusalem.

We…have believed and are saved by voluntary choice (c. 195, Vol. 2, p. 217)

To obey or not is in our own power, provided we do not have the excuse of ignorance (c. 195, Vol. 2, p. 353)

Each one of us who sins with his own free will, chooses punishment. So the blame lies with him who chooses. God is without blame. (c.195, Vol. 2, p. 226)

Neither promises nor apprehensions, rewards, no punishments are just if the soul has not the power of choosing and abstaining; if evil is involuntary. (c. 195, Vol. 2, p.319)

Clement, 80-140 AD The first Apostolic Father of the Church.  According to Tertullian, Clement was consecrated by Saint Peter

Thus although we are born neither good nor bad, we become on or the other and having formed habits, we are with difficulty drawn from them. Pg 273 vol.8

Justin Martyr 110-165 AD

For He fore-knows that some are to be saved by repentance, some even that are perhaps not yet born. In the beginning He made the human race with the power of thought and of choosing the truth and doing right, so that all men are without excuse before God; for they have been born rational and contemplative Chapter 28

Discussing Mere Christianity: Exploring the History, Meaning, & Relevance of Lewis' Greatest Book

Mere Christianity is one of the most read and beloved Christian books of all time. Taught by a variety of C.S. Lewis experts and advocates, this first of its kind video curriculum explores the meaning, history, and contemporary application of the book. The study guide is designed for use with the DVD. 8 sessions.

There are 8 video and discussion sessions and we hope you will join us at 9:30am each Sunday beginning September 13th ( we won't start without you if you are traveling over Memorial Day weekend!)

We invite you to join us for this study of one of the greatest Anglican minds of the last century. Cost is $9.00 for the workbook. Study notes provided free. You will need to provide a copy of "Mere Christianity". Lots of options locally as well as on line from $1.99.

Please call John Dixon at 804 513 3732 to RSVP. Looking forward to seeing you there.

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The Doctrine of Purgatory: The Anglican Position

The Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory has been troubling to many Christians for centuries. According to Jacques Le Goff, it was formulated between 1170 and 1200 (Jacques Le Goff, The Birth of Purgatory, University of Chicago Press, 1984). Peter the Lombard, after studying the works and teachings of St. Anselm, St. Augustine and Gregory the Great, had contributed significantly to its birth. The idea behind this doctrine is that there is a physical place (not a state) where the souls of those who died, without properly atoned for certain sins, will go to be purified first. This doctrine is covered in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in three paragraph on two pages (para. 1030-32; pp. 268-69).

Discussing this with a friend the other day I found that she believed that Anglicans accept the Roman doctrine of purgatory. I replied, "what makes you say that?" The answer was that "because you pray for the dead." It is true that we pray for the dead and the dead pray for us and with us. But that does not support the doctrine of purgatory!

The Anglican Tradition teaches that there is a state (not a place) in which the souls of all of the faithful departed exist before the Resurrection of the dead. This is called an Intermediate State (See Bishop N.T. Wright’s For All the Saints), which is also held by the Eastern Church.

The Roman doctrine of purgatory does not fit in the Anglican liturgy in which we proclaim, based on the scripture, that Christ is the "propitiation for our sin" (the comfortable words*). This view of purgation (satisfaction of pain is required) does not stand before the Anglican Eucharist’s canon that clearly states that Christ is the "full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world". In For All the Saint N.T Wright states:

"I cannot stress sufficiently that if we raise the question of punishment for sin, this is something that has already been dealt with on the cross of Jesus. Of course, there have been crude and unbiblical versions of the doctrine of atonement, and many have rightly reacted against the idea of a vengeful God determined to punish someone and being satisfied by taking it out on his own son. But do not mistake the caricature for the biblical doctrine. Paul says, in his most central and careful statement, not that God punished Jesus, but that God ‘condemned sin in the flesh’ of Jesus (Romans 8.3). Here the instincts of the Reformers, if not always their exact expressions, were spot on. The idea that Christians need to suffer punishment for their sins in a post-mortem purgatory, or anywhere else, reveals a straightforward failure to grasp the very heart of what was achieved on the cross."

(See http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Rethinking_Tradition.htm).

The doctrine of purgatory denies the cross of Jesus because it teaches that the sacrifice of Jesus is not enough, it’s not "full", it’s not "perfect", it’s not "sufficient". Believers, after death, must pay for their sins before getting to heaven. That’s what the Roman magisterium teaches. The 1549 English and 1928 American Prayer Books use the term growth to talk about the Intermediate State which is the a state of "continual growth" in God’s "love and service". During this period, the focus is not on penance, nor on pain, nor paying for sins (Christ did all that on the cross already). The main theme here is growth "in the knowledge and the love of God" of the faithful departed who "died in thy faith and fear". It has nothing to do with pain, penance, or satisfaction for sins.

As Christians, we pray for the faithful departed so that they may grow in the love and service of God and together with them, we pray in thanksgiving (in the Eucharist) for the mystery of the dead and resurrection of Jesus Christ in which we are all saved.

Peace and blessings!
Fr. Thierry

*Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all who truly turn to him.

COME unto me, all ye that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. St. Matt. xi. 28.

So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John iii. 16.

Hear also what Saint Paul saith.

This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15.

Hear also what Saint John saith.

If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the Propitiation for our sins. 1 St. John ii. 1, 2.

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Discerning Truth Without Personal Interpretation

We spoke to Randy Alcorn's novel ideas on interpretation and I promised a follow up on a better way to understand the Scriptures without being at odds with 2 Peter 1:20. Here is a brief outline.

Many find the rule of discernment written centuries ago by a monk named Vincent who lived on an island of Lerins off the coast of France the most cogent and rational way to guard against error. We think the rule is a sturdy ship in a sea of contradicting theologies among thousands of denominations and independent churches. Such scandalizes the atheist, agnostic and pagan as well as many Christians with competing doctrines that turn God's word into an exercise in subjectivetivity akin to arguments between wine tasting snobs on bouquet and overtones of leather and cherry, etc. We think there should be an objective standard for us all to work from and Vincent, in our view, supplies the most logical and practical method