Screwtape Letter #2. Discussion Guide. “Your patient has become a Christian”

First – a word about mistakes, from Charles Stanley’s Walking wisely: Real guidance for life’s journey.

Most of us make mistakes because we do not know the right choice or decision to make. We do not consciously say, “I am now going to make a mistake.” Rather, we tend to make mistakes by being careless regarding the needs or desires of others, by not asking the right questions, or by not taking into consideration all the factors that are important to consider.

Most of the time our mistakes do not affect us alone. Others are nearly always involved. In fact, we tend to know we have made a mistake because somebody else tells us so! When we seek God’s wisdom, He leads us to decisions that are right, just, equitable, and good not only for us personally, but for everybody involved. God’s Word says,

He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path. (Prov. 2:8–9)

So we see one thing right off – Wormwood’s mistake may very well have been related to following the advice of his mentor – Screwtape.

Whereas – with us – if we follow the path that God has set for us – the mistake won’t be there. He won’t lead us to someplace we shouldn’t be – or into results that should not have happened.

But when we don’t follow Him – when we make the mistake of not listening to Him – or hearing but ignoring – then what?

There are so many examples of forgiveness in the Bible – I could put a bunch of them here – but I leave it for you to do that – I am only going to choose one. It’s from Luke 23:34. The scene is Jesus hanging on the cross – waiting to die – with those responsible for His death gathered around watching. And Jesus says –

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

A little later – still on the cross – between two criminals – one of them insulted Jesus while the other asks Jesus to remember him when He goes to His kingdom. And Jesus says –

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Even when we mess up – don’t follow the way God sets for us – we still have that path back. God isn’t asking us to pay the price – He’s already done that for us through Jesus.All we have to do is ask.

Screwtape – he’s expecting that his own nephew will want to be punished – even though it’s quite possible the only thing Wormwood did was listen to his uncle Screwtape.

If you’d like to read more about Jesus and the other two men on the crosses with him, please check out Who were the other two men on the crosses?.

To see some of the kinds of things that we, people, have trouble with, check out A look at ourselves.

A big part of the issue here is Screwtape’s feelings about those people in the pews. BTW – if it hasn’t quite hit you yet – that’s us – you and me – sitting in those pews around some little devil’s patient. And – also remember – we are also some little devil’s patient too!

Anyway – look at the descriptions here – it’s pretty bad – trying to get the patient to focus on the worst possible things about the building – the people – even the books. But it’s the people that are key – because we see these people – we interact with them – and tend to compare ourselves to them. And from someone’s point of view – we are them.

Contrast that with what Paul says in the “Love” section of Romans 12:9-21 –

Love – Romans

Ro 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Ro 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Ro 12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

Ro 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

No question – these two are night and day different. (Pun intended here – night and day – dark and light – Satan and God – absence of love and pure Love).

If we are to take Screwtape’s view of people – it’s not hard to see the problem – the distractions – and the path away from God.

If we take Paul’s view – the things that Screwtape points out really don’t matter:

Honor one another above yourselves.

The first sentence in this section sums up Screwtape’s attitude about us –

Your patient, thanks to Our Father Below, is a fool.

On the other hand – Jesus has this to say about us, in the Parable of the Lost Sheep from Luke 15:1-7 –

The Parable of the Lost Sheep – Luke

15:4-7 pp — Mt 18:12-14

Lk 15:1 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Lk 15:3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and 6 goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

To God – we are someone worth looking for – rescuing – bringing us back – and rejoicing over us. Not something to be if He thinks we are fools.

In Genesis – we see another instance of how God felt when He created us –

At the end of the first day of creation – there is no “editorial comment” from God after starting things off with light and dark.

At the end of the second day – still no comment after separating the sky and the water.

At the end of the third day – which saw the formation of land and vegetation growing on that land – God saw that it was good.

At the end of the fourth day – we see the stars and the moon and day and night – and God saw that it was good.

At the end of the fifth day – where we see fish and birds – God saw that it was good.

On the sixth day – we see land animals – and God saw that it was good. Also on the sixth day – after seeing that things were good up to that point – God creates man and sets him up as ruler over all the fish and birds and animals and plants.

Up to this point – things were good.

After man comes in – things were very good.
Don’t remember this exactly – check it out in Genesis 1:1-31

What Screwtape wants is for us to not really know anything – then we’ll be toys for him after we die – and then, when it’s too late – we find out the truth.

Keep everything hazy in his mind now, and you will have all eternity wherein to amuse yourself by producing in him the peculiar kind of clarity which Hell affords.

As for God – did you know, in the NIV, Jesus says “I tell you the truth” 78 times in the Gospels. Seventy eight times! He didn’t wait for us to find out the truth after we died. He’s trying to tell us before we die. Then – if we get it – we can be like the man on the cross who knew Jesus was God – and we can be in paradise with Jesus too. Not as a toy to amuse Him – but as someone He cares about – cared enough to die for.

Here’s an example of getting started on learning about Jesus.  Check out the passage below, when Jesus called Matthew to be one of His 12 disciples.

The Calling of Matthew – Matthew

9:9-13 pp — Mk 2:14-17; Lk 5:27-32

Mt 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

Mt 9:10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

Mt 9:12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Notice especially when Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

That’s a message that might sound odd to us.  But Matthew, who was Jewish, knew exactly what Jesus meant.

The part about ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ is a direct quote from the Old Testament.  From Hosea.  To give you an idea of what the quote meant to Matthew, it’s from a section in Hosea that NIV titles Israel Unrepentant.  Here’s the first portion of it:

Israel Unrepentant

Hos 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD.
He has torn us to pieces
but he will heal us;
he has injured us
but he will bind up our wounds.

Hos 6:2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence.

Hos 6:3 Let us acknowledge the LORD;
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hos 6:4 “What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears.

Hos 6:5 Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets,
I killed you with the words of my mouth;
my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.

Hos 6:6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew would have known that.  Maybe not us, but Matthew did.

So, here’s the thing about it.  God knows us better than we know ourselves.  If/when we reach out to Him, want to learn about Him, God will respond.  Not only that, but it will be in a way that we recognize.  But, we have to listen for Him.

Oh yeah – after that, like Matthew, we have to do something with what God tells us.  If you want to check out more on that, I invite you to check out Don’t just listen. Do.

We just looked at when Jesus called Matthew.  And Matthew went with Jesus.  Among other things, he also wrote one of the Gospels.  

Now, think about John 3:16.  “Whoever believes”, we read in our English translations of the Bible.  But, “believe” meant a whole lot more back then than it does now.  “Believe”, with the word Jesus used, and as it’s described throughout the Bible, means we believe something so strongly that it will change our lives.

Here are just two readings for a further look at what that should mean to us as Christians.

Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God?

What happened to Christian transformation – becoming more Christ-like?

This is impossible to do without God’s strength and power.  It’s also impossible if all we do is focus on the kinds of things Screwtape wrote about.  It’s important to be part of a church community that has the desire to follow God and to be transformed in Jesus’ likeness as a part of their goals.

In spite of what Jesus tried to tell His disciples about His coming death – they didn’t believe – didn’t accept what he was saying –

Jesus Predicts His Death

16:21-28 pp — Mk 8:31—9:1; Lk 9:22-27

Mt 16:21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Mt 16:22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

Mt 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Mt 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

– and were devastated when it happened. That was certainly an anticlimax. They were expecting great things –
and their Leader died.

In a similar way – we often expect at the beginning – that becoming a Christian will mean that God will watch out for us – and everything will be great. But – just like the disciples didn’t get the point of Jesus dying being a good thing (otherwise – there’s no resurrection and therefore no conquering death) – we don’t really get that this life may not be so great – but the next one will be.

We also have to realize that, unlike the Old Testament, and unlike what most people desire, Jesus’ promises aren’t for rewards in this life.  Yes, there will be the beginnings of rewards.  But Jesus never promised us a great life here with lots of money, great jobs, nice houses, etc.

Below is a passage where the disciples are confused and worried because Jesus kept saying He was leaving.  (Going to die.). But Jesus explained something to them about why that was good.

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

Jn 16:17 Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

Jn 16:19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24 Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

Jn 16:25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Jn 16:29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

Jn 16:31 “You believe at last!”Jesus answered. 32 “But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

Jn 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Yes, we will have trouble.  Plenty of trouble.  But in those troubles, we can, if we take the time, feel the presence of God in ways that often don’t seem possible without those troubles.  Things like that are the beginnings of the rewards in this life.  And they’re a pale shadow of what comes in the next life.

(to be continued in the next question)

Screwtape kind of gets this one right – God does have a reason for this.

Peter – who was the one above who didn’t get it – spells this out pretty plainly for us in 1 Peter 1:3-12 –

Praise to God for a Living Hope

1Pe 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
…

Continuing from the previous question, here’a my experience with needing difficult experiences.

The very first time I knew, without a doubt, that I felt the peace from God that’s beyond understanding was when I was in the hospital for a week, and didn’t know if I was going to leave alive. God – is it time for me to go home?

Feeling that is far better than anything we could ever wish for.  And there’s no anticlimax with it.

Sorry – these are your experiences.  Can’t help you with this.

The Flood

Ge 6:1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

Ge 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

Ge 6:5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

…

Ps 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

…

Ps 19:12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

Ps 19:13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

Jer 9:23 This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,

Jer 9:24 but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Lk 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

Lk 18:13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

Lk 18:14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

No One Is Righteous

Ro 3:9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better ? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;

Ro 3:11 there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.

Ro 3:12 All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”

Ro 3:13 “Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”

Ro 3:14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

Ro 3:15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Ro 3:16 ruin and misery mark their ways,

Ro 3:17 and the way of peace they do not know.”

Ro 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Ro 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Clearly, these passages talk about sin. So – OK – so maybe we’re thinking – I haven’t murdered anyone – I’m not that bad – I haven’t sinned that much. The problem is – in Matthew 5:21-26 – Jesus tells us this about murder –

Murder

5:25, 26 pp — Lk 12:58, 59

Mt 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Mt 5:23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Mt 5:25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

Oops.

But, before we panic over this, God won’t just do a “sin dump” on us.  As we grown in our faith, the Holy Spirit will reveal more to us.  It might sound like a never ending process of learning more and more about how much we sin.  And in a sense, maybe it. is. However, there’a another, better, way to look at it.  It’s a process that continually transforms us, becoming more Christ-like, preparing us for our eternal home with Jesus.

Humility is another one of those words that we may think we know the meaning of – but then again, maybe not. After reading the passages – and thinking about what we maybe thought the word meant – how does that compare with what John MacArthur Jr. says in About the Body Dynamic –

Humility is genuine submissiveness that comes from an association with Jesus Christ. A Christian can know a lot of doctrine, memorize Bible verses, be faithful to the church, and be involved in many Christian activities, but not be walking in humility.

Christians introduced the concept of humility to the first–century Greek world. Prior to that time, humility was not considered a virtue. In fact, the early Christians had to coin the word tapeinophrosune, translated “humility,” because it did not appear in classical Greek.

…

Humility is hard to come by because it begins only when we honestly face ourselves. Bernard said, “Humility is the virtue by which a man becomes conscious of his own unworthiness.” However, many people stroll through life behind a facade of pride because they don’t have the courage to look at themselves and see who they really are—sinners who need Jesus Christ.

If we realize our need for Christ, it will help us live by the divine standard. People may think they rate high, but that’s often when they measure themselves against mediocre standards. For example, when I was in high school football, I received a gold trophy as “player of the year.” But when I got to college, I found there were a lot of other top players. When I went to a pro football training camp, I saw that I was really nothing special by professional standards. In track I was good enough to win ribbons at my school, but when I got into the finals of the county invitational meet, I didn’t win one medal. At that level of competition, the standards were much higher.

A Christian may look outstanding compared to the alcoholic who lives down the street. But godless neighbors are not the believer’s standard; our standard is Jesus Christ. No matter how good we think we are, we fall far short of Jesus’ perfect standard. Such realization moves us toward humility.

God–awareness is another factor in humility. It is vital to realize that if it weren’t for God, we wouldn’t exist. Humility is acknowledging that God controls everything. When a person becomes too proud, God often reaffirms His sovereign control in that life and humbles the person.

Got humility?

No matter how good we think we are, we fall far short of Jesus’ perfect standard. Such realization moves us toward humility.

No – but hopefully moving towards it.

John 3:16

Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Need I say more?

Add this to everything else above on this question – and one has to ask – “How can I even begin to think I can have a credit balance?”

What can we ever do that’s any greater than Jesus dying on the cross?  What can we possibly add to God sending His son to die like that.  

Nothing.