Screwtape Letter #7 – Discussion Guide

This was a tough one to come up with who said it first – so I’m not going to even say anything about that.
However – in the course of that research, I did find a page that had various translations / usages of the saying at Omniglot. Of particular interest was one labeled as being Irish (Gaelic) –

An rud ná cloieseann an chluas ní chuireann sé buairt ar an gcroí.

Which apparently translates to –

What the ear does not hear does not worry the heart

I think that really gets to the point here – what tends to happen when we can’t see the devil.
Out of sight – invisible = out of mind – out of our hearts.

Interestingly enough – the same holds true for God.

What also gets interesting is that although we see neither in the physical sense –
we do see the results of both.

But – when good things happen – we thank God (at least Christians do – others have different responses)

On the flip side – when bad things happen – there seems to be more of a tendency to blame God – rather than to blame Satan.

Does that mean Satan – in a way – is “more” invisible than God –
less in our thoughts?

If it does – I submit that it means Satan can also get into our hearts more easily – because we don’t think about him – and don’t even realize what’s happening.

As far as what if Satan was visible – it’s all speculation.

Were we able to see the “real” Satan – the perversion of creation that he’s responsible for – I dare say there’s be few people willing to follow him.

Were we able to see him as the former worship leader in Heaven and as angel who was apparently very high up (no pun intended) – we may look as attractive as the lies he tells us.

Problem is – when we do get to see the real thing – the lies are exposed and the followers will leave.

This is like a special case of the previous question. It’s a “visible” Satan – but not a real one.

He is presented as neither the (former) worship leading angel nor the evil liar who destroys every good thing in God’s creation that he can.
Rather – he’s presented as a funny guy – someone to be laughed at – or maybe even to laugh with.
He’s presented as someone who it’s perfectly OK to have in our minds – but certainly not someone who’s going to corrupt out hearts – at least not in any way that appears to make us bad people. It’s like those commercials where the guy is trying to figure out what to eat – the healthy option – or the really great tasting option that’s loaded with calories. Certainly that’s not going to send anyone to Hell – is it? (Depends – to an extreme, it actually could – but this is a funny thing, so it’s not even considered).

By the same token – presenting God as a funny character can lead to the same end – not taking Him seriously.

Both scenarios appear then, to be “winners” for Satan.

Consider the verses below – from Luke 12:35-40 –

Watchfulness

Lk 12:35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Jesus is telling us to watch – to be on guard – because someone we can’t see (now) is coming.
Obviously – He’s telling us to be watching for Him – because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

But – also pay attention to verse 39 – But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.

That would be about Satan – that we need to watch out for him as well.

Of course – there’s another side to all of this.

We need balance – to be so focused on watching and not doing anything else – whether it be watching for God or Satan – isn’t a good thing either.

Watching for Satan all the time would be to essentially dedicate our lives to him – because we’d never experience anything of God in a life that was dedicated to searching for evil and doing nothing else other than looking for it.

Watching for God all the time – maybe that sounds good – but consider the example of watching for Satan. If all we do is watch for God – are we not ignoring everything else that He put on this earth for it – are we not missing the opportunities to do the things for Him that He put on on this earth to do – how can we be a light to others when we don’t actually do anything other than watch?

The first instance is in 1 Co 1:10-17 –

Divisions in the Church

1Co 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas’”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

1Co 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

The second instance is 1 Co 3:1-23 –

On Divisions in the Church

1Co 3:1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men?

1Co 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1Co 3:10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1Co 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

1Co 3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”; 20 and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” 21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

As Screwtape correctly points out – even in the days of Paul – factions were an issue. The breakup of different denominations continues to this day. Even as recently as this past month, some southern U S churches broke away from their national church.

Another of my favorite books is “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis. In it, he gets the reader to think about what are the core beliefs that we all share in common as Christians. Our focus should be on those. Differences of opinion among people will occur. We say that God doesn’t change – and yet we will also argue that when it comes to popular culture issues – apparently some think He does. These kinds of things get us into the scenario that Screwtape desires – factions are created – self-righteousness enters the picture – and God’s real intentions get lost in what we want His intentions to be. Enter Satan.

We must remember what the Bible really says – and books like Mere Christianity are one good way to do that. Reading something like that – going back to the Bible – seeing what it really says as opposed to what we think it might say or want it to say – that’s where we need to be to keep Screwtape’s plan from working.

A quote from John MacArthur in his study of Galatians also makes the point quite nicely –

“The most destructive dangers to the church have never been atheism, pagan religions, or cults that openly deny Scripture, but rather supposedly Christian movements that accept so much biblical truth that their unscriptural doctrines seem relatively insignificant and harmless. But a single drop of poison in a large container can make all the water lethal. And a single false idea that in any way undercuts God’s grace poisons the whole system of belief.”—John MacArthur

Here’s are some excerpts from a book on New Testament History Harris Franklin Rall –

The materials for his teaching Jesus took from the life of the people to whom he spoke. He was popular in the best sense of the word. In pedagogical wisdom he was a teacher of the highest order. He spoke the language that people knew. He took their common world and made it teach his highest lessons. All the life of that day looks out upon us from his pages.—New Testament History

…

Such teaching was of the highest effectiveness. It comes to us, indeed, from another world and a long-past age, yet so simple is its form and so human the relations it uses that every age since then has heard it as its own.—New Testament History

…

We have already seen how much of Jesus’ teaching is figurative, and how he takes it from the life all about him. He took this common world which men knew and made them see the spiritual truths about which they were so blind. —New Testament History  ¹“New Testament History – A Study of the Beginnings of Christianity” by Harris Franklin Rall – from Chapter 9, titles “The Master Teacher”

There are many examples of Jesus’ teaching as described above. Here is but one –

The Rich Young Man

19:16-29 pp — Mk 10:17-30; Lk 18:18-30

Mt 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?”

Mt 19:17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

Mt 19:18 “Which ones?” the man inquired.
Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’”

Mt 19:20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Mt 19:21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Mt 19:22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

The young rich man asked a question –
he didn’t like the answer –
he chose not to do what Jesus said –
not because there were choices –
but because he didn’t want to do the one thing.

With Jesus –
it’s not a question of having to decide among options that He gave us (like Screwtape gave Wormwood) –
and hoping that we picked the right one (like Wormwood will) –
and then paying the price for picking the wrong alternative among many that we were given –

No – it’s a choice to follow – or not.

When it came to sending out His disciples to bring others to God –
all we read is the following short section in Mark –

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

Mk 6:6 … Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

Mk 6:8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”

Mk 6:12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

And that’s it!

They went with Him to see how He taught –
then they went out to do the same.
Should they fail to convert someone –
whatever the reason –
they were to just shake the dust off their feet and leave.

It wasn’t their fault –
they had no decisions to make –
failure wasn’t on them –
it was all from God and on God.

A general observation as to why these things are a problem for us can be found in this exchange between Jesus and a Pharisee in Matthew 22:34-40 –

The Greatest Commandment

Mt 22:34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Mt 22:37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

This doesn’t really leave any room for “the cause” to be important in any way other than because it’s a way of showing our love for / obedience to God.