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C s lewis short essays christianity
Essay paper on mere christianity c.s. lewis
C s lewis short essays christianity
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Grace was a concept that came up during Lewis’ conversion to Christianity. Some may say that because of this great discovery of grace that had such a great impact on Lewis’ life he intentionally placed the idea with in his famous books The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as well as some of his other works (162). It looks as though the book was written in a way to provide an explanation for such love he discovered a few years before.
In order to thoroughly get his point of forgiveness across he felt he needed to develop a plot in which there was some elements of atonement within it. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis has the character Edmund sin and in order to be freed from that sin Aslan (the Christ figure) comes to pay for that sin, by sacrificing himself for the boy. However, in his book called Mere Christianity it describes how Lewis didn’t fully grasp the idea of atonement, even though he would write about it. Lewis couldn’t understand the concept of substitution through atonement. He knew that that the death of Christ redeems us from our sins as humans, but he just couldn’t grasp how (162).
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In the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Aslan’s actions towards Edmund are clear, they are actions of forgiveness. However, through this forgiveness the lion Aslan suffers, while the boy does not. The presence of justice is also within these concepts of grace and forgiveness. In the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe justice is definitely an issue for Aslan, even though for everyone else, including Edmund divine justice is a mystery (163). Nonetheless in this particular book the idea of how substitution can bring forth redemption is not explained (163). After the book we are left wondering how could an innocent victim take the punishment of one who is a sinner. Not only that but has the sinner walks out free of charge justice is being achieved
Grace is freely given favor or pardon, unmerited, unconditional god-like love. This grace has been shown in the many instances of unmerited love and forgiveness freely given in the book, The Grace That Keeps This World. In the beginning of the story, Kevin and his Dad, Gary Hazen, were at odds with one another. After the tragic accident where Gary Hazen accidentally shot his son, and Officer Roy’s fiancé, Gary David, Kevin, and his father, Gary Hazen, and Officer Roy, all extended grace toward one another. Then Gary extended grace toward himself. This grace helped to emotionally and physically sustain them, hence the title The Grace That Keeps This World.
The evidence I have upon this is that he freed the spells he had conjured upon his brothers, the slave, and the drunken fools . He forgives them all as they were apologetic. All of these evidences from different stories further prove that vengeance can transition toward forgiveness in the
“There is a moment in every great story in which the presence of grace can be felt as it waits to be accepted or rejected” (“Mystery and Manners”). This is a truly intense quote made by Flannery O’Connor; she is basically stating that no matter the circumstances, grace can always be found; however, it is a matter of finding it and furthermore, accepting it as grace or rejecting it. Dictionary.com defines the term ‘grace’ as “mercy; clemency; pardon.” I feel that this can be applied to O’Connor’s stories because whether it be Asbury, Mrs. Turpin, or each of the three major characters in “The Lame Shall Enter First” (Sheppard, Rufus, and Norton), the characters have some sort of internal debate about grace and its existence and presence in whatever may be going on in their lives.
Forgiveness and justice are very similar than we believe them to be. We believe that justice is
The most popular understanding of the atonement today is the theory of “penal substitution.” The concept and idea of a wrathful God who can only have his anger at wicked sinners only appeased through bringing about the violent death of his Son on the cross – forms the basis of much Evangelical thinking, although it was not a view held by the early church. Penal substitution first emerged with Anselm in the 11th century. It was substantially shaped by John Calvin in the Reformation Era but was ultimately finalized by Charles Hodge who lived in the 19th century in the United States; he taught at Princeton Seminary for fifty years. Charles Hodge explains to us how penal substitution provides deliverance from the power of sin and Satan, something more directly associated with Christus Victor model of atonement. (p. 144). Jesus took the punishment because the law was broken and somebody has the pay the crime. Historically the word “satisfaction” does not mean grafication as in common usage, but rather “to make restitution”: mending what has been broken, paying back what was taken and can be connected with the legal concept of balancing out an injustice according to Anselm. From the legal aspect the purpose of satisfaction is not heal us or restore us inwardly, but is rather to satisfy society.
Lewis is now talking about forgiveness. Forgiveness sounds easy until you find yourself having to forgive someone who has done you wrong. When forgiving someone you don’t have to like them or agree with what they have done, but you do have tell yourself to stop holding a grudge when you think about what that other person has done. But when forgiving someone you have said that you no longer hold that against them. Also God says that we should forgive others like he forgave us and we have done more wrong to him that the other way around.
Grace is arguably the most important idea in the Bible, Christianity, and the universe. Grace is “the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God,” (Holcomb). It’s the idea that humans are granted salvation by God, and that He has the ability
There was a man by the name of Thomas of Elderfield who had a life full of ups and downs, but who never lost his faith in Christianity. He came from a poor family and worked his way up the social ladder to a successful business man. This climb up the social ladder was beneficial to him, but soon led to trouble as he attracted a suitor. After several years of infidelity with the suitor, Thomas’s conscious got to him and he discontinued seeing the married woman. His faith in God kept him from returning to her despite her repeated attempts at pulling him into sin. Thomas could not live with the weight of the sin on his shoulders so he went to a priest to confess what was causing him anguish and repent for his sins. “Eventually God's grace intervened and remorse stung him; so he presented himself to a priest and took his healthy advice to do proper penance for his offence,” (Malmesbury, par. 2). The woman remarried a man named George years after her first husband had passed away. In time George found out about his new wife’s previous infidelity...
Ian McEwan illustrates a profound theme that builds details throughout the novel Atonement, the use of guilt and the quest for atonement are used with in the novel to convey the central dynamic aspect in the novel. McEwan constructs the emotion of guilt that is explored through the main character, Briony Tallis. The transition of child and entering the adult world, focus on the behavior and motivation of the young narrator Briony. Briony writes passages that entail her attempt to wash away her guilt as well find forgiveness for her sins. In which Briony ruined the lives and the happiness of her sister, Cecilia, and her lover Robbie. The reality of the events, attempts to achieve forgiveness for her actions. She is unable to understand the consequences of the actions as a child but grows to develop the understanding of the consequence with age. McEwan exemplifies an emotional novel that alters reality as he amplifies the creative acts of literature. In this essay I will be arguing that, the power of guilt prevents people from moving on from obstacles that hold them in the past.
The Dictionary of the Accademia della Crusca, dating from 16th century Italy, defines grace as "belleza... che rapisce altrui ad amore." Grace is beauty which seduces one unto love. Grace is the prayer before nourishment, it is the passing of power through blood, it is a classical muse, it is a verb, it is liberation, it is a head-ransom, it is a gazelle, it is simplicity, it is complexity, it is sanctifying, it is controversial, it is desired, it is metrical, it is ubiquitous, it is rare, it is actual. "Grace is in all, yet beyond all," quotes a medieval anchoress. According to Castiglione, grace springs from "that virtue opposite to affectation," as an unconscious extension of a certain je ne sais quoi within the soul. Grace is the nature of language, of number, of beat, of silence. Grace is pervasively elusive.
The Chronicles of Narnia are veritably the most popular writings of C.S. Lewis. They are known as children’s fantasy literature, and have found favor in older students and adults alike, even many Christian theologians enjoy these stories from Lewis; for there are many spiritual truths that one can gleam from them, if familiar with the Bible. However, having said this, it is noteworthy to say that Lewis did not scribe these Chronicles for allegorical didactics of the Christian faith, but wrote them in such a well-knit fashion that young readers might understand Christian doctrine through captivating fantasy and thus gain an appreciation for it. With this in mind, and in the interest of this assignment, the purpose of this paper is an attempt to analyze one of the many doctrines of the Christian faith from The Lion, The Witch, And, The Wardrobe (LWW), namely, temptation and how Lewis illustrates it through an individual character, Edmund.
When compared to each-other, each of the religion’s approach to justice and forgiveness is remarkably similar. Although the customs and standards may vary widely, and in fact vary even within different sects of each religion, justice and forgiveness operate on largely the same principle: man’s nature is to act against God’s justice, but man is capable of repairing his relationship with God through the process of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is of great significance to the plot and thematic context of The Tempest. The primary significance of the theme of forgiveness in the tempest is it's unprecedented importance to the characters meeting their ends. Antonio's remorseless and unforgiving nature upon the arrival of the harpy in Act 3 Scene 3 is ultimately what results in despair. Had Antonio merely admitted he was wrong, he would have reaped a significantly better ending to his tale from the merciful Prospero.
The idea that to be human is to be guilty arises from both Christian and existential ideology. The Christian concept stems from a Biblical interpretation that essentially states: When Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge and fell from innocence, his sin was subsequently inherited by all of mankind from the moment they were born. This is called Original Sin, and the Christian belief is that the only way humans are redeemed from this sin and avoid Hell is, firstly, through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice of Himself and, secondly, through the adoption of Christ’s teachings. The Original Sin doctrine is important in The Trial because the story takes place in an increasingly Christian nationalist Germany, in which the prevalent Christian ideology permeated, at least on a subconscious level, nearly every aspect of everyday life and society. The idea that every human was born with Original Sin would have undoubtedly influenced K.’s and the Law’s perception of guilt in relation to his trial.
Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement depicts a story told from the perspectives of three of the main characters: Briony Tallis, Robbie Turner, and Cecelia Tallis. Briony is the ultimate focus of the novel because her mission is atonement. She almost single handedly convicted Robbie for the rape of her cousin, Lola Quincey. She is seeking atonement for this horrible crime she committed against Robbie. However, Briony is never able to achieve atonement. Regardless of the efforts Briony makes, she cannot truly achieve atonement. Through Briony’s inability to achieve atonement, McEwan illustrates that atonement can only be sought after, never achieved.