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PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS

MERE CHRISTIANITY
Book Four
Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: Good Infection

Before starting, number your paragraphs 1-10

Introduction

One of the major problems Christianity had to face was the Jewish claim of monotheism. Christianity claimed that the Judaism of the OT was true, including its monotheistic claim. The Christian claim that Jesus was God the Son seemed to undermine monotheism because it almost appeared that it presented 2 Gods instead of just one. Lewis here is showing the early Christian rationale of how there can be only one God and yet exist as three persons.

Paragraph 1:
Lewis gives us the example of 2 books, book B lying on top of book A. "The position of book A" is causing what?

In his illustration of the 2 books, how long have the 2 books been in this position?

Paragraph 2:
Earlier in the chapter on Begetting and Making Lewis said that the Father God begat God the Son. The result is that God the Son is as much God as God the Father is. All this talk of God begetting Jesus though can lead to a misunderstanding. What is that misunderstanding according to Lewis?

Because God has always existed as the Father, who also MUST have always existed?

Paragraph 3:
In order to illustrate how eternal begetting can happen, Lewis goes back again to the picture of the 2 books. "Quite obviously your act of imagination was the ___________ and the mental picture the __________________. But that does not mean that you __________ did the imagining and ____________ got the picture." When did the act of imagining happen and the picture of books appear?

How does this illustration relate to Jesus and the Father?

Paragraph 4:
The Son "streaming from the Father" is like what?

What is the problem of using these images to illustrate Jesus and the Father make it sound as if they were what instead of what?

At this point Lewis shows us the necessity of sticking with biblical language. We can use nonbiblical language to make a point; however, we then need to get right back to the biblical language to make sure we stay on the right track whenever we are talking about God.

Paragraph 5:
How does the statement "God is love" demonstrate that God has always existed at least as 2 persons?

How have many people misunderstood the Christian statement that God is love?

Paragraph 6:
According to Lewis God is not a static thing but rather more like pulsating activity, a dance. According to Lewis how does the Holy Spirit relate to the Father and the Son?

How do people use the word "spirit"?

What is the difference between God and people at this point?

Paragraph 7:
What is this third person called in technical language?

Why does the Holy Spirit come across as rather vague or shadowy?

Whereas the Father stands before you and the Son beside you, where does the Spirit stand?

How does Lewis use the idea of love to illustrate the Spirit's relationship between the Father and the Son?

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Why does all this talk about the dance matter?

Is there any other way for us to achieve happiness?

How do we catch things, good or bad?

If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, what must you do?

God doesn't just hand these things out to us. Rather if God is like a fountain, how do we get these things?

"Once a man is united to God, how could he not _____________ ____________________? Once a man is separated from God, what can he do but ___________________ and ____________________?" All this makes sense if life is found only in God, the Source and Giver of Life.

Paragraph 10:
Lewis now asks us how we are to be taken up into this life of God. If we let God have His way, what will we share in?