C.S. Lewis and Religion

Step Four – Historical event (Jesus)

Remember, each step thus far is a characteristic of every major religion; not so with step four.

Only Christianity possesses step four. Visions, dreams, revelation, etc are found in religions such as Islam, Mormons, Hinduism, etc., but only Christianity rests on the reliability of an historical person. Step three connected the dreadful awe of a numinous presence to the morality with which man abides. Jesus connected them too… but in a slightly different way.

Jesus was audacious with his claims. He said that he was the numinous presence we have been describing and feeling and that he was Lord over the moral system man is held accountable to. He said he was God, at the beginning of creation, God made flesh. There is this ever increasing notion that people want to respect or tolerate the historical Jesus that serves as example while politely denying the religious Jesus. IT’S NOT POSSIBLE! C.S. Lewis rightly observes that the historical Jesus can only be looked upon in two ways: 1) He was telling the truth or 2) He was a raving lunatic.

Let’s look again at what Jesus claims. He claims that he is God (cf. direct quotes of Jesus in John 17:5, 21 and an editorial comment in 5:18 concerning his pre-existence before creation and equality with God). And he claimed to be Lord over the Law (cf. Luke 6:1-11). If these assertions are false, Jesus is not respectable but a liar or mentally insane for believing them; definitely not respectable. The only other option is that they are true.

What have you to say then? Do you consider Jesus to be a lunatic or God; Christianity to be laughable or real; salvation and judgment to be imminent or imaginary? There is no middle ground.

“The Christian faith has the master touch – the rough, male taste of reality, not made by us, or indeed for us, but hitting us in the face.” – C.S. Lewis