The Influence of a Christian Community

The Screwtape Letters follows the life of an unnamed man who is being tempted by Wormwood, a demon assigned to this job. (In the book, each person has a demon assigned to tempt them. This is an element of fiction in the story and there is no Biblical proof that such a one-to-one “relationship” exists; Lewis uses this idea to bring the story to life and to make it effective satire.) Although his initial salvation was key, a second turning point in this man’s life and spiritual struggles appears to be falling in love with a strong Christian girl with a strong Christian family. Although having a romantic relationship intertwined with his spiritual life left the man open to several types of temptation, it eventually helped him escape from temptation, and when he died in the Bombing of London, he was free from his temptation forever, in part because of the influence of his girlfriend’s family. 

Lewis writes this section of the book in part to argue for the importance of deep Christian community. Through the influence of his Christian friends, the protagonist is able to throw off more and more of the temptation he faces each day, although he is not fully removed from it until death. Lewis shows that Christians struggle more on their own than in a community, and that spending time and sharing experiences with other believers can seriously alleviate the pressures of temptation.

I have personally felt the necessity for a Christian community in many ways. I have felt the struggle of switching churches after going to one for most of my life. I had grown up in that particular community of believers, and having to switch was a hard move for me. On the other hand, I have also felt the incredible community that comes from going on a missions trip. On my most recent trip to Costa Rica, the team members grew very close to one another, and we are still keeping up intentional conversations with each other, challenging and encouraging each other to grow closer to Christ. This is the strongest Christian community I have ever felt.

Being in a community of strong Christians is vital because of Jesus’s commands to us: “Love God and love others.” We are called to love all our neighbors, and we are called to have a particular love for fellow Christians. God has given us spiritual gifts, and many of those involve us relating to other Christians. So we can best utilize the gifts God has given us by being in community with other Christians, where we can mutually benefit each other with our particular gifts.

In my own life, I have experienced sharing spiritual gifts with other Christians and benefitting from their gifts. I have been given the gift of encouragement, and I enjoy using that gift to help others. There have been times where I have been able to help people who are hurting because of my gift of encouragement, and this is when it is important for me to be involved in a strong Christian community. We each have our own experiences, and God has revealed different things to each of us. For example, my experiences with having doubts about my faith has enabled me to advise and encourage several people who are struggling with similar doubts.

On the other hand, there have been times where I have been the one in need of help, and it is here that I am equally in need of a strong Christian community. In the time when I struggled with doubts, what often helped me was the encouragement of my parents, friends, and pastor. If I had to go through these struggles all alone, it would have been much more difficult to endure. As C.S. Lewis shows, Christian community, though not vital to salvation, is very helpful in maintaining a strong Christian faith.

Living in the Present

"The humans live in time, but our Enemy destines them to eternity." So says the elder demon Screwtape to his nephew and apprentice Wormwood in a letter about the past, the present, the future, and the relation of human time to God's eternal view. C.S. Lewis uses Screwtape's clever and wicked advice to share deep theological views on time with his readers.

First, Lewis points out the relation of the Present to eternity. The Present, he argues, most closely resembles eternity because, "Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which [God] has of reality as a whole, in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them." Lewis claims that God desires us to focus on the present more than the past or the future, because in the present we can receive grace, understand the cross, and obey the Holy Spirit instead of giving into temptation. In Lamentations, Jeremiah writes that "[God's] mercies are new every morning." Charles Spurgeon, a famous 19th century preacher, wrote that "Past experiences are doubtful food for Christians; a present coming to Christ alone can give us joy and comfort." C.S. Lewis himself once quoted: "Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.”

It is clear from the Bible and from Christian philosophy that God desires us to “live in the Present” in order that we can live in closer relationship with Him. This is what Lewis is aiming for in his character Screwtape’s devilish advice. In the rest of the chapter, Screwtape focuses mainly on not the past, but the future, as the main route to tempt humans away from the Present.

Thinking about the future seems harmless. We look forward in life to many things; this does not seem dangerous. Currently, I am looking forward to graduation. The excitement for things to come does not seem bad. And it isn’t. However, focus on the future in excess leads to many kinds of sins. Lewis names “fear, avarice, lust, and ambition” as future-focused sins. It is not good to look on the future with despair; neither is it good to look on it with unrooted hope. In either case, it distracts us from the present: who God is, who we are, and what actions we are taking. Lewis also makes sure to mention that God wants to think of the future in the regard that it affects our Christian duties to love and serve. God does not want us to live without thinking at all, but he does not want the future to become an idol for us.

I particularly feel the negative impact of focusing on the future in my life in the form of distraction. Often, I ignore present opportunities I have to love and serve God, saying, “Oh, I’ll do that when I’m older. It will come naturally then.” I also admit that I am afraid – afraid of never doing anything with my life, living in apathy and wasting away without purpose. Neither of these thoughts are beneficial, and they distract me from what I could be doing in the present. 

Screwtape advises the “ideal” situation as a place where the man is so focused on future happiness and future virtue that he continually sacrifices present happiness and present virtue in futile attempts to reach the future. Is it possible that in our future-focused society, we are missing out on what God has for us now? I want to live my life in a way that focuses on eternity and on the present, not worrying about tomorrow, because I am only given today. God will take care of the rest.