Final Paper

The Source and Revelation of Morality:
A Conversation between Mr. C.S. Lewis, John Calvin, and St. Paul the Apostle
By Sarah DeGraff
IDIS 150 B
January 22, 2010

The following is a recording of a conversation held by Jack Lewis, John Calvin, and St. Paul in Eternity. The three are philosophizing over the topic of morality on Earth, a topic about which all three are quite passionate about while they were still living there. Their topics include the subjects of Reason, Total Depravity, and Love. The discussion begins with Lewis addressing the issue of the source of morality. Please note that some of Calvin’s ideas are represented through Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., and may not be the exact thoughts of Calvin himself.

Lewis: “…so of course gentlemen, the source of morality is outside and independent of humanity itself. We can see proof of this in that men all feel that they should act in a certain way, and yet fail to do so – showing that they know this Law, and yet break it, and not only that, but they cannot actually fulfill it. This Law is quite different from, say, gravity or inertia. In fact, it is not even observable, yet every man feels within his being the pull to act rightly according to this Moral Law” (Lewis).

Calvin: “Indeed, the sensus divinitatis that all men feel; the seed of religion itself” (Plantinga).

Paul: “As I wrote in my letter to the Romans (7:19): ‘For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing’” (Holy Bible).

Lewis: “This can be seen through the fact that when Man tries to rid himself of a certain morality in search of a better one that He in fact is simply not trusting His own reason, nor is He doing anything other than elevating one moral tradition that He has selected above the others and fooling Himself into thinking that He has created something new. Instead, he cannot create anything at all outside the matter that has already been created” (Lewis).

Paul: “Very true, Jack. Because humanity is no longer under the old covenant of the Jews and instead is under the covenant of Christ, it has the freedom to choose Christ, or in fact, any morality” (Holy Bible).

Lewis: “Yes, but that morality ultimately comes from God Himself. As you can see, Nature abides by its own laws – the wind blows or is still, the hound tracks the fox – and Humanity does as well. Men love, pursue knowledge, paint masterpieces, for example” (Lewis).

Calvin: “Of course! Without God, there is no morality, nor is there good of any kind. God Himself is Good, and therefore is the only source of goodness in the created world. Because of Common Grace, everyone can experience goodness on the Earth, even those who have not been saved. And because of Common Revelation, everyone has the ability see God revealed through nature. However, God also has Special Revelation, in which those of us who study His word and His creation can understand and observe to a higher degree the intricate and wonderful Ways, not only of creation, but of God Himself” (Plantinga).

Lewis: “Pursuing knowledge for the glory of God and to counteract ungodly philosophies is certainly worthwhile…” (Lewis).

Calvin: “Yes, Jack, but we must consider Total Depravity as well. Everything in creation is fallen and wicked and tends towards sin, and has from the very moment Original Sin occurred. If it were not for the Common Grace God bestows on the sinner and saint alike, there would be no goodness in the world whatsoever. Humanity needs this Grace in order to maintain its present state, lest it plunge into chaos” (Plantinga).

Paul: ‘That is an interesting thought, John. I believe that the Law, as written in the Torah, kills; it can never be followed, and so leads to death. But because of Christ, we are now able to be made righteous through faith in Him. This means that we are free to be obedient to Him, and through Christ we are able to grow in love towards one another and develop fruits of the Spirit because of our faith and obedience. This is what saves us” (Pomykala).

Lewis: “You know, while both of you disagree about the way Christ lends grace to humanity, you both agree that Christ is the only One who can save us. On a fundamental level, you both agree. I think it is important to realize that you both agree also on the importance and necessity of Christ’s justification of a person, of the fact that God reconciles that person to Himself” (Pomykala; Plantinga). “Once a person is in Eternity, as we are, they will understand fully this mystery, and also the joy of the completion of that built-in desire that could never be fulfilled on Earth. He or she can have ‘that perfect humility that does indeed dispense with modesty’ because both the work itself and the person are good, and are appreciated by God” (Lewis).

Calvin: “Like the perichoresis between the Trinity – that intimate and intricate relationship between the Three where each holds the other at His center – human relationships, too, will be wholly fulfilling for those welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Plantinga).
Paul: “Of course, the entirety of the point of justification and salvation is to be with Christ…” (Pomykala).

Lewis: “But others will be in Eternity too, as we are. Then they will understand fully the need for the different loves on Earth – Friendship, Affection, Romantic Love – but that these loves can be tainted, twisted, and degraded by human sin. Once they get to Eternity, they will be able to understand fully the power and pleasure of agape love. Even though humanity can experience parts of agape interspersed through all the other loves and all relationships, it will come to fruition in Eternity; they will experience that Love that is clean and pure; they will be able to fully understand what is meant by the phrase ‘God is Love’” (Lewis).

Calvin: Nods contemplatively; “Interesting. Lunch anyone?”

Recorder’s Notes: As the three great minds on Christian thought walked away, I was left alone to think about all they had said. Certainly, having once been human, I could understand that mysterious desire to maintain an unspoken moral standard that is best explained through the existence of a loving and personal God, and not being able to consistently uphold that Moral Code. And yet I also remember others on Earth who tried to create a new Morality by using one piece of that timeless Moral Code. As for the Total Depravity question and Christ’s redeeming love as the Answer, I was certain. “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love”[1]


Bibliography


Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004. 117-
26. Print.

Lewis, C.S. "Mere Christianity." Calvin College 2006 Ed. Paulo Ribeiro. Calvin College, n.d.
Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

Lewis, C.S. "The Four Loves.” Calvin College 2006 Ed. Paulo Ribeiro. Calvin College, n.d.
Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

Lewis, C.S. "The Poison of Subjectivism." Calvin College 2006 Ed. Paulo Ribeiro. Calvin
College, n.d. Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

Lewis, C.S. "The Weight of Glory." Calvin College 2006 Ed. Paulo Ribeiro. Calvin College, n.d.
Web. 18 Jan. 2010. .

Plantinga, Jr., Cornelius. Engaging God’s World: A Reformed Vision of Faith, Learning, and
Living. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2002. Print.

Pomykala, Kennith. Class Lecture. Religion 223: Paul’s Letters. Calvin College, Grand Rapids,
MI. Fall Term 2009.
[1]

1 Corinthians 13:12-13. Holy Bible: New International Version. Bible Gateway. Web. 19 Jan. 2010. http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=faith+hope+and+love&qs_version=NIV