Hope - Mere Christianity Book 3 Chapter 10 - Episode 23

Why are Christians so hopeful? What are they hoping for? Let's break down C.S. Lewis' take on the virtue of Hope.

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...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

1 Peter 3:15

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Do you ever feel like hoping for heaven or something greater outside of this world is just the ultimate form of escapism, especially for Christians? Like it's just wishful thinking so that we don't have to deal with what is actually going on in the real world. Well, hope is considered a virtue. And C.S. Lewis says that some of the greatest good has been in our world because people were focused on the eternal world beyond this one. Let's unpack that a little. I'm your host, Dana, and I'll be walking you through some of what Christians believe, why they believe it, and how to know whether it's true or not. We're seeking to get a better understanding of the truth for ourselves and to share with others. Today we're going to take a look at hope. Lewis defines hope as a continual looking forward to the eternal world. Not ignoring this world, but remembering that it isn't the whole story. He explains that we must learn to want something else even more. Something more than food, happiness, health, work, all the things the world has to offer. And that something else as eternal life with God in heaven. Now, I know for some of us, maybe even a lot of us, the idea of heaven isn't very appealing, maybe even frightening in a way. Growing up, I got concerned thinking not necessarily about heaven, but about the eternal part. But really, that's just because my finite mind cannot yet comprehend an existence outside and beyond the boundaries of time. But I know a lot of people just aren't interested in what they think heaven will be like. I didn't used to be either. That could be because our picture of heaven has been shaped more by cartoons and pop culture than by scripture. Or sometimes it might be a lack or lapse in discipleship, not being properly and thoroughly trained in Christian beliefs. But no worries, that's where I hope to help. I want to back up a bit and start where Lewis does in this chapter. He makes not only the claim, but the point that so many of the greatest changes for good and discoveries that have occurred throughout human history have been by heaven-minded Christians, scientists and mathematicians and biologists, knowing there was a God beyond this reality that created our world with such order and precision, have been able to time and time again put the pieces together to grow our understanding of this universe even more. Christians who loved God above all and trusted his word in the Bible, hoping for the next and eternal world, worked tirelessly to abolish the chattel transatlantic slave trade. Continuing with our concept, or rather flawed concept, of heaven, Lewis says it's a fact that though we can get glimpses, maybe, of perfect things in this world, they will always fade in reality. His examples are the initial passions of falling in love, or imagining the perfect overseas vacation, or the excitement of starting a new subject of interest. All of those things give us hope and start off idyllic. But, Lewis says, that even the best and most perfect marriage, vacation, or career will never and can never be perfect. It's in those first instances we have grasped at something, but something always evades us, regardless of how good it all turns out. So then Lewis walks us through three responses to dealing with this fact. Two he says are wrong, and one is right. First up is the fool's way. It's a great name. This is a person who puts the blame on the things that he's tried and thinks, if only, if only he had picked a different woman, traveled to a different country, tried a different career or hobby, then he could have achieved that ecstasy he was after. This person is always discontented, bored, and disappointed because the next thing never delivers what the last thing promised. The second way people deal with the reality, never living up to the ideal they're grasping for, is to be disillusioned, what Lewis calls the sensible man. Basically, this person decides he was wrong, to think there was more and just settles and represses that longing that is naturally there in all of us. Lewis says this person will generally be happier, but also possibly arrogant, thinking he's superior than all the other less mature people, still hoping for more. But because we are in fact destined to be eternal beings, the third and best way to deal with the inner desconance is the Christian way, knowing that if we are born with certain desires, and those desires do in fact have a satisfaction, such as like hunger is satisfied with food, exhaustion is revived with sleep, duckling's instincts to swim is satisfied with water. Remember when Lewis argued that hunger points to food and thirst points to water? Well, here he's applying the same reasoning to our deepest longings. Well, then here's probably the top C.S. Lewis quote, not just in this book, but ever. He says, if I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. There are certainly beautiful and amazing things and experiences in this world. Insert Louis Armstrong. What a wonderful world. The things of this world awaken and suggest a real satisfaction. But try as you might, given unlimited time and resources, you won't find it here in this world. And that is why we make it our aim in life to be where Jesus is, heaven. And that brings us back to a lot of us hear all this talk about heaven and think, honestly, okay, but why would I want that? Some of us may not find it too appealing because we envision a bunch of big fat baby angels playing harps and singing. That's not what angels look like, by the way. Or maybe we mostly find it appealing because we're anticipating seeing our friends and loved ones who've gone before us. In the first case, that's just a straw man argument because that's not really the picture Christianity gives us. Lewis says that if you can't understand the symbolic language, which is used in the Bible to describe heaven, then you might as well believe that when Jesus told us to be gentle as doves, he meant for us to lay eggs. One example of this symbology, he says, is that musical instruments are used to describe what it's like in heaven, because music is the thing in our world that most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity. Other things are used to give us a small idea of the splendor and power and joy, the timelessness and preciousness of it. I won't sit here and lie to you and tell you I've never thought about what it will be like to go to heaven and see those that I love and deeply miss again. I've said for a while now that I hope Louis Armstrong is on my welcoming committee. But as I've matured in my faith, I've grown to long more and more simply to be with my God and savior, be in his presence and worship him. The Bible doesn't shout about what heaven is like, so we really can't accurately speculate on it. But we can know and be assured that the deep longing we all experience points beyond this world and suggests that we were made for something more. Heaven is our home, and we can safely look forward to and hope for that day when we get to finally go home. Lewis challenges us Christians on the fact that we're often embarrassed to think about heaven at all. We don't want to seem disconnected from reality or extremist, but he argues the opposite that regularly remembering our eternal home is actually part of Christian maturity. Do you actively cultivate hope? Is it a discipline in your heart and mind? Over the next two episodes, we are going to work on understanding the thing we Christians call faith. Thanks so much for being here today. I'm always so grateful that you stayed and that you listened. I'm praying for you. If this was helpful or insightful, we please share it with a friend because the truth is worth knowing and sharing. You can find more resources on my website, Facebook and Instagram at seektruthhere.com. I'll see you next time. God bless.