He effectively points out that a key theme throughout Lewis’ work is “Choice is destiny. Obedience brings life and Heaven; disobedience brings death and Hell.” The best example given of this is the Tree episode with Digory on “The Magician’s Nephew”. This example also shows how the same thing can bring different results if done in manner according to God.
This episode shows how a single thing can elicit opposite responses, depending on the respondent’s heart (like seeing Aslan’s face and as illustrated in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16) ….
Aslan gives Digory fruit from the tree to heal his mother when he returns to earth. The boy buries the core in the backyard, which grows into a tree that is felled by a storm years later. Its wood is used to build the magic wardrobe through which the Pevensies enter Narnia in the next book. The episode of the tree illustrates the principle of the ripple effect of single acts of obedience or disobedience. Digory’s earlier sin in Charn, which brought Jadis into Narnia, had huge ripples in the other direction.
Another of the glories of Heaven will be that we will not want any wrong things anymore. We will be so free we can act on every thought and desire because they will all be good and pure. It would be nice to have that here on Earth, but we will be able to enjoy that freedom soon enough.
This whole book is a great reminder of how much we need to look forward to Heaven. Heaven is not a place to dread. Hell is that place. Try to imagine a place where everyone does what they want whenever they want with no restraints. That is Hell and everyone there will be miserable. There is no pleasure in Hell.
This should be a warning to us all. The example of the Dwarf’s in the Final Battle of Narnia showing:
that hypocrites provide agnostics with a rationalization for not believing anything. A pretender once seen through is a more powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal than an outright atheist. Jesus forewarned us of the emergence and destructive force of such hypocrites. In our day, the politically correct have counterfeited Jesus’ command not to judge. He meant for us not to consign someone to Hell in our hearts. Jesus also said we can judge a tree by its fruit, meaning whether or not someone is legitimate. Paul commands us to judge false teachers by the Word in order to avoid being taken in, as the Narnians were. Judgment in the sense of discerning truth from falsehood is essential; Heaven and Hell hang in the balance.
We have to be able to discern right from wrong. We have to be able to judge false doctrines and teachings. We must do so. Not doing this is not compassion for the lost. It allows more to be lost. People need to see truth and not have it hidden. If Christians do not stand up, defend the truth and speak it in love, what good are we in the cause of Christ’s Kingdom?
Article comments
1 - DrPat
The end result of umpty-nine posts about the same book (for me, anyway) is that I wouldn't be caught dead reading it! (It's the same reason I eschew Oprah Club books.)
It would be different if BlogCritics were some sort of online reader's club, where we were all be reading and discussing the same book, but it's not.
2 - Eric Olsen
I understand the satiation and ennui DrPat, but we can't blame the individual reviews: that would be interpolating blame to the individual for what is a group issue
3 - DrPat
No, that's true, Eric - but the end result comes not from multiple reviews, but from their being posted one after the other. I am reminded of persistent carnival barkers yelling, "Roll up! Roll up!"
It's just my own personal reaction - as another BlogCritic constantly reminds us, "your mileage may vary."