In C.S. Lewis's "Weight of Glory", he emphasizes two kinds of glory, that of God and that of others. That of God is the supreme power of a creator in which that which God shows recognition to the created which is the ultimate fulfillment of the created or God shows no recognition of the created and the created finds its ultimate despair. The other kind of glory is that of others. This stems from the glory of God in that when one is known by God one is as a God or Goddess or, in the case of being unknown, to be a Demon. Each of these two fates to us now would be a thing that we would have to respect and awe and would nigh on destroy our minds in our present state.
To me the idea that all humans are immortal is validated by Christ's resurrection and by extension his destruction of a final and complete death. This seems to also play into Lewis's reasoning when he says that "it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours." This I think is something all of us must keep in mind as we carry out our daily lives that we have no escape that we will continue et infinitum and so are always accountable to our Creator for our actions and thoughts. This is very humbling when you realize that when you deal falsely with another that person is an equally powerful immortal who can plead against you to the Almighty and although the Creator could destroy you, he will not, but he will do far worse in making you exist beyond all knowing of any. What a terrifying thing to be sent from God to a place where you who is defined by the Creator is forced to find definition in yourself and of course there is no definition in yourself so you are inextricably lost and alone in the Dark.
Thus life is not a simple game. Life is a constant battle warring around us in which there is no small action because each action or inaction you take has a profound effect on the war waged by the other immortals around you. This creates the meaning behind the song Slow Fade by Casting Crowns which says
"Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow."
That speaks about how parents actions can lead their children astray and the same idea is applicable to all our relationships.
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Thanks for your post Nolan! I liked how you used the quote from Lewis that talks about the eternal existance of all men to bring out the seriousness of sin. I know that I often face the temptation of knowing something is wrong, but doing it anyways because 'its not really that big of a deal'. However, as you point out, this is something that we will again have to face when the righteous Judge asks us to give account of ourselves. Although we have the confidence that Christs blood has taken away the guilt of those sins, it is still humbling to know that they will all be laid out before the eyes of our Creator. Every unkind thought, every unloving word, all the ugliness of even our "little" sins will be exposed. This is a good motivation to keep our eyes, ears, hands, and feet focused on heaven and its promise of everlasting glory rather than the fading glories of this earth.
ReplyDeleteI agree and especially like your ideas on action and inaction. I like the song reference as well.
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