Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Week 24: Book IV, Chapter 1 — Making and Begetting
Read Book IV, Chapter 1 of Mere Christianity ('Making and Begetting').
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Lewis opens his final and most theologically dense section by drawing a distinction that unlocks almost everything that follows.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Lewis distinguishes between 'making' and 'begetting.' A man makes a statue; he begets a child. The statue is made of different stuff; the child is of the same kind as the father. How does this distinction apply to the relationship between God and human beings — and to the relationship between God the Father and God the Son?
2.He introduces the terms 'Bios' (natural life) and 'Zoe' (spiritual life) — borrowed from Greek. What is the difference, and why does the whole of *Mere Christianity* ultimately hinge on the difference between these two kinds of life?
a.Lewis says Zoe is not an improved version of Bios — it is a different kind of life altogether. Can you give an example of something in the spiritual life that is genuinely discontinuous with the natural life, not just an improvement of it?
b.What does it mean that through Christ, God offers to 'beget' us — to share Zoe, the divine life — rather than merely to 'make' us better?
3.Lewis says that when we become Christians, we are not just improved human beings — we are beginning a process of becoming 'little Christs.' How does this both enlarge and challenge your understanding of what salvation is?
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