Understanding the Character of God: The Atonement and C. S. Lewis

February 24, 2014

For family home evening tonight we had a discussion about the Atonement, because my grandma gave a talk about it in sacrament today.  In the talk she shared the story by President Packer, I believe, about a man who went into debt, and when the time came to pay his debt he didn't have enough; he begged the creditor for mercy.  The creditor responded by telling him that mercy would only benefit him, but the original agreement benefited both of them, which is why they both agreed - and he demanded justice. Then the debtor's friend came and offered to pay the debt and become the man's new creditor.  As I listened to it today I wondered why we always use the analogy of money, because it always seems to come short of answering the questions I have. You can have someone else pay a debt for you and the creditor will be perfectly happy - assuming they're not vengeful - but like Amulek says "Now, if a man murdereth, behold will our law, which is just, take the life of his brother? I say unto you, Nay. But the law requireth the life of him who hath murdered; therefore there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world."

So how does God's law, which is just, accept the life of the murderer's Brother?  As we were discussing this tonight I finally understood: Christ took our sins upon Himself like a parent would take legal responsibility for the actions of their child.  He is literally the God of this world: He gave us the law and the commandments, and is responsible before the Father for how well we follow those commandments.  He has already suffered the consequences of all of our actions so that we don't have to suffer - if we will come unto Him. He "counted His will as naught, and said, O Lord thy will be done," and the only payment He asks of us in return for the price He paid is our will, but ultimately even that He will give back to us, and in better condition than when we gave it up.

I finished reading The Great Divorce, by C. S. Lewis this week, and when we came to this point in the conversation it reminded me of a vignette from the book - my favorite part of the whole book.  In this short scene one of the ghosts, (they're all in the after life) who hasn't yet decided if he wants to stay in Heaven or if he wants to go back to Hell, has a lizard on his shoulder, whispering things in his ear, telling him he should go back to Hell - and he would give him good dreams, pleasant dreams that are practically innocent, and he'll behave this time, just as long as the man/ghost goes back to Hell (though he didn't call it that.) While this is happening a angel of light comes up to him, stretches out his hands - which are very nearly glowing with fire - so that he's nearly touching the lizard - and asks "May I kill the lizard?"  The man recoils at the thought, and tries to make excuses for the creature. The Angel asks again "May I kill it?" The ghost starts to mumble about why he even bothered asking, why didn't he just kill it before and get it over with so he didn't have to make the choice. the Angel responds by explaining that he has to have permission first, then asks again, "May I kill it?" "Will it hurt me? Will it burn?" "Yes, it will, but it won't kill you.  May I kill it?"  Finally the ghost consents. So the angel grabs the lizard off the man's shoulder, twists it in half, then throws it to the ground. As he does the man recoils in pain, then grows brighter until he becomes an Angel of light himself.  After this the lizard's body transforms into a magnificent stallion, which carries the new angel into the presence of God.

(I love this story so much, and I very much want to paint a picture of the moment right before the ghost decides to let the angel kill the lizard.)

Relating the story to the discussion about the Atonement, our will is the only thing separating us from the presence of God - Christ is standing next to us waiting, asking to take our sins, waiting for us to give our will to Him.  What makes the process so powerful is that we give it up completely, that we are willing to let it die, permanently, without any thought of getting it back; and it hurts, it burns like crazy, but once we completely surrender our will to His, than He gives it back to us and it becomes the means by which we come into the presence of God