Faith | C. S. Lewis

An episode of the Reformed Thinking podcast, hosted by Edison Wu, titled "Faith | C. S. Lewis" was published on January 29, 2026 and runs 20 minutes.

January 29, 2026 ·20m · Reformed Thinking

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Summary

Deep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - FaithC.S. Lewis discusses Faith in two distinct senses. In the first sense, Faith is defined simply as belief, or accepting Christian doctrines as true. Lewis initially struggled to see how belief could be a moral virtue, assuming that a sane person simply accepts or rejects evidence based on logic. However, he argues that the human mind is not perfectly ruled by reason; emotions and imagination often revolt against what reason has already accepted as true. Using examples like a patient fearing anaesthetics despite knowing they are safe, Lewis illustrates that the internal battle is often between faith and reason on one side, against emotion and imagination on the other.Consequently, Lewis defines this first type of Faith as the art of holding on to truths reason has accepted, despite inevitable changes in mood. Without this virtue, a person is unstable, with beliefs fluctuating based on their physical state or the weather. To maintain this Faith, one must deliberately feed their mind with Christian doctrines through practices like prayer, as most people drift from faith rather than being reasoned out of it.The second, higher sense of Faith emerges from attempting to practice Christian virtues. Lewis asserts that one only learns the true strength of temptation by fighting it, and through this struggle, humans discover they cannot be perfect. This failure is crucial because it shatters the idea that God has set a standard exam for humans to pass or that they can enter a bargaining contract with Him. Since all human faculties are gifts from God, offering Him service is like a child using a father's money to buy him a gift; the father is not materially enriched. Recognizing that one cannot put God in debt allows the second, deeper kind of Faith to begin.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730

Episode Description

Deep Dive into Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis - Faith

C.S. Lewis discusses Faith in two distinct senses. In the first sense, Faith is defined simply as belief, or accepting Christian doctrines as true. Lewis initially struggled to see how belief could be a moral virtue, assuming that a sane person simply accepts or rejects evidence based on logic. However, he argues that the human mind is not perfectly ruled by reason; emotions and imagination often revolt against what reason has already accepted as true. Using examples like a patient fearing anaesthetics despite knowing they are safe, Lewis illustrates that the internal battle is often between faith and reason on one side, against emotion and imagination on the other.

Consequently, Lewis defines this first type of Faith as the art of holding on to truths reason has accepted, despite inevitable changes in mood. Without this virtue, a person is unstable, with beliefs fluctuating based on their physical state or the weather. To maintain this Faith, one must deliberately feed their mind with Christian doctrines through practices like prayer, as most people drift from faith rather than being reasoned out of it.

The second, higher sense of Faith emerges from attempting to practice Christian virtues. Lewis asserts that one only learns the true strength of temptation by fighting it, and through this struggle, humans discover they cannot be perfect. This failure is crucial because it shatters the idea that God has set a standard exam for humans to pass or that they can enter a bargaining contract with Him. Since all human faculties are gifts from God, offering Him service is like a child using a father's money to buy him a gift; the father is not materially enriched. Recognizing that one cannot put God in debt allows the second, deeper kind of Faith to begin.

Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologian

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainer

Spotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdw

https://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730