Book Two, Chapter 2: The Invasion

Lewis's second chapter in Book Two keeps pressing on evil. He argues that atheism falls short, and so does a watered-down Christianity. Among religious systems that look evil squarely in the face, he names two: Dualism and Christianity. He asks what Dualism teaches, where it breaks down, and how Christianity answers. Then he invites you to think about whether you have ever felt the world as a place of spiritual warfare.

Dualism, in broad terms, is the idea that two rival powers stand behind the universe, one good and one bad, each in its own right. It has a certain honesty. It does not call evil an illusion. Many of us feel its pull when the news is bad or a relationship is wrecked: surely something is truly against us.

Colossians 1 agrees that evil is real, and it uses strong words. God "has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son." Darkness has a domain, and it holds people. Rescue language only makes sense if there was something to be rescued from. Paul is no pretend optimist.

But then he describes the Son in a way Dualism cannot absorb: "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him." Paul lists grand titles that people used for spiritual powers, and he puts every one of them in the created column. No power, however fearsome, started on equal footing with Christ. Then comes the line: "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Evil does not hold the universe together. It is not a second foundation. It is something happening inside a world that Christ still holds.

So the picture Paul gives is neither "everything is fine" nor "two equal armies." It is good but contested territory. The world was made through and for Christ, so it is not junk. It is also occupied in places, which is why we need deliverance. And the hope is not that we will out-muscle the dark but that someone has already moved us. "Transferred" is past tense. In him, Paul says, "we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

That shapes how you live in a contested world. You can take evil seriously, naming it, resisting it, grieving it, without handing it the throne. You can also avoid blaming every bad day on a spiritual attack. Ordinary weariness, illness and sorrow are often just that. If you struggle with depression, trauma, or a sense of being under constant attack, a pastor or counselor can help you sort out what is going on, and asking is not a lack of faith.

Today, read the passage slowly and ask two questions. Where am I living as if darkness were the stronger power? And where am I living as if nothing were at stake?