Book Four, Chapter 7: Let's Pretend

Reading: Book Four, Chapter 7 (Let's Pretend). Then read Colossians 3:9-14.

Lewis argues that acting like Christ is part of becoming like Christ. He says Christ's help shapes character, and the chapter divides our role from God's role in change. It is an encouraging idea, and a slippery one, so let's check it against Paul.

Start with what Paul says is already true. “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” Two things sit side by side. You have put on the new self, a done thing. And that new self “is being renewed,” an ongoing thing. God is doing the renewing. Paul does not describe a self-improvement project you run on your own power.

Then comes the instruction: “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Put on is clothing language. You decide what to wear each morning, and Paul tells you to dress in these. Notice the order: first “God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,” then the clothing. You are not putting on kindness to earn a place. You are putting on kindness because of the place you already have.

This is the heart of Lewis's idea as a practical matter. When you act with patience before you feel patient, you are not being fake. A person learning to practice an instrument does not call it lying when the first notes are clumsy. The action, repeated, is how character gets built, and Christ's help is in it. That is why our part and God's part both belong. We choose to put on; God renews.

Paul gets specific right away: “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Putting on Christ is tested in friction with real people. A note of care here: forgiving someone does not mean going back to a place where you are being harmed. If you have been hurt or abused, please talk with a pastor, counselor, or trusted friend about what safe forgiveness looks like.

Then the covering piece: “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” Love is the belt that keeps the other garments from falling off.

One more caution. If you tend toward anxious perfectionism, this can turn into a to-do list that never ends. Remember who is doing the renewing. You put on; he renews. A clumsy attempt is still a step.

Pick one quality and one real situation this week. Act it out as Christ would, and ask for his help while you do it.