MORE SPIRITUAL THAN GOD

C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) professor and author wrote:

“There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.“
(From: ‘Mere Christianity’)

Perhaps the most discouraging element of thought concerning the pursuit of living as a disciple of Jesus is the historic absence of our humanity. Much of this thought is left over from a Puritanical type radical view of sin and the fallen nature of the ‘human flesh.’ Or, a doctrine called ‘total depravity’ that I don’t understand at all. And, all of humanness is no good and all of Spirit is good. This is a rather strange idea when the very incarnation is an attempt to verify the human condition by receiving the Holy Spirit and making us fully human by having God in us. Jesus restores body, soul and spirit.

It is into our human body that bread and wine become life and light and makes us new.

“Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Jesus