Reddit reviews The Screwtape Letters

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  I'm doing pretty well. I'm back to about 15-20 hours a week at the movie theater. It might be nice moneywise to work more, but I'm ok with 4 days a week. I have been knitting and reading a lot. Right now I'm knitting a scarf for my mother. I've been reading a series called Feyland (I've finished the main trilogy, now I need to read the prequel, a related short story, and the first book of the spinoff series - all of which I have - and the second book of the spinoff series - eventually once I get it). I quite like it.

Your premise is not true and leads to forming a faulty conclusion. This faulty conclusion results in relying on feelings and breeds the fear you are not really saved:



False Premise: God’s presence must be felt to be a Christian.


Faulty Conclusion: If you don’t feel God’s presence you’re doing it wrong and are condemned.



The Holy Spirit (a.k.a. the Comforter) works through the word. Here’s some comfort for your fears: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. This is what the bible actually teaches:


1. Calling – effected by the Holy Spirit, through hearing or reading the Word, the unbeliever is convicted of their sin and “called” to repentance.


2. Grace – good will and favor shown to those who can plead no merit.


3. Repentance – an “about-face” or turning away from the self (trusting your own character and your own merits) and turning towards God (trusting His character and Christ’s merits.) Godly sorrow leads to repentance without regret and leads to salvation; the sorrow of the world produces death.


4. Redemption – the unbeliever, like a captive slave, is literally redeemed or “bought back” from death.


5. Justification – judged by God to be free from sin. By grace through faith – the righteousness of Jesus is accredited to the believer.


6. Sanctification – sanctification is the spiritual growth that follows justification.


7. Hope – in place of a hopeless end, a believer now has endless hope. Christian hope is a confident expectation to be resurrected to eternal life with God in Heaven.


8. Faith – faith springs from hope and is a confident expectation. Faith is a right relationship to God established through the all-atoning work of Christ


9. Love – Christian love is unconditionally treating others as you wish to be treated: respect, mercy and selfless charity.


10. Salvation – reality of the Christian hope.


Note in all of the above, God does the work and to Him goes the glory. Our duty is: submit to grace through faith. Period. Faith is not feelings – but ACTION!!! The bible teaches that faith without works is dead. The evidence of faith is not a feeling but action a.k.a. works. Actions can be observed. This is why Jesus can judge posers saying, “I never knew you.” Read the whole context of “faith in actions” in Matthew 7:15-27


Lutherans would say “His love; our response.”


So who can be saved? By their fruits you will know them who believe in the Lord Jesus and are saved. It is by grace man has been saved – through faith and this is not of themselves – but a man is judged righteous by the evidence of what they do and not by faith alone.


tl;dr: You are saved by grace through faith alone. Your faith is justified by deeds and not by faith alone.


> Spiritual advice

A. Right now: read C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. It’s a short read and through satire Lewis shows how Satan sabotages our faith, tempts our confidence and breeds fear, to even make believers doubt our salvation.



B. Get into the Bible daily. Make it a priority to study and understand what it really teaches. Read the Gospels in context asking, “Who is the author? Who is the audience? What’s Jesus teaching here? What is Jesus saying to me today through this verse? Read the New Testament in light of the Old Testament. When you’ve done this for a time, even one single verse will open up so richly in context to the whole bible, it will amaze you.


As a believer of only four years, you are definitely in God’s family, but relatively immature (some say a “baby Christian”.) There’s absolutely no negative connotation to that, it simply means with guidance we need to grow in our relationship (see sanctification above) with God and Christ. Just like you would behave when forming relationships with your family and others Christians grow in our relationship with each other and God by: going to church (corporate worship), partake in the sacraments (Lord’s Supper), study God’s word and loving your neighbor. These are the attributes (works) of faith in action. You are not saved by what you do, Jesus has already taken care of that work, but the evidences of justifying faith (being grafted into the family) is your action.


Sorry for the length. I hope this helped in some way.