Lewis, published in 1945, based on a theological dream vision of his in which he reflects on the Christian conceptions of Heaven and Hell. If we disobey in forming our lives into a picture of Christ–in every measure, and in our marriages, especially–we give ourselves over to Hell’s parody, serving our own needs and forgetting that we are called to die with our Savior.The Great Divorce is a novel by the British author C.
When we truly give ourselves in marriage, we give ourselves over to the example of Christ and his Church, one of “fidelity, fertility, and good will.” It satisfies us and doesn’t sacrifice us. It’s easy to fixate on our emotions because it’s easier. How easy it is to ignore the depth of Jesus calling us to love one another to death for the sake of fleeting emotions. Screwtape says that the fascination of “being in love” is not in the description of biblical marriage. If, however, we approach marriage for the giving, we put into action the kind of oneness that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 5, loving each other as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her. If marriage is about the getting, it’s about usury, and there’s no use for holy vows at all. Lewis rightly says that we cannot predict or promise a feeling any more than promising never to have a headache. We should ask, is marriage for the getting or the giving? If it’s the former, then we always lose. It’s this selfishness, and not the selfless act of giving ourselves to one another, that forms a basis for Satan to do his work. And if this love fades away, many people believe divorce is permitted. To Screwtape’s delight, the idea of “falling in love” is now a quid pro quo to marriage. God demands “either complete abstinence or unmitigated monogamy,” Screwtape assesses in our August 8 reading. When we isolate sex outside of the marriage union, we are attempting pleasure only in part, and not as a whole blessing of God. God designed a man and a woman to be a “single organism,” like a violin and bow are one instrument, or a lock and key are one mechanism, Lewis says. Why is sexual intercourse outside of marriage sinful? Simple: it breaks the design of God.
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