Specifically, I've been working on reading C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy. At this point the first book, Out of the Silent Planet, is nearly finish. Of all the lines which jumped out at me, A particular section wanted to be written up in a blog post. Before we look at the section though, a little background is in order.
Out of the Silent Planet follows the adventures of Dr. Ransom as he is flown to a different planet and interacts with the various beings found there. The ruler of the particular planet where Ransom's story takes place is named Oyarsa. In the selection below, we find Ransom sharing the history of the earth with some of the inhabitants he has met. As these inhabitants react to Ransom's recounting, Lewis nails the problem of humanity:
"They were astonished at what he had to tell them of human history--of war, slavery, and prostitution.
'It is because they have no Oyarsa,' said one of the pupils
'It is because everyone of them wants to be a little Oyarsa himself,' said Augray."
"Everyone of them wants to be a little Oyarsa himself." The temptation to be a god, to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong, has been the problem of the human race since the Fall. For most people, it appears that this is a way to freedom. After all, if you are not taking orders from someone else, you are free to do as you want, right? It certainly sounds pretty good. Good enough in fact, that every person since Adam has bit on the idea. As Isaiah reminds us: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6 ESV)
However, this idea ignores a basic fact of human existence: we are all slaves. Paul pointed this out in his letter to the Romans: "Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16 ESV) To put it another way, the world is caught up in a battle between good and evil, and there is no neutral ground. You are either on the side of good or the side of evil. By trying free himself from the rule of good, man has only given himself over to the rule of evil. Further, as all men are dead in their sins (Eph. 2:1), they will naturally continue to choose to be ruled by sin.
In the end, this analysis, so far as it is true, leaves me rejoicing. This rejoicing stems from how it demonstrates God's love for us, and mighty work on our behalf. Rather than destroy man, He has chosen to break the power of sin and raise us back to life in Him (Eph. 2:5-6). It also leaves me with a reminder to stay humble, for it is only in God's strength, given through Christ, that I can hope to actually live a life of righteousness. Finally, it also leads me to ask if there are areas of my life where I am trying to be a "little Oyarsa." Oswald Chambers has correctly pointed out that I cannot be on the throne of my life at the same time as God.
How about you? What thoughts does this picture of the human condition bring to your mind? How should it affect the way you live?
