Man or Rabbit

In this essay Lewis poses the question, can people who are not Christians live a good life? During the remainder he attempts to answer this question. The first thing he points out is that the people who are asking this questions are those who want to know if it is worth it to learn more about Christianity or not. This statement again brings up the question if a nonbeliever can do any good whatsoever. If we said that God views good works the same from both Christians and nonbelievers then we can continue to answer this question. Lewis argues that if there are two people who both want to do good works, the one who is more familiar with the moral law will have the better idea of what to do. This would say that yes a nonbeliever can do good works. However, since the nonbelievers are the ones who are asking the question, then they are admitting that Christians in some way have an advantage over the nonbelievers when it comes to performing good works. So if you are not a Christian you are deliberately putting yourself at a disadvantage.

Lewis sums the essay up with reminding people that a good life is not enough to get you to heaven. No one can be perfect; therefore we fall short of the glory of God. Only through his love and grace can we be saved. This quote from Lewis helps to explain, "The idea of reaching 'a good life' without Christ is based on a double error. Firstly, we cannot do it; and secondly, in setting up 'a good life' as our final goal, we have missed the very point of our existence." So the real goal of our lives is not just to live a good life. Lewis says that once we realize that living a good moral life is not the goal is when we can truly experience the joy of living in the Lord. Our main goal should be to glorify God in everything we do and try to return the love that he has shown us. By doing this it would seem unavoidable that you would be doing good works throughout your lifetime.