One of my favorite scenes in C.S. Lewis’s novel The Great Divorce involves quite the trio: a ghost, a lizard, and an angel. The little red Lizard sits upon the Ghost’s shoulders, perfectly positioned to whisper in his ear. The Ghost, who is living between heaven and hell, still has a chance to enter the pearly gates.
The Great Divorce
The Ghost and the Lizard begin the scene in a bit of a quarrel, with the Ghost snarling and confidently telling the Lizard to, “Shut up, I tell you!”1 But our little Lizard, skilled whisperer that he is, just wags his tail and says a few sweet things to make the Ghost shut up himself and begin to smile as he walks away from heaven.
It is then that the Angel, radiating with light, approaches him. “Off so soon?” he asks. After a few rambling lines and excuses from the Ghost, in which he concludes that he simply must go home to hell, the Angel makes him an offer. “Would you like me to make him [the Lizard] be quiet?” he proposes.
“Of course I would,” the Ghost replies.
“Then I will kill him,” the Angel says firmly.
But even the approach of the Angel brings the Ghost discomfort, so he tells the Angel to stay away. Several exchanges follow, with the Ghost providing all kinds of reasons and excuses for some other form of action than killing the Lizard. The Angel is direct. A refrain of replies flows from his lips:
“May I kill it?”
“May I kill it?”
“May I kill it?”
Surely there is time to discuss it later?
No, there is not.
Certainly a gradual process is a better option?
No, it is of no use whatsoever.
Perhaps another day?
There is no other day.
Well, if the Lizard dies, then might the Ghost as well?
No. It may hurt, but it will not kill.
Well, if pain is involved, a second opinion, perhaps? And then the Ghost may simply return in a moment after doing some basic fact-finding.
No. This moment contains all moments.
The Angel must have the Ghost’s permission to kill the Lizard. There is no other way. The Lizard, sensing the menacing presence of the Angel’s strong hands, concurs. The Angel may kill the Lizard, but would a life without the Lizard really be worth living? Sure, perhaps he has gone a bit too far in the past, but really, the dreams and fantasies that the Lizard can create for the Ghost, are they not worth it? The Lizard can even reign it in a bit, keep it all innocent, for the most part.
The Angel asks once more.
Finally, after some kicking and screaming and cursing, the Ghost consents. His own final whimpers, though, are the words, “God help me. God help me.”
The Angel kills the Lizard and the Ghost experiences extreme pain, with a scream of agony the protagonist has never heard. But then, suddenly, both the Ghost and the dead Lizard transform. The Ghost becomes a solid man and the Lizard grows and becomes a great stallion of a silvery white. Both man and horse are full of a bold joy and sense of freedom as they ride together toward the everlasting morning of heaven.
No Negotiation
Sexual sin is unique in its nature. Although an overemphasis on this fact can lead to a distorted and unhealthy church environment, such as with a large part of the purity culture movement that was found within evangelicalism, the fact remains, that sexual sin is unique. In I Corinthians 6:18, Paul states that we are to, “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.” The context is Paul rebuking men for sleeping with prostitutes, so immorality is clearly sexual immorality.
What Lewis captures in the above scene is the importance of a determined commitment to act to remove sinful lust from our lives. There can be no negotiation. It is in the nature of sin to deceive us. And, the power of sexual sin to deceive is extreme. Very few sins can so easily cast scales over our eyes and harden our hearts. Therefore, although a firm determination to remove all forms of evil from our hearts is, of course, necessary, it is appropriate to have a heightened sense of seriousness when dealing with sexual sin. We must not reason with it. We must not listen to it. We must not allow it to linger. We must not placate it. We must not entertain it. We must not trust it.
Rather, we must kill it.
Firmly. Unflinching. Without mercy or quarter.
This must be our resolve as Christians. And, for the protection of our souls, it must be unwavering (I Corinthians 6:9-10). Remember always, we have been bought with a price. Therefore, we are to glorify God in our bodies (I Corinthians 6:20).
Failures vs. Acquiescence
All this said, as we think through the importance of dealing harshly with sin itself, we must likewise remember to deal gracefully with those who know that they are sinners. There is a complete difference between someone who is intentionally giving quarter to sin in their lives and someone who is broken by a sin that they have committed or are waging spiritual war against. As Christ taught Peter, Christians (who are to model the lavish forgiveness of Christ) are to forgive even repetitive sins that are committed against us when repentance is present (Matthew 18:22). We are here dealing with acceptance of sin in our lives, not repentance for sin in our lives.
As Lewis states elsewhere, “Failures will be forgiven; it is acquiescence that is fatal, the permitted, regularized presence of an area in ourselves which we still claim for our own.”2 We are not our own (I Corinthians 6:19). Therefore, to knowingly and willfully give sin a place within our hearts and lives, is a denial of this truth. To resolve to live holy, then fail, then repent, and then get back up with the same resolution, is a large part of the Christian’s growth in sanctification. These are two opposite ways to live. One is a bumpy road toward hell. The other is a path toward heaven paved with grace.
It is important to make sure we understand that we are not saved by our commitment or ability to kill sin. No. We are saved solely by believing in Jesus Christ as our savior. His death paid for every sin. His perfect life is credited to our account. This is the only way to salvation. However, those who are saved and love Jesus will strive toward obedience (John 14:15). When we fail and sin, we confess our sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive us (I John 1:9). But the key difference is in our hearts.
Are we trying to have both the world and Jesus? That will never work. That is a deadly sign that our faith is not genuine. Or, are we stumbling after Christ? Seeking to please Him and follow after Him, yet failing and trying again? His grace is sufficient for that. Get up once more. Do not give up the race.
Getting Practical
What does all this look like at a practical sense? Consider a few examples of some Lizards that exist.
A man or woman has a secret pornography collection that they just can’t seem to get rid of. Kill it.
A couple moved in together before they were married and find that there are so many difficulties were they to move out until they were married. Kill it. Find a way. Give sin no quarter.
A married man or woman is flirting with an affair. Kill it.
A same-sex attracted Christian is thinking that maybe a celibate life is too hard, and a monogamous homosexual relationship is good enough for a disciple of Christ. Kill it.
A man reasons with himself that sexually fantasizing about a woman isn’t really that bad. Kill it.
A dating couple is crossing some lines that they had established with themselves and God before the relationship started, but now they are thinking that what they are doing is not really sex, it’s just a form of foreplay. They are starting to think and act like there is only one line when it comes to defining what sex is, and all other areas of the body are okay, as long as that line is not crossed. Kill it. Do not let your conscience be clouded by any seduction.
The Freedom of Resolve
We could unfortunately go on and on. The point is, do not be deceived. The stakes are high, but the reward is great. Not only is the eternal reward worthy of our faithfulness, but even in this life, killed lust gives rise to beauty unmatched by comparison. From a sniveling lizard to a great white stallion, faithfulness—resolved faithfulness—is wonderful. Again, Lewis states, “Lust is a poor, weak, whimpering, whispering thing compared with that richness and energy of desire which will arise when lust has been killed.”3 We think too lightly of the goodness of obedience to God’s design.
There can be a pleasure in sin, we need not hide that fact. But it is fleeting at best (Hebrews 11:25). In contrast, there may be true pain and discomfort when we pursue obedience—the Ghost’s great cry of agony is no exaggeration. Yet, there is a deep and abiding joy that comes from our growth in Christ.
Those are the two poles. Fleeting pleasure or lasting joy. But there are gray zones in which we may dabble for a time. They are dangerous, no doubt, but they are also miserable. As we seek some safe hiding place for a particular sin, if we are truly followers of Christ, only displeasure can result. And, this displeasure cuts both ways. We neither relish in the sin enough to be truly satisfied, but neither do we get the experience of freedom and joy that is found within faithfulness to our Lord. D.A. Carson writes that, “No one is more miserable than the Christian who for a time hedges in his obedience. He does not love sin enough to enjoy its pleasures, and he does not love Christ enough to relish holiness.”4
To live in a middle ground, to allow the Lizard to live on, will only result in a lukewarm experience. In one sense, we would be better off either completely surrendering to the Lizard or killing it (Revelation 3:16). To let him whisper in our ears—as we try to tell ourselves that we still maintain a measure of control—is a particularly deadly form of blindness. We must choose heaven or hell. We must not deceive ourselves that we can obtain heaven while clinging to a slice of hell. As George MacDonald put it, “No, there is no escape. There is no heaven with a little hell in it—no plan to retain this or that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets. Out Satan must go, every hair and feather.”5
Notes
- All quotes of this scene are from: C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce (New York, NY: HarperOne, 2001)
- C.S. Lewis, “A Slip of the Tongue” in The Weight of Glory: And Other Addresses (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 192
- Lewis, The Great Divorce, 114
- Don Carson, The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Evangelical Exposition of John 14-17 (Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks 1980), 116
- Quoted in: Lewis, The Great Divorce, Intro Page
Further Reading
- On Sex Scenes: No Christian, That’s Called Pornography
- A Taste of My Fiction: The Dehumanizing Effect of Sexual Fantasy
- Hospitals Heal: Authenticity and Christian Virtue
Photo by Cosmin Gurau on Unsplash
Moore Thinking 
Leave a comment