Chapter 7: Let’s Pretend

I. Two analogies to transformation
    A. Beauty and the Beast
    B. The Mask
II. The Lord’s Prayer
    A. We address “Our Father” as though we were the Son of God.
    B. We are not like the Son of God, but we are ordered to do so anyway.
    C. Two kinds of pretending
        1. The bad kind that is a deception.
        2. The good kind that leads to the real thing.
        3. The latter can make one better than one really is.
        4. Pretending or playing the role of the Son of God immediately stimulates changes.
        5. Conscience is not a reliable guide.
III. The reality of Christ beside us
    A. Christ works a transformation by placing his life within us.
    B. Christ works on us through our experience.
    C. Christ works on us through others, particularly the church.
    D. Seek the true Giver behind those others who give to you.
IV. Transformation
    A. The New Testament describes elements of transformation.
    B. Christ himself is carrying out this transformation.
    C. The transformation proceeds stepwise until one becomes a “little christ”.
V. Two observations
    A. We need to change not only in what we do but what we are.
        1. We have no control over our basic motives.
        2. Only God can bring about the changes we need.
    B. In the end, it is God who does everything.

Discussion Questions: (pp. 187-194)
    1. Can one’s conscience be improved? (p. 189)
    2. Find the places where the New Testament speaks of “being born again”, “putting on Christ”, Christ “being formed in us”, and “having the mind of Christ”. From the context, how are these saying what Lewis is describing? (p. 191)
    3. Must God do it all? (p. 193)