A Conversation with C. S. Lewis
Believing in God Is Not the Same as Believing God
The Gold Cord Fellowship
This devotional grew from a conversation with C. S. Lewis through the chapter “Horrid Red Things” in his book Miracles.
Lewis tells about a little girl who believed poison contained “horrid red things.” Her mental picture of poison was incorrect, but she understood the truth necessary for obedience: poison could make her sick or kill her, and she should not drink it.
If that child warned a man, “Do not drink that; my mother says it is poison,” he would be foolish to ignore the warning merely because the child did not understand the chemical nature of poison. Her picture was mistaken, but the warning was true.
Lewis’s illustration helps us distinguish between our mental pictures and the truth God has communicated. We do not have to comprehend everything God comprehends before we can understand what He requires of us. God has not given us His Word to deceive us. He has spoken so that we can believe Him, trust Him, and obey Him.
This brings us to the beginning of the human story.
The Fruit Was Not Called a Red Apple
Paintings and illustrations commonly portray the forbidden fruit as a red apple. Scripture does not identify the fruit as an apple, nor does it tell us its color.
That distinction matters.
The red apple is a human mental picture. It is not God’s Word. Like the little girl’s “horrid red things,” the picture can occupy our imagination without being part of the truth God revealed.
The biblical truth is much more important than the fruit’s appearance.
God commanded Adam:
“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.”
-Genesis 2:16–17
Adam did not need to understand every spiritual, physical, and eternal consequence of eating the fruit. He did not need to know how one act of disobedience would introduce sin and death into the human experience.
He needed to know who had spoken.
Adam believed in God. He knew that God existed. He heard God’s voice, received God’s provision, and lived in the garden God had prepared.
But when the decisive moment came, Adam did not believe God.
The fall did not occur because Adam stopped believing in God. It occurred because he stopped believing God.
From Adam to Edom
Generations later, another man stood before food and made a decision based upon his immediate appetite.
Esau returned from the field exhausted. Jacob was preparing a stew, and Esau said:
“Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.”
-Genesis 25:30
The Hebrew emphasizes the description: “that red, red.” Scripture then tells us, “Therefore his name was called Edom.” Esau had also been described at birth as red and covered with hair. Later Scripture explicitly identifies him with Edom: “Esau is Edom” (Genesis 36:8).
Adam and Edom are not identical Hebrew words, but they belong to a closely related Hebrew sound-and-word family. Scripture itself makes the connection between Esau, the red stew, and the name Edom.
The deeper connection, however, is not merely linguistic and not merely the color red.
It is the repeated spiritual pattern.
Adam stood before food and treated God’s command as less valuable than what appeared desirable.
Esau stood before food and treated his God-given birthright as less valuable than the satisfaction of his immediate hunger.
Esau said:
“Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?”
-Genesis 25:32
Esau was hungry, but he was not recorded as dying. His appetite spoke with the voice of an emergency. The immediate feeling became more authoritative than the lasting value of God’s gift.
He ate, drank, arose, and went his way.
Scripture then gives its judgment:
“Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
-Genesis 25:34
Adam exchanged obedience for forbidden food.
Esau exchanged his birthright for a single meal.
Both chose what was immediately before their eyes over what had been given by God.
The Automatic Mind Speaks
This is where the lesson connects with the automatic mind.
The automatic mind tells us:
“I need this now.”
“I cannot endure this.”
“My feelings prove that my conclusion is true.”
“What I see is more real than what God has said.”
“I know what will satisfy me.”
“This consequence will never happen.”
That voice can feel natural, immediate, and completely convincing. But a thought can feel true and still be false. A mental picture can seem real and still misrepresent reality. An appetite can present itself as a necessity while leading us to surrender something of immeasurably greater value.
Eve saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise. Esau saw the stew while exhausted and hungry. Edom later saw its mountain strongholds and concluded that no one could bring the nation down.
In every case, what seemed right was placed above what God had said.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
-Proverbs 14:12
Esau’s Choice Became Edom’s Character
The book of Obadiah moves from the man Esau to the nation Edom.
Edom trusted its elevated position among the rocks:
“The pride of your heart has deceived you.”
-Obadiah 3
Once again, perception became a substitute for truth. Edom looked at its position and believed itself secure. But God said:
“Though you ascend as high as the eagle,
And though you set your nest among the stars,
From there I will bring you down.”
-Obadiah 4
Edom’s sin did not end with pride. The nation committed violence against its brother Jacob. Edom stood aside while Jerusalem was attacked, rejoiced over Judah’s destruction, entered the city during its calamity, and helped prevent survivors from escaping.
The appetite of one man had become the character of a nation: seize what benefits self, despise the God-given relationship, and disregard the suffering of a brother.
The pattern that began with distrust in Eden continued through envy and murder when Cain rose against Abel. It appeared again when Esau despised his birthright, and it matured nationally when Edom committed violence against Jacob.
Humanity repeatedly chooses self-rule over God’s rule.
Isaiah Broadens the Picture
Isaiah also speaks of God’s judgment against Edom. In Isaiah 34, the announcement begins with the nations and then concentrates upon Edom. Edom stands within the larger judgment of proud human opposition to God.
In Isaiah 63, a victorious figure comes from Edom, having acted in judgment, and declares:
“I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
-Isaiah 63:1
Obadiah and Isaiah agree: human pride will not stand forever. Violence will not have the final word. Nations cannot secure themselves against God, and appearances cannot overturn what He has spoken.
Obadiah ends with the declaration:
“And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.”
-Obadiah 21
That is the answer to Eden, Esau, and Edom.
The kingdom does not belong to human appetite.
It does not belong to human pride.
It does not belong to our automatic thoughts.
It does not belong to the voice that tells us we know better than God.
The kingdom belongs to the Lord.
Christ Reverses the Pattern
The gold cord does not end with Adam’s failure or Edom’s judgment. It leads us to Jesus Christ.
Adam stood in a garden surrounded by food and disobeyed.
Jesus stood in a wilderness after fasting forty days and remained obedient.
The tempter appealed first to His hunger:
“If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
-Matthew 4:3
Jesus possessed the power to make bread. His hunger was real. Nevertheless, He refused to allow appetite to govern His relationship with the Father.
He answered:
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
-Matthew 4:4
Adam chose food over God’s Word.
Esau chose food over his birthright.
Jesus chose His Father’s Word over food.
That is the gold cord.
Where Adam disobeyed, Christ obeyed. Where Esau despised his inheritance, Christ remained faithful to the Father. Where Edom exalted itself, Christ humbled Himself. Where brother rose against brother, Christ gave His life to reconcile us to God and to one another.
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
-Romans 5:19
The answer to the first Adam is not merely a better-informed Adam. The answer is Jesus Christ—the last Adam—whose obedience restores what human disobedience destroyed.
Two Responses to the Word of God
Throughout Scripture, people are repeatedly confronted with the same decision. God speaks, another voice challenges what He has said, and the hearer must decide which voice to trust.
Some knew God existed but did not believe Him enough to obey. Their choices brought separation, loss, and destruction.
| Those Who Did Not Believe God | The Competing Voice | Their Response | The Consequence |
| Adam and Eve | The serpent said, “You will not surely die.” | They ate what God had forbidden. | Sin and death entered the human experience, and humanity was separated from God. |
| Cain | Anger, jealousy, and wounded pride | He rejected God’s warning and murdered Abel. | He became a fugitive and wanderer. |
| Lot’s wife | Attachment to the life she was leaving | She looked back after being told not to do so. | She became a pillar of salt. |
| Israel at Canaan | Fear of giants and fortified cities | The people refused to enter the land God had promised. | That generation died in the wilderness. |
| Achan | Desire for silver, gold, and clothing | He took what God had forbidden. | His sin brought judgment upon himself and trouble upon Israel. |
| King Saul | His own judgment and fear of the people | He replaced complete obedience with partial obedience. | God rejected him as king. |
| Esau | Immediate hunger | He traded his birthright for one meal. | He despised the inheritance God had given him. |
| Edom | Pride, security, and hatred toward Jacob | The nation trusted its strongholds and committed violence against its brother. | God announced Edom’s humiliation and judgment. |
| The rich young ruler | Trust in wealth | He walked away rather than surrender his possessions. | He departed sorrowfully from the One who offered life. |
| Judas | Greed and Satan’s influence | He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. | His choice ended in despair and destruction. |
Others heard God, believed what He said, and acted upon it. Their obedience did not purchase God’s grace. It demonstrated that they trusted the One who had spoken.
| Those Who Believed God | What God Said | Their Obedient Response | The Result |
| Noah | A flood was coming, and an ark must be built. | He prepared the ark according to God’s instructions. | He and his household were delivered through the water. |
| Abraham | Leave your country and go to the land I will show you. | He departed without knowing his destination. | He received the promise and became the father of a nation. |
| Joshua and Caleb | God would give Israel the land. | They trusted God rather than the size of the giants. | They entered the Promised Land. |
| Rahab | Judgment was coming upon Jericho. | She protected the spies and followed their instructions. | She and her household were delivered. |
| Naaman | Wash seven times in the Jordan. | He surrendered his pride and obeyed the simple command. | He was cleansed. |
| Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego | Worship belongs to God alone. | They refused to bow before the image. | God was with them in the fire and delivered them. |
| The apostles | “Follow Me.” | They left their former lives and followed Jesus. | They carried the gospel into the world. |
| The Ethiopian eunuch | Philip preached Jesus to him. | He believed and was baptized. | He went on his way rejoicing. |
| Saul of Tarsus | Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the Lord’s name. | He arose and was baptized. | The persecutor became a servant and witness of Christ. |
| Jesus Christ | The Son came to accomplish the Father’s will. | He humbled Himself and remained obedient to death. | Through His obedience, the way of reconciliation and life was opened. |
The difference was not whether these people had heard of God. The difference was whether they believed God enough to obey Him.
The Fork in the Road
Imagine walking down a road and arriving at a fork. A sign clearly identifies the road that leads home. Nevertheless, someone who wants to destroy travelers has turned another sign so that it points toward a road ending in death.
The traveler now faces two competing directions.
One sign represents what the rightful authority has said.
The other has been turned by a deceiver.
That is what happened in Eden.
God had clearly marked the road:
“Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.”
-Genesis 2:17
Satan attempted to redirect humanity:
“You will not surely die.”
-Genesis 3:4
God said that disobedience led to death. Satan contradicted God and presented death as the road to wisdom, freedom, and fulfillment.
The original sign had not failed. God’s command remained true. The serpent simply persuaded Eve to distrust the One who had placed it there.
Eve believed the sign-turner.
Adam followed her down the same road.
The separation of humanity from God began when human beings stopped believing God, accepted the deceiver’s direction, and acted upon the lie.
Returning to the Fork
When we take the wrong fork and later recognize our error, continuing forward will not bring us closer to the proper destination. Sincerity will not transform the wrong road into the right one. Walking faster will only carry us farther away.
We must stop.
We must turn around.
We must return to the place where we rejected the correct direction.
Then we must take the road marked by the rightful authority.
That is repentance.
Repentance is not merely feeling sorry that the road became difficult. It is not asking God to make the wrong road comfortable. It is recognizing that we believed the wrong voice, turning away from that direction, and returning to the authority of God.
The fall and the return mirror one another.
| The Road Away From God | The Road Back to God |
| God speaks. | God speaks through His Word. |
| Satan contradicts God. | The lie is exposed by the truth. |
| Humanity believes the deceiver. | Humanity rejects the deceiver. |
| Distrust produces disobedience. | Faith produces obedience. |
| Disobedience brings separation and death. | Christ provides reconciliation and life. |
| Humanity hides from God. | Humanity turns toward God. |
| Human beings attempt to cover themselves. | Human beings receive the covering God provides. |
| Self becomes the governing authority. | God is restored as the governing authority. |
We do not return to Eden physically, and we cannot erase what has already happened. But we must return to the spiritual fork where humanity made the wrong decision.
At that fork stands the question:
Will I believe God, or will I believe the voice that contradicts Him?
Adam heard God but followed another voice.
Christ heard the Father and remained obedient.
Adam’s disobedience opened the road to sin and death. Christ’s obedience opened the road of reconciliation and life.
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
-Romans 5:19
We return through Christ by making the choice Adam refused to make:
God has spoken. I believe Him. Because I believe Him, I will obey Him.
Warning the Other Travelers
Once we discover that the sign has been turned, we cannot quietly continue home while leaving other travelers headed toward destruction.
We must warn them.
We must point them back to the original sign.
We must tell them that the road which appears right does not lead where it promises:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
-Proverbs 14:12
This is where C. S. Lewis’s “horrid red things” return to the conversation.
The little girl did not understand the scientific nature of poison. Her mental picture was mistaken, but she understood the essential warning: Do not drink it; it can kill you.
A man would be foolish to drink the poison merely because the child could not explain its chemical composition.
In the same way, we do not have to understand everything God understands before we obey His warning. When God identifies something as deadly, faith does not drink from the glass in order to determine whether He is correct.
God is not the one who turned the sign.
Satan is the deceiver.
God is the One calling us back to the road of life.
We warn other travelers, not because we understand every mystery, but because we believe the One who knows where every road ends. This warning must never be based merely upon the name over a church door, a favorite preacher, an inherited tradition, or a theological system. Those voices must also be tested by the Word of God.
We tell them:
Do not believe the sign-turner.
Do not drink what God has called poison.
Do not trade your inheritance for what satisfies you momentarily.
Do not continue down a road simply because it seems right.
Turn around. Return to the fork. Read what God has written. Believe Him and take the road that leads home.
Who, Then, Is the Church of Christ?
The church of Christ is not made faithful merely by placing the right name on a building. It is Christ’s church only as it belongs to Christ, listens to Christ, and submits to Christ as Lord.
No person who truly believes God will knowingly place a church doctrine, theological system, human opinion, family tradition, or personal preference above God’s Word. When Scripture exposes a conflict, faith cannot choose the more comfortable teaching simply because obedience would be difficult.
This does not mean that faithful Christians will immediately understand every passage alike or that any of us has reached perfect understanding. It means that the final authority has already been settled. When my understanding and God’s Word disagree, I must be the one who changes.
That truth cannot be aimed only at other churches, other teachers, or other people. It must first search me.
How often have I claimed to believe God while choosing the interpretation that asked the least of me? How often have I protected what was familiar, comfortable, or traditional instead of surrendering to what God said? How often have I called partial obedience faithfulness?
How guilty am I? Lord, forgive me.
The question is not whether I can identify where someone else took the wrong fork. The question is whether I will turn around when God’s Word shows that I have taken it.
The Gold Cord
From Eden to Edom, from Edom to the cross, and from the cross to our own decision, the same gold cord runs through the biblical story:
God speaks.
Faith believes Him.
Trust obeys Him.
Obedience reveals faith.
God’s faithfulness confirms that trust.
That confirmation strengthens us for the next act of obedience.
Humanity left God by distrusting His Word and following the deceiver.
We return to God by rejecting the deceiver, believing God’s Word, and following His Son.
The final question is not merely:
“Do I believe in God?”
The final questions are:
Do I believe God?
Will I obey Him?
Will I permit His Word to correct my doctrines, traditions, opinions, and understanding?
Will I warn others that the sign has been turned?
Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
-John 14:6
The road home is marked.
The warning has been given.
The Father has spoken.
Now we must decide whom we believe.
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