"The Screwtape Letters" Book Study

Letter 2:

Definitions/ Things I want to clarify for myself: 
sojourn-  temporary stay

pictorial- of or expressed in pictures; illustrated
inveterate- having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change.
miser- a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible

1.  We do not see the Church as the mighty force that it is. We see only the building and people from our city.  The tempters use our own perception of others to make us feel either better or worse than others at church. If others are not "perfect" but we want to be "perfect" than why should we continue on?

2.  Examples:

There can be a person at church that is a hypocrite.  They have cheated on their wive/husband. They could have stole from the gas station or they don't tithe.  They aren't "Christian" enough. I therefore am "more Christian" than they are.

There can be a person that appears to be more than "Christian" than me.  I see these people with their "perfect" lives that I could NEVER have.  I see them with their hands raised high during worship. They are praising the Lord more than I ever could. (*This person could also be putting on a face to make it appear they are better than me.)

* This is a thought I have thought for myself a few times. That I don't have enough of the Holy Spirit to be "allowed" to raise my hands in worship.

                    I am suffering from the fear that I am never and will never be good enough for anyone. This disappointment is one thing I feel on a daily basis. I feel that no matter how hard I try I will never amount to anything.

3.  Screwtape doesn't want the patient to see that all of these around him are the current body of Christ. He wants the patient to only in vision the body of Christ as Biblical pictures and not those around him. Screwtape doesn't want the "patient" to question the preconceived images of the body of Christ they might have.

4.  Screwtape wants the patient to feel overwhelmed and give up. If the patient then feels overwhelmed/disappointed by the actual 'doing' of the Word, his side would then win out. However, if the patient continues to work and follow the Word then after they are accustomed to it then they are less likely to be tempted.

5.  If I, knowing I am a sinner, am a Christian, then how can those with vices truly also be Christian?  I often at time ignore that I am glutenous.  I over spend both time and money on things that should not be that important to me.