Textbook: The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis
Acts 4:32-37, “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.”
The Screwtape Letters is a collection of fictional letters from a made-up demon named Screwtape. Each letter sees him teach his nephew Wormwood various tactics for use against a Christian they call “the patient.”
When studying this book, it is crucial to remember that it is satirical and fictional. Its author, C. S. Lewis, advises us, “not everything that Screwtape says should be assumed to be true even from his own angle.” The book’s purpose is not to explain how demons communicate with one another, nor to be an authoritative source on doctrines such as eternal security. Rather, its purpose is to provide deep insights into the various temptations and tactics demons use against believers. This is a worthwhile study, for 2 Corinthians 2:11 says, “So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” Furthermore, Ephesians 6:11 calls us to, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” Thus, our goal in studying The Screwtape Letters is to learn how to recognize and resist demonic attacks by tying its content to the Bible’s teachings.
“Yes; courtship is the time for sowing those seeds which will grow up ten years later into domestic hatred. The enchantment of unsatisfied desire produces results which the humans can be made to mistake for the results of charity. Avail yourself of the ambiguity in the word “Love”: let them think they have solved by Love problems they have in fact only waived or postponed under the influence of the enchantment. While it lasts you have your chance to foment the problems in secret and render them chronic.
“The grand problem is that of “unselfishness”. Note, once again, the admirable work of our Philological Arm in substituting the negative unselfishness for the Enemy's positive Charity. Thanks to this you can, from the very outset, teach a man to surrender benefits not that others may be happy in having them but that he may be unselfish in forgoing them. That is a great point gained. Another great help, where the parties concerned are male and female, is the divergence of view about Unselfishness which we have built up between the sexes. A woman means by Unselfishness chiefly taking trouble for others; a man means not giving trouble to others. As a result, a woman who is quite far gone in the Enemy's service will make a nuisance of herself on a larger scale than any man except those whom Our Father has dominated completely; and, conversely, a man will live long in the Enemy's camp before he undertakes as much spontaneous work to please others as a quite ordinary woman may do every day. Thus while the woman thinks of doing good offices and the man of respecting other people's rights, each sex, without any obvious unreason, can and does regard the other as radically selfish.” (Lewis)
Screwtape’s dialogue here points out the difference between our flesh’s superficial attempts at unselfish behavior and God-given charity through the Holy Spirit’s leading and power. Specifically, the former cannot honor God because it is done with ulterior motives to glorify and build ourselves up in the flesh. Furthermore, such behavior is not performed through God-consciousness to seek His glory and others’ benefit, but through self-consciousness to prioritize our ego, reputation, and feelings. As Screwtape notes, fleshly unselfishness (which us ultimately selfish) is immensely damaging to marriages, for it secretly builds up an increasing resentment between the man and woman. Furthermore, as Romans 8:7-8 warn, such behavior breaks our fellowship with the Lord and hinders our ability to serve Him, “For the mind that is set on the flesh [its desires, agendas, pride, etc.; the self-conscious mind] is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
Like love, true selflessness cannot be produced by our sinful human nature. Just as eros (or romantic) love is a temporary, pleasure-seeking feeling that falters amid boredom, dissatisfaction, and problems, fleshly unselfishness likewise seeks its own gain and fades when it threatens our convenience, pride, or possessions. Conversely, true love and selflessness can only come from Christ’s life in us, whose agape love is unconditional, bears all things, and lays down the self-life's agendas (1 Cor. 13:5, 7-8). This is the love we share with others when we cease striving in our own efforts to be selfless and instead walk by the Spirit in submission to Him (Gal. 5:16). This submission allows God’s perfect love to freely flow from our hearts to others, producing genuine selflessness that truly cares about others’ interests (Phi. 2:4), surrenders selfish ambitions (Phi. 2:3), and helps others with no expectation of reciprocation (Luk. 6:35). Thus, recognizing the distinction between godly charity and fleshly unselfishness is critical to obeying and pleasing God by genuinely serving others without selfish motives.
“On top of these confusions you can now introduce a few more. The erotic enchantment produces a mutual complaisance in which each is really pleased to give in to the wishes of the other. They also know that the Enemy demands of them a degree of charity which, if attained, would result in similar actions. You must make them establish as a Law for their whole married life that degree of mutual self-sacrifice which is at present sprouting naturally out of the enchantment, but which, when the enchantment dies away, they will not have charity enough to enable them to perform. They will not see the trap, since they are under the double blindness of mistaking sexual excitement for charity and of thinking that the excitement will last.
“When once a sort of official, legal, or nominal Unselfishness has been established as a rule — a rule for the keeping of which their emotional resources have died away and their spiritual resources have not yet grown — the most delightful results follow. In discussing any joint action, it becomes obligatory that A should argue in favour of B's supposed wishes and against his own, while B does the opposite. It is often impossible to find out either party's real wishes; with luck, they end by doing something that neither wants, while each feels a glow of self-righteousness and harbours a secret claim to preferential treatment for the unselfishness shown and a secret grudge against the other for the ease with which the sacrifice has been accepted.” (Lewis)
The dialogue here showcases the futility of striving in our flesh to be charitable and loving. Of note is the emphasis on establishing a law that enforces unselfishness between the patient and his girlfriend. As Screwtape rightfully notes, this will only set the couple up for failure because such a law is established not in God’s agape love, but the fleeting emotions of romantic love. Furthermore, as mentioned before, such attempts at selflessness are done in the flesh, rendering this effort impossible to attain for as multiple verses explain, the flesh is incapable of exhibiting true godly behavior:
As Scripture reveals, this total, irreversible corruption our flesh was cursed with since the Fall makes it impossible for us to save ourselves through God’s Law. As Romans 3:20 states, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Furthermore, Galatians 2:16 states, “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Because the same flesh failed to save us through the Law, it is equally powerless to help us live in obedience to God and exhibit true selflessness towards others. Thus, true compassion and selflessness cannot come through laws and striving in the flesh, but solely through submission to the Holy Spirit’s power and leading, as Ezekiel 36:27 states, “And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
“Later on you can venture on what may be called the Generous Conflict Illusion. This game is best played with more than two players, in a family with grown-up children for example. Something quite trivial, like having tea in the garden, is proposed. One member takes care to make it quite clear (though not in so many words) that he would rather not but is, of course, prepared to do so out of “Unselfishness”. The others instantly withdraw their proposal, ostensibly through their “Unselfishness”, but really because they don't want to be used as a sort of lay figure on which the first speaker practices petty altruisms. But he is not going to be done out of his debauch of Unselfishness either. He insists on doing “what the others want”. They insist on doing what he wants. Passions are roused. Soon someone is saying “Very well then, I won't have any tea at all!”, and a real quarrel ensues with bitter resentment on both sides. You see how it is done? If each side had been frankly contending for its own real wish, they would all have kept within the bounds of reason and courtesy; but just because the contention is reversed and each side is fighting the other side's battle, all the bitterness which really flows from thwarted self-righteousness and obstinacy and the accumulated grudges of the last ten years is concealed from them by the nominal or official “Unselfishness” of what they are doing or, at least, held to be excused by it. Each side is, indeed, quite alive to the cheap quality of the adversary's Unselfishness and of the false position into which he is trying to force them; but each manages to feel blameless and ill-used itself, with no more dishonesty than comes natural to a human.
“A sensible human once said, “If people knew how much ill-feeling Unselfishness occasions, it would not be so often recommended from the pulpit”; and again, “She's the sort of woman who lives for others — you can always tell the others by their hunted expression”. All this can be begun even in the period of courtship. A little real selfishness on your patient's part is often of less value in the long run, for securing his soul, than the first beginnings of that elaborate and self-consciousness unselfishness which may one day blossom into the sort of thing I have described. Some degree of mutual falseness, some surprise that the girl does not always notice just how Unselfish he is being, can be smuggled in already. Cherish these things, and, above all, don't let the young fools notice them. If they notice them they will be on the road to discovering that “love” is not enough, that charity is needed and not yet achieved and that no external law can supply its place. I wish Slumtrimpet could do something about undermining that young woman's sense of the ridiculous.” (Lewis)
Of note, Romans 12:10 calls us to “outdo one another in showing honor.” However, what Screwtape’s dialogue showcases is an abuse of superficial unselfishness to generate feelings of self-righteousness and pride. This superficially unselfish behavior of insisting others’ wishes being fulfilled does not come from the brotherly (philia) love called for alongside the command in Romans 12:10. Instead, it is produced by dishonest statements and selfish agendas. As Screwtape notes, the arguments and self-righteous behavior these “generous conflicts” cause would be avoided if all parties involved would honestly discuss their desires in genuine charity based on God’s love for their brethren.
Furthermore, the dishonesty, pride, and self-righteousness behind fleshly showings of superficial unselfishness are greatly displeasing to God. An extreme example of this is recorded in Acts 5, where Ananias and Sapphira sold their land to give money to the Apostles as others had done in the previous chapter. However, the couple, unlike the others, only gave part of their earnings while acting as if they gave them all. In verse 3, Peter called out the dishonesty behind this seemingly selfless act, noting that the couple sinned by lying to the Holy Spirit. The result of their sin was immediate death.
Ensuring our behavior is genuinely honest, humble, and selfless requires living in obedience to Scripture through a surrendered self-life and continual submission to the Holy Spirit. For example, we should avoid being dishonest about our plans and desires, for Colossians 3:9 states, “Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.” Also, we should not try to exalt ourselves with self-seeking displays of fleshly unselfishness, for James 4:10 states, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” Finally, to exhibit true selflessness, we must, through the Holy Spirit renewing our minds and will, obey Ephesians 5:1-2, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Thus, to live in a manner that pleases the Lord, leads the unsaved to Him, and blesses our brethren, it is critical to eschew the dishonesty, pride, and self-centeredness of superficially unselfish acts by exhibiting godly behavior through the Holy Spirit’s power and the Father’s agape love.
Both Screwtape’s dialogue and Ananias and Sapphira’s dishonest behavior demonstrate the flesh’s total depravity and complete inability to be truly selfless. Apart from God’s agape love and the Holy Spirit’s power, our best attempts at unselfishness are merely guises to advance our selfish agendas, build up our pride, or feel more righteous than others. True selflessness will only be possible when we deny our self-life, live in application of its co-crucifixion with Christ, and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power to obey Him. This life alone will please God, build strong marriages, and lead the lost to Christ for salvation.
Reference:
Lewis, C. S. The Screwtape Letters. Self-published, 2025.
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