CS Lewis on Being Good

There is a fine recording of CS Lewis (in person) on YouTube entitled: The Problem with Being Good!

It can be found here and below are some extracts from the talk:

The Christian life is simply a process of having your natural self changed into a Christ self. And that this process goes on very far inside. One’s most private wishes, one’s point of view are the things that have to be changed. That’s why unbelievers’ complaint with Christianity is that it is a selfish religion. “Isn’t it very selfish—even morbid—” they say, “to be always bothering about the inside of your own soul, instead of thinking of humanity?” ……

A crab apple tree can’t produce eating apples. As long as the old self is there, its taint will be over all we do. We try to be religious and become pharisees. We try to be kind and become patronizing. Social service ends in red tape and officialdom. Unselfishness becomes a form of showing off. I don’t mean, of course, that we should stop trying to be good; we’ve got to do the best we can…..

Out of ourselves and into Christ we must go. The change won’t, for most of us, happen suddenly. And I must admit that for most Christians it’ll only be beginning at the very end of our present lives….