One of my favorite literary dialogues comes from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by
C.S. Lewis. During dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, Lucy, Susan, and
Peter are inquiring about Aslan, the lion who is rumored to be coming to
destroy the White Witch and end the eternal winter. Mr. Beaver shares an old
proverb about the coming of Aslan:
Wrong will be right
when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his
roar sorrows will be no more,
For when he bares his
teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his
mane, we shall have spring again.
This prompts Susan to ask, “Is he—quite safe?” Mrs. Beaver
answers: “If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees
knocking, they’re either braver than most or just plain silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?”
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe?
‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the king, I tell you.”
In this allegory Aslan is a picture of Jesus; just as we
have been awaiting the return of the Lord to defeat the evil one, the people of
Narnia were anticipating the coming of the lion they had never seen. Believing
that “Aslan is on the move,” the people were preparing for his appearing. I’ve
always appreciated Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s honest depiction of Aslan; yes, his
coming is a good thing, but no, he isn’t safe. He is a lion, after all. But
he’s good.
We would do well to learn to balance the attributes of God
the way Lewis’ beavers did. It seems the church has made an effort to market
God in the most palatable way, boasting of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness,
while ignoring God’s wrath, holiness, and justice. Like Paul, we need to
present “the goodness and severity of God (Romans 11:22).” Those who are His
children have no reason to fear, but God is severe to those who are rejecting
Him. Sinners need to know that it is still a terrible thing to fall into the
hands of a living God (Hebrews 10:31).
To the unsaved, there is nothing safe about God, but we can
rest assured that He is good. He is the King, I tell you. And if He is Lord of
your life there is nothing to fear. If He is not your Lord, I am begging you to
repent before it is too late.
