Ecclesiastes 3:1-22
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Solomon, in his profound exploration of our life's journey on earth in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, reminds us that "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."...He meticulously lays out the contrasting cycles of human existence – times for birth and death, planting and uprooting, joy and sorrow...We see this great complexity in life and its ways and means...Within this intricate tapestry of earthly experiences, Solomon grapples with the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, a quest that resonates with C.S. Lewis's own intellectual journey...
So for me, believing in God and Creation takes some deep thought...Lewis, facing the apparent meaninglessness that atheism presented, found it "too simple," suggesting that our very capacity to discern and question meaning points to a deeper reality. Just as Solomon sought understanding within the cyclical nature of life, Lewis sought it in the fundamental structure of existence itself, a search that ultimately led him to recognize the crucial role of both reason and the heart in embracing faith...So, to me, C.S. Lewis's assertion that "Atheism turns out to be too simple...If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning" is not only interesting, but a profound and characteristically logical argument that played a significant role in his own intellectual journey away from atheism and towards theism...To understand why he made this statement and what contributed to his change of heart, one needs to delve into the philosophical underpinnings of his critique and the personal experiences that shaped his conversion...
Lewis, in his early years, was indeed a staunch atheist...His conversion to Christianity was a gradual and intellectual process, heavily influenced by his friendships with other Oxford intellectuals, most notably those within the informal literary group known as the Inklings, including J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson, as well as his own rigorous engagement with philosophy and literature...Lewis was a voracious reader...His statement about atheism being "too simple" stems from a deep dissatisfaction with its explanatory power, particularly concerning the very human capacity to recognize and critique the concept of meaninglessness itself...
His core argument rests on the idea that the act of identifying the universe as meaningless presupposes a framework of reason and a capacity for Objective Truth...If the universe were truly devoid of any inherent meaning or purpose, then our cognitive faculties, being mere products of a blind, mechanistic process, would have no reliable basis for discerning Truth from falsehood, or meaning from meaninglessness...Our thoughts, in an entirely materialistic and meaningless universe, would be nothing more than random firings of neurons, devoid of any genuine semantic content or ability to grasp objective reality...C.S. Lewis echoed this idea, describing "faith" as "the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods."...Just as Solomon in Ecclesiastes reflected on the fleeting nature of human wisdom and endeavor, recognizing that while he declared "all is vanity" in earthly pursuits, true meaning is ultimately found in fearing God and keeping His commands, so too does Lewis suggest that intellectual assent alone is insufficient for a steadfast faith...This idea of "holding on" despite shifting emotions aligns powerfully with Jesus' emphasis on the heart as the seat of true faith and love for God...It's not just the mind that believes, but the heart that anchors us to God's Truth and fuels our love for Him and others...Our ever-shifting emotions and the transient nature of earthly understanding require a deeper commitment of the heart to hold firmly to the truths our reason has discerned...
Therefore, the very statement "the universe has no meaning" becomes self-refuting...Even though Solomon says meaningless, meaningless in Ecclesiastes...If our ability to reason and arrive at such a conclusion is merely a chance byproduct of a meaningless cosmos, then the conclusion itself holds no inherent validity or authority...Why should we trust the pronouncements of a mind that evolved in a purposeless universe to accurately assess the universe's purposefulness?...The ability to even formulate and debate the concept of meaninglessness implies a level of cognitive sophistication that seems incongruous with a purely reductionist and accidental view of existence...
Let us look at how Jesus spoke about the heart and how it affects our faith...Jesus emphasizes that what comes from the heart defiles a person (Matthew 15:18-20)...This includes not only evil thoughts but also, by implication, the foundation of our beliefs and our orientation towards God...Faith, in Jesus' teaching, isn't just intellectual assent but a deep conviction and trust rooted in the heart...Lewis's argument can be seen as a way of clearing intellectual obstacles that might prevent the heart from embracing faith...By showing the limitations of a purely materialistic worldview to even trust the heart's own reasoning, he opens the door for considering a reality where meaning and purpose can exist...Reason, in this sense, can prepare the mind to be more receptive to the Truths that resonate with the heart...
Jesus was constantly talking about the heart's importance in faith...He makes it unequivocally clear that defilement comes from within the heart – evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander all originate there...This reinforces the idea that the heart is the wellspring of our actions and beliefs, highlighting its profound influence on our lives and our faith...In the Beatitudes, Jesus says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."...This links a specific quality of the heart – purity – with the ultimate goal of seeing God...It suggests that a heart cleansed and devoted to God is essential for a genuine relationship with Him and for spiritual insight...The Heart is the location of our love (Matthew 22:37-40): When asked about the Greatest Commandment, Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'...This is the first and Greatest Commandment...And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'..." Here, the heart is identified as the primary place from which our love for God should flow...It's not just intellectual assent or outward actions, but a deep, heartfelt devotion...In Matthew 12:34-35 & Luke 6:45 we learn that Jesus teaches "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."...Our words are an overflow of what's within us...A good person brings forth good from the good stored up in their heart, and an evil person brings forth evil from the evil stored up in their heart...This emphasizes the connection between our inner state and our outward expression, including our profession of faith...In Mark 6:52 & Mark 16:14 we learn that on multiple occasions, Jesus expresses disappointment or frustration with the disciples' "hardness of heart," which hindered their ability to understand His miracles and believe in His resurrection...This shows that a closed or resistant heart can prevent even those who witness powerful evidence from embracing faith...
While Lewis used reason to dismantle some arguments against theism, he also recognized that true, lasting faith involves more than just intellectual agreement...It also takes the heart...Lewis saw faith as "holding on" despite changing moods – a commitment of the will and affections, which reside in what the Bible often refers to as the "heart."...Lewis's point about our inherent ability to seek meaning aligns with the biblical idea that God has put eternity in the human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11)...This inherent longing isn't just a product of random chance; it suggests a deeper design...Jesus speaks to this longing by offering living water that truly satisfies (John 4:13-14), appealing to a deeper, heart-level need for connection with God and meaning in life...
Lewis found that atheism, in its attempt to provide a comprehensive explanation of reality, ironically undermined the very tools we use to arrive at that explanation...It offered a worldview that, when consistently applied, eroded the foundations of reason, logic, and Objective Truth – the very foundations upon which the assertion of meaninglessness must stand...He saw this as a fundamental flaw, a simplicity that failed to account for the complexity and inherent intelligibility of the universe and our capacity to understand it...
Lewis in going from atheist to believing in God was influenced by several factors...Firstly, his engagement with literature, particularly myths and legends, sparked a recognition of universal themes and longings within the human experience – a "Divine discontent" that seemed to point towards a transcendent reality...He found in these stories echoes of a deeper truth, a "myth that is also fact," as he later described Christianity...
Secondly, his friendships with Tolkien and Dyson provided intellectual and emotional support for his journey towards theism...Their rational arguments for the existence of God and the coherence of Christianity challenged his atheistic assumptions and presented a compelling alternative worldview...The famous "Great Knock" conversation with them, where they argued for Christianity as the true myth that had historically occurred, was a pivotal moment...
Thirdly, Lewis's own rigorous philosophical inquiry led him to grapple with the problem of objective morality...He recognized a universal sense of right and wrong, a "Moral Law" that seemed to be inherent in human nature and could not be adequately explained by mere evolutionary pressures or social conditioning...This Moral Law, he argued, pointed towards a Moral Lawgiver, a Transcendent Source of Moral Truth...Lewis saw God as this Great Transcendent of Moral Truth...
In conclusion, Lewis found atheism "too simple" because it failed to provide a coherent account of our ability to even discover its supposed Truth...The very act of reasoning about meaninglessness presupposes a framework of reason and a capacity for Objective Truth that seems inexplicable within a purely meaningless universe...His conversion was a result of a confluence of factors, including his love for literature, the intellectual companionship of his friends, and his own philosophical wrestling with the nature of meaning, morality, and the inherent longings of the human heart...He came to believe that the complexity, intelligibility, and moral fabric of the universe pointed towards a reality far richer and more meaningful than atheism could account for...