Day 15 of 28
The Three Parts of Morality
Inside, Between, and Above
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Micah 6:8: "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
Then read Matthew 22:37-40: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Reflection
Lewis opens Book III — "Christian Behaviour" — by mapping the territory of morality. Most people, he observes, think of morality only in terms of relationships between people: don't steal, don't lie, be fair. This is real and important, but it is only one-third of the picture.
"Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonising the things inside each individual. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole."
Lewis compares humanity to a fleet of ships sailing in formation. Three things must go right for the voyage to succeed. First, the ships must not crash into each other — social morality. Second, each ship must be seaworthy, with its own engines and steering in order — individual character. Third, the fleet must be heading somewhere — the purpose of human life.
Most moral debates focus exclusively on the first part: how we treat each other. But Lewis argues that you cannot have a good society without good individuals, because selfishness and dishonesty will corrupt any social system from the inside.
"You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society."
And you cannot address individual character without answering the big question: what are human beings for? Where is the fleet going? If there is no destination, there is no basis for saying one course is better than another.
Micah 6:8 beautifully captures all three dimensions: "do justice" (social morality), "love kindness" (inner character), and "walk humbly with your God" (ultimate purpose). Jesus's summary of the law in Matthew 22 does the same: love of neighbor addresses the first, love of God with all your heart and soul addresses the second and third.
Going Deeper
Lewis's three-part framework is enormously helpful for diagnosing blind spots. Some people are scrupulously fair to others but internally chaotic — anxious, lustful, resentful. Others are personally disciplined but indifferent to injustice. Still others care deeply about social causes and personal growth but have never asked what it is all for.
The Christian vision integrates all three. Today, ask yourself: which dimension of morality am I neglecting?
Key Quotes
“Morality, then, seems to be concerned with three things. Firstly, with fair play and harmony between individuals. Secondly, with what might be called tidying up or harmonising the things inside each individual. Thirdly, with the general purpose of human life as a whole.”
“You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society.”
Prayer Focus
Asking God to align all three dimensions of your moral life — your relationships, your inner character, and your ultimate purpose
Meditation
Which of the three parts of morality do you tend to focus on, and which do you neglect? Why?
Question for Discussion
Lewis says you cannot have a good society without good individuals, because selfishness corrupts any system from the inside. Do you agree, or can good structures compensate for flawed people? How does this shape the way your group thinks about social reform versus personal transformation?