Now we cannot..discover our failure to keep God's law except by trying our very hardest (and then failing). Unless we really try, whatever we say there will always be at the back of our minds the idea that if we try harder next time we shall succeed in being completely good. Thus, in one sense, the road back to God is a road of moral effort, of trying harder and harder. But in another sense it is not trying that is ever going tobring us home. All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, "You must do this. I can't. C.s. Lewis
About This Quote

The idea of moral effort is found in many Christian teachings. The idea is that there will be no salvation without it. When people go to church, they are told to pray and confess their sins. It is an outward expression of inward feelings, a way of looking for God within oneself.

Going to church should be a spiritual experience for people who want to get closer to God. However, the road back to God is a very different path from the one that leads to the church. The road back to God is a road without moral effort.

This path involves surrendering all control over one’s life and letting God take over. But even though this path involves giving up moral effort, it does not involve giving up on the person who wanted God so much to begin with.

Source: Mere Christianity

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