Book III: Chapter 7 Forgiveness Summary and Analysis

Forgiveness might be more unpopular than chastity, Lewis begins, because it means loving our neighbors, whether they are good or bad, as we love ourselves. How do we love ourselves, and can that sort of love be extended to others? Christians can do this, but it is not easy, Lewis says. He considers how a Polish or a Jewish person could ever forgive the Gestapo of World War II and concludes this would be asking too much. Christians need to practice forgiveness at an easier level first, the everyday transgressions one meets. As with other virtues, gaining strength for their practice comes from exercising the virtued on a smaller scale until enough strength is gained to handle the larger challenges.

A phrase sometimes heard today is, "hate the sin but love the sinner." Lewis ponders...