The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
Week 11: Chapter 10 — Heaven
Read Chapter 10 of The Problem of Pain. Key biblical background: Revelation 21–22; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 2 Corinthians 4:17–18; John 17:22–24
Previewing Week 11 of The Problem of Pain
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
Lewis concludes the book not with a resolution of every problem but with an eschatological vision: the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with what lies ahead. This final chapter asks you to widen your frame of reference to eternity.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Lewis opens the chapter by noting that if Christianity is true, then our present life is almost a 'preface' — that the real story is yet to begin. How does this eschatological perspective function as a response to pain? Is it evasion or genuine consolation?
2.He introduces the idea that each human soul has a unique, individual relationship with God — a 'secret name' (alluding to Revelation 2:17) that no one else knows, representing a joy and a knowledge of God that is particular to each person. How does this idea enrich your understanding of what heaven is?
a.Lewis says that 'your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone.' How does this compare to popular images of heaven as a generic bliss?
b.If each soul's relationship with God is unique, what does that say about the irreplaceable value of each human person — including those who suffer?
3.Lewis argues that the deep human longing for joy — the experience he elsewhere calls 'Sehnsucht' or Joy, a longing for something that is never quite satisfied by earthly things — is itself evidence that we were made for heaven. How does this argument from longing connect to the problem of pain? If we ache for something we cannot reach here, what does that ache mean?