Week 3: Chapter 2 — Divine Omnipotence

1.Lewis famously argues that omnipotence does not mean the ability to do the 'intrinsically impossible' — God cannot make a square circle, not because His power is limited, but because a square circle is not a thing at all. Do you find this distinction convincing? Does it feel like it lets God off the hook too easily?

2.He argues that a world of free creatures with solid, predictable matter — the very conditions needed for genuine human action and relationship — necessarily creates the possibility of suffering. A world without the potential for pain would be a world without the possibility of meaningful existence. Walk through his argument. Do you agree with each step?

3.Lewis uses the illustration that even God cannot give a creature the pleasure of victory without also giving it the possibility of defeat. How does this apply to broader goods — love, courage, patience — that require risk or resistance to exist at all?