The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Divine Goodness
Read Chapter 3 of The Problem of Pain. Key biblical background: 1 John 4:8–10; Hosea 11:1–9; John 15:9–13.
This is perhaps the most philosophically demanding — and most pastorally transformative — chapter in the book. Lewis argues that our popular notion of divine 'kindness' is not the same thing as divine love, and that confusing the two is at the root of much theological confusion about pain.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Lewis distinguishes between 'kindness' and 'love.' He says a merely kind God would be 'a senile benevolence' who just wants us to have a good time. What does Lewis say real love looks like — for God and even for humans who love well?
2.He uses the analogy of a father who wants his child to be good, not just happy — and the analogy of a man falling in love, who cannot be content with less than the beloved's full transformation. Which of these analogies do you find more illuminating? Which feels more challenging?
3.Lewis writes that 'love, in its own nature, demands the perfecting of the beloved.' If this is true, what does it say about a God who would leave us comfortable in our mediocrity? How does this reframe suffering as potentially an act of love rather than its absence?
a.Can you think of a time when someone who loved you refused to let you settle for something less than you were capable of? What did that feel like in the moment versus in retrospect?
b.How does the cross fit into this picture of love that demands the perfecting of the beloved?
Closing Prayer
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