The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
Week 8: Chapter 7 — Human Pain, Continued
Read Chapter 7 of The Problem of Pain. Key biblical background: Romans 5:3–5; 1 Peter 4:12–19; Philippians 3:10–11.
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Lewis continues his treatment of human pain, pressing into some of its harder edges — including the danger of a 'martyr complex,' the relationship between pain and character, and the thorny question of whether some suffering is simply too great to be redemptive.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Lewis addresses the objection that his argument seems to make suffering always good — a conclusion that would be both untrue and morally monstrous. How does he guard against this? What does he say about the danger of seeking out or glamorizing suffering?
2.He introduces the idea that there is a kind of suffering that is 'too great' — that overwhelms rather than purifies, crushes rather than transforms. How does Lewis address this, and do you find his response adequate?
3.Lewis distinguishes between the suffering that comes from outside us (affliction) and the 'daily dying' that Paul speaks of — the ongoing spiritual discipline of self-denial. How do these two forms of suffering relate to each other in the Christian life?
a.Lewis suggests that bearing unavoidable suffering rightly is a form of this daily dying. What does 'bearing it rightly' look like, in concrete terms, versus bearing it badly?
b.How does the language of Philippians 3:10 — 'the fellowship of his sufferings' — reframe what it means to suffer as a Christian?
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