The Problem of Pain

Lewis provides “six propositions” in this chapter, which he says are necessary to understanding suffering. The first is that there is a paradox in Christian belief: Scripture teaches that the poor are blessed, but we strive to eradicate poverty; in the same way, suffering is good for us, yet we do not embrace suffering. A person who does good to another person, Lewis explains, cooperates with God’s will, but a person who is cruel God uses as a tool to for his own purposes. A second proposition is that there will be no end to suffering until God sees that the world is redeemed, since suffering is necessary for redemption,.

The third proposition is that the “surrender” God calls Christians to make applies only to God, not to political entities. The fourth is that God scatters joy, fun, and happiness throughout our lives, but we should not mistake these for our ultimate end goal, which is alignment with God. The fifth proposition is that suffering is not compounded by the number of people suffering. As Lewis writes, “There is no such thing as a sum of suffering, for no one suffers it” (73). The sixth and final proposition is that pain is “sterile,” in that once it has ended, it is over.