[I]t was admitted that the pain which alone could rouse the bad man to a knowledge that all was not well, might also lead to a final and unrepented rebellion. And it has been admitted throughout that man has free will and that all gifts to him are therefore two edged. From these premises it follows directly that the Divine labour to redeem the world cannot be certain of succeeding as regards every individual soul. Some will not be redeemed. There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of Our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason. If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it. If the happiness of a creature lies in self-surrender, no one can make that surrender but himself (though many can help him to make it) and he may refuse. I would pay any price to be able to say truthfully “All will be saved”. But my reason retorts, “Without their will, or with it?” If I say “Without their will” I at once perceive a contradiction; how can the supreme voluntary act of self-surrender be involuntary? If I say “With their will”, my reason replies “How if they will not give in?”
— C.S. Lewis
Cited from The Problem of Pain (New York: HarperCollins, 1996) 119-120
C. S. Lewis, in the chapter on Hell from The Problem of Pain, begins by acknowledging a hard truth: if human freedom is real, then even God’s rescuing work cannot guarantee the salvation of every individual, for the very gifts intended to awaken us—even painful ones—may instead provoke a final, unrepentant refusal. Though he would gladly erase the doctrine of Hell if he could, Lewis contends that both Scripture and reason insist that a creature whose joy depends on self-surrender must freely make that surrender—and may freely refuse. From this framework, Hell is not a failure of omnipotence but the sober result of God allowing free creatures to resist. The damned are “successful rebels,” locking the doors of Hell from within because they will not choose the first steps of self-abandonment that alone open the way to joy. God has already offered pardon, a fresh start, and miraculous help through Christ, yet some will not be forgiven because they refuse forgiveness itself; in the end, God grants them what they insist on—being left alone. For this reason, Lewis warns that the doctrine of Hell must be contemplated personally rather than projected onto others. In The Great Divorce, Lewis asserts the human story ultimately divides along a single line: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done”—for Hell exists only where the creature finally and decisively chooses it.
Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963) was an exceptional scholar, novelist, and Christian apologist from the Anglican tradition. Chronicles of Narnia serves as a fine example of Lewis as a prolific storyteller who captivated the imaginations of multitudes. A learned scholar with expertise in medieval and Renaissance literature, Lewis also authored numerous fiction and non-fiction works that touched on matters of philosophy and Christian apologetics.
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