But there is something else that bothers us. Deep down we sometimes wonder if the punishment really fits the crime. We have a hard time thinking of an eternity of anything. Sometimes we've even thought about an eternity of heaven and wondered whether we'll get bored. But to think of the worst possible physical, mental, emotional and spiritual anguish imaginable going on for hours and days and weeks and months and years and decades and centuries, with no breaks or rest or reprieve ever... In our humanness, we can't imagine anything that would warrant such supreme severity.
Yet this is what Scripture teaches us. So, to help us adjust our perspective from what makes sense in our man-centered society to what is actually true in the God-centered universe of reality, I want to put forth a few thoughts.
Beware of Being Nicer Than God
Many today are trying to downplay, soften, or even explain away the reality of Hell. For whatever reason, they are not giving God's judgment toward sinners a place of prominence (or a place at all) in their message to a lost world. They are trying to be nicer than God.
Have you ever seen this situation: a rebellious youth who has disrespected, disobeyed and dishonored his parents in pretty much every possible way finds a sympathetic ear with another adult who understands the hard time he's going through. He knows how unreasonable, harsh and unfair parents can be. Poor kid, let's go get some ice cream.
What has this fellow done? He may think he has tried to help a troubled young person, but in reality he has just condoned the sinfulness of the youth and dishonored the parents.
That is the role may are playing today in spiritual matters. They take the side of the one who is in rebellion toward God. They coddle his anger about God's "injustice". They downplay the severity of God's anger toward the sinner. What they are really saying is that God is an abusive, extreme, unreasonable tyrant and that they in fact know better than he does what is just and true and good.
He Must Increase, But I Must Decrease.
I was just talking to someone today about how our natural reaction is to feel uncomfortable with the idea of eternal punishment. My response was that whenever this feeling of unease starts to well up inside me I immediately have to warn myself that I am elevating the importance of people and lowering the importance of God.
The reason why most people end up walking away from key biblical doctrines is because they simply can no longer reconcile them with the human-centeredness that they have allowed to burgeon in their souls. If the highest measure of goodness and worth is the value of a human being, then God is a petty tyrant. How could a good God possibly throw the vast majority of people who have ever lived into Hell for ever?
The solution to this quandary is not to explain away what is hard to accept within the context of humanism, but to explain why humanism is wrong. If we labor to recover a correct view of humanity from a biblical context we will begin to see that the problem in understanding divine justice is why God would save ANY of the guilty, rather than sending EVERYONE to hell.
Every Transgression And Disobedience Received A Just Penalty
Sometimes people object to hell by saying, "How can it be just for God to punish a sinner with that level of torment FOREVER?! Wouldn't it be more reasonable to set a limited sentence for their limited crimes? Is it hell really a fair punishment for lying or stealing?
These kinds of statements reveal several misunderstandings about God and sin. First, all sin, of actions and of the heart, are at their core, rebellion toward, disbelief in, and hatred of God. Lying isn't ONLY lying; it is a rejection of the God of truth. Stealing isn't ONLY stealing; it is spitting in the face of the one who made all things and owns all things - including us.
Additionally, we all believe that some offenses are deserving of greater degrees of punishment than others. Sometimes the severity of the offense depends on the person who is sinned against. For example:
- If I lie to a complete stranger I may not get in trouble at all
- If I lie to my child they may call me on it, but they can't punish me too much
- If I lie to my wife I will get in a fight and have to sleep on the couch
- If I lie to my employer I will likely get fired
- If I lie to my country I will be labeled a traitor and will likely lose my life
The wrong action is the same, but the increasing levels of authority against whom I sin increases the level of the offense and thus the level of punishment. In our case even the smallest treason against God Most High warrants a punishment of the highest level.
Also, the suggestion that it is unjust of God to punish for an eternity an offense that was temporary just doesn't hold up. What defense attorney at a sentencing trial for his client who has been convicted of murder ever would make the argument that the duration of the prison sentence should be short because his client only spent a brief 5 minutes murdering his victim?
So, bringing this all together. Picture a person who committed the most heinous act imaginable against a small child. Now consider that this person violated several children several times a day, year after year for over 20 years. Now picture this person when he finally gets caught, not only failing to show remorse, but laughing and bragging about his exploits.
Even this horrific tale doesn't even begin to approach the stench of our sins before an infinitely holy God. A sinful person who does not perfectly love the Lord his God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength at all times, is a million million times worse than that child abuser, and he is offending at that level 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for his entire life.
When we begin to understand this, it makes hell make more sense, it makes the cross more astounding, and it makes grace more amazing!
Even this horrific tale doesn't even begin to approach the stench of our sins before an infinitely holy God. A sinful person who does not perfectly love the Lord his God with all his heart and soul and mind and strength at all times, is a million million times worse than that child abuser, and he is offending at that level 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, for his entire life.
When we begin to understand this, it makes hell make more sense, it makes the cross more astounding, and it makes grace more amazing!
