This week’s blog is a two-part question. Is Hell real and would a loving God allow someone to suffer there? The easy answer is Yes to both parts of the question. Understandably, this is not the popular answer in our secular society, and not even an answer the Christian community likes to deal with. Yet, it is a biblically sound and justified answer.
First, let’s look at what the Bible has to say about Hell to validate the reality of its existence. For this we will go to the person who spoke more of it than any other person, Jesus. We will start with Jesus’ warning about hell, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”[1] This is not the last time Jesus warns about hell, but He isn’t always so blatant with the term. Sometimes the reality of hell is delivered in His parables and other forms of His teachings (see Matt. 13:24-30,36-43, 47-50; 22:1-14; 25:14-46). Hell is described as a place of horror and utter torment, “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mt. 8:12).” This is not a place to be taken lightly, in Matthew 25:41,46 it is spoken of as a place of “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment.” Eternal meaning that the fire is unrelenting, the punishment everlasting, a perpetual state without end.
Continuing with our topic, a popular belief today is that God is Love, and that is very true. It is plainly stated in 1 John 4:8 that “anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is Love.” The other half of that belief is that since God is love He would not allow people to go to hell. That I must say is not sound theology and has no biblical basis. This way of thinking goes against what the Bible has to say about God’s holiness and justice. Deuteronomy 32:4 states, “The Rock [God], His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is He.”
So, if God is perfectly holy and perfect in justice, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. As pointed out by W. Grudem in his Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine, “God’s righteousness means that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is Himself the final standard of what is right.”[1] Therefore, if God demands a payment for sin then a payment must be made. The problem with most people today is they do not like to acknowledge the reality of sin but hiding from the truth does not make the truth any less real. Billy Graham said that, “Man doesn’t want to be judged and punished for sin. He ‘reconstructs’ God along the lines of tolerance, all-embracing love and universal goodwill.”[2] So, “man tries to remake God to conform to his own wishful thinking, so that he can make himself comfortable in his sins.”[3]
However, knowing that hell is real, and that God’s holiness and justice will not allow sin to go unpunished. The question remains, would a loving God allow someone to suffer in hell? I will give you the answer this way. In Genesis 3, the Fall of Man is witnessed, and sin enters the world. Even so, before it happened God had a plan in place to redeem man to Himself. Since that time, He has been showing people the way back to Him, warning them of the consequences of their sin and trying to steer them away from destruction. Yet, some do not heed His warnings or accept His deliverance. That deliverance was and is Jesus Christ. Yes, God will allow someone to suffer there in hell. But the people who go to hell, chose to go there by not accepting the salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Pat
[1] Grudem, Wayne A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004.
[2] https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/april-2010/the-justice-of-god/
[3] https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/april-2010/the-justice-of-god/
[1] All Bible quotations taken from the ESV, unless otherwise noted.