Yet, that is the God that the Bible consistently presents; for example, “He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41, emphasis mine).
Eternal, Conscious Punishment
This doctrine is known as Eternal, Conscious Punishment and while it initially seems emotionally unpalatable, it is exactly what we would expect from a God who is utterly perfect and infinitely holy. Let’s think of two reasons why this must be the case:
1. Sin is infinitely serious
A common objection to the perceived unfairness of Eternal, Conscious Punishment is that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Even if we consistently sin for our whole lives, how is it that eighty or ninety years of sinning results in an eternity of punishment?
The punishment must fit the crime
However, this not a helpful way to think, because punishment is never determined by the length of time taken to commit a crime.
Think about a murder – how long does it take to commit a murder? It could be as little as fifteen or twenty seconds. Should the murderer then be punished for fifteen or twenty seconds? Of course not! The punishment is not determined by the length of time taken to commit the crime, but by how serious the crime is.
What have we done?
We may not consider our actions to be infinitely serious but that’s not the point. Our assessment of ourselves is neither here nor there. The seriousness of our sin is not so much about what we have done, but against whom we have done it.
Consider a thought experiment – what happens if you throw a rock at a car? Well, it all depends. If you throw a rock at a wrecked car, probably nothing will happen. If you throw a rock at a low-value, secondhand car, you could be in quite a bit of trouble. But if you throw a rock at a brand new Ferrari, you’re going to experience dire consequences.
The severity of the crime is determined by the “object” sinned against. That is why our sins carry an infinite penalty – they are committed against an infinitely great being. Every wrong thing we have done is against a God who is totally and absolutely holy.
So, in relation to hell, Jesus said “you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny” (Matthew 5:26). The reality we have to come to terms with is that we can never repay – we are bankrupt sinners, with nothing to offer God.
But the glory of the gospel is that God in Christ, an infinite person, paid the infinite price for sin – “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2:5,6).
2. We are infinitely rebellious
We often have the idea that people in hell long to escape their punishment and would do anything they could to be in heaven. But there’s nothing in the Bible that would suggest that’s the case – quite the opposite.
Refusing repentance
In Luke chapter 16, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who is in hell. Even though he is clearly suffering tremendously, there is no reason to think he has changed.
In fact, it seems he didn’t to want to leave hell, because he never asked for deliverance. Instead, he asked for someone to come to him, with their finger dipped in water to cool his tongue – he still wanted to be served! He wanted hell to be changed, but he did not want to be changed.
Although he seemed to have some concern for his brothers, instead of repenting himself, he complained – there was no apology, no admission of guilt. He remained stubborn in his refusal to accept God’s verdict or God’s justice.
Despising deliverance
A similar example is found in Genesis chapter 19, where the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is recorded. These two ancient cities were punished by God for their wickedness, but there was one family God chose to deliver – Lot, his wife and their daughters.
They escaped from the city before the judgement fell but, as they fled, Lot’s wife looked back longingly. She wanted to be in the city, even though it was under the judgement of God, so she was turned into a pillar of salt. She loved the sinful city that was under the judgement of God, and despised the God who provided salvation from the judgement.
God gives us what we want
If we want an existence without God, then we will get exactly that – eternity removed from the presence of God and the blessings that come with it. All good things are essentially linked to God; we cannot have them without Him.
Heaven is heaven because God is there and His will is perfectly observed – do you want to be in such a place? It is foolish to think that if we do not love God down here on earth, we will start loving Him up there in heaven. If we will not turn to Him now, we will not turn to Him for all of eternity.
But now is a day of grace, now is a day of salvation (see 2 Corinthians 6:2). There is hope for you.
Turn to Jesus and escape God’s righteous judgement before it is too late.
