Eternal Damnation & Divine Love
The doctrine of hell is an integral part of the Christian faith. However, the intimidating nature of this topic often leads to a fearful perspective, resulting in fear-based obedience by church members and rejection of Christianity by unbelievers. To those outside the church, it seems inconceivable that the concept of eternal damnation is reconcilable with the loving God of the Bible. As Christians, we cannot afford to shy away from this topic. Instead, we should prepare to enter discussions with sound reasoning based on biblical evidence. It is the responsibility of the church to communicate the truth of God’s Word so that all may come to have fellowship with the Creator of the universe. Although the concept of hell may seem incompatible with the idea of a loving and benevolent God, this paper argues that it is the ultimate consequence of human free will and choice. The existence of hell, an eternal state for those who reject God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ, reinforces the idea that genuine love can only emerge through the volitional exercise of free will.
Biblical Evidence for Hell
When discussing biblical evidence concerning hell, it is crucial to note that although there is majority agreement on the existence of hell, different theological viewpoints exist concerning hell’s nature. This paper presents arguments from the traditional viewpoint of hell, also described as eternal conscious torment (ECT). According to Robert Peterson, a case for ECT is evident in at least ten specific texts of Scripture: Isaiah 66:22-24; Daniel 12:2-3; Matthew 18:6-9; 25:31-46; Mark 9:42-48; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Jude 7,13; Revelation 14:9-11; 20:10, 14-15.(1) Within each of these passages, are the repeated key components of final separation, unending experience, and just retribution.(2) The prophecy at the end of Isaiah speaks to God’s promise to create the new heavens and earth. The continuous existence (‘âmad) of the wonderful destiny reserved for the faithful, is contrasted with the worm and fire reserved for those who choose to rebel against God. Readers of this prophecy face the reality of the inseparability of salvation and judgment.(3) Similarly, in Daniel 12, we find another comparison of fates, both described as eternal (ʿôlâm) and ceaseless. Both references in Matthew show Jesus speaking about hell, with His reference to Gehenna in chapter 18 and the eternal (aiōniŏs) fire in chapter 25. It is important to note in 25:41 that the eternal fire is “prepared for the devil and his angels,” not for human beings. The opportunity for repentance given to humanity exemplifies God’s love and desire that none should join the demons in this fire. Unfortunately, some will freely choose to reject Christ and face the punishment of hell.(4)
Jesus gives another warning in Mark 9, speaking once again of Gehenna and directly referencing the description from the previously mentioned prophecy in Isaiah 66. Here and in Mark, Gehenna is a transliteration of two words describing the valley of Hinnom, a site of idolatry and child sacrifice understood as a symbol for hell.(5) Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians speaks to the justness of God and His execution of final judgment. The judgment of God serves to “repay afflictors with affliction and give rest to the afflicted.”(6) Paul presents an image of a merciful and just God, our God who cannot simply let evil actions go unpunished. Jude 7 and 13 speak again to the eternal fire and darkness that awaits those who choose rebellion. The concept of darkness is also referenced in 2 Peter 2:17, speaking of the reserved “gloom of darkness” that describes the eternal fate of those in hell. The final references in Revelation speak to the lake of fire and the second death experienced by those who follow the devil, beast, and false prophet. The torment described in these passages lasts “day and night forever and ever.”
God’s Love
After examining the biblical references regarding the eternal nature of hell, we must now define God’s love before attempting to reconcile the two. A perfect definition arises from one of the most popular and familiar bible verses of all time, John 3:16. In a conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus speaks of the core tenet of the Christian faith: God’s breathtaking love displayed by Christ’s death on the cross. Too often, Christians overlook this verse, seeing it only as part of the ABCs of Christianity, a concept “to move beyond in order to drink from deep wells.”(7) However, such a dismissive attitude fails to recognize the gravity of the agape love in John’s gospel. God’s love is not limited to a select race, nation, or people; His love is for the entirety of the world (kosmos). The incalculable cost of salvation and the implications of that cost in our lives expresses the “self-giving nature” of God and his intention that all should be able to have fellowship with Him in eternal life.(8) The second half of this verse further elaborates that this eternal life is available to those who “believe in Him.” Here, we see the free will component of salvation, the need for each individual to consciously choose to accept Christ as their Savior. God could have easily created humanity as “preprogrammed lovers,”(9) but such a creation would not produce genuine love and relationship between us and our Creator. It is evident as early as the Garden of Eden, and the first instance of sin, that with free will comes the possibility for those to reject God’s love and direction for their lives.
Reconciling Love & Eternal Judgment
With this deeper understanding of God’s love, we can begin the daunting task of reconciling His love with the existence of hell. Branching off the previous discussion of the free will component of salvation, we can look to the choice model of hell as a possible reconciliation. Jerry Walls, a professor of philosophy at Houston Baptist University, is a proponent of this model of hell and advocates that under the condition of optimal grace, human beings can make the individually determined choice to reject God’s love. Optimal grace asserts “that for each created person there is some measure of grace ‘N’ which represents the optimal amount of influence toward good which God can exercise on that person’s will without destroying his freedom.”(10) A person’s response under the condition of optimal grace is not random or uninformed but the result of a hardened heart that refuses to accept the good news of the gospel. Walls clarifies this further by stating:
What is decisive is not one’s initial choices, but the settled disposition one ultimately acquires. Given God’s desire to save all persons, a decisive negative response makes sense only in light of the idea of optimal grace. That is to say, a negative response to God is decisive only if one persists in rejecting God in the most favorable circumstances. Only then is it clear that one has rejected God in a settled way with true understanding.(11)
This quote speaks to a hardened heart, a prideful spirit with a deeply held belief that it knows better than God. One does not need to look far in today’s society to see examples of this, willful opposition to God, and an increased focus on self-reliance and self-righteousness. To these individuals, they are advocates for the real “truth” that God is “cruel and unloving, a ‘second- rate’ Creator.”(12)
Unable to face the painful reality of humanity’s flawed, sinful nature, a self-deception arises, an example of spiritual blindness spoken of in Ephesians 4:17-19. Therefore, it is logical that a life marked by the “psychological and spiritual fruit of persistent, willful disobedience to God”(13) will ultimately lead to eternal separation from God in hell. Danish philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard presents the following analogy in his famous writing The Sickness unto Death:
Figuratively speaking, it is as if an error slipped into an author’s writing and the error became conscious of itself as an error—perhaps it actually was not a mistake but in a much higher sense an essential part of the whole production—and now this error wants to mutiny against the author, out of hatred toward him, forbidding him to correct it and in maniacal defiance saying to him: No, I refuse to be erased; I will stand as a witness against you, a witness that you are a second-rate author.(14)
Kierkegaard’s analogy provides a perfect springboard into another theological principle: sin itself does not measure the “seriousness of sin but by the value and worth of the one being sinned against.”(15) Our God is the first and the last, the creator of the universe, infinitely greater than anything we could imagine. Therefore, as Bavinck states, all sin is “infinite in the sense that it is committed against the Highest Majesty, who is absolutely entitled to our love and worship.”(16) Such is the answer to how infinite punishment could be a proper response since humans are finite, and therefore, it is argued that they can only commit a finite amount of sin. However, even on the much smaller scale of earthly justice systems, no one would argue that the punishment for a crime depends solely on the length of the crime. Atrocities such as murder are not measured in minutes but by their intrinsic “iniquity or impiety.”(17) By examining and considering Kierkegaard’s analogy and Bavinck’s insights, we develop a deeper understanding of how God’s love and the existence of an eternal hell can coexist without contradiction.
Without a doubt, the concept of hell is a sensitive topic. However, we must not shy away from such discussions, lest we leave our brothers and sisters ill-equipped to engage with the questions and concerns of the world. This paper serves as just a beginning to what should be an ongoing conversation, a forum of learning so that we, as the body of Christ, can articulate God’s truth efficiently and with compassion. Let us prioritize sound exegesis of biblical scripture, avoiding cultural and emotional influences that blur our reading of the text. Also, with topics such as hell, let us remember to try and view them from a heavenly perspective to have a better view of the big picture. Of course, our human understanding will always be limited and far below the omnipotence of God, so we must also be humble in our pursuit of knowledge. No matter our role, we are examples of God’s love to those we interact with daily. The news we have to share may be, as John writes in Revelation 10:9, “bitter” in the stomach but “as sweet as honey” in the mouth. This author’s earnest prayer is that the Gospel will soften hearts, dispel spiritual blindness, and guide the lost to rejoice in the eternal life offered through Christ.
References:
Robert A. Peterson, “The Foundation of the House: Scripture,” in Two Views of Hell: A Biblical & Theological Dialogue, by Edward William Fudge and Robert A. Peterson (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000), 129-69.
Denny Burk, “Eternal Conscious Torment,” in Four Views on Hell, ed. Stanley Gundry and Preston Sprinkle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 21-41.
John Goldingay, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Isaiah 56–66, ed. G. I. Davies and C. M. Tuckett, International Critical Commentary (London; New Delhi; New York; Sydney: Bloomsbury, 2014), 522–525.
Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 378–379.
James A. Brooks, Mark, vol. 23, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 153.
D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, vol. 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 208.
Jarvis J. Williams, “SO LOVED, SO FAMILIAR: But We Shouldn’t Stop Contemplating What John 3:16 Means,” Christianity Today 67, no. 3 (April 2023): 57–61.
Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 183.
“Love and Free Will,” ReKnew.org, February 16, 2016, https://reknew.org/2016/02/love-and-free-will/.
Jerry Walls, Hell: The Logic of Damnation (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992), 88.
Walls, Hell, 89-90.
R. Zachary Manis, Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God: An Essay on the Problem of Hell (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2019), 200.
Manis, Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God, 206.
Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness unto Death: A Christian Psychological Exposition for Upbuilding and Awakening. Edited and translated by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1980), 74.
Burk, “Eternal Conscious Torment,” in Four Views on Hell, 19.
Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics: Holy Spirit, Church, and New Creation. Vol. 4. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 711.
Augustine of Hippo, The City of God, Books XVII–XXII, ed. Hermigild Dressler, trans. Gerald G. Walsh and Daniel J. Honan, vol. 24, The Fathers of the Church (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 1954), 369.
