God’s Justice
“…Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 14, 15)
For years I have observed the weakening societal view concerning eternal punishment for sin. We now live in an age where the modern mind leans heavily against the notion of punishment of any kind and especially if it is considered harsh. This is seen in everything from the removal of the schools right to administer the “paddle” to the loss of parental rights to “Start children off on the way they should go…” (Prov. 22:6, NIV), now to the social belief that when governments apply some punishment for crime, that punishment is considered “cruel and unusual” (i.e. the death penalty). The modern mind believes society is to blame because “we did not intervene in the upbringing” of the criminal which is ironic considering it is the same society that frowns on teaching young people the right way. Modernism also claims God cannot punish eternally.
The Church of England published a 220-page report, “The Mystery of Salvation, January, 1996”. In it the theologians of the ‘middle way’ declare “there is indeed a Hell. But it’s not a place of suffering, physical or otherwise. It is ‘total non-being.’” Now if you think that is over the top concerning just met out by God consider this. Peter Kreeft, a philosopher at Boston College and author of “A Handbook on Christian Apologetics”, wrote, “Hell exists, but if you’re there, you don’t.” They endorse the existence of what isn’t, the being of non-being. How very inclusive.
Subjectively, men concludes that final punishment, Hell, will not be eternal, but will eventually end despite solid biblical teaching to the contrary. They apply this principle to all kinds of punishment, including capital punishment, and prison terms.
The Greek word justice is used just 8 times to the Hebrew equivalent word used 128 times. Specifically, New Testament use means: “sentence of condemnation, damnatory judgment, condemnation and punishment: Hebrews 10:27; 2 Peter 2:4, (Thayer’s)”.
The universalist rejects God’s justice and supports the idea that all people become pure and happy after being cleansed from their sins in the fires of Hell then all is forgiven. The annihilationist also rejects God’s justice and teach punishment, will be only for a moment, then it will be destroyed, “cast into the fire”, which at some point punishment of the wicked will end in annihilation. The bible teaches neither of these. God said there will be eternal punishment met to those who do not obey. Still many find a sense of “false comfort” in denying the biblical teachings concerning everlasting punishment. Dangerous because when you lessen the severity and the consequences of choosing to serve Satan, “sin”, in this life instead of God “righteousness”, Satan always wins a soul.
Nothing new! Traditional and “new” positions of limited punishment are best stated by Moses E. Lard, who advocated that Hell is limited in duration when he penned his 1879 article entitled: “Do The Holy Scriptures Teach the Endlessness of Future Punishment”? Lard states: Endless punishment “is not settled in the New Testament; that the New Testament pronounces no decision on it; and, consequently, that no uninspired human mind will ever, in this life, be able to say whether that punishment is, beyond the ages into which it runs, endless or endable” (p. 41). I completely disagree with Lard. Let us consider these arguments on the subject of limited punishment in the light of Scripture.
Does Eternal Mean Endless? Thayer’s defines the two Greek words, aion [αἰών], and aionion [αἰώνιον]. “1. without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be: Romans 16:26. 2. without beginning: 2 Timothy 1:9; and 3. without end, never to cease, everlasting: Matthew 25:41. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines the Hebrew word olam [עוֹלָם]to mean: “forever, continuous existence, perpetuity, indefinite” (pp. 761-762).
There is little dispute as to the meaning commonly used “endless.” Yet those who cannot accept the concept of eternal punishment make every effort to prove God wrong. Yet aren’t we supposed to “…let God be true but every man a liar…” (Rom. 3:4)? The argument, “that is not what that means”, and “I can’t believe God would…” is a sorry, but commonly used argument. Not to be misleading and just for clarity certain passages, mostly Old Testament such as land promises (Gen. 12) and the laws in context require expanded definitions that do limit periods to a particular age or time frame. But as always, the key is context. Peter mentioned some of Paul’s writings are “hard to understand” and said, “which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Pet. 3:16). I find interest in the designation of the verse in 2 Peter 3:16, and the parallel in John 3:16 which uses the words [ζωὴν αἰώνιον] translated “eternal life”, and no argument has ever been given that aionion [αἰώνιον] doesn’t mean forever.
The infrequent exceptions found in the usage does not alter its normal usage. Clouding the issue with exception—serving to explain something by giving a cause or reason for it, does not change the facts. Fact: In Matthew 25:46 Jesus used the same word, in the same sentence, to describe eternal life as He did to describe eternal punishment. Men often seek comfort with perverted teaching saying God’s justice requires the end of punishment and still allow for the direct promise of an endless reward using the Lord’s inspired use of the term aionion for eternal life. Hypocrisy! The time span of Heaven stands or falls alongside the time span of Hell! If one must eventually end, so must the other. And listen—I never met a bible student willing to accept teaching a limited life span in Heaven?
What about the Justice of God?
Peter wrote the Lord, “. . . is not willing that any should perish. . .” (2 Peter 3:9), yet we read of, “. . . those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). There are many things we do not want to happen, but justice nevertheless will demand it. Punishment is reinforcement of God’s justice, it does not violate His justice. Again, this kind of reasoning is fabricated in the mind of people who willfully rebel against their Lord to comfort themselves. Lard wrote: “Last of all, if the dark future now looks out upon you more enchantingly; and if, in addition to this, the ultimate doom of our poor lost kindred looks less overwhelming and shocking than in the past, it is enough. My achievement is complete” (p. 50). Emotionalism reasons from a human heart “what feels right is right”, but proves nothing. By not providing a “thus saith the Lord,” men tread on God, sitting themselves on His throne and legislating where He has not so ordered.
Some believe God cannot execute justice and be the author of endless future punishment, yet the Bible teaches that He is and that He will. Reminds me of Paul who wasted no time on the “false brethren”, saying, “to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you” (Gal. 2:4-5). If a man rejects the inspired word of God because it doesn’t feel right, He rejects God who is always right (John 12:48). Is God omnipotent or not? God is infinite in power, infinite in resources, and all eternity lies before Him. Friends, this is exactly what we must teach and preach, and it is not comforting to do so, but it is the truth.
As much as it would be comforting to teach a different doctrine, doing so will bring an eternal curse on every soul that does (Gal. 1:6-12). God sits on His throne not any man. Thus, it is not up to man to soften God’s direct, inspired, statements just because they do not agree with man’s twisted logic. What Jesus and the Bible say about eternal reward is precisely what they say about eternal punishment, without end.
Friends, we must accept the biblical narrative concerning God’s just as it pertains to reward and punishment leaving emotionalism and fanciful conjecturing.
In Love
David Scarpino