The Necessity of Hell

Granted that the existence of an eternal destiny is philosophically possible and biblically established, the justice of God above all demands that in fact a hell must exist. Human wickedness must have consequences if God is to be truly good and just. However, we see empirically that not all punishment is temporal. The wicked of this world often prosper and live the “good life” for their entire duration on earth.  This is not unlike what David spoke of as he wrote in the 73^rd Psalm of the “prosperity of the wicked,” (v. 3) who have “no pains in their death” (v. 4).  Job referred to this delay in judgment throughout the entire chapter of Job 21.  He questions in verse 7 and 9,“Why do the wicked still live, continue on, and also become very powerful?  Their houses are safe from fear, and the rod of God is not on them.”  The answer unfolds in Job 21:30, “For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; they will be led forth at the day of fury.”  Later in Revelation, those who have been martyred at the hands of the wicked continually cry out to the Lord “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev. 6:10).  Justice is an absolutely essential universal law for the peace and order of creation. There is great chaos, violence and evil in a world governed by anarchy. To our great good, God promises righteous vengeance and just repayment for sins (2 Thes. 1:6, Heb. 10:30).  Thus, since many sins go seemingly unpunished here on earth, there must be some type of punishment that occurs after death and satisfies the need for the justice so intrinsic to our existence.¹⁰ 

One must hold to the proper interpretation of the atonement to understand the full cost of our sin and the necessity of judgment.  Although Christ died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), His death could not have completely satisfied the justice of God in all respects.  If God was completely satisfied in all respects, then all men must necessarily be saved, for no wrath would remain to be appeased.  Rather, “the intent of the atonement is to completely satisfy the justice of God in a limited and specific sense.  The atonement has freed God to unconditionally accept those who believe.”¹¹  What exactly does this mean for man?  If Christ has died to appease the wrath and justice of God, why do men still go to hell?  Without a redeemer, all men would be condemned to hell, but God in His undeserved grace immediately revealed a plan to send a blessed redeemer only moments after the fall of man (Gen. 3:15). Fortunately, by the sacrifice of Christ that took the punishment for the world’s sin, God is able to accept the man who puts faith in His Son. After a person takes hold of this gift by faith, the benefits of the atonement are then extended to protect that person from hell.¹² Thus, God is both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). The work to appease God’s justice has already been accomplished; men must only choose to accept that atonement as a covering for their sins. However, for those who choose to deny the atonement and trample under foot the Son of God, there awaits a terrifying expectation of deserved judgment (Heb. 10:27).  This judgment results in just condemnation to hell, for the unbeliever is guilty of rejecting the only sacrifice capable of covering their sins.

God’s love and human dignity together further demand that a hell exist.  The atonement is not automatically extended to all men universally in order to preserve the dignity of human personhood and freedom. It is commonly understood that “love cannot act coercively, only persuasively…God does not force himself upon us against our will.”¹³  A man may love a woman and wish to marry her, but they cannot be married if she does not accept.  For him to force his love onto her against her will is rape.  Likewise, God will not force His love on us, because “the Irresistible and the Indisputable are the two weapons which the very nature of his scheme forbids him to use.  Merely to override a human will…would be for Him useless.  He cannot ravish. He can only woo.”¹⁴  It is useless for Him to override our free will because in His passionate love, He desires for us to love Him freely in return (1 John 4:19).  God has actively demonstrated “His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), doing all that He can to woo us while respecting our own choice.  God’s love is always actively demonstrated in Scripture: by Christ’s earthly ministry (Mark 10:21; John 11:5-6, 13:34, 15:9), His death on the cross (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8; Eph. 5:2; 1 John 3:16, 4:10), through the lives of the saints (Matt. 5:44; Eph. 5:25; 1 John 4:12), through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5), in election (Deut. 7:7; Eph. 1:4-5), in the discipline of the saints (Heb. 12:6; Rev. 3:19), and by freely and joyfully receiving those who put their faith in Him (Ps. 104:8-13; Isaiah 63:9; Hos. 14:4; Zeph. 3:17; John 1:12, 16:27; Eph. 2:4; 1 John 4:9).  God sent Christ to be the propitiation for our sins (Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10), not only for the elect, but for those of the whole world.  The entire world has borne witness to the supreme love of God in the sacrifice of Jesus, granting all men the opportunity to gain salvation (2 Pet. 3:9).  However, the gift of free choice allows us to receive salvation, but it also allows us to reject.  C.S. Lewis put it succinctly:  “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’”¹⁵  The people of Israel had rejected their Messiah, much as people today reject the free offer of salvation from hell (Mark 8:31; 1 Peter 2:4).  If God’s love were coercive, then Jesus would not have lamented over the Jews during His earthly ministry: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matt. 23:37).  Since God’s love is not forced upon us but offered, then, necessarily, there exists a consequence, a chosen alternative, for those who would turn their backs on this supreme example of love.  God stands ready to forgive and receive all who believe His love, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You” (Ps. 86:5). However, because God gives us the freedom to choose the blessings of His love, a place outside that love must exist for those who do not chose it. That place is hell.

Finally, if there is not a hell, then there is no final victory over evil.  The answer to the martyr’s cry for justice would not be heeded.  The Hitler’s and Stalin’s of the world, devious murderers of millions would go unpunished.  Blatant rejection and willful rebellion against God by atheists like Bertrand Russell and Friedrich Nietzsche would be ignored.  If these men are not somehow held accountable for their actions, evil would have triumphed over good, and God could not be truly sovereign.  Sinners, Satan and humans alike, would have done wrong, acted however they pleased, and would have gotten away with it!  Evil acts like leaven (Matt. 16:11-12; 1 Cor. 5:6-8), gradually spreading and infecting all those around it. Thus, all evil must be totally defeated, or there could not be a heaven.  Heaven is the complete absence of evil in the presence of God; yet without punishment, evil is allowed and positively condoned! If I kill my brother and there is no punishment, I am in essence given the O.K. on my actions. Me Genoito!