The Reality of Hell and Eternal Punishment: A Biblical Overview
There is perhaps no other doctrine that offends the modern sensibilities of our culture more than the doctrine of hell as punishment by God for unrepentant sin and rejection of Christ Jesus. Although sporadic people throughout church history have speculated about, or held to a type of universalism, the doctrine that not all will be saved in eternity has been the prevailing biblical understanding for 2,000 years in the universal church. Even in the Patrisric era, though thinkers like Origen might have held in some part to universalism, the general understanding of apostolic doctrine would be more in line with Polycarp’s response to the Romans when threatened to be burned to death: “You threaten with fire that burns for a while, and after a little time is extinguished. For you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly” (Polycarp, 11.2). Certainly, the concept of punitive punishment is more and more abhorrent to our society, but ultimately, rejecting retributive and punitive justice is not in line with Scripture (either in a civil punishment context, or in an eternal one). As Thomas Oden points out, “The stark words of ‘eternal punishment’ and ‘eternal fire’ have withstood numerous attempts at generous reinterpretation, but they remain obstinately in the received text" (Oden, 827). The principle of God enacting punitive and retributive justice resonates throughout the entirety of the Bible both in a temporal and eternal context. Whether it’s the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, or dealing out retribution and eternal destruction to those who persecute the saints and do not obey the gospel in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, the pattern is well established. As for eternal judgment, Albert Mohler Jr. states that “The traditional doctrine of hell argues that an infinite penalty is just punishment for sin against the infinite holiness of God. This explains why all sinners equally deserve hell, except for salvation through faith in Christ” (Mohler Jr.-”Hell”, 39). This essay will be a brief examination from Scripture on the doctrine of eternal punishment for those who do not heed the message proclaimed in places like Acts 3:22-23 and Acts 17:30-31.
Old Testament
There is sparse teaching on life after death in the Old Testament, but it certainly is a concept spoken of in passages like Job 19:25-26, Psalm 17:15, Isaiah 26:19, and Daniel 12:2;13. The teaching on eternal punishment and the nature of hell is also not focused on in great detail in the Old Testament. First, what we find in the OT is that God is the sovereign Judge of the world. Abraham states in Genesis 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” And Asaph says in Psalm 82:8, “Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.” King David proclaims, “But the Lord abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment, 8 And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.” -Psalm 9:7-8. We see God execute righteous judgment all throughout the OT. He judged the wicked world of Noah’s day with a civilization ending flood (Gen. 6-8), utterly destroyed wicked Sodom and Gomorrah by fire (Gen. 18-19), judged Egypt by plagues that resulted in the death of every firstborn son in the land (Exod. 7-12), judged Korah’s rebellion by killing them all (Num. 16), and eventually we see God’s judgment upon His rebellious people by the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of the temple (2 Kings 25, Lamentations 1-5). This only scratches the surface of God as the righteous Judge in the OT, but as J.I. Packer writes, “the reality of divine judgment, as a fact, is set forth on page after page of Bible history” (Packer, 170).
The contrast of the wicked and the righteous is seen throughout the Psalms. Psalm 1:5-6 states, “Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.” Consider the fate of those who are blessed by taking refuge in the Son compared to those who will “perish” due to their rejection of the Son. Psalm 2:11-12, “Worship the Lord with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” In Psalm 73, the Psalmist laments at the prosperity of the wicked in this life, then realizes what their fate will ultimately be (73:17-20) before stating in the closing verses, “For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You. 28 But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works.” -Psalm 73:27-28. Although many more psalms could be given, a final one to illustrate the point here is in Psalm 94:1-3, “O Lord, God of vengeance, God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud. 3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord, How long shall the wicked exult?” A.W. Tozer notes of the latter passage that “this is to be understood not as a plea for personal vengeance but as a longing to see moral equity prevail in human society” (Tozer, 86).
Zephaniah 1:14-18 is a passage in which the “great day of the Lord” is described as “a day of wrath” and one of “destruction and desolation.” Why is this? Because the people to whom the prophet was writing “have sinned against the Lord” and because of this “their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.” Waylon Bailey simply states, “Zephaniah depicted the day of the Lord as a day of God’s wrath against a wicked people addicted to rebellion against God” (Bailey, 444). As with the rest of Scripture, God is shown to be the sole judge of the earth and not only chastises His covenant people, but also brings judgment against all the nations (cf. Zephaniah 2, Amos 1, Nahum 2-3).
Before moving on, I want to emphasize that God is not arbitrary in anything He does. His judgments are righteous and we, as His creation, cannot accuse Him of ever being unfair or too harsh. As David says in Psalm 51:4, “You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” The incredible thing is that part of God’s judgment against David for his adultery, lies, and murder was to take the life of the baby he had with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:14; 19) in addition to violence and evil being raised up against David within his own family (2 Sam. 12:10-11). However, the Psalms are also filled with hope for those who fear and love God. Psalm 37:28 says, “For the Lord loves justice And does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off” and Psalm 103:11 states, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” This now leads us to look at a few passages in the OT that speak specifically of eschatological judgment before seeing this doctrine more developed in the NT.
Isaiah 66:24
The context of Isaiah 65 and 66 is based around the eschatological renewal of heaven and earth. As is consistent with the rest of Scripture, there is a contrast between the fate of the righteous and the wicked. Gary V. Smith says of 66:15-24, “In the end God will bring people from all nations into his glorious kingdom but will judge the wicked with his fire and sword” (Smith, 698). In 66:15-16 we read: “For behold, the Lord will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For the Lord will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the Lord will be many.” This stark reality is seen in the final verse of the chapter as it describes the sight of the dead bodies God slew. “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”-Isaiah 66:24. Daniel Block notes that “the context clearly involves a contrast between the ultimate destiny of the righteous (those who are humble and contrite and tremble at the word of Yahweh, Isa. 66:2) and the wicked (who are subjected to the fire of divine wrath)... while Isaiah himself may not have had in mind hell as we later learn about it, it was a small and natural step for Jesus and later New Testament writers to utilize Isaiah’s image for their own purposes” (Block-”Hell”, 61). What Block is referring to are passages like Mark 9:43-48 and Matthew 25:41 which we will look at below in the New Testament section.
Daniel 12:2
Where we start to see eternal consequences fleshed out more in detail is with passages such as Daniel 12 where eschatological prophecy is being played out, particularly the resurrection with regard to the righteous raised to everlasting life and the “others” to everlasting contempt. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” -Daniel 12:2. Gleason Archer Jr. notes that although the resurrection of all men is universal, “the resurrection of the unsaved will be neither a blessing nor a deliverance, as it will be for the saved. Rather, as Jesus said in John 5:28-19, it will bring them public judgment and condemnation before almighty God” (Archer Jr., 152). This passage is really the first explicit text where we see a resurrection of both the wicked and the righteous and the fates of each. Block observes that “just as the righteous awake to eternal life, so the wicked awake to eternal disgrace and contempt. Both expressions–”eternal life” and “eternal disgrace and contempt”– occur only here in the Old Testament” (Block-”Hell”, 64).
New Testament
The author of Hebrews states at the beginning of his letter that “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” -Hebrews 1:1-2. This is speaking of God’s final revelation to mankind as being revealed through Jesus Christ and His message (cf. Luke 10:16, John 17:8). The gospel of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. As Jesus is finishing His prayer for His chosen apostles, He includes not only His chosen representatives to spread the gospel, but “for those also who believe in Me through their word” -John 17:20. Indeed, as Paul says: “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” -1 Thessalonians 2:13. O. Palmer Robertson adds that “The New Testament consistently represents a ‘mystery’ as a truth about God’s redemptive programme once concealed, but now revealed. This ‘mystery’ now has been ‘revealed’ by the Spirit to God’ holy apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:5)” (Robertson, 17).
As it relates to the topic of hell and eternal punishment, we get a much clearer picture in the NT than we do in the OT, just as we get a much clearer picture of what Gentile inclusion into God’s redeeming plan looks like (Eph. 2:11-22, cf. Acts 11:18). Admittedly, the nature of hell still has its ambiguities (as does heaven), but with the coming of Christ there also comes more of an emphasis on what the fate of the unrighteous will be. Contrary to what many people assume, Jesus (and the NT in general) speaks overwhelmingly to the reality of eternal punishment and is in no way antithetical to the principles of God as Judge. As Packer points out, “The entire New Testament is overshadowed by the certainty of a coming day of universal judgment and by the problem thence arising: How may we sinners get right with God while there is yet time? The New Testament looks on to “the day of judgment,” “the day of wrath,” “the wrath to come,” and proclaims Jesus, the divine Savior, as the divinely appointed judge” (Packer, 172).
While it should be acknowledged that oftentimes metaphor and hyperbole are literary devices used to describe and depict hell, this does not erase the reality of it. On the contrary, they are used to drive a point home to the reader! Oden thus notes, “though figurative, such metaphors intend accurately to convey truthful ideas and meanings, especially the dreadful reality of loss of God as an irreversible consequence of sin” (Oden, 829). Though this won’t be comprehensive by any means, as the NT has much more to say on the judgment and wrath of God, these examples should be sufficient to make the point. I find it interesting that many today often characterize Jesus as having only a ministry of “acceptance, love, and grace” as it were. And while it is true that Jesus’ mission in the incarnation (His first coming) was to save the world through His sacrifice for sin (Mark 10:45, John 3:17; 12:47), Jesus also spoke more on hell, the coming judgment, and eternal punishment than people often understand or care to pay attention to. People prefer to dwell on Jesus’ teaching that He did not come into the world to judge the world (John 3:17) at the exclusion of “but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” and “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Luke 13:5/John 8:24). What this distorted view of the gospel fails to understand is the dichotomy between Jesus’ first coming (to save the world) and His second coming (to be the Judge of the world). That is, to gather His saints into eternal life and judge His enemies for good. This is why Jesus can speak of not coming to judge the world, but to save it in John 3:17 while also saying that He will come to judge everyone according to their deeds in Matthew 16:27 (cf. John 5:27-29; 12:47-48). Let’s now examine a few crucial NT teachings on hell.
Mark 9:43-48
In this passage, Jesus says: “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (ESV). The last part about the worm not dying and the fire not being quenched is a quotation from Isaiah 66:24 to get His point across. The word translated “hell” is the Greek word “geenna/gehenna.” This referred to the Valley of Hinnom, where detestable child sacrifice took place under wicked Kings like Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Chron. 28:3; 2 Chron. 33:6, cf. Jer. 7:31, 19:5-6, 32:35). As Walter Wessel notes, “King Josiah put a stop to this dreadful practice (2 Kings 23:10); and the Valley of Hinnom came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish, including animal carcasses, were disposed of and burned. The fire of gehenna never went out, and the worms never died” (Wessel, 708). And William Lane concisely points out that “in Jewish sources Gehenna was associated with the eschatological fires of hell and conveyed an image of extreme horror. Entrance into hell indicates spiritual ruin in the starkest terms. This thought is reinforced with the citation of Isa. 66:24 in verse 48, which speaks of the punishment of the sin of rebellion against God” (Lane, 348-49). We see a parallel example of this teaching (excluding the reference to Isaiah) in Matthew 5:29-30 and 18:8-9. The important thing Christ is trying to get across is that those who follow Him ought to reject anything that causes them to sin. An embrace of a wicked and sinful lifestyle leads to the inevitable outcome; to be cast into hell by a holy God (cf. 1 John 3:4-10). It is little wonder, then, that Paul would issue such a stark warning in places like 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that the unrighteous will be kept out of the kingdom of God.
Matthew 10:28/Luke 12:5
In Matthew 10:28 Jesus tells his disciples, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” As the parallel passage in Luke 12 puts it, “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” -Luke 12:5. Note that in this passage as well as the ones below, it is God who is Judge and has the authority to cast into hell. It is saying too little about hell to state that it is only something we choose and God merely gives us what we want. While there is a truth in the sense that we can choose to reject God and His gracious sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, God ultimately is the One who delivers the just punishment for sin (see Heb. 10:26-31)! Many passages such as Romans 2:5, Colossians 3:5-6, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:10 speak of the judgment, wrath, and recompense that is dealt by God as punishment for sin. Kevin DeYoung warns of being unfaithful to Scripture when feeling the need to downplay such a weighty topic and concludes that in reducing hell down to something we merely “choose” for ourselves, “we are softening a blow that God–in his gracious, warning mercy–does not mean to soften. Wrath is not only a result. It is a recompense” (DeYoung, 349).
Matthew 13:40-43; 49-51
In this passage, Jesus explains the meaning of the “tares and the wheat” parable. This is about His second coming. The tares (or weeds) are the unrighteous who will be cast into “the furnace of fire” while the righteous (the wheat) will thrive in the Kingdom of God. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”-Matthew 13:40-43.
If it wasn’t clear enough, Jesus goes on in the same chapter to use a parable of a dragnet catching fish to illustrate the same point. The conclusion is the same: “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” -Matthew 13:49-51.
Albert Barnes’ comments on these verses are particularly apt, “Our Saviour never fails to keep before our minds the great truth that there is to be a day of judgment, and that there will be a separation of the good and the evil. He came to preach salvation; and it is a remarkable fact, also, that the most fearful accounts of hell and of the sufferings of the damned, in the Scriptures, are from his lips. How does this agree with the representations of those who say that all will be saved?” (Barnes, Matt. 13:47-50).
Matthew 25:31-46
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus teaches of His second coming of and His judgment of all of mankind. He will separate all the people of the earth (the nations) into two categories: “righteous ones” and “unrighteous/accursed ones.” To the righteous He gives eternal life in the kingdom of God. To the unrighteous, their fate will be eternal punishment away from the kingdom of God (the place originally created for the devil and his angels). Consider then, verse 41, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” And again in verse 46, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” This passage is explicit with regard to the fate of humanity at the Second Coming. A clear contrast is made between those who will enter eternal punishment versus those who will enter eternal life. Wayne Grudem further points out, “The word translated “punishment” here is kolasis, which is used elsewhere of great physical suffering or torture that was endured by persecuted Christians (Maryrdom of Polycarp 2.4; compare Ignatius, To the Romans 5.3). At other times it simply refers to divine punishment in general, without specification of the nature of that punishment” (Grudem, 1149 n.8). Attempts to reinterpret this text to mean something other than Christ judging humanity comes off as somewhat delusional and overall poor attempts at exegeting the Scriptures properly. For example, there is a notion that what could be described here is not Christ punishing people (sinners), but only the sin. To impose this idea onto the text is the height of eisegesis and directly contradicts the passage. Nowhere is this indicated in the text. Rather, the “nations” are gathered before Christ and are separated into two groups (v. 32). “Those” on His right are “blessed” and will inherit the kingdom of God, and “those” on His left are referred to as “accursed” and thrown into the eternal fire (v. 34; 41). Albert Barnes says of this: “Many, holding the doctrine of universal salvation have contended that God would punish sin only. Christ says that “those on his left hand,” shall go away - not “sins,” but “sinners.” Besides, sin, as an abstract thing, cannot be punished. Sin is nothing but an “act” - the act of a transgressor, and, to be reached at all, it must be reached by punishing the offender himself” (Barnes, Matt. 25:46).
Furthermore, this makes little sense if applied consistently to the “righteous” who inherit eternal life. It is not the “act” of righteousness that inherits life, but the person. Similarly, it is not the “act” of sin that is punished, but the person. In Matthew 13:41, it is “those who commit lawlessness” that will be thrown into the fire, not lawlessness as an abstract concept. Similarly, in Mark 9:45 as Jesus is addressing His disciples, He says, “It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.” It is the person who will either enter life or be thrown into hell. Again, in Matthew 10:28, we are told to fear the One who is able to destroy “both soul and body” in hell. Peter says that the “present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (see also: 2 Thess. 1:5-10, Rev. 21:8).
Luke 16:19-31
In Jesus’ parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, immediately after death, the rich man describes being in hades as “being in torment” and being “in agony in this flame” and begs that his relatives not come to the “place of torment.” Contrasted to that is Lazarus being comforted at Abraham’s side. Interestingly, Abraham ultimately tells the rich man that his relatives have “Moses and the Prophets” as witnesses to prevent them from a similar fate (cf. John 5:46-47, 2 Timothy 3:15). There is no second chance extended to the rich man after his death and furthermore, there is a great chasm between the realm of the righteous and the wicked that cannot be crossed. The statement by Abraham in verses 25-26 conveys the absolute and final outcome in the afterlife. Albert Barnes states that in this account, Christ “solemnly assures us that there can be no passage from that world of woe to the abodes of the blessed” (Barnes, Luke 16:26). Additionally, this account seems to speak to the intermediate state of those who die before the final resurrection and judgment. While those in Christ will receive comfort and peace, those outside of Christ will experience no such fate, either in the intermediate state, or after the final judgment in eternity. Again, a clear contrast is made regarding the fate of humanity after death. (For more on the “intermediate state”, see: Oden, 784-786 as well as DeYoung, 355-356).
Revelation 14:9-12
“Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
There is perhaps no more infamous description of hell than what we find in the book of Revelation. Passages like the one above are very apocalyptic in nature and it does need to be acknowledged that vivid imagery is used to describe both temporal and eternal punishment. As mentioned earlier, it will not suffice to merely hand wave away these passages of hell as “only metaphorical” as to imply they do not represent a real reality. Metaphorical speech contains a literal meaning. Robert Mounce states, “That we are dealing with a rather obvious apocalyptic symbol should not lead us to take it lightly. The intention of the proclamation is to startle readers into the realization of the eternal consequences of denying their faith in Christ and worshipping the beast.” Mounce goes on to conclude that “after due allowance is made for the place of symbolism in apocalyptic, what remains in these verses is still the terrifying reality of divine wrath poured out upon those who persist in following Antichrist” (Mounce, 273; 275). Oden comments, “We may imagine that we are spared by the use of metaphors, yet these very metaphors only point toward the more final and serious reality” (Oden, 828). We should not think that those who will experience God’s wrath will be made to literally drink wine from a cup any more than we should think Jesus is a literal lamb. Obviously, Jesus as “the Lamb” represents the fact that He is the ultimate sacrifice for humanity (as the Passover lamb was for Israel in the OT). The symbol behind this has a very real and important meaning.
Most notable in this passage is verse 11: “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” The exact same expression used to describe “no rest day and night” can also be found in Revelation 4:8 where it is said that the four living creatures do not cease to worship God “day and night.” As the worship of God will be eternal, so will the punishment described in Revelation 14.
Modern attempts to label this as antithetical to the teaching of Christ makes little sense to me. Was it not Jesus who proclaimed that it would be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment (a city that was so wicked, God destroyed it by fire) than it would be for Capernaum (a city who rejected Christ in the flesh-Matt. 11:21-24)? When speaking a parable of the kingdom of God was it not Jesus (as the King) who said, “But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.”-Luke 19:27? Was it not Jesus who prophesied (and carried out) harsh judgment and destruction on Jerusalem for the generation that rejected Him (Luke 19:41-44, Luke 21:20-24, Luke 23:28-30)? Was it not Jesus who said it would be better to enter the kingdom of God with only one eye than “to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” or that it would be better to have a millstone tied around one's neck and to be drowned in the sea than to lead disciples of Christ into sin (Matt. 18:6, Luke 17:2)? Was it not Jesus who said to “fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell”? The Revelation given to John is completely consistent with what we see in the teaching of Jesus and all throughout the Bible.
Revelation 20:15/21:8
In Revelation 20:12-13, we see the dead resurrected to face the throne of God for judgment. The fate of those who are not written in the book of life is to be “thrown into the lake of fire.” -Revelation 20:15. This is consistent with Jesus’ teaching in John 5:28-29, for example: “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” Leon Morris simply notes, “In the end men will share in the bliss of heaven or find their place in the lake of fire” (Morris, 242) and Mounce remarks that for those who are not found in the book of life, this temporary resurrection “results only in a return to death and its punishment” (Mounce, 378). The characteristics of those not found in the book of life and their fate can be seen in Revelation 21:8, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Other Relevant Texts
There are many other relevant texts that do not specifically mention the word “hell” but speak to the coming judgment and wrath of God. In John 3:36 it says “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Paul says in Romans 2:2-16 that men are “storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” In that passage, contrary to those who will receive “eternal life,” those who “do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness” will receive “wrath and indignation.”
In 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Paul writes that when Jesus returns, He will be “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
And in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Paul says that Jesus saves His saints “from the wrath to come.” There are many more examples from Paul’s epistles that speak to the issue, but I will not belabor the point.
Hebrews 10:26-31 is a sobering passage that warns against rejecting the only sacrifice as a covering for sins. Those who do so will face the “terrifying expectation of judgment” that is described as a “fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” and that “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
2 Peter and Jude could be given their own essays for how they depict judgment and God’s wrath, but in 2 Peter 2:4-10, Peter uses the examples of God punishing angels and restraining them for future judgment, the destruction of the world with the flood, as well as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of what will happen to the ungodly on the day of eschatological judgment. If God both judged the wicked while simultaneously saving the righteous from among them (Noah and Lot) “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment” -2 Peter 2:9 (ESV). And in 2 Peter 3:7, Peter states that the earth is being “kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” Many more examples could be given, but for a much deeper dive into the relevant NT texts, see the book “Hell Under Fire” in the “Recommended Resources” section at the end of this essay.
Different Degrees of Punishment
I think the concept of hell often gets flattened out so that most people envision the exact same experience for all time and for everyone in hell. However, we have good reason biblically to believe that hell will be worse for some than for others. In other words, the punishment of hell will be proportionate to the level of sin.
In Matthew 10:15 and Luke 10:10-16, Jesus proclaims that the cities who reject Him will be judged more harshly than Sodom and Gomorrah, implying that rejecting Jesus in the flesh is a worse sin with greater consequences! In Matthew 26:24 and John 19:11, Jesus says that for Judas to betray Him was a sin worse than others. In Luke 20:47, Jesus says that those taking advantage of widows “will receive the greater condemnation.” In Luke 12:47-48, the servant who knowingly sinned receives a more severe punishment than the servant who sinned in ignorance (but was still deserving of punishment). While all men are guilty of breaking God’s law, Scripture does not treat all sin the same. Even in the Mosaic Law, there were varying degrees of punishment proportionate to the sin committed. There is good reason biblically to assume that Adolf Hitler will be judged more severely than the non-Christian who perhaps died by his hand. This certainly makes sense for how Scripture describes God’s character and His perfect judgment. “The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.” -Psalm 9:7-8
Does God’s Love Negate His wrath?
There is a popular narrative that tries to state that because “God is love” (1 John 4:8), this calls into question the notion of God being vengeful or wrathful (and in some cases, is outright “proof” that God would never send anyone to hell). I think this fundamentally misunderstands a couple things:
1) That God’s love is in conflict with His other attributes
2) The nature of love as defined by Scripture.
The problem a lot of people have is that they read a verse like 1 John 4:8 and insert their definition of ‘love’ onto what God must be. Because of this, oftentimes people have a presupposition of what this means. Namely, in our society, since God is love, nothing we perceive as negative would ever come from God. Certainly wrath, judgment, or discipline conflicts with a “loving” God, right? Another mistake is to assume that love is all that God is, as if that one attribute sums up the totality of God. This, of course, is an extreme error. John is not fully defining God, but offering a statement of fact. J.I. Packer’s comments on 1 John 4:8 should be noted:
“This statement presupposes all the rest of the biblical witness to God. The God of whom John is speaking is the God who made the world, who judged it by the flood, who called Abraham and made of him a nation, who chastened his Old Testament people by conquest, captivity, and exile, who sent his Son to save the world, who cast off unbelieving Israel and, shortly before John wrote, had destroyed Jerusalem, and who would one day judge the world in righteousness. It is this God, says John, who is love. It is perverse to quote John’s statement, as some do, as if it called into question the biblical witness to the severity of God’s justice. It is not possible to argue that a God who is love cannot also be a God who condemns and punishes the disobedient; for it is precisely of the God who does these things that John is speaking” (Packer, 142-43).
Importantly, it’s also worth noting that John also declares, “God is light.” This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” -1 John 1:5. In this context, John is speaking here of God’s moral purity and excellence. In Him, there is no darkness (evil). This metaphor of light and dark can be seen most clearly in Isaiah 5:20 where the prophet says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” This is borne out by what John says in 1 John 1:6, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” Consider, then, what John says about the darkness (evil men) reacting to the light of Christ in John 3:19, “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”
In Acts 26, Paul tells Agrippa that God had tasked him specifically to witness to the Gentiles, “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’” -Acts 26:18 (cf. Rom. 13:12-14, Eph. 5:8-10, 1 Peter 2:9). This righteousness of God that includes perfect justice in a moral universe does not negate His mercy and grace, just as His love for mankind does not negate his perfect justice. The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 45:6-7 and applies it to Jesus when he says, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” -Hebrews 1:9 (NIV).
It is precisely because God is love that He is also a God of justice who does not turn a blind eye toward wickedness. As Psalm 5:4 says, “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You.” As Packer simply puts it, “God’s love, as the Bible views it, never leads him to foolish, impulsive, immoral actions in the way that its human counterpart too often leads us. And in the same way, God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” (Packer, 186). The fact that God’s love is so deep that He sent His one and only Son to die for the sins of humanity should show us just how serious sin is! It took God in the flesh to live the perfect life on behalf of mankind and to be the spotless sacrificial “Lamb” to atone for sins. In this we see God’s love working in harmony with His wisdom, justice, and mercy.
Is eternal punishment for sins committed in a finite amount of time unjust?
Some would argue that being punished for eternity for sins committed in a very finite amount of time (a few decades) is simply unjust. However, this greatly trivializes sin and the severity of transgressing against a thrice holy God. Beyond that, we certainly don’t operate with the principle that length of punishment has to be proportionate to the length of time it took to commit a crime in our society. Even in our own criminal justice system, the length of punishment is almost never contingent on how long it took to commit the crime, but is based on the severity of the crime committed. The murder of a child by an adult may only take a couple of seconds to commit, but the act is so heinous that an entire life in prison for the offender may be the result. In some cases, it may even result in the death of the offender! How much more heinous are sins committed against an infinitely righteous and holy God and how much more severe would the punishment be against Him? Sinclair Ferguson comments, “In the case of sin against God himself, who is an infinite and eternally good Person, the sin takes on an eternal dimension that merits eternal punishment” (Ferguson- “Hell”, 234). And herein lies the problem. We simply do not grasp the seriousness of sin committed against God, just as the people of Jeremiah’s time in which God says of them: “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.” -Jeremiah 6:15. However, we instinctively understand that the one sinned against factors into the severity of the sin. A husband hitting his wife is a far more egregious act than hitting the family dog. What makes the same act worse in one case versus the other? The agent being sinned against!
Beyond this, there tends to be an assumption that those who are cast into hell will eventually come to a state of remorse, or even repentance, but that despite this, their punishment will sadly continue for eternity. This seems cruel and unfair. However, this is a faulty assumption. We have better biblical reasons to assume that the sin of those cast into hell will be ongoing and that remorse will be far removed from those being punished. Consider those being punished by God in Revelation 16. Instead of repenting, they acknowledge that God is the cause of their pain and blaspheme Him! “The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. 10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain, 11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.” -Revelation 16:8-11.
In a similar vein, it is also very poignant that for those who will be prohibited from the kingdom of God and thrown out, there will be “gnashing of teeth” (Matt 8:12, 13:42, 13:50, 25:30, Luke 13:28). “Gnashing of teeth” is an idiom used to convey outrage, indignation and disgust. A vivid picture of this can be seen in Acts 7:54-60 as the highly negative response to Stephen’s message by his Jewish audience. Outraged by his gospel message, Acts 7:54 says, “they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him.” As I. Howard Marshall notes, “To gnash one’s teeth was a sign of rage (Ps. 35:16, Lk. 13:28). Their consciences were pricked, but they were far from repenting and acknowledging the truth of what was said” (Marshall, 148). John Stott adds that they were “infuriated by his accusations, ground their teeth at him, snarling like wild animals” (Stott, 141). The result of this outrage was Stephen being stoned to death by what was likely mob violence. Psalm 37:12 says, “The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth” (see also, Lam. 2:16). This is the type of contempt those who are thrown out of the presence of Christ will have, and why Jesus’ use of this illustrates anger and indignation as they see the righteous dwell in the presence of God while they are banished. “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. -Luke 13:28.
The reply by some might be that this teaching essentially suggests that “God loses” given that sin seems to continue for eternity along with constant punishment for this never-ending sin. It must be pointed out that if Scripture teaches God’s victory as subduing His enemies for good and glorifying His saints, it can hardly be argued that “God loses.” On the contrary. Revelation 20:10 states that part of God’s victory is to throw the devil and his angels into the lake of fire “and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Christopher Morgan comments, “After depicting God‘s three opponents being cast into hell forever, John goes on to discuss the Final Judgment. The glorious God is seated on the great white throne. All of the dead, great and small, stand before him for their judgment” (Morgan-”Hell”, 218). As discussed above, the fate of the wicked whose names are not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire as well (Rev. 20:15). This fate of both categories (the devil and his angels/wicked men) is also confirmed by Christ in Matthew 25:41; 46 as also discussed above. Scripture does not present this as “God losing” but rather triumphing over all His enemies and enjoying eternal fellowship with His children; those who love Him (Rev. 21-22). Satan will not be “ruling” in hell, but will be suffering under the punishment of God along with those who persist in remaining loyal to him. “The coexistence of heaven and hell does not hinder the glorious victory of God or the utter happiness of the redeemed. Through punishing non-Christians eternally in hell, God will vindicate his majesty, display his power, glorify his justice, and indirectly magnify his grace. It is an unbiblical and sentimental conception of God that somehow the execution of his justice will hurt the Judge as much as the sinner” (Morgan-”Hell”, 218).
What is at stake?
In prophet Jeremiah’s day there was much evil in the land of Judah. Their society had devolved into murder, adultery and idol worship, yet they would enter the temple to make sacrifices to God thinking it pleased Him. Through Jeremiah, God declared that if they did not repent, He would ultimately bring wrath and judgment down upon them (Jer. 1:16, 4:3-4). This included a proclamation that God would destroy His very temple (Jer. 7:14)! The people of Judah could not stomach such a message and the false prophets reassured the people that God would never do such a thing! “They have lied about the Lord; they said, “He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.” -Jeremiah 5:12 (NIV). In another passage God tells Jeremiah that these false prophets were harming the people by telling them lies and refusing to preach a message of repentance. “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” -Jeremiah 6:14 (NIV). The wicked and unloving message was to deny that the wrath of God would ever come upon them for their evil deeds and unrepentant hearts. To proclaim “peace!” where there is no peace is not just a simple denial of reality, but wicked and contrary to what God had established in His covenant (Deut. 28:15-68). However, a message of peace while living wickedly was certainly more appealing and popular with the people of Judah. As God said of them, “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way.” -Jeremiah 5:31 (NIV). Jeremiah was treated with much contempt because he dared to declare the harsh truth of God’s word. This is an alarming parallel to those who would deny the reality of God’s judgment and hell for those who do not repent and place their faith in Christ. They declare “peace!” where there is no peace. They proclaim that a loving God would never send people to hell! God’s message of repentance for salvation was decisively rejected in Jeremiah’s day in favor of the more tolerable message of the false prophets and the result was that the people were slaughtered by the Babylonians, the temple was destroyed, and many survivors were carried off into captivity. God did exactly what He had promised in Deuteronomy and through the mouth of Jeremiah. Watching the devastation first hand, the writer of Lamentations once again points to the false prophets as guilty of offering false hope: “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” -Lamentations 2:14 (NIV). This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way” in Luke 6:26.
How much greater is the message from God’s own Son who proclaims “but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” and “unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Luke 13:5/John 8:24)? We even read Jesus in the gospels prophesying extreme temporal judgement upon Jerusalem for rejecting the Messiah. This can be seen in striking language in Luke 19:43-44, “For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, 44 and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Perhaps the most chilling pronouncement of judgment comes as he was walking the road to be crucified. While women were weeping over Him, He turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” -Luke 23:38-41. What Jesus is speaking of here came to fruition in AD 70 after the Romans had been besieging Jerusalem for months. The end result involved starvation and the invasion of the city and utter annihilation, not unlike the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem hundreds of years earlier. The temple was destroyed, thousands were killed and thousands more carted off as prisoners. How much more even still, ought we heed our Lord’s warning of eternal punishment?
Conclusion
Not only is the doctrine of hell/eternal punishment consistent with Scripture, but also church history. Oden writes that “most of the core teaching of final separation came from the lips of Jesus himself, so cannot easily be set aside as if it were an ancillary tradition. It is hard to think of any Christian teaching that has stronger biblical precedent and greater traditional consensus than the teaching of afterlife justice” (Oden, 830). The earliest Christian creeds such as the Apostle's and Nicene Creed both affirm Jesus as coming to judge the living and the dead. The Athanasian Creed states that “At his coming all people will arise bodily and give an accounting of their own deeds. Those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.” Reformation era confessions such as the Augsburg Confession, Scots Confession, Westminster Confession, and the London Baptist Confession also all affirm this doctrine. This is not a new or novel doctrine, but one that has been preached since the time of the apostles.
It should lastly be pointed out that God is not arbitrary in His justice, but He is a good, holy, and righteous God “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth… yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished” -Exodus 34:6-7. He sent His only Son, God in the flesh, to be the sacrifice for our sins so that we not only could be justified before God by faith through repentance, but to be adopted as His sons and daughters and to be in communion with Him for eternity. As Peter says in Acts 4:12, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” I believe Tozer hit the nail on the head when he wrote that “God’s justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity. The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day nearer and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings we dare not so trifle with our eternal future” (Tozer, 89). This is the reality of the situation mankind is in. Fortunately, God, in His infinite love, did not leave humanity in a hopeless state. Rather, He displayed His love by sending His only Son to live the life we could not live and pay the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins so that we could be reconciled to our Creator and enjoy eternal life with Him. As Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” and 1 John 4:10, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” God has not left us without hope. A consistent theme in the NT is that God’s love is on display in Jesus Christ who condescended down to earth not to be served, “but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:45. Can you echo the words of the apostle Paul when he says in Galatians 2:20, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me”? I pray that all who read this take hold of the benefits of God’s love rather than reject it!
Appendix: Conflicting Scripture- A Look at Romans 5:18, Philippians 2:9-11, Colossians 1:20, 1 Peter 4:6
There is overwhelming evidence throughout Scripture of God’s wrath and judgment of the wicked, both in a temporal context and in an eternal one. This principle is established constantly in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. If the biblical witness presented in the essay is a mountain, then the passages of Scripture that seem to speak otherwise might be compared to a molehill. We ought to interpret the molehill in light of the towering mountain that overshadows it. This section will address a few verses that might be used as an objection to the doctrine of eternal punishment and that not all will be saved. As with the evidence for the doctrine of hell, these verses aren’t fully comprehensive, but should suffice to make the point and rebut some common objections.
Romans 5:18
“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
Some interpret this as meaning that through Jesus every single human without exception and regardless of faith in Christ will be saved. Although Paul is showing a parallel between Jesus and Adam in Romans 5, the parallel is not a direct comparison in terms of the universal nature of the results. Meaning, as Adam’s sin universally condemned all, Jesus' death on the cross does not universally save all. Paul has already laid out the condition required to appropriate this justification in verse 17 (“those who receive”). The overwhelming testimony in Scripture speaks to this fact and Paul makes clear that faith in Christ is necessary to apply the benefits of Christ’s sacrifice for sins (Rom. 1:16-17, Rom. 3:26, Rom. 4:23-24, Rom. 5:1-2, Rom. 10:4, Rom. 10:9-17. See also: Acts 10:43, Heb. 5:9, John 1:12-13, John 3:36, John 8:24, 1 John 5:11-12 and many others). While Adam’s sin affects our nature, union with Christ is achieved by faith. In fact, the inference we should draw from what Paul is saying is that Jesus’ act of righteousness results in justification for all men “who believe” (who are in Christ). A passage that can help interpret this one can be found in 1 Cor. 15:22-23. There, Paul is referring to the resurrection and says: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (ESV). Notice the qualifier given: “those who belong to Christ.” Also, as Paul makes clear in his epistles, salvation is available not just to Jews, but “all mankind” (Jew, Gentile, slave, free, man, woman, etc).
Douglas Moo sums it up this way: “We must understand the universalism of v. 18 in terms of the representative significance of each individual: the effects of Christ’s action extend to all who belong to Him, just as the effects of Adam’s action extend to all who belong to him. All people, without exception, belong to Adam (12); but only those who come to faith, who ‘receive the gift,’ belong to Christ” (Moo- “NBC”, 1134).
Philippians 2:9-11
“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
It is assumed by universalists that every living being bending the knee and confessing Christ is Lord means that everyone will ultimately be saved. However, the passage does not say this, it is only an assumption that one has to import into the text. Homer Kent Jr. remarks that this verse “indicates a universal acknowledgement of Christ’s sovereignty, even by his enemies” and that “every personal being will ultimately confess Christ’s lordship, either with joyful faith or with resentment and despair” (Kent Jr., 125). Richard Melick Jr. also notes that “no evidence states that such acknowledgement will bring about salvation, however. That must be cared for in the present, before Jesus conquers his enemies.” Melick goes on to conclude that while some people will voluntarily submit to Christ (Rom. 10:9-10), “others will deny that lordship and, in the end, be conquered by the Lord himself. For them, it will be too late to participate in the glory, and they will be destined to the punishment appropriate for those who resist the Lord” (Melick Jr., 108). In James 2:19, we are told that even demons believe correctly that God is one (echoing the Shema-Deut. 6:4), yet this does not mean they are saved. Similarly, we see demons cry out that Jesus is “the Holy One of God” and “Son of the Most High God” in places like Mark 1:23-24 and Mark 5:1-13. These confessions do not mean they have saving faith in Christ. Consider also Christ’s words in Matthew 7:21, where a confession of “Lord, Lord” does not result in eternal life, but being cast out from Christ (cf. Matt. 25:11-12). In light of the full revelation of Scripture on final judgment, it is too much to read into the text of Philippians 2:10-11 that all will be eternally saved based on an acknowledgement of Christ’s sovereignty over all things. Rather, this is a picture of all things (to include His enemies) coming under subjugation (1 Cor. 15:25).
Colossians 1:20
“For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
This is another common verse used to point to the idea that everything and everyone will be in harmony and unity with God (implying universal salvation). In this case, if we read the following 3 verses, we get more context. “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” Notice the qualification given there. They must have faith and not be moved away from the gospel! The objective fact of the reconciling work of Christ must be applied subjectively to anyone who wishes to participate in the benefit of this reconciliation. The conditional clause given by Paul in Colossians 1:23 cannot be ignored. As Ben Witherington III points out, “Reconciliation is not some automatic process. On the contrary, the Colossians need to continue steadfast in the faith, unmoved from the hope that was originally offered to them. Human willingness and faithfulness are involved” (Witherington, 140). Douglass Moo compares this passage to 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 and the “two-stage” nature of reconciliation seen there also. Moo writes that “God has “reconciled the world to Christ” (v.19); but it is by responding to the message of reconciliation that the Corinthian Christians have experienced its benefits (vv. 20-21)” (Moo-”Colossians,” 136 n.217). As with Witherington, Moo also points out that there is a real warning in this passage. “The warning, along with many similar ones, presents the “human responsibility” side in the biblical portrayal of final salvation” (Moo-”Colossians,” 144). Faithfulness to Christ and the gospel is the condition required to be vindicated by God on judgment day.
Furthermore, Richard Melick Jr. states that while there is a possibility of voluntary reconciliation, for those who refuse to be reconciled to Christ there is the sentence of death (2 Cor. 2:14-16). “Thus reconciliation may be affected by voluntary submission to Jesus, which brings the blessings of salvation, or by involuntary submission, being conquered by the power of his might. Reconciliation must be defined in this context, therefore, as all things being put into proper relation to Christ. Those who respond to his voice will be brought into a relationship of grace and blessing. Those who oppose and reject him will receive eternal punishment involving removal from God‘s blessings and the active outpouring of his judgment. In the end, everyone and everything will be reconciled in this sense. Everyone and everything will be subordinated to Christ” (Melick Jr., 227). In eternity and in the new creation, all things will be reconciled and made right. Considering this, Revelation 21:27 tells us nothing unclean and impure will be allowed to dwell there.
1 Peter 4:6
“For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.”
This verse has been used to advocate for a “second chance” after death. On the surface, it can seem a little ambiguous, but to come to a logical interpretation, we must keep in mind the context and content of this chapter and the letter as a whole. This verse cannot be separated from the 5 verses that precede it. In those verses, Peter is mentioning the fact that due to his readers turning from their previous wicked lifestyles to serve Christ, the unsaved culture around them persecutes them, before proclaiming of the unbelievers, “ but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” -1 Peter 4:5.
In the midst of this church being persecuted for their faith, Peter has been offering hope and encouragement. While being treated unfairly, they are to follow Jesus’ example, who trusted that God would judge righteously (2:21-23). If they are slandered and reviled, they are to remember that Christ is victorious over all authorities and powers (3:16, 22) and those who persecute them for serving God will be judged accordingly (4:5). As we follow Peter’s flow of thought into verse 6, he is now referring to the Christians who have previously died. Although they were condemned by the unbelieving world while they were alive, they are vindicated by God in the spirit and will be raised to new life in the age to come. Virtually every modern scholar I consulted shares this understanding (differences in the details not withstanding). For instance, Karen Jobes comments that “The Christian dead may have indeed been judged by human standards in this life and may have been found wanting, whether by popular opinion or by official action. Nevertheless, judged by God's standards, they are alive in the eternal realm of the Spirit” (Jobes, 271). Alan Stibbs concludes that “the tables will be turned. Whereas those whose lives here in the flesh are governed by the lusts of men will after death face judgment, those who here and now embrace the gospel not only pass in this life beyond the judgment due to sin but also begin to enjoy new spiritual life which abides beyond death and qualifies for fellowship with God” (Stibbs, 152).
Edwin A. Blum similarly states that “even though pagans might condemn Christians and put them to death in the realm of the flesh, yet in God’s judgment there will be a reversal. Christians will live in a new realm–namely, the spiritual realm” (Blum, 245). William MacDonald also understands this as referring to believers in the gospel who have since died, noting that these believers “though judged, or condemned, according to men in the flesh, were vindicated by God. They are now enjoying eternal life with Him” (MacDonald, 2276). Even the likes of John Wesley and Albert Barnes come to these conclusions with Wesley stating that these believers were judged “In the flesh according to the manner of men - With rash, unrighteous judgment. They might live according to the will and word of God, in the Spirit; the soul renewed after his image” (Wesley, 4:6). And lastly, while Schreiner agrees that this verse is referring to believers who have died, he sees “live in the spirit” as paralleling 3:18, where the Spirit raised Jesus to life, therefore referring to the future resurrection and eternal life of believers. “Believers died “in the sphere of the flesh,” but they will live by means of the Holy Spirit” (Schreiner, 209).
What we can confidently conclude is that this verse is not speaking of some chance of salvation after death (as some have tried to assert). First, this interpretation ignores the immediate context of chapter 4 and the intent of Peter’s encouragement to his recipients throughout the letter. Second, it doesn't align with much clearer teaching in Scripture on the Day of Judgment and the fact that there is no chance for salvation after death (Luke 16:22-26, Heb. 9:27, cf. Matt. 13:41-43, 25:41-46, John 3:36, Rev. 20:14-15). A seemingly ambiguous verse should be interpreted in light of unambiguous verses. Third, the past tense of “preached” does not indicate a future opportunity for salvation, but rather a past action that occurred to those who were alive, but are now dead. Nor will it do to connect this verse to 3:19. The subjects of the preaching of Jesus were fallen angelic forces (spirits), not dead humans as in 4:6 and the message proclaimed was one of victory over sin and death, not a gospel presentation. As Schreiner points out in 4:6, “the passive verb phrase “the gospel was preached” (euēngelisthē) does not refer to preaching done by Christ but the preaching of Christ.” This specifically refers to the gospel message, whereas the Greek word used by itself in 3:19 (kēryssō) does not (unless qualified). On its own, it can simply refer to a "proclamation." (Schreiner, 207). Fourth, a sudden change in the topic is what would be required to understand this verse as an offering of salvation postmortem. This makes little sense in the context of the entire letter. If Peter were referring to some second chance after death “the Petrine readers could not be faulted for concluding that they could deny the faith now and then embrace it after death. Apostacy, in any case, would not be the last word, for they would have another opportunity after death to believe the gospel” (Schreiner, 208). In other words, it would seem foolhardy for them to obey the exhortations to “endure suffering” for their faith when they could simply deny the faith externally, forgo social chastisement (and possible martyrdom) and live a “better” earthly life. Afterall, they will have the chance for eternal life after death, right? The logic of this theology does not work and is thoroughly inconsistent with the full message and urgency of apostolic preaching. As we see Scripture, trials and suffering serve to prove and refine a person’s faith as in 1 Peter 1:6-7 (see also: Acts 14:22, Rom. 5:3-5, James 1:2-3; 1:12). Those who were persecuted and even killed for their faith took the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:33 seriously, “But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
Recommended Resources:
Hell Under Fire- This book is a great resource that looks at this topic in good detail. Not only does it examine the biblical texts, but also deals with many objections from a theological and philosophical viewpoint. There are 9 contributors which include scholars like G.K. Beale, Douglas Moo and J.I. Packer. https://amzn.to/4yle1Mf
Classic Christianity, Thomas Oden- I recommend this systematic theology book as an excellent general study of historic Christian theology in broad, ecumenical terms. For this subject specifically, consult pages 811-831. https://amzn.to/3PCk6mE
Bibliography:
Archer Jr., Gleason- Daniel-Minor Prophets, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, 1985
Bailey, Waylon- Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, NAC, Vol. 20, 1998
Barnes, Albert- Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible
Block, Daniel; Mohler Jr., Albert; Ferguson, Sinclair; Morgan, Christopher W.- Hell Under Fire (Morgan & Peterson), 2004
Blum, Edwin A.- The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12, 1981
DeYoung, Kevin- Daily Doctrine: A One Year Guide to Systematic Theology, 2024
Grudem, Wayne- Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, 1994
Jobes, Karen H.- 1 Peter, BECNT, 2005
Kent Jr., Homer A.- Ephesians-Philemon, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 11, 1978
Lane, William- The Gospel according to Mark, NICNT, 1974
MacDonald, William- Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995
Marshall, I. Howard- The Acts of the Apostles, TNTC, 1980
Melick Jr., Richard- Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, NAC, Vol. 32, 2002
Moo, Douglas- New Bible Commentary, 1994, Romans
Moo, Douglas- The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, PNTC, 2008
Morris, Leon- The Revelation of St. John, TNTC, 1981
Mounce, Robert H.- The Book of Revelation, NICNT, 1997
Oden, Thomas C.- Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology, 1992
Packer, J.I.- Knowing God, 1973, Crossway Edition, 2023
Polycarp- The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna
Robertson, O. Palmer- The Final Word, 2024
Schreiner, Thomas- 1,2 Peter, Jude, NAC, Vol. 37, 2003
Smith, Gary V.- Isaiah 40-66, NAC, Vol. 15B, 2009
Stibbs, Alan M.- The First Epistle General of Peter, TNTC, 1983
Stott, John- The Message of Acts, BST, 1990
Tozer, A.W.- The Knowledge of the Holy, 1961
Wesley, John- John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, 1 Peter
Wessel, Walter W.- Matthew, Mark, Luke, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Vol. 8, 1984
Witherington III, Ben- The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Captivity Epistles, 2007
*Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995): New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.