We all have a sense of justice built into us. When someone steals from us, we want the offender to receive justice. When we read about a terrible atrocity, we know that the perpetrator should be held accountable for their crimes. However, when we hear the Bible’s teachings on hell, many see that as a step too far. How can a loving God send people to a place of eternal punishment for the wrong they have done?
Sin is against the light God has given us
The Bible teaches that all human beings are accountable to God because He has written His law upon our hearts. Murder, theft, adultery, love of money, disobedience to authority, hatred, backbiting, slander, impure thoughts and looks, gluttony; the list could go on. These are all things we know to be wrong because God made us in His image and gave us a conscience that testifies for or against us in our minds. Humans “…show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them…” (Romans 2:15).
No one will be able to say on the day of judgment that they didn’t know they were doing wrong. The recent “partygate” scandal was big news because those who wrote the lockdown laws were knowingly flouting them and thus deserve a greater degree of accountability than those who were unfamiliar with the law. Likewise, the sins we commit are in spite of our knowledge of God’s law.
He has to deal with the wrong that we do; otherwise, He would not be holy and just.
Sin is against a holy God
Many people see God as a grandfather figure in the sky. However, the Bible’s revelation of God is far different. Even the heavenly beings cannot look upon the glory and majesty of God but cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). His moral purity and perfection are so great that the prophet Habakkuk said of God, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness” (Habakkuk 1:13).
That holy God created us to be holy and morally pure like Him. So when we sin, we reject the purpose for which God created us and rebel against God’s holy character. Because God is a just judge, He cannot simply let sin go unpunished. He has to deal with the wrong that we do; otherwise, He would not be holy and just.
Sin is against an infinite God
But you may ask, is God just in punishing sinners eternally for breaking His law? After all, human justice systems release convicts after they have served their time in prison. The difference here is who the crime is committed against. Even earthly justice systems have different penalties depending on who the crime is committed against. If you harm a police officer, you will receive additional punishment compared to if you harmed a member of the public. If you harm the King of England, you will be punished for treason. Sin is treason against the God of the universe. The Bible teaches that God is infinite and eternal, so punishment for sin against such a God must be eternal.
We want to take His good gifts, but we don’t want Him!
Sin is against a good God
God is not only holy, just, and infinite; He is also good. He shows that goodness to us every day. The Bible tells us, “He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and with gladness” (Acts 14:17). Every time we eat a meal, we enjoy a gift from God. Every time we put on clothing, we enjoy a gift from God. Every time we laugh with friends, we enjoy a gift from God. Every gift displays God’s goodness toward us. This makes our sin even worse because we live without gratitude to the one who has given us all that we have. We want to take His good gifts, but we don’t want Him!
Moral outrage
All of these factors should help us realise that sin is a moral outrage against a holy, just, infinite, and good God. Such wrongdoing deserves punishment. However, the message of the gospel is that sinful people do not need to go to Hell. The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, suffered Hell in our place on the cross of Calvary. If we come to Him in faith, we can be forgiven and made fit for heaven. This is because “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 1:18).
… a way was made open for all who believe in Christ to escape the hell we deserve and find everlasting life
At the cross, both the justice and mercy of God were seen. Sin was punished, but a way was made open for all who believe in Christ to escape the hell we deserve and find everlasting life.