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ExPounder
Why would God punish us for eternity for a finite sin? This is the one question I get asked most out of all topics. The one thing that people have an issue with when it comes to this topic is understanding the nature of God and the nature of sin. The definition of sin is the transgression of the law of God.
1 John 3:4 “4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.”
It’s also considered rebellion against God.
Deuteronomy 9:7 7 Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.”
Joshua 1:18 “18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
The way we must look at this is that this is God’s universe. Because this is God’s universe, He sets the rules and laws (2 Timothy 3:16). He sets the standard of goodness and truth, and when you violate a Law set by His standard of law, you have broken the maker’s divine law.
The reason for eternal punishment is that our souls are eternal, and our flesh isn’t. When you break the law on earth, the penalty is not everlasting, but because we are choosing not to be a government run on the standard God (Romans 13:1-7), there are life sentences instead of capital punishment. Is that unjust to send someone with a life sentence to a cell?
In the Bible, the eternal punishment for violating God’s law is Hell or the Lake of Fire. Hell is described as a place where people who disobey God will go. Revelation 21:8 describes a list of actions that will get you a free pass to hell.
Revelation 21:8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Hell/Lake of fire is eternal (Matthew 25:46), a place of torment (Revelation 20:10), unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43, 48), eternal fire (Jude 1:7), a place of shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2), weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12).
God may seem unjust for this, but God is love (1 John 4:7-12). Because God is love, he made a way out for us, so we are not punished eternally. This way out is by accepting a man named Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect and sinless life (1 John 2:2). By living a sinless life, he was the only perfect sacrifice to take our place on the cross, and that is what He did to take away the sins of the world (Hebrews 9:26).
Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed.”
In John 3:16-17, we know that “16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
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