Why does sin require such severe punishment?
In even asking the question, Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance, Paul says, “I speak as a man”. Indeed, the natural man is without understanding, for the things of God are spiritually discerned; and so, they question whether it is right that God should punish sin. In this study, we will seek to understand why sin must be punished so severely, and why God’s execution of judgment on the world is both necessary and just.
For unbelievers, there is no fear of God before their eyes, yet those who are trusting in Christ’s payment for sins, know that they have been saved from the wrath to come, and from death and eternity in the torments hell.
The law condemned sinners to death; for sin is transgression of the law and the soul that sinneth must die. To those who believed God, the law was perfect. They kept his statutes and understood that God would bless those who feared him and kept his commandments.
Under the law, when men feared the LORD, they departed from evil.
Those who believed the law, with its blessings and curses, considered it to be more desirable than much fine gold and sweeter than the honeycomb. They feared the LORD and by his word they were warned of the consequences of transgression.
How to understand righteous judgment
The fear of God’s righteous judgment, wrath, and eternal punishment in hell, is a necessary aspect of the gospel of our salvation. It teaches mankind what it is from which we need to be saved.
If hell was removed from the teaching of the bible, or dumbed down to a temporary place in which souls can be purified to a state of holiness and acceptance before God, then why would Christ have needed to die for our sins?
Purgatory, for example, (in Catholic doctrine) is a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners who are expiating their sins before going to heaven. People who believe in such a doctrine are rejecting Christ’s shed blood as complete payment for all their sins. Indulgences, granted by the church is another teaching that undermines the biblical doctrine of eternal punishment in hell for non-believers. It is described as "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins".
If the reality of eternal punishment did not exist, such as in the doctrine of annihilationism, then there would be no fear of death and so countless people would reject the gospel of Christ and therefore suffer for ever in the lake of fire, from which there is no escape.
Desiring knowledge and understanding
To understand God’s righteousness, judgment, and equity, requires application of the heart to cry after knowledge. To gain understanding, its necessary to seek after it like hidden treasure, something to be so greatly desired that we search for it diligently. This is how to understand the fear of the LORD, to find the knowledge of God, his righteousness, judgment, equity, and every good path. God has spoken; out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding, and from him we gain sound wisdom as we study his word.
Pure and unperverted justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve. In that sense, all are guilty of breaking the law of God and deserve its punishment. However, God is merciful and sent his Son to pay the price for sin, fully satisfying the demands of justice. He was the propitiation for sin, through faith in his blood. He is therefore both just, and the justifier of those who believe.
From the bible, we see clearly that God, the Judge of all the earth judges righteously and does not pervert judgment and justice.
God uses evil against him to work for good
God certainly has enemies, and his greatest adversary is Satan, that old serpent called the devil and the father of lies. Despite rebellion in heaven, despite Adam’s sin and man’s resistance to God since then, God had foreknowledge and continues to use this evil rebellion to bring about good. The pinnacle of this rebellion was in the evil perpetrated against our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Through his death, burial and resurrection, salvation is offered as a free git to all who believe the gospel in this age of grace.
God had a plan, from before the foundation of the world, to establish his perfect kingdom. God did not cause Lucifer to sin and become the adversary of God, but he certainly had foreknowledge and a plan to turn that evil to work for good.
To the glory of God, while Satan has consistently tried to usurp God’s position and thwart his redemptive plan to restore his perfect creation, God has always been above it all and had preordained, even before he foundation of the world, to send his Son in due time, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1Jn 3:8 KJV He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
And so, Christ died and rose again that those who believe might be forgiven their sins and gain eternal life. But sin and its perpetrators must be excluded from corrupting God’s eternal kingdom and will be cast into the lake of fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. They will have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The corrupted heavens and earth will be burnt up with fervent heat and there will be new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
God is not willing that any should perish, nor does he take pleasure in the death of the wicked. But in his wisdom, which is higher than ours, God foresaw the pain and suffering caused by sin, so made a plan to eradicate it forever.
Even atheists and those who blaspheme and hate God, agree the following (all fuelled by our sinful nature) are harmful to society and individuals: anger, wrath, malice, envy, strife, hatred, murders, covetousness, extortion, false witness, theft, wickedness, deceit, pride, high-mindedness and self-conceit, fornication, adultery, malignity (mischievousness), boasting, inventing evil things, disobedience to parents, slander, being merciless, covenant breakers, unaffectionate, truce breaking, unthankfulness, false accusers, incontinent (without self control), fierceness, despising those who are good, betrayal (as traitors), heady or rash behaviour, drunkenness, etc..
Left unchecked, sin destroys and therefore cannot be tolerated in God’s perfect eternal kingdom, wherein dwells love, joy, peace and righteousness. Thank God that he has a righteous plan and the power to eradicate sin forever. In the meantime, he has made provision for salvation for all who will place their trust in Christ and his shed blood as payment for sins. Nobody is excluded; Christ died for sinners, but Satan and his ministers constantly work to blind men to that life-saving truth. One lie which they propagate, is to eliminate or reduce the fear of God’s righteous punishment for sin.
Everyone’s a sinner, and that’s no lie
The law of God, given through Moses, says Thou shalt not steal. But even those who profess to have no faith or religion still have a conscience and know that stealing is wrong. In that sense they attest to the principle of free will and legal responsibility for personal choices, even if they deny the existence of God.
The fact that stealing is not right, makes a person who has stolen, unrighteous. Even if they stole only one time, or stole such a small value thing that the rightful owner might not even notice, it still makes them a thief. If the law says Thou shalt not steal, and you have stolen just once, that makes you a transgressor of the law and therefore a sinner, because sin is transgression of the law.
God’s law, in summary and in detail
In the Bible, we read of God’s laws, statutes and judgments, which he made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai, by the hand of Moses.
The book of Leviticus concludes by saying:
While the Law refers to the entire body of laws, commandments, statutes and judgements, Christ summarised the two great commandments, upon which hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40 KJV Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
He also summarised what the law and prophets taught about how men should treat each other, the so-called “golden rule”, which is to do unto others, what you would have them do unto you.
By revelation given to the apostle Paul, he reaffirmed that same legal summary concerning loving our neighbour.
When is the law broken?
How many laws must a man break in order to say he has broken the law? The answer, of course, is just one. The law contains many more commandments than Thou shalt not steal. It is generally held that the Mosaic Law contains some 613 commandments, as written in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.
These commandments covered all aspects of life and required the performance of certain acts and the forbidding of others. There was no option to pick and choose which laws to keep and which to ignore. The people were required both to confirm their agreement and to do all of the law.
To break just one commandment makes a person guilty according to the law. It is not an acceptable defence to say I’ve kept most of the law. To offend in just one law is to make a person a transgressor of the law; and as already mentioned, sin is transgression of the law; so to break just one commandment makes a person a sinner.
This might seem hard to accept, because it condemns every person. However, Paul explains this same condition to the Galatians, showing them that every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them, is cursed.
What the law teaches about ourselves
By the law is the knowledge of sin. As Paul explained: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
It is by the law we know it is wrong to desire things that belong to someone else. Without the law, people naturally covet what is not theirs, and this leads to theft, adultery, lies, murder and even wars to satisfy their covetous greed. The law commands not to covet the things that are your neighbour’s; those who do covet what is not theirs (which is almost everyone, to some extent) is a transgressor of the law.
The law condemns rather than justifies
The law was given to Israel. Absolutely no one apart from Christ could keep the law in its entirety, therefore by the deeds of the law no one can be justified. The fact that no one can keep the law means that by it, the whole world became guilty.
Guilty as charged, a righteous judgment
It is by the law that Paul proved all are under sin and there is none righteous, no not one. None of us can keep the law in its entirety; therefore we are all transgressors of the law, guilty as charged, unrighteous sinners.
The veracity and force of the law
Before looking at the horrific sentence that is handed down to transgressors of God’s law, it may be useful to consider the reliability and strength of God’s law, in comparison to the weakness of man-made law; for it is by those weaknesses that many excuse their own actions (even though they are quick to accuse others). They may choose to break a law in belief they will not be found out, or even if caught, they might think they will not receive a guilty verdict in court. They might surmise that, even if found guilty, the sentence is not so bad, so it’s worth going ahead and committing the crime.
Judgement and sentence by man’s law
How does a person become guilty and therefore punishable by man’s law? In most countries where there is the rule of law, someone accused of a crime(s) will be given what’s considered to be a fair trial, presided over by a judge, and in which they are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof rests with the prosecution, who must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the person is guilty. As the prosecution and defence present their arguments, the process is intended to bring out the actual truth, so there is no error in judgment and a proper adjudication can be made, either convicting or acquitting the accused. Of course, while intended to be fair, the fact is that the outcome of an earthly trial is not based on absolutes, but relies on the variable nature of evidence, witnesses and the competency of the prosecution and defence to present their arguments. All of these variables are fallible, as are the Judge and Jury.
Judgment and sentence by God’s law
While man’s judgment has many weaknesses, the ideal situation would be where we are sure, beyond all doubt, that judgment was according to absolute truth.
This is where we should be reminded that the Judge of all the earth is righteous, and he judges in truth and righteousness, according to his own perfect law.
No one can escape God’s judgement
In man’s legal system, some might dodge the law, perhaps by what they think is cleverly covering their tracks to leave no evidence of the crime, or by bringing false witnesses to provide a false alibi; maybe bribing the judge or nobbling the jury with threats. However, nothing is hid from God, not even the secret things which people try to hide, for fear of being found out. For those under the law, their work will be judged by the keeping (or not keeping) of God’s commandments; for in that dispensation of law, the whole duty of man was to fear God and keep his commandments.
Christ, who in his earthly ministry came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, reaffirmed this legal requirement to keep the commandments.
Even if someone thought they had managed to cover their tracks, Christ reminded his disciples that nothing is covered that shall not be revealed.
The apostle Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that the Lord God will judge not just the outward speech and actions, but will also bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.
Nowhere to hide
Perhaps it is stating the obvious to say that while a man might flee the country or try to go into hiding to avoid being caught by the police, the enforcers of the law, no such option is available under God’s law, from which absolutely no man can hide or escape.
Adjudication for the unrighteous
The evidence against us is inescapable and already proven. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, all have transgressed his law and are therefore sinners; and the wages of sin is death.
Sentence and punishment of the guilty
We will conclude this study with the good news of the gospel, but before someone can be saved, they must first be persuaded of their inescapable guilt. They need to understand the nature of God’s perfect justice: in which the law is clear, the evidence cannot be hid and the punishment is both severe and eternal. They need to understand that they will be unable to blag their way around the judge of the whole earth, from whom not even the secret things are hidden, who can see the thoughts and intents of the hearts, and whose judgements are perfect.
Now is the dispensation of the grace of God, when he is offering salvation from the wrath to come and eternal life for all who will trust in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection as complete payment for their sins. God is who he says he is. He is “slow to anger”, but his judgment will come, and he will in no way acquit the wicked; those who have transgressed the law and rejected his free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. Because of God’s longsuffering, people ignore His almighty power to execute punishment. Including the everlasting burnings that face those who reject his mercy.
Strong delusion for those “left behind”
For those who have an awareness that Christ will return for his church, they might think they can simply accept Christ when they see or hear of this event happening. However, when we’ve been resurrected or caught up to be forever with the Lord, the Antichrist will arrive on the scene and God himself will send a strong delusion to those who remain on the earth, who received not the love of the truth.
Don’t wait for a miraculous sign from heaven. Now is the time to yield to the conviction of the holy Spirit and to gladly receive God’s free gift of eternal life by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross as payment for our sins.
Armageddon is real
Following that last 3.5 years of great tribulation, Christ will return to the battle of Armageddon; yes, that is not the name of a computer game or film, it is a real event where the kings of the earth and of the whole world, will be gathered to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
That time of wrath and the great tribulation, spoken of throughout scripture, and by Christ while he was on the earth, will be as has never been seen before. (It is not global warming or climate change, but unmissable catastrophe).
In that day, all men will fear the Lord’s wrath
In that day a great earthquake will happen, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. God will pour out of the fierceness of his wrath upon the religious, political and commercial world, described as Mystery Babylon the Great in the book of Revelation. Jerusalem will be in focus, but the whole world will be judged, as the cities of the nations fall, Islands move and mountains collapse. Hailstones, each about as heavy as a talent (around 7st weight), will fall from heaven, such that men will blaspheme God and will not repent !! When this prophetic judgment occurs, in the latter days, all men, from kings to bondmen, will be truly terrified.
After the tribulation, comes the lake of fire
After the battle of Armageddon, the beast (the Antichrist) and his false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. But that’s not the end. The nations who remain on the earth will then face judgement, as described in Matthew 25, in which the so-called Gentile goats, who did not care for Christ’s brethren will also be cast into the lake of fire, ushering in the commencement of the 1000-year reign of Christ on the earth.
Kingdom rule, with a legal rod of iron
The Gentile nations who escape the judgement of Matthew 25, the so-called sheep who gave meat, drink, lodgings, clothing and comfort to Christ’s brethren during the tribulation period, will gain entry to the kingdom, prepared for them from the foundation of the world. This also is not the end. Israel will be a nation of kings and priests unto God and the law will go forth as a rod of iron from Jerusalem. The rule of law will be administered without compromise throughout that 1,000 year reign. Remember, it is not until after the 1,000 year reign that heaven and earth as we know them now will pass away (with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat) and the Lord will fold them up, as a vesture and they shall be changed.
During this kingdom period, Satan will have been bound for 1000 years, until his release, when he will go out again to deceive the nations and gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. As they surround Jerusalem, the beloved city, fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them, and the devil that deceived them will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The great white throne judgment
When that old serpent, the Devil, is cast into the lake of fire, that event is still not the end. Now comes the time when all the remaining dead will be resurrected to the great white throne and judged according to their works. The sea, and even death and hell will give up their dead for this works-based judgement in which all whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the eternal lake of fire and brimstone; which is the second death and from which the smoke of their torment will ascend for ever. This is the terror of the Lord and it should strike exceeding fear and alarm into the heart of every creature.
Reasons to be fearful
Everlasting burnings should be enough to put the fear of God into any sentient being.
How about unquenchable thirst that lasts forever and ever, in a place of torments and burning flames from which there is no escape. Surely that is enough to cause men to run to God for mercy? But no, they mock and joke about the great time they will have in hell with all their friends.
Living carcases, an abhorring to all flesh
In the promised kingdom to Israel, all flesh will be required to come up to worship God. As they do they will look on the still living carcases of those who have transgressed against God and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Such will be the severity of hell fire, that for those who were required to keep the commandments and endure to the end to be saved, Christ taught them as follows.
Mark 9:43-48 KJV And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (44) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (45) And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: (46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (47) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: (48) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Judgment according to the gospel of Christ
As for those still alive in this age of grace, they need to know that God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel that he revealed to the apostle Paul.
Accordingly, it will be just and righteous for God to punish, with flaming fire and everlasting destruction, those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The gospel of Christ
The gospel of Christ is not just the good news that Christ was born and lived a sinless life, but that he died for our sins, was buried and rose again for our justification. It is in the truth of this gospel that we stand; and by it we are saved from the wrath to come.
It’s easy to gloss over familiar words, but in the context of God’s righteous judgement, it is important to see that by Christ’s shed blood on the cross, God’s justice has been fully satisfied. The wages of sin has been paid by Christ’s sacrificial death, for the sins of the whole world.
If we believe the gospel, we have faith that Christ did indeed die for our sins. We are fully persuaded that our sins have been paid for and we therefore place our entire trust in the fact that when we die, we will be judged as righteous; not because we have any or our own, but because through faith in the gospel, God’s own righteousness is imputed to us. Christ the righteous one, bore our sins on the cross, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Because we heard and believed the gospel, we placed our trust in Christ for our eternal future; and in doing so, God sealed us in Christ, with his holy Spirit of promise.
When we first trusted in Christ, that he died for our sins, was buried and rose again, the holy Spirit placed us into the body of Christ.
Our acceptance before God is not based on our own works or self-righteousness, but because we are in Christ, the beloved.
Those who fully trust in Christ’s shed blood as payment for their sins, have been delivered from the wrath to come.
Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men
As believers, we will not face the great white throne judgement, nor the unquenchable thirst in the never-ending torments of the lake of fire and brimstone's eternal burnings.
Therefore, knowing the terror of the Lord, we should seek to persuade men of their guilt, as sinners who have transgressed God’s law; that they will not escape his judgement nor have a valid defence.
The judge of the whole earth will judge in righteousness, and will therefore not at all acquit those who have transgressed the law and rejected his free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. By the gospel, all men can now be freely saved, simply by placing their trust in Christ: that he died for their sins, was buried and rose again from the dead.
Yes, God is righteous in taking vengeance
Our unrighteousness demonstrates the need for God’s righteousness in taking vengeance, in judgment of the world.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction; and there is no fear of God before the eyes of the unbeliever. The knowledge of death, hell and eternal torment, for rejection of the gospel of God's grace, instills fear in a truly wise person. However, the majority of people, throughout the ages, have despised God's wisdom and instruction.
It is not possible to place one’s trust in Christ for salvation from death and hell, if one believes that hell is a false doctrine, and that God will pervert his own justice and judgment by turning a ‘blind eye’, and allowing sin to go unpunished. God's wisdom and integrity are perfect.
We who are saved will benefit eternally from having received God’s mercy; and from his righteous judgment on sin, the devil and his angels, and all who have rejected God’s mercy. The natural man does not want to agree with this but, let God be true and every man a liar. Because God has clearly spoken, he will be justified in his judgment against the unrighteous.
In God's eternal purpose, pain, sorrow, suffering and death, all caused by sin, will be replaced by eternal joy, peace and righteousness. All who have believed the gospel, and therefore placed their trust in Christ, will enjoy his perfect unfailing love for eternity, in a kingdom that is uncorrupted by sin. God is righteous and will be justified in his judgment.
In the meantime, rather than entertain any thought of God being unjust in punishing sin, we are called to put on the mind of Christ. We must recognize God's eternal purpose, and character of love. He so loved the world that he humbled himself, taking on the form of a man, so he could suffer and die for the sins of the world.
Rather than selfishly bask in the knowledge that our eternal future is secure in Christ, we are called to humble ourselves and demonstrate God’s love and compassion for all men, as we stand for the truth of the gospel, and preach it, so that those who believe will fear God, and lay hold on the life and immortality that he has secured on their behalf, through his shed blood on the cross.
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