How is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin? | GotQuestions.org

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Today's question is, how is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin?

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In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective. Then afterwards, as always,

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I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end. Many people are uncomfortable, to say the least, with the idea of an eternal hell.

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This discomfort, though, is often the result of an incomplete understanding of three things – the nature of God, the nature of man, and the nature of sin.

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As fallen, sinful human beings, the nature of God is a difficult concept for us to grasp.

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We tend to see God as a kind, merciful being whose love for us overrides and overshadows all

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His other attributes. Of course, God is loving, kind, and merciful, but He is first and foremost a holy and righteous

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God. So holy is He that He cannot tolerate sin. He is a God whose anger burns against the wicked and disobedient.

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Isaiah 5, verse 25. He is not only a loving God, He is love itself.

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But the Bible also tells that He hates all manner of sin. Proverbs 6, verses 16 -19.

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And while He is merciful, there are limits to His mercy. Seek the Lord while He may be found.

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Call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way, and the evil man his thoughts.

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Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him and to our God, for He will freely pardon.

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Isaiah 55, verses 6 -7. Humanity is corrupted by sin, and that sin is always directly against God.

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When David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having Uriah murdered, he responded with an interesting prayer, against you, you only have

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I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Psalm 51, verse 4.

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Since David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, how could he claim to have only sinned against God?

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David understood that all sin is ultimately against God. God is an eternal and infinite being.

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Psalm 90, verse 2. As a result, all sin requires an eternal punishment.

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God's holy, perfect, and infinite character has been offended by our sin. Although to our finite minds, our sin is limited in time, to God, who is outside of time, the sin

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He hates goes on and on. Our sin is eternally before Him and must be eternally punished in order to satisfy

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His holy justice. No one understands this better than someone in hell.

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A perfect example is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Both died, and the rich man went to hell, while Lazarus went to paradise.

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Luke chapter 16. Of course, the rich man was aware that his sins were only committed during his lifetime.

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But interestingly, he never says, how did I end up here? That question is never asked in hell.

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He does not say, did I really deserve this? Don't you think this is a little extreme, a little over the top?

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He only asks that someone go to his brothers who are still alive and warn them against his fate.

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Like the rich man, every sinner in hell has a full realization that he deserves to be there.

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Each sinner has a fully informed, acutely aware, and sensitive conscience, which in hell becomes his own tormentor.

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This is the experience of torture in hell. A person fully aware of his or her sin with a relentlessly accusing conscience without relief for even one moment.

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The guilt of sin will produce shame and everlasting self -hatred. The rich man knew that eternal punishment for a lifetime of sins is justified and deserved.

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That is why he never protested or questioned being in hell. The realities of eternal damnation, eternal hell, and eternal punishment are frightening and disturbing.

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But it is good that we might indeed be terrified. While this may sound grim, there is good news.

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God loves us, John 3, verse 16, and wants us to be saved from hell, 2

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Peter 3, verse 9. But because God is also just and righteous,

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He cannot allow our sin to go unpunished. Someone has to pay for it. In His great mercy and love,

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God provided His own payment for our sin. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross for us.

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Jesus' death was an infinite death because He is the infinite God -Man, paying our infinite sin debt, so that we would not have to pay in hell for eternity, 2

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Corinthians 5, verse 21. If we confess our sin and place our faith in Christ, asking

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God's forgiveness based on Christ's sacrifice, we are saved, forgiven. We are cleansed and promised an eternal home in heaven.

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God loved us so much that He provided the means for our salvation. But if we reject

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His gift of eternal life, we will face the eternal consequences of that decision. Want to learn more?

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Subscribe so you don't miss the next video! Visit GotQuestions .org for more great content. And check out the details section below this video, there you'll find one book

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I recommend, along with links to several related questions. If you'd like to learn about Bible Munch, or if you're interested in Bite -sized devotionals, subscribe to Bible Munch on YouTube, it's linked right here.