A friend and I were recently engaging in a theological discussion while smoking hookah (one of my favorite combinations) and we came to disagreement on a particular subject: will some people be punished more harshly in hell than others/will some people receive greater rewards in heaven than others?
To both questions, I answered “Yes.” To both questions, my friend (and also my wife who I spoke with later about it) answered “No.”
Here’s why I think they’re wrong:
All Sin Is Equal…But It Is Not All the Same
Oxymoronic? I don’t think so. Sin is equal in that it all equally separates us from God. Even more, it is all equal in that it separates us from God an equal distance, if we choose to see it in those terms. But not all sin is the same - either in terms of consequences (which happen regardless of whether God forgives) or in terms of eternal punishment (which God is solely responsible for). Coveting my neighbor’s wife is not the same as sleeping with her – my neighbor will tell you that and so will God. Both may separate me from God, because both are sinful, but one is more sinful than the other – I know, I know…that is going to make some people upset. Don’t we all need a Savior? Doesn’t the Bible say that all have sinned and have fallen short? Yes, but simply because we are all separated from God and are in need of a Savior, doesn’t mean that there are not harsher punishments for more serious sins. And there are serious sins. Take the following examples:
- In the Old Testament, God prescribed varying degrees of punishment based on the degree of the sin. In Exodus 21, if someone deliberately kills someone else, they should be put to death, but if they hit them without meaning to kill them and they die anyways, that person’s punishment is less. But this is not an arbitrary code…it reflects something in the nature of God.
- As Jesus was speaking with Pilate about his impending crucifixion, Jesus told him that those who handed Jesus over were “guilty of a greater sin.” (John 19:10-11)
- In Matthew 23:23, Jesus indicates that there are “weightier” matters of the Law. Practicing justice, mercy, and faithfulness is more important than other things (in this case, tithing). As an additional side note, this dispels any notion that Jesus didn’t intend for his followers to tithe.
- Matthew 5:19 indicates that breaking the law and teaching others to do the same will be called “least,” but those who practice the law and teaches others to do the same, will be called “great.”
- According to 1 John 5:16-17, some sins lead to death (are worse) and some do not.
- Obviously, there is the sin which Jesus says is unforgivable.
The fact that we all need a Savior says nothing about whether some sins are more offensive, more worthy of punishment. It merely says we are all in need. And the same goes for grace…simply because we all need it, doesn’t mean that we all need the same amount. He who is forgiven much will love much.
Not All Good Deeds Are Equally Good…Even If They Are the Same
One of the arguments that my friend brought up in opposition to the idea that some people will be rewarded better than others is that this would cause good deeds to be done out of selfishness. If you know that doing x as a good deed will create y as a reward, you’ll do x because you want y. And that wouldn’t be fair, because it creates a system wherein your reward is intrinsically tied to your greed…a trait which God isn’t supposed to like. Why, then, would he reward some good more than others?
The answer: because not all good deeds, even if they are the same, are equally good.
My friend was right: doing good deeds in an effort to get certain rewards effectively endorses greed. But what if the best deeds are those that aren’t done out of greed? What if the best deeds, the ones with the greatest rewards, are those that are done without any reward in mind whatsoever?
In the Kingdom of God, a good deed is intrinsically tied to the motif with which it is done. If the motif is one of greed, that nullifies (or at least weakens) the goodness of the deed. If the motif is one of service, that amplifies the goodness of the deed. Going back to the idea that some sins are worse than others, it only follows that some deeds are better than others. Deeds done out of love, mercy, compassion and justice are fundamentally better and closer to the heart of God than those done for fame, glory or greed. And those good deeds wherein the person isn’t expecting reward are the very ones whom God will give the greatest reward.
The Afterlife Will Not Be Like This One
Another good point my friend made was that if some people receive greater rewards in heaven, that will create jealousy and bitterness among those who haven’t been rewarded as greatly. The flip side of course is that there may also be those in hell who will be upset that their punishment is worse than others. But the afterlife will not be like this one. In the afterlife, we will not be jealous of others’ rewards…we will rejoice with them, knowing that we all got what we deserved…and much more…and much less. There will be no envy, no bitterness, no strife. And the same goes for those in hell…there will be a profound sense wherein it is known: the punishment fits the crime.
What do you think?
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Christianity, Heaven, hell, Theology
Interesting article Jesse, and for the most part i agree. Regarding punishment and Hell, i’d point out an interesting thought. Jesus referred to hell as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now, i don’t know about anyone else, but i’ve never seen someone weep and gnash their teeth at the same time, so this leads me to think into it a little more. Look at Pharaoh during the Exodus of God’s people- despite seeing the power of God, he continually hardened his heart against God. The previous pharaoh in the time of Joseph honored God because of Joseph’s example and was blessed exceedingly…. even in a time of famine, but the Pharaoh at the time of Moses decided to be irreversibly an enemy of God. I don’t see pharaoh in hell, weeping over the fact that he fought against God and begging for His forgiveness.
Another example is the rich man and lazarus. When the rich man went to hell and lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom, the rich man was conscious and aware of everything in his former life- he knew he had family amongst the living and was worried about their salvation as he immensely regretted where his live had led him, but there was also the general punishment of hell (unrelenting heat, unquenchable thirst).
Regarding hell, i think there will be aspects of hell that everyone will share equally- namely the absence of God and everyone of His attributes- there won’t be one single part of hell that is good, because everything that is good and pure is of God, and hell is a godless place.
Now the varying aspect of hell i believe will be based on individual experience- your past will remain with you for all eternity, the one’s who thought Jesus was not God and did not accept his salvation, but strived for good memories, money, sex, power, ect. will forever be consumed by the sins that lead towards death. I’m sure there will be many who regret their decisions and are eternally haunted by their choice to live a life apart from God- which would explain the weeping.
In the same way, i believe that those who purposefully and fiercely fought against God and lived for everything that was not of Him will be the
“gnash”-ers. For eternity they will be consumed by their hatred, search for power, desire to glorify themselves, to be their own god. I also believe that punishment will be dealt specifically based on crimes committed on earth. The bible talks about several punishments, such as being held accountable for EVERY idle word that comes out of our mouth, or those who harm or mislead a child, it would be better for them to have a millstone hung around their neck and be thrown into the sea- there will most definitely be righteous judgement dealt to each person.
In the same respect, heaven will display, in a sense, the equal and opposite. We will all share equally the blessings of eternally being in the presence of God, of feeling no more pain and sorrow, of having our needs met before we even ask them, no longer needing to deal with having a sin nature, ect. I believe there will also be different experiences of heaven for each individual- after all, none of us are alike- outside of that, who knows- but the overall experience and purpose of eternity will be forever deepening the loving relationship between God, His children, and all His creation.
Sorry this is so lengthy, but i hope you enjoy
Funny that your final statement says punishment will fit the crime, because no one could ever commit enough crimes in a finite life to deserve eternal torture!
Actually, if the original, core message of Jesus is properly understood, he completely rejected the idea of “justice” in the sense of getting back at someone or causing them to feel pain, supposedly, in equal measure to the wrongs he committed. But even if God were to operate on the basis of this crude, barbaric notion of justice, even the most evil person who ever lived, measured by how much pain he caused others, would eventually suffer as much in return…and then would have to be released.
I’ve actually written an entire book on this topic–”Hell? No! Why You Can Be Certain There’s No Such Place As Hell,” (for anyone interested, you can get a free ecopy of my book at my website: http://www.thereisnohell.com), but if I may, let me share one more of the many points I make in it.
If one is willing to look, there’s substantial evidence contained in the gospels to show that Jesus opposed the idea of Hell. For example, in Luke 9:51-56, is a story about his great disappointment with his disciples when they actually suggested imploring God to rain FIRE on a village just because they had rejected him. His response: “You don’t know what spirit is inspiring this kind of talk!” Presumably, it was NOT the Holy Spirit. He went on, trying to explain how he had come to save, heal and relieve suffering, not be the CAUSE of it.
So it only stands to reason that this same Jesus, who was appalled at the very idea of burning a few people, for a few horrific minutes until they were dead, could never, ever burn BILLIONS of people for an ETERNITY!
True, there are a few statements that made their way into the gospels which place Hell on Jesus’ lips, but these adulterations came along many decades after his death, most likely due to the Church filling up with Greeks who imported their belief in Hades with them when they converted.
Rick,
You’re working off of the assumption that sin stops at the final judgment for those destined for hell – what makes you think so?
Also, you’re example debunking the notion of hell (Jesus opposing his disciples’ desire to reign down fire) is unfounded and out of context. Jesus wasn’t saying anything about hell, he was forbidding them taking revenge, particularly when they judge from a human perspective. That wouldn’t really be considered justice.
But an all-knowing God doesn’t have that limitation. Thus his judgment is just.
Now here’s a question: if the statements about Hell can be dismissed as adulterations inserted into the text (a claim that cannot legitimately be considered valid without manuscript evidence – which there is none of), why not dismiss Jesus’ teaching on love as well?
Too many holes, Rick. I don’t buy it.
Wow, Totally crazy.
Thanks, Essie…but what are you referring to that’s crazy? I’m confused!