If God, Why Evil?
Norm Geisler, called the greatest living Christian apologist, has written this wonderful book on Evil, Suffering and God.
Three Views on Evil
When speaking with an atheist who claimed there could be no God because of all the evil, Geisler asked him by what moral standard are you determining there is so much evil? If he claimed there was a moral standard, then he must admit there is a Moral Law Giver. If he claimed there was no moral law, by what measure then was he determining there was evil out there? The guy responded - - "it is based on my moral judgment"....Geisler responded, "If I had said I believe in a Moral Law Giver based on my "moral judgment" and not objective evidence, I would have been laughed off the stage."
The 3 Views on Evil are:
1. Pantheism - Affirms God but denies evil
2. Atheism - Affirms evil but denies God
3. Theism - Affirms God and evil
1 - There's no evil in this world? That's just assinine.... who could ever believe this?
2 - The problem with atheism is the first point in these notes - - how do you determine there is evil without a standard that defines good?
CS Lewis said "When I was an atheist, my argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line." (Mere Christianity)
3 - This is Geisler's position.....and the point of the book....
In point #3 - the theist has a problem - and that is- How can there be all powerful, all knowing and all good God and yet evil exist? If he's all knowing - he knew evil would come into the world, If He's all good, he would want to rid the world of evil and if He's all powerful - he could rid the world of all evil. This is the problem!
Rabbi Kushner, in his book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, offered that Evil exists, God is not all good nor all powerful!
A few problems with this position:
1. Is CS Lewis point - if there's evil, and we know that evil is in no way perfect, then there must be a perfect. The imperfect implies a perfect standard (God).
2. Kushner's god is not all powerful - this means something limited this god's power - well, who was that??? There must be an Unlimited Limiter of every limited being.
If the god is not all good nor all powerful - - it just isn't God!
The Nature of Evil
Some believe this - If God created all things and evil is something, then God created evil - - Geisler does not believe in the last 2 statements ....
God did create all things:
Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
John 1:3 - Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Rev 4:11 -You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Colossians 1:16 - For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Evil does exist:- (but Geisler will later argue that evils is not something)
Romans 5:12 -Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned
Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 7:24 - What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Romans 7:18 - For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
However, God only created GOOD THINGS:
Genesis 1:31 - God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day
1 Tim 4:4 - For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Romans 14:14 - I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.
Augustine concluded that Evil is a real lack, privation (which is a lack of good that should be there) or corruption of a good thing. Evil does not exist in itself - - evil exists only in a thing or substance - - and all that God made is good. In short, there has to be some good thing in order for evil to exist in it as a lack, corruption or privation of it.
To conclude - God created all things, Evil is not a thing, God did not create evil.
Evil is like rot to a tree - Rot exists in a tree as a corruption of it, but it does not exist in and of itself.
Evil is like rust to a car - Rust exists in a car as a corruption of the iron, but it does not exist in and of itself. Rust is real - we see it - and it is a lack of a good thing!
Evil is like moth holes in wool - Holes do not exist in themselves.....
Evil is not merely a lack of good - The absence of sight by a rock and the absence of sight by a person (which is a privation) are 2 different things....The rock is not supposed to see but a person is - - the lack of a good thing - sight - - is evil when it's missing from a person, but its not evil when rocks don't see....
Viewing Evil as a privation doesn't imply evil is unreal - Privation is a lack of a real thing that should be there - - it is real- - ask a blind person...
Viewing Evil as a privation does not deny total depravity of man- Man is totally depraved but he can't be totally evil.... depravity is a moral issue - we are totally bent on sinning......
Is satan totally evil? he is completely evil in a moral sense.... He has the remnants of good that God gave to him as a created angel.
The Problem of God's Sovereignty
So, God didn't create evil, but if He's sovereign, He permits evil to happen
God is sovereign!
Job 42:2 - I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
Psalm 115:3 - Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
Psalm 135:6 - The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.
Prov 21:1 - In the LORD’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.
Daniel 4:17 - “‘The decision is announced by messengers, the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.
Evil, then, happens in God's permissive will, but He does not provide evil in His perfect will.
So, God is the author of all human actions, but He is not responsible for them, since they are freely chosen. God does not promote or perform the evil actions of his creatures; He merely permits them within the overall story of human history, which he has authored in advance and which moves forward under His sovereign direction.
Consider God's sovereignty over the Cross
It was predetermined:
Rev 13:8 - All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
Acts 2:23 - This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
It was freely chosen:
John 10:17-18 - The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Consider the sovereignty in the statement Joseph made to his brothers in:
Genesis 50:20 - You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
The Origin of Evil
So- where does evil come from? The thought process goes like this:
1. God is absolutely perfect
2. God cannot create anything imperfect
3. A perfect creature cannot do evil (Geisler will later prove this is false)
4. Evil cannot arise in this world (Geisler will later prove this is false)
5. Evil did arrive in this world
#3 - we know this isn't true because Lucifer, the perfectly created archangel, did evil.....
Geisler offers the following:
1. God created only good things
2. One good thing God created was free will
3. Free will makes evil possible
a. Free will (the power of free choice) is the power to do otherwise
b. To do otherwise from good is evil
c. A perfect free creature can do evil
In this world, if one is free to do good, he is also free to do evil. If he is free to love, he is free to hate. If we are free to praise God, we are free to hate Him.
Who caused Lucifer to sin?
A perfect God, in a perfect place (Heaven), created perfect beings (Angels) - so how did Lucifer, who did not have Adam's sin nature, sin?
God didn't cause Lucifer to sin:
James 1:13 - When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Clearly, Lucifer made a choice in free will!
Was Lucifer's decision "unaccused"? - No, no action can be unaccused; every event has a cause
Was Lucifer's decision "caused by another"? No free act can be caused by another
Was Lucifer's decision "self-caused"? All free action must be self-caused
So - Lucifer caused his sin through his free choice. A stunningly beautiful and extremely powerful creature fell when he made himself, rather than God, the object of his adoration.
Ezek 28:13-17 - (speaking of the fall of the prince of Tyre - no doubt inspired by the devil) You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
Isaiah 14:12-14 - How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
God made evil possible by creating free creatures. God does not cause sin or ever encourage others ever to sin
The Persistence of Evil
Surely - an all powerful God could stop evil....
The thinking goes like this:
If God is all good - - he would destroy evil; If God is all powerful - He could destroy evil - - but evil persists!
God is all good:
Lev 11:45 - I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Isaiah 6:3 - And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Malachi 3:6 - “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Heb 1:10-12 - He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”
Heb 6:18 - God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.
God is all powerful:
Gen 17:1 - When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
Job 5:17 - “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
Rev 19:6 - Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Luke 1:37 - For no word from God will ever fail.
Can God destroy evil without destroying freedom? No. God cannot do anything - He cannot lie..... God is omnipotent - meaning He can do everything that is possible to do - - but not what is impossible or contradictory....
Heb 6:18 - God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.
God cannot do everything - He cannot force us to accept Him freely.
Can God defeat evil without destroying freedom?
Yes - it goes like this:
1. If there is an all good God, He wants to defeat evil
2. If there is an all powerful God, He can defeat evil
3. But evils is not defeated
4. Therefore, evil will one day be defeated.
The Purpose of Evil
There seems to be no apparent purpose for some evil.
Some, incorrectly, think this way:
1. An all good God must have a good purpose for everything.
2. There is no good purpose for some suffering.
3. There cannot be an all good God.
Simply because we don't know a good purpose for some evil does not mean there is no good purpose in it. We should not expect to know the purpose of everything.
Deut 29:29 - 29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
Job 42:3 - 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
Rom 11:33 - 33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
An infinitely good mind knows a good purpose for everything. God is omniscient - and an all knowing mind knows everything - and God is omni-benevolent, in that he has a good purpose for everything. Therefore, we know for sure there is a good purpose for all suffering.
Geisler says it like this:
1. That we don't know a good purpose for evil doesn't mean there is none
2. An all good God knows a good purpose for everything (even evil)
3. There is a good purpose for all suffering, even that which we cannot now explain.
4. We can trust in God who does know why certain suffering took place - - even if we don't know why...
Scientists believe there is an explanation for everything in the natural world- even though they don't have explanations today. Many evils in our lives that happened in the past and we couldn't explain at the time, but later, we saw the hand of God in it all.
Genesis 50:20 - 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
Heb 12:10-11 - 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Pain
Pain is designed to keep us from self destruction. Medical science has discovered that the body's nervous system that conveys pain to us is designed to save our lives.
For example, a pain in the chest could be signalling a future heart attack
In order to save us from self destruction, the pain has to be strong enough.
Pain only works if it is out of our control.
Kushner conceded, "that I am a more sensitive person, more effective pastor, a more sympathetic counselor (my son's) Aaron's life and death than I would have ever been without it." However, Kushner concludes "I would forego all the spiritual growth and depth which has come my way" (if Aaron had not died).
Most would agree with Kushner, and yet most admit we are a better person for having gone through the suffering."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Geisler buried his sister, father and mother - but when his daughter committed suicide, he was crushed..... Yet, so many people approached him who went thru a similar situation - - and he could provide comfort and advice....
God is more interested in our character over our comfort; our holiness over our happiness and pain is such an effective means to developing character.
Romans 5:2-4 - 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
James 1:2-3 - 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
2 Corinthians 4:17 - 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Geisler was just married and was in the hospital dying of hepatitis when he received this card:
Overheard in an Orchard - Said the robin to the sparrow, "I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so"; Said the sparrow to the robin, "Friend, I think it must be that they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me." - Elizabeth Cheney
Geisler concluded the subject of Pain, like this:
1. An all knowing God knows the end of all things
2. An all good God wants to bring all good things to an end
3. And an all powerful God can bring all good things to an end
All things, including suffering, will come to a good end; If not in this life, then in the next.
The Avoidability of Evil
If God knew in advance all this evil would happen, why did he create this world? Wouldn't nothing be better than "something with evil"? Better yet, why didn't God just make a better world?
Consider what Jesus said of Judas (Matt 26:24) :
24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
And what Wilhelm Gottfried Leibniz said:
If God is the best of all possible beings, then He must create the best of all possible worlds. But this is not the best possible of all worlds, so how can God be the best of all possible beings?
In answer to the questions above, no world is not a morally better world..... Something and nothing don't have anything in common. In addition, a non-free world is not a morally better world. Only moral creatures with reason and free will are capable of sinning. A non-moral world cannot be morally better than anything. And - a free world where no one can sin is not a morally better world.
Allowing the choice of good or evil is necessary in achieving the highest good. One is not fit for the freedom from sin (Heaven) unless he has exercised the freedom to sin (on earth), for unless he has had the choice of good over evil, he is not ready for a place where good dominates and evil is defeated.
God knew that a whole world where no one chose to sin was conceivable, but it was never achievable, because some would chose to sin. Are we sure this would be a better world? What about those who did sin, but despite their sin, God brought about a greater good by allowing it and providing satisfaction and forgiveness for it.
Let's summarize
1. God is the best of all possible beings
2. If He decides to create, then He must create the best of all possible worlds
3. The best possible world is one where the higher virtues are attained and sin is defeated, for there is:
No courage without danger
No patience without tribulation
No character without adversity
No forgiveness without sin
The highest virtues cannot be obtained without sin
A world where sin never occurs would not be the best possible world
Permitting sin to defeat sin and to achieve greater virtues, is morally superior to a sinless free world where the greater good is never accomplished.
CS Lewis - The Great Divorce - "There are 2 kinds of people in the end: Those who say to God "Thy will be done" and those God says to them "thy will be done"... All that are in Hell chose it. Without that self choice there could be no Hell."
God's will is for all to come to Christ, yet all do not want to be saved.
"God is willing to save all, but all are not willing to be saved." CS Lewis, The Problem of Pain
John 3:16 - 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 2:2 - 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 Tim 2:3-4 - 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9- 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Bottom line - The nature of an all good God assures us that this world, which He did create, is the best one achievable without violating anyone's free will.
Permitting this evil world is the best of all possible ways to produce the best of all possible worlds. We permit cars, boats and airplanes knowing there will be accidents and deaths. A good parent permits a possible accident every time he permits his teenager to drive the family car - but the parent is not promoting it...
God allows evil to produce the greater good!
The Problem of Physical Evil
Americans go to great pains to avoid pain!
The solution to the problem of moral evil is based on free will. Consider - no natural disaster was created by our free choice.
A summary:
1. Moral evil is explained by free will.
2. Much of physical evil does not result from our free will (floods, genetic abnormalities, death, cancer).
3. Free choice doesn't answer much of physical evil.
4. God or nature (which God created) must be the cause of the physical evil.
5. Both of these are trace-able to God and are His responsibility.
6. Such evils are incompatible with an all loving, all powerful God.
7. Some may then conclude that, therefore, a theistic God does not exist- - but let's look at this....
Analyzed:
1. Some physical evils are self inflicted (smoking, alcohol, drugs, overeating, lack of exercise- can we blame God for these?)
2. Some physical evil is an indirect result of free choice (laziness leads to poverty, neglect of children etc.)
3. Some physical evil is an direct result of free choice (child abuse, spousal abuse, war, torture, cruelty, drunk driving - can we blame God for these?)
4. Some physical evil is an indirect result of others (greed causing the poverty of others)
5. Some physical evil is a by-product of a good process (rains leading to floods, drowning, guns, winds leading tornadoes)
6. Some physical evils is necessary for the greater good (the early bird gets the worm-- but what about the worm?)
7. Some physical evil is needed for a greater moral good (We learn more enduring lessons thru pain than pleasure)
8. Some physical evil may be inflicted by God's justice in punishing evil actions
Plagues - Exodus 7-11
Famines - Isaiah 14:30
Sickness - 2 Kings 20
Death - Romans 5:12, 1 Cor 11:28-30
9. Some physical evil is a result of Adam's free choice:
Romans 8:20-22 - 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time
Romans 5:12 - 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
Genesis 3:16 - 16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Genesis 3:17-19 - 17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
10. Some physical evil is a result of evil spirit beings:
Matt 9:32-33 - 32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
Matt 8:16 - 16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
Matt 15:22 - 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
Job Chapter 1
Albert Camus - a French Existentialist and Atheist, argued, if physical evil is the result of God's judgment:
1. You either join the doctor and fight it or join the priest and do not
2. To not fight the plague is anti-human
3. To fight the plague is to fight against God who sent it
4. If humanitarianism is right; Theism is wrong
A Christian would argue that #3 is the result of man's Fall - so, to fight the plague is to fight sin, and therefore be on God's side. Fighting the Fall is what Christianity is all about. So, joining the doctor is not humanitarianism, but Christian!
The point of #1-#10 - All Physical Evil can be related to free choice - either directly or indirectly!
Miracles and Evil
Some think:
1. If God is all powerful, then He could supernaturally intervene and stop all evil
2. If God is all good, He would do that..
3. There is alot of Physical Evil that God does not intervene to stop.
4. Therefore, there is no all powerful, all loving God
On #1- even an omnipotent God cannot do all things- - He cannot make it rain and not rain at the same time at the same place in answer to different prayers.
Also, sometimes the most loving thing God could do is not step in and prevent all physical evil in our lives. All good parents know that to give a child everything they want is not parenting and is not the loving thing to do.
In Mark 6:5, it says Jesus " He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them."
In the story of a kid in a wheelchair, one concluded "you do not have the faith to get out of that wheelchair." The kid responded "and you don't have the faith to sit in it." God delivers some people from their sickness and others through their sickness - - the hand of God is in both!
Why doesn't God intervene?
1. It's not possible to have a regular miraculous interruption to the Natural Order because a miracle by definition is an irregular event - - it is contradictory for God to do the irregular regularly.
2. Constant miracles would disrupt the natural order necessary for physical life.
3. Constant miracles would hinder the full exercise of Moral Freedom
4. It would disrupt the Natural Order necessary for making rational and moral choices. These type of choices are only possible in a world of regular events - you know when you point a gun, pull the trigger, the bullet flies.....
5. Constant miracles would defeat the conditions for Moral Improvement and learning moral lessons. Physical reward and punishment are necessary to learn which choices are good and not good.
6. Constant miracles would hinder one of God's most effective ways of providing moral warnings. We learn more moral lessons thru pain than pleasure.
7. Constant miracles would eliminate an important precondition for achieving the best world possible.
This is not the best world but it is the best way to the best world available. By miraculously eliminating physical evils, God would be eliminating the very means necessary for achieving the best world possible.
Some people that are suffering, get better, some get worse - - to some, suffering is a stepping stone, to some a stumbling block..... Some will choose the good, some will choose evil- but love never forces itself on another's will - So, in a free universe, we will not end up with the best world conceivable, but with the best world achievable, by God's grace in coordination with our free will.
Could God intervene more often or earlier and still achieve the same outcome?
Based on the fact that God is all good and all knowing - - it won't be too long and it won't be too much- - and God is victorious in the end!
One way we could avoid physical pain/evils is if we didn't have bodies and were only spirits.
But God did create pure spirits - called angels - but some sinned and do suffer pain...
Once the angels sinned, they went to Hell.
Christ did not die for the angels
Once angels sin, they are condemned - there is no repentance
Angels don't have children, they don't grow old
It is living in a body that makes change possible! And redemption is a change! Angels cannot repent!
The Problem of Eternal Evil (Hell)-
1. If God is all loving, then why punish people at all? Why not just rehabilitate them?
2. If punishment is justified, why punish forever?
3. Why not just annihilate these people? Why have hell at all?
4. Why not save everyone?
The existence of Hell
First, Jesus affirmed hell as a place of eternal conscious torment
Matt 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matt 13:40 - “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
Matt 25:41 - “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Mark 9:43 - If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
Luke 16
The bible confirms it
Rev 20:11-15 - 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Thes 1:7-9 - and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
Heb 9:27 - 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Justice demands hell
Gen 18:25 - Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
God's love demands a hell
Human dignity deserves a hell
God's sovereignty demands a hell
Unless there's a hell, there's no final victory over evil
1 Cor 15:24-28 - Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Rev 20 -22
The cross
Unless there's an eternal separation from God which people need to be delivered from, the cross is emptied of its meaning.
Why is hell rejected by so many?
1. We have a deficient concept of evil and its deserved punishment
2. Denial of hell is an indication of our human depravity
The nature of hell
Philippians 2:10 -10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth
Matthew 8:12- 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:41- 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 -7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
Mark 9:43-48- 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44] 45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46] 47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
Luke 16:28 -28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
Luke 16:26 - 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
In Luke 16:24, it speaks of hell as a place of torment....The torment is not a torture chamber by God. It is torment self inflicted by one's own will. Torment of living with the consequences of our bad decisions from a realization that we deserve the consequences.
In Matthew 25:41 - it mentions a fire - - it's not a physical fire because they will have imperishable bodies and you can't have flames in outer darkness.
Hell is everlasting.
Luke 16:26 is clear - - that you cannot get out of hell.
Judgment begins immediately after death
Heb 9:27 - 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
You are conscious in Hell:
12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
There are degrees of punishment in hell:
Matthew 5:22-22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Why punish people - why not reform them?
The time God uses for the time of reformation is called life - - and then there is reckoning.
2 Peter 3:9- 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
Hebrews 9:27-27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Isn't eternal damnation for temporal sins overkill?
Only eternal punishment will suffice for sins against an eternal God.
Like a deadly plague, if not contained, evil will contaminate and corrupt. If God did not eventually separate the tares from the wheat, the tares would choke out the wheat. The only way to preserve an eternal place of good is to eternally separate all evil from it.
What about those that believe hell has no redeeming value?
Edwards said - - Just as a barren tree is useful only for firewood, so disobedient people are only fuel for an eternal fire.
Those who give God no glory by choice during this life will be forced to give Him glory in the afterlife.
What about those that say Hell is a ruse?
If so, Jesus a liar.
How can we be happy in Heaven knowing a loved one is in hell?
God is perfectly happy in heaven and He sent people to hell - - are we more merciful than God?
Just like we can have healing of bad memories here on earth, it can happen in Heaven. Our attitudes and feelings will be transformed and correspond to God's. We will love only what God loves and hate what He hates:
Revelation 21:4 - 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Why did God create people He knew would go to hell?
Would it have been better not to exist on earth then to exist and spend eternity in hell? There is no way to compare being to non-being - in order to compare 2 things they have to have something in common....
Parents have children even though they know it might end up bad...
From God's perspective, it is better to have loved the whole world and lose a few then to not have loved them at all.
Is it just to send people to hell when they can't help being sinners?
people go to hell because:
1. they are born with a bent to sin
2. they choose to sin
3. Each sin is avoidable by God's grace
What About Those Who Have Never Heard?
Multi-millions have not heard the Gospel of Christ. Does God condemn those to eternal damnation those who have never had a chance to be saved?
John 14:6-6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 8:24- 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Acts 4:12- 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
John 3:18- 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
1 Timothy 2:5- 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,
How can God be all loving if He condemns people to Hell eternally who have not had a chance to hear the plan of salvation?
1. Everyone has general revelation in nature - Rom 1:19-20- 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
2. Everyone has general revelation in their hearts - Rom 2:12-15 - 12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
3. All have divine light
Psalm 19:1 -1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Acts 14
Acts 17
Rom 1:19-23 - 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
4. No one can be saved apart from the knowledge of Christ. It is not sufficient that Christ died for our sins; we must also believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved.
Acts 16:31 - 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
Rom 10:14 - 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
5. Everyone who seeks God finds God
Acts 17:24-28 - 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring
Acts 10:35 - 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.
Heb 11:6 - 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Jer 29:13 - 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
6. God has many ways to get the message to those who seek Him
Preaching -
Matt 28:18-20 - 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Rom 10:14-17 - 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” 16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.
Bible -
Psalm 119:130 - 130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Heb 4:12 - 12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Angels -
Rev 14:6 - 6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.
Visions -
Daniel 4:5 - 5 I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me.
Dreams -
Daniel 2 -
Daniel 7 -
Speak -
Acts 9
Speak to your inner heart -
Hosea 1:1 - 1 The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel
Appendix II - evidence for the existence of God
Atheists say the problem of evil is evidence God does not exist. However, evil presupposes the existence of God, for there is no way to know there is injustice in the world unless one has an objective standard of justice beyond the world by which he knows the world is not just. An ultimate moral law presupposes an ultimate moral law giver (God)
The cosmological argument for God's existence
1. Whatever had a beginning has a beginner (a cause)
2. The universe had a beginning
3. Therefore, the universe had a beginner
The facts are something must come from a cause. In Stephen Hawking's book, the Grand Design, he claims the universe came into existence spontaneously without a cause - this is absurd. Scientifically, the second law of thermodynamics states that in a closed system (such as the universe), the amount of usable energy is decreasing. The universe is not eternal; it has a beginning; and everything that had a beginning had a cause.
The philosophical argument for God's existence
1. Everything that had a beginning had a cause.
2. The temporal universe had a beginning.
3. The temporal universe had a cause.
time is not eternal; it must have had a beginning
No part of the universe is self sustaining - it is dependent on something else for its existence - the universe had a cause and there is no part composed of unlimited energy.
Theological reason for God's existence
The universe was created for human life. Over 100 factors must be in perfect balance in order for human life to exist.
1. 21% oxygen in the air is just right for life - more, and we burn up / less and we freeze...
2. suns's distance
3. earth's tilt
4. gravitational force
5. the position of Jupiter to protect the earth from cosmic bodies destroying us
6. nuclear force is just right to hold atoms together
The moral argument for God's existence
1. every moral law has a moral law giver
2. there is an objective moral law
3. therefore, there must be an objective moral law giver
if evil is real, then there must be an objective standard by which we know that.
