Degrees of Punishment in Hell.
By Albert Martin and Fred Zaspel. Definition. Although the suffering
will be severe and everlasting for all those in hell, the specific
degrees of punishment and suffering will differ in accordance with.
The measure of sin in one's life. The extent of one's sinful influence
on others. And the amount of gospel light
that was rejected. Summary The biblical authors
are clear that hell is a place of divine judgment on sinners.
Furthermore, many authors speak of more and less severe degrees
of punishment, dependent on a number of factors in one's life. These
factors include the extent to which a person has abandoned
himself to sin, the extent of one's influence on other people
towards sin, and the amount of knowledge of the truth that one
had and rejected. This is not to say that hell
will be less than perfect torment for some, but scripture indicates
that some will have a greater capacity for suffering or that
some will bear a fiercer measure of the wrath of God upon them.
biblical writers and our Lord Himself frequently describe hell
as a place of divine judgment on sinners. In multiple passages
the ideas of punishment, wrath, retribution, and vengeance are
prominent, Matthew 5 verse 22, 8 verse 12, 10v28, 13v42, 24v51,
23v33, 25v30, Mark 9v43-48, Luke 13v28, 2 Thessalonians 1v5-10,
Revelation 20v10-15. The purpose of hell is not that
of rehabilitation of the sinner or even the obliteration of evil.
The purpose is retributive justice, the punishment of God on sinners.
The biblical writers are not content, however, to speak of
hell broadly in terms of divine justice and retribution. They
go further and insist that the divine justice in hell will be
specifically fitted to the guilt of each individual offender.
We will explore this teaching here in four steps. One, Biblical
evidence for the concept of degrees of punishment. Below are some
passages of Scripture that speak directly of degrees of punishment
in hell. Here we will just cite the verses
to establish the teaching in principle, then we will draw
on them for specific exposition and application. Truly, I say
to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the
land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Matthew 10 verse
15. But I tell you, it will be more
bearable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. But I tell you that it will be
more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom
than for you." Matthew 11 verses 22 and 24. I tell you, on the Day of Judgment
people will give account for every careless word they speak,
for by your words you will be justified, and by your words
you will be condemned," Matthew 12 verses 36-37. And that servant who knew his
master's will, but did not get ready or act according to his
will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know,
and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating.
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required,
and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more,"
Luke 12 verses 47-48. But because of your hard and
impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the
day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." Romans
2 verse 5. How much worse punishment, do
you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot
the Son of God? Hebrews 10 verse 29. 2. Clarification
What is meant by degrees of punishment? These statements of degrees of
punishment in hell are not meant to suggest that there shall be
anything less than perfect misery for every soul in hell. For every
person in hell, it will be a place of weeping, wailing, and gnashing
of teeth, Matthew 8 verse 12, and this suffering will be forever,
Revelation 14 verse 11. No one in hell will have it easy.
Hell will be a place of torment and misery for all who are there.
Precisely how the degrees of punishment will be given out
is not told to us, but Scripture indicates plainly enough that
some will have a greater capacity for suffering or that some will
actually bear a fiercer measure of the positive infliction of
the wrath of God upon them. All the lost will suffer for
their sin, for some that suffering will be worse than for others.
3. The Reasons for Degrees of Punishment The infliction of
punishment, proportionately in degrees, is an outworking of
divine justice. Scripture repeatedly affirms
that God will judge in righteousness, Acts 17 verse 31, and that it
is a function of God's justice and glory to avenge every wrong,
Revelation 16 verses 1 to 7, 19, 1, 6. It is in the interests of divine
justice that punishment will be given out according to the
nature of the offense. We see a reflection of this,
for example, in the Old Testament law which prescribed more severe
punishment for premeditated murder than for accidental homicide.
So also Moses' law prescribed measures for restitution for
various offenses. The nature of the crime, the
attending motivations, and the varying circumstances all determine
the measure of punishment. This explains why Scripture repeatedly
insists that judgment will be according to works, Romans 2
verse 6, and that in judgment the books, record books, will
be opened, Revelation 20 verse 12. There seems to be no point
to this other than that of determining the measure of accumulated guilt,
and that for the assigning the appropriate measure of punishment.
This is why God the Judge will take into consideration the works,
the words, Matthew 12 verse 37, and even the thoughts and motives,
Romans 2 verse 16, of sinners. Judgment is not merely for determining
who is in and who is out, it is for measuring guilt and assigning
punishment that is measured exactly what every individual sinner
deserves. 4. The Basis for Determining
Degrees of Punishment What, then, will be the basis on which degrees
of punishment will be determined? Scripture sets forth at least
three considerations. e. the extent to which a person
has abandoned himself to sin. The first consideration is the
extent of abandonment to sin. This concept is entailed in Matthew
5 verse 21 and other passages that indicate degrees of sin,
worse sins result in worse punishment. This seems clearly to be the
point in Romans 2 verse 5, because of your hard and impenitent heart
you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath
when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. What can this
mean but that every sin committed is like making a deposit in the
bank and that in the day of judgment it will all be withdrawn in judgment?
In judgment, every last sin will be taken into consideration in
fitting each sinner for the exact degree of punishment deserved.
Revelation 18 verses 6 to 7. It is the fool who reasons, Well,
if I'm going to hell, I might as well have my, sinful, fun
in the meantime. Every day given to sin, every
venting of lust, every untruthful word, every next sin committed
only adds to the punishment that will be assigned. It would be
better for that man to die young than to live only to accumulate
a lifetime of sin that will return to him in divine wrath. b. the extent to which a person
by example and influence has led others to sin. The second
consideration in measuring judgment is the extent to which a person
who by example and or influence has led others to sin. This is
what our Lord affirms in Matthew 18 verses 5 to 7. Whoever receives
one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of
these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better
for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and
to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for
temptations to sin. For it is necessary that temptations
come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. See also
Mark 9 verses 38 to 47. Here Jesus pronounces a woe on
those who become an occasion for others to sin. The degree
to which a person influences others to sin will in turn serve,
in part, to establish the degree of his own punishment. This appears
to be at least one reason why there must be a day of judgment
at the end of time. Final judgment is not fixed upon
the death of every individual sinner. It is not until the end
of time that the full effect of the influence of any one life
can be measured. The Omniscient God will take
every individual life and assess every aspect of its influence,
sometimes an influence that extends for centuries. And on the basis
of the accumulated influence of evil, God will mete out punishment
upon the wicked. Jesus warns of this again in
Matthew 23 verse 13, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven
in people's faces. for you neither enter yourselves
nor allow those who would enter to go in. This woe is pronounced
on those who by their actions and teaching block the way to
heaven for others. The thought is stunning and deeply
sobering. That father and mother who refuse
Christ and, in turn, influence their children away from the
things of God, thereby increase their guilt and the punishment
they will receive for it. That older brother or sister
or that friend or work associate who stands above his or her peers
and who use their position to influence others to sin and to
ignore the gospel, all of this will be brought to bear in the
day of judgment to measure the degree of punishment deserved.
The extent of abandonment to sin and the degree of sinful
influence on others will serve to determine the extent of punishment
received. see the extent to which light
and privilege were abused. The third consideration in measuring
judgment is the extent to which light and privilege were abused.
Jesus speaks to this directly in Luke 12 verses 47-48. And that servant who knew his
master's will but did not get ready or act according to his
will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know,
and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating.
Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required,
and from him to whom are entrusted, much, they will demand the more.
The contrasting expressions, severe beating and light beating,
indicate contrasting degrees of punishment. Both of the men
in view here were servants accountable to their master. Both did things
that were worthy of punishment. And both in fact receive punishment. But the one had more understanding
than the other and as a consequence received greater punishment.
Differing degrees of light resulted in differing degrees of punishment.
Both received lashes, but for the one it was many, for the
other it was few. And lest we miss the point, our
Lord interprets the parable for us, everyone to whom much was
given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted
much, they will demand the more. That is to say, the extent of
light and privilege abused, will determine in part, the measure
of punishment. See also Romans 2 verse 12. Jesus speaks to this consideration
elsewhere. Truly, I say to you, it will
be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah than for that town. Matthew 10 verse 15. But I tell
you, it will be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre
and Sidon than for you. But I tell you that it will be
more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom
than for you." Matthew 11 verses 22 and 24. As wicked and as guilty and as
deserving of punishment as Sodom was, the greater sin belonged
to Chorazin and Bethsaida, for they had seen and heard our Lord
Himself and had refused Him. And for their abuse of such great
light and privilege, their judgment will be the more severe. Again,
this is deeply disturbing. The person who grows up in a
society in which the gospel is readily available and the person
who grows up in a Christian home have great light and privilege.
The person who attends a gospel-preaching church has great light and privilege. The person who has a Christian
friend who witnesses to him of Christ has great light and privilege. and for this light and privilege
God will hold them accountable, if such privilege is refused,
judgment will be unspeakably great. For those who have heard
the gospel only finally, to refuse it, that gospel preached to them
will in the end have served only to increase their guilt and enhance
the punishment they will receive. concluding thoughts. The punishment
of hell will be in keeping with divine justice. The All-Knowing
God will assess each individual life, counting exactly the extent
of abandonment to sin, the influence of others to sin, and the light
and privilege abused, and He will assign punishment accordingly,
exactly fitted to each person. Surely this thought ought to
capture the conscience of sinners such that they would restrain
their sinning. Furthermore, this thought ought to drive any sinner
to run to Christ and be saved. And surely this thought must
drive every believer to humble yet glad praise for our Redeemer
who took all of our sin to Himself and paid its price in full, absorbing
the full wrath of God in our place in order to make us His.