The concept of hell is difficult for some to grasp. They are unable to reconcile the seeming paradox of such a place existing alongside a loving God who wants the best for us. However, I believe that not only does such a place exist, but that it is necessary. I will give my theological justifications for the existence of hell while also addressing some of the common criticisms. My reasoning is based upon free will, rather than determinism, playing a major role in how God deals with humanity and by taking a literal interpretation of scripture (by literal, I don’t disregard such things as symbolism and idioms). If either of those precepts cannot be agreed upon, then a consensus will never be reached.
Let’s start at the beginning. When Adam sinned, it caused a spiritual separation between him and God. And because Adam was the first, the master template if you will, all humanity became separated from God and born into a fallen state at birth. The result of this fall state resulted in a physical death followed by a second death, which is the final judgment and the lake of fire (Rev 20:14, 21:8).
The reason for this second death is because God and sin cannot mix. It would be like trying to mix oil and water, an impossibility. A fallen being cannot withstand being in the presence of a holy God. That meant that humanity, when they physically died, could not automatically ascend to heaven with God. A divine intervention was needed.
The remedy, of course, was sending Jesus to atone for the sins of humanity. He became the perfect sacrifice to bear the wages of sin and pay the price in our stead. And because of His divinity, He was able to atone for everyone's sins, past, present, and future, simultaneously, once and for all. But just because He paid the price for all does not mean that it comes automatically. We still have to receive it. God has opened the door, but it’s up to you to walk through it. It must be our choice to accept that pardon or not because God wants people to come to Him willingly. So, He has offered humanity a choice: to live with him for eternity or to live seperate from him for all eternity. Those are the only two outcomes.
Before I continue, I would like to dispel the erroneous assumption that everyone wants to be saved and go to heaven. That is not true. There are countless people who want nothing to do with God (Jhn 3:19). Such individuals would never be content in heaven being around a God they have no interest in serving. Our heaven would be their hell. Moreover, they would have no desire to be around believers who willingly worship God. There would be eternal contention between the two groups, making it no different than how it is on earth.
So, what does God do with those who don’t wish to spend eternity with him? They cannot go to heaven for the reasons already stated above, and He will not violate their free will choice. Besides, why would God want to spend an eternity with someone who doesn’t want to spend an eternity with him? The only solution then is to give them a place of their own. But how do we reconcile the reality of souls going to a place of eternal torment? And I would distinguish between being tormented and being tortured; they are not the same thing. We can do so in several ways.
First and foremost, it’s not God’s will that anyone should perish (2Pe 3:9), and hell was not originally created for humans but for Satan and his fallen angels (Matt 25:41). If it’s not God’s will for anyone to perish, then whose will is it? This is where human free will comes into play. As previously mentioned, salvation is a choice. God will not violate our free will and force anyone to be saved. It is therefore not God who sends people to hell, but the free will choices people have made that determine their eternal destination.
But one may ask, what if they change their mind after they die? Is it fair that they should spend eternity in hell for the decisions they made in this short life? I don’t believe they can. Once they step out of time, they step into eternity. In an eternal present there is no more “time” to change. The choices that we made in this life become solidified. Also, sin, by its very nature, hardens a person’s heart. If their hearts were turned away from God at death, they will be turned even more so once sin is fully blossomed and unrestrained. So, not only can’t they change their minds, they won’t want to. They may experience regret, but that’s not the same as being repentant.
Second, it’s true that God is a God of love, but that’s only one facet of His character. God is also a judge. If hell didn’t exist or lasted a temporary duration, then there wouldn’t be any true justice or accountability for our actions. It would mean that someone like Hitler, who never repented, should receive the same reward as someone like Paul, who repented of his sins and faced many persecutions for his faith. That would not be just. Moreover, there would be no incentive to do good in this life if there was no such thing as eternal justice, recompense, and accountability.
Third, hell is not a terrible place because God made it terrible. Hell is terrible because God is not there. Hell is the antithesis of everything that God is. God is love, so hell is devoid of love, kindness, and compassion. God is life, so hell is a place of death. God is light, so hell is a place of darkness. God is merciful, but in hell, there is no mercy. And so on. On this fallen earth, bad things happen, but good things happen too. We experience pain, suffering, and loss, but we also experience joy, hope, and love because all good things come from God. But in hell, there’s none of that. Nothing good ever happens in hell because it’s completely devoid of the goodness of God. But why couldn’t God give the lost souls a paradise of their own? For the same reasons as already stated. Without God, it would not be paradise. God is life and the “glue” that holds everything together. Without him, paradise would quickly descend into hell.
Fourth, imagine you were locked in prison with the worst human beings imaginable with no guards around and anarchy ruled. If faced with that situation, it would be preferable if everyone, including yourself, was confined in chains. At least that way, there would be a little sense of relief and safety. Now, imagine if you were confined in hell with not only the worst humans who have ever lived but also with the worst demons in existence. Except this time, it’s multiple magnitudes worse than any prison on earth because the full extent of their evil is unrestrained. The worst horrors on earth wouldn’t even compare to the horrors the beings in hell can inflict on one another. When hell is thrown into the lake of fire, the flames serve to constrict and immobilize the beings in hell, much like chains in a prison, to contain their evil. This is a far better fate than what they could do to each other. However, I believe the severity of the flames will be proportional to each individual’s capacity for evil. Someone like Jack the Ripper, for example, would not suffer to the same degree as the average Joe. In this way, the flames of hell can be viewed as a form of mercy.
Fifth, the flames are there for them to atone for their sins. For those who have accepted Christ, our sins have already been forgiven. Jesus, in his divinity, was able to atone for our sins in ways we cannot. The lost souls in hell who haven’t accepted Jesus’ atonement must atone for their own sins. Plus, we can't assume that once they die, they will stop sinning. They will still have the capacity to sin and to an even greater degree. However, they have no animals to shed their blood to make at least a temporary atonement like they did in the Old Testament. The only thing they have left to sacrifice is themselves. The problem is because they are not divine like Jesus, they can’t permanently atone for their sins. That means they have no other choice but to perpetually atone for their sins as a self-sacrifice.
But what about the people who never heard the gospel, one may object? Why should they go to hell for their ignorance? There are three groups of people who have ever lived. Those that have heard the gospel and accepted Christ, those who have heard the gospel and rejected Christ, and those who never heard the gospel and died in ignorance. The latter group is the one we want to focus on.
The Book of Romans reveals to us that God is revealed in nature (Rom 1:20), and each of us has a God-given conscience (Rom 2:14–15). We are all born with an innate sense of right and wrong; it’s what we do with what’s revealed to us that matters. For some, more has been revealed than to others, like those who have heard the gospel and rejected it. For them, they will be held to a higher standard. For others, like the American Indians who never heard the gospel, I believe their ignorance will be taken into consideration to a degree and grace may be granted. After all, Abraham and Moses never heard the gospel, but does anyone doubt they are in heaven now? That’s not to say that ignorance alone is enough to be saved. They will be judged on how much they knew and what they did with it. I believe grace is also given to babies, small children, the mentally handicapped (those incapable of knowing right from wrong), and anyone else who has died before the age of accountability, which varies with each individual (the concept for the age of accountability can be found in Deu 1:39, Isa 7:15-16, Rom 7:0, and 2Sa 12:22-23).
To conclude, hell is, in essence, a byproduct of free will apart from God. God has given us the gift of free will because he wants us to love him willingly. Love, by its very nature, can’t be forced or coerced; it must be freely given. But in doing so, God also knew that there would be those who would reject and rebel against him. Hell is the only solution to the problem of free will. The only alternative is if God were to create us without a free will, but then we would never be able to experience true love, and we would just be like puppets in God’s divine play. So, to put it simply, hell exists because it has to.
