Tuesday, March 12, 2024

How Should You Rebuke a Pastor Who Sins?




ESV  1 Timothy 5:20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

In 1 Timothy chapter 5, Paul explains that pastors should be protected from false accusations. For a pastor to be found guilty of sin there should be at least 2 or 3 witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19). In this blog post, I’m not focusing on the important steps and related issues involved in receiving and investigating an accusation against a pastor. Here, I’m focusing on the issue of what a church or ministry should do if a pastor or similar ministry leader is rightly found to be in serious sin.

If they are found to be in sin, Paul tells us to “rebuke them in the presence of all.” But what does that mean? The word rebuke in English might bring to mind several images and possibilities:

* Tell them that they have been really bad

* Yell at them

* Point a finger at them while correcting them

I don’t think Paul had in mind any of those. We can learn what Paul did have in mind by studying the Greek word translated “rebuke.” That Greek word is elegchō. Like most words in all languages, elegchō has a range of related meanings rather than just one precise meaning. The intended meaning within that range must be determined by the context.

At the bottom of this blog post I include an appendix with a list of all the verses in the New Testament that use the word elegchō. For each verse I give the Greek (for those who have studied Greek) and three translations of the Greek into English (CSB, ESV, and NIV). I include that appendix for the convenience of those who like to study the data for themselves. Here, I want to highlight several verses out of that list that I think can help us the most to understand what Paul meant by “rebuke” in 1 Timothy 5:20:

ESV  John 3:20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed [Greek: elegchō]

ESV Matt. 18:15  "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault [Greek: elegchō], between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

ESV 1 Cor. 14:24  But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted [Greek: elegchō] by all, he is called to account by all,

ESV Eph. 5:11  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose [Greek: elegchō] them.

ESV Eph. 5:13  But when anything is exposed [Greek: elegchō] by the light, it becomes visible,

In the above verses elegchō is used to refer to exposing sin. I think this fits the context of 1 Timothy 5 very well. Paul is not saying that we need to yell at a pastor caught in serious sin or point our finger at him while telling him how bad he is. Paul is telling us that if a pastor is proven to be in serious sin, then his sin should be revealed to the whole church. This fits the context well. Paul had just mentioned the need for 2 or 3 witnesses. In Matthew 18, Jesus mentions the need to have 2 or 3 witnesses before someone’s sin is told to the church (the exact application is slightly different, but there are a lot parallels and common principles between the Matthew 18 and 1 Timothy 5).

This meaning of elegchō is also supported by some excellent Greek lexicons. Friberg’s lexicon gives this definition (I think that the second definition is carried out by doing the first definition, in other words, the way to reprove is to bring someone’s sin to light):

ἐλέγχω . . . (1) in the NT, generally as showing someone that he has done something wrong and summoning him to repent bring to light, expose (JN 3.20); convince, convict (JA 2.9); (2) in the sense of setting right reprove, correct (1T 5.20); in an intensified sense rebuke, discipline, punish (HE 12.5)

And Louw-Nida’s Lexicon gives this definition:

ἐλέγχω . . . to state that someone has done wrong, with the implication that there is adequate proof of such wrongdoing - 'to rebuke, to reproach, rebuke, reproach.'

Based on the above study, I think we could paraphrase 1 Timothy 5:20 like this:

As for those who persist in sin, expose their sin, stating what they did in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear” (My paraphrase of 1 Timothy 5:20).

Churches and Ministries Often Fail to Obey 1 Timothy 5:20

Sadly, there have been many churches and ministries which have failed to obey 1 Timothy 5:20. They have covered up the sins of ministry leaders instead of exposing them. This was one of the huge problems in the massive Roman Catholic scandal that involved the sexual abuse of children by priests. In many cases, a priest was moved to a new location if caught in sin, but his sins were not revealed. In some cases, they went on to abuse more children. There have been many cases where the serious sins of pastor were not exposed in evangelical churches also. Sometimes even if a pastor is fired after being caught in serious sin, the congregation is still not told why. This practice is nothing less than disobedience to God’s Word.

Why do churches and ministries fail to follow God’s instruction in this case? It’s hard to know their motives. In some cases, they might be afraid that revealing the sin will damage their church or ministry. In other cases, the pastor or ministry leader who is guilty of the sin might have a lot of influence and influential friends who work to suppress the revelation of the sin. Whatever their motive, it is wrong to cover up the sin. Paul seemed to know (inspired by the Holy Spirit!) that churches and ministries would often not want to expose serious sins of their leaders, even when those sins are proven. That explains why right after 1 Timothy 5:20 Paul wrote 1 Timothy 5:21:

ESV  1 Timothy 5:21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

That is strong language! It is not ok to ignore Paul’s Holy Spirit inspired instructions.


Up to this point, I have focused on 1 Timothy 5:20-21. I would like to finish this blog post by sharing some pastoral counsel based on other Bible passages and also on my 28 years of full-time ministry experience. Some of the most painful and difficult ministry experiences in all those years have involved a few occasions where I was involved in revealing the serious and proven sins of ministry leaders. It was tough. In one case, there was a lot of resistance to doing what the Bible tells us to do. I learned a lot, and I would like to pass on some of that to you.

Pastoral Counsel Related to Ministry Leaders Caught in Serious Sin

1. Not every sin committed by a ministry leader calls for public rebuke. Ministry leaders are people and like all people, we sin. We probably commit some type of sin every week (or even every day). It was not Paul’s intention that we attempt to expose every sin. That would be impossible and also contrary to other biblical principles such as “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Pet. 4:8 ESV). There is no precise rule or list of sins that tells us when sin needs to be publicly revealed. In general, I would say that if a sin is serious enough that a ministry leader needs to be asked to step down or step aside or moved to a different position, then the sin is serious enough that 1 Timothy 5:20 applies.

2. The cost of exposing the sin may be high. In the long run, the cost of not exposing it will be higher.

3. If the sin involves abuse of a minor, then in addition to applying Paul’s directions in 1 Timothy, it should be immediately reported to the police. In this case it is both a sin and a crime. The police have authority  to do things that a church cannot do like exercise search warrants, seize computers and other materials, and if called for lock someone up in order to protect the community.

4. Paul does not tell us what actions in addition to the sins being revealed should be taken. In many cases, the pastor or ministry leader should be removed from their position. But exactly how and when this should be done requires a lot of wisdom and Holy Spirit guidance. If the sin is publicly revealed to the church, it is far less likely that a person will be allowed to continue in ministry who shouldn’t. The people in the church won’t put up with it.

5. In some cases, a church or ministry will benefit greatly by calling in outside resources to investigate and make recommendations regarding serious allegations from multiple witnesses.

6. In applying all of this, we must remember grace and mercy. Grace and mercy should not be used as excuses to not reveal serious proven sin and grace and mercy does not mean that the guilty pastor should always keep his position. But there will be other ways in which grace and mercy should be applied.

7. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Be very careful when appointing someone as an elder or to other ministry leadership positions. Do your best to ensure they meet the qualifications given in 1 Timothy 3.

8. If you find yourself in a church or ministry that has failed to rightly expose the serious proven sin of leaders, pray for wisdom. God may lead you to stay despite this serious error, but in many cases, it will be best to move to another church or ministry.

9. If a church or ministry fails to expose the serious, proven sin of ministry leaders sometimes (not always – this is a tough call), it will be right to expose the sin in other ways. An example of a ministry that does this is The Roys Report. I think that ministry helps to protect the Body of Christ. If it is proven that a minor has been abused, it is vital that in one way or another this information is widely revealed in order to protect more abuse of others in the future.

10. Pray! You will need wisdom and courage and inner strength if you have to deal with something like this. All of those things are available from God. I just stopped and prayed for you.

 

Related Resources from my Blog and YouTube channel:

 

Video:  What to do if a pastor sins

 

Video:  Mike Bickle and Solomon; IHOPKC and the Temple

 

Video:  Thoughts and Biblical Principles Related to Sexual Abuse in Churches

 

Video:  How to Choose a Pastor

 

Blog Post:  The Many Ways We Mess Up Putting Matthew 18 into Practice

 

Blog Post:  The Ravi Zacharias Sexual Sin Case

 

Blog Post:  Sexual Abuse in Southern Baptist Churches

 

 

Appendix:  All verses in the New Testament with the Greek word ἐλέγχω, elechō

 

BGT Matt. 18:15  Ἐὰν δὲ ἁμαρτήσῃ [εἰς σὲ] ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου·

CSB Matt. 18:15  "If your brother sins against you, go and rebuke him in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.

ESV Matt. 18:15  "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

NIV Matt. 18:15  "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

BGT Lk. 3:19  Ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ὁ τετραάρχης, ἐλεγχόμενος ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ περὶ Ἡρῳδιάδος τῆς γυναικὸς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἐποίησεν πονηρῶν ὁ Ἡρῴδης,

CSB Lk. 3:19  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him about Herodias, his brother's wife, and about all the evil things Herod had done,

ESV Lk. 3:19  But Herod the tetrarch, who had been reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evil things that Herod had done,

NIV Lk. 3:19  But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and all the other evil things he had done,

CSB Jn. 3:20  For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed.

BGT Jn. 3:20  πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ·

ESV Jn. 3:20  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

NIV Jn. 3:20  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.

BGT Jn. 8:46  τίς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐλέγχει με περὶ ἁμαρτίας; εἰ ἀλήθειαν λέγω, διὰ τί ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετέ μοι;

CSB Jn. 8:46  Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don't you believe Me?

ESV Jn. 8:46  Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

NIV Jn. 8:46  Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?

BGT Jn. 16:8  Καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ περὶ κρίσεως·

CSB Jn. 16:8  When He comes, He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

ESV Jn. 16:8  And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

NIV Jn. 16:8  When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

BGT 1 Cor. 14:24  ἐὰν δὲ πάντες προφητεύωσιν, εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος ἢ ἰδιώτης, ἐλέγχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ἀνακρίνεται ὑπὸ πάντων,

CSB 1 Cor. 14:24  But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all.

ESV 1 Cor. 14:24  But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,

NIV 1 Cor. 14:24  But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all,

BGT Eph. 5:11  καὶ μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε.

CSB Eph. 5:11  Don't participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.

ESV Eph. 5:11  Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

NIV Eph. 5:11  Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

BGT Eph. 5:13  τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται,

CSB Eph. 5:13  Everything exposed by the light is made clear,

ESV Eph. 5:13  But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,

NIV Eph. 5:13  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible-- and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.

BGT 1 Tim. 5:20  Τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐνώπιον πάντων ἔλεγχε, ἵνα καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ φόβον ἔχωσιν.

CSB 1 Tim. 5:20  Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will also be afraid.

ESV 1 Tim. 5:20  As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

NIV 1 Tim. 5:20  But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove before everyone, so that the others may take warning.

BGT 2 Tim. 4:2  κήρυξον τὸν λόγον, ἐπίστηθι εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως, ἔλεγξον, ἐπιτίμησον, παρακάλεσον, ἐν πάσῃ μακροθυμίᾳ καὶ διδαχῇ.

CSB 2 Tim. 4:2  Proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

ESV 2 Tim. 4:2  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

NIV 2 Tim. 4:2  Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction.

BGT Tit. 1:9  ἀντεχόμενον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν διδαχὴν πιστοῦ λόγου, ἵνα δυνατὸς ᾖ καὶ παρακαλεῖν ἐν τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τῇ ὑγιαινούσῃ καὶ τοὺς ἀντιλέγοντας ἐλέγχειν.

CSB Tit. 1:9  holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.

ESV Tit. 1:9  He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

NIV Tit. 1:9  He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

BGT Tit. 1:13  ἡ μαρτυρία αὕτη ἐστὶν ἀληθής. δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν ἔλεγχε αὐτοὺς ἀποτόμως, ἵνα ὑγιαίνωσιν ἐν τῇ πίστει,

CSB Tit. 1:13  This testimony is true. So, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith

ESV Tit. 1:13  This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,

NIV Tit. 1:13  This saying is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith

BGT Tit. 2:15  Ταῦτα λάλει καὶ παρακάλει καὶ ἔλεγχε μετὰ πάσης ἐπιταγῆς· μηδείς σου περιφρονείτω.

CSB Tit. 2:15  Say these things, and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

ESV Tit. 2:15  Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

NIV Tit. 2:15  These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

BGT Heb. 12:5  καὶ ἐκλέλησθε τῆς παρακλήσεως, ἥτις ὑμῖν ὡς υἱοῖς διαλέγεται· υἱέ μου, μὴ ὀλιγώρει παιδείας κυρίου μηδὲ ἐκλύου ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐλεγχόμενος·

CSB Heb. 12:5  And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord's discipline lightly or faint when you are reproved by Him,

ESV Heb. 12:5  And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.

NIV Heb. 12:5  And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,

BGT Jas. 2:9  εἰ δὲ προσωπολημπτεῖτε, ἁμαρτίαν ἐργάζεσθε ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται.

CSB Jas. 2:9  But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

ESV Jas. 2:9  But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

NIV Jas. 2:9  But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

BGT Jude 1:15  ποιῆσαι κρίσιν κατὰ πάντων καὶ ἐλέγξαι πᾶσαν ψυχὴν περὶ πάντων τῶν ἔργων ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν ὧν ἠσέβησαν καὶ περὶ πάντων τῶν σκληρῶν ὧν ἐλάλησαν κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀσεβεῖς.

CSB Jude 1:15  to execute judgment on all and to convict them of all their ungodly acts that they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things ungodly sinners have said against Him.

ESV Jude 1:15  to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

NIV Jude 1:15  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

BGT Rev. 3:19  ἐγὼ ὅσους ἐὰν φιλῶ ἐλέγχω καὶ παιδεύω· ζήλευε οὖν καὶ μετανόησον.

CSB Rev. 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent.

ESV Rev. 3:19  Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

NIV Rev. 3:19  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

 



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Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Does the Character of God Require Him to Subject the Unrighteous to Eternal Conscious Torment?

 


I have heard a number of well meaning Christians say something like this: “God’s character necessitates that He pour out His wrath on conscious sinners for all of eternity” (from “Before Rethinking Hell, Rethink the Worthiness of God” by Jacob Brunton).

I will interact with Jacob’s article because it was recently brought to my attention and because it helps to have a specific example of this argument to interact with.

 

Evidence and Motivations

Early in his article, Jacob writes, “Shockingly, advocates of annihilationism claim that consistency with the nature and character of God is a driving motivation behind their view.” While this statement is not directly part of Jacob’s argument, it merits a few quick comments:

1. For myself the character of God was not the main evidence or reason that initially convinced me that conditional immortality rather than eternal torment is true. What initially convinced me was a careful study of what the Bible has to say about the final fate of the unsaved. As I have been an active part of the Rethinking Hell community for several years now, I can say with confidence that this is also true of many others who have shifted from belief in eternal torment to belief in conditional immortality. Unless the best biblical, exegetical conditionalist arguments are answered, more philosophical arguments like Jacob’s will have little influence on us. And in this article, Jacob does not even attempt to address our biblical case, much less succeed.

2. Nevertheless, there is a sense in which Jacob’s statement is correct. While the character of God was not the initial reason I became convinced of conditional immortality, the damage that the doctrine of eternal torment does to God’s character is, in fact, a major motivation for me arguing for conditional immortality and against eternal torment. In the eyes of many people, the doctrine of eternal torment makes God look more like a cruel, tyrannical monster than the good, loving God we find described in the Bible. And I read about many people naming the doctrine of eternal torment as a chief reason for rejecting evangelical Christianity. That alone does not prove that eternal torment is false, but since I see strong evidence that the Bible does not teach eternal torment, I am motivated to work, with God’s help, to correct this widespread error.

 

Does Eternal Punishment mean Eternal Conscious Punishment in the Bible?

Early in his article, Jacob argues that the only valid meaning of “eternal punishment” is “eternal conscious punishment.” This does not seem to me to be central to his main argument, but I will address it briefly. The Bible speaks of “eternal judgment” (Hebrew 6:2). Now, since the Bible also speaks of “the day of judgment” (Matthew 10:15 and 6 other verses), we should not imagine that the process of judging will go on forever. What does “eternal judgment” mean then? It means that the results of the judgment are permanent and will never change. After God’s judgment is given, He will not change His mind a million years later. Therefore, “eternal judgment” is not an eternal process of judging, but rather a judgment that takes a finite time to carry out but is then permanent and never changes. Something similar is true for the biblical phrase “eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). And there is good reason to believe that the same thing applies to “eternal punishment.” It is not an eternal process of punishing, but rather a punishment that takes a finite time to execute, but once complete is permanent and never reversed. (You may see a more detailed discussion of the phrase “eternal punishment” and the one verse where the phrase is found in this 10-minute video on Matthew 25:46.)

Before moving on, I should point out that Jacob’s reason for bringing up the phrase “eternal punishment” was not primarily to present a biblical, exegetical argument in favor of eternal conscious torment, but rather to point out that both conditionalists (those who believe in annihilation) and traditionalists (those who believe in eternal conscious torment) claim to believe in eternal punishment. He basically argues that because we conditionalists believe that eternal torment is not proportional to the sins people commit (that is true, and it should be obvious), that we should believe that annihilation is also not proportional to people’s sins because annihilation is also an eternal punishment. I hope you can immediately see where this argument is not logical. Just because we believe that one type of eternal punishment (a permanent death sentence – annihilation) is just and proportional does not mean that we must believe that another type of eternal punishment (eternal torment) is also just and proportional. That would only be true if eternal torment and annihilation were equally severe forms of eternal punishment or if annihilation were the more severe of the two. There are a few people who think that, but not very many. His argument would be similar to saying if I believe execution by crucifixion is an exceedingly cruel punishment that we should not use, then I must also believe that execution by lethal injection is an exceedingly cruel punishment that we should not use. That simply is not a logical argument.

 

God’s Great Worth

Jacob spends some time arguing that God must value Himself infinitely or maximally. He argues that God really is maximally valuable and that surely God knows this and values all things rightly, and so He must value Himself maximally. I have no problem with this part of his argument. I agree that God is maximally valuable and rightly values Himself accordingly. I don’t remember ever hearing any proponent of conditional immortality say anything contrary to this.

But then Jacob states this premise as part of his argument that God must pour out His wrath on conscious sinners for all eternity:

“If God does not inflict eternal conscious torment on His enemies, then it is either because (a) He is not infinitely valuable, or (b) He is infinitely valuable but does not see Himself as infinitely valuable.”

What? It is far from obvious that this statement is true, and if it is not, then Jacob’s whole argument fails (I invite you to read his article and see for yourself). As best as I can tell, this statement is itself supposed to be based on the prior claim that “sin is ultimately an offense against the worth of God.” But what, precisely, does that mean? If it merely means that we fail to recognize the worth of God (His goodness, wisdom, the rightness of His ways, etc.) at some level when we sin, that’s fine. But in that case, there is no reason to think it calls for eternal torment. In fact, because at least part of the reason for such a failure is a degree of ignorance about how good, wise, and holy God is, this could actually serve as a mitigating factor in how serious the sin is. Sin out of ignorance is less serious than sin in the light of clear knowledge (see Luke 12:47-48, Luke 23:34, and for a Rethinking Hell article that also addresses this issue you may read Lessons from a Tragedy at the Cincinnati Zoo.)

I can think of one theoretical way in which sinning against God’s worth might actually warrant eternal torment. I suppose if by sinning against the worth of God we actually somehow decreased His worth, especially if someone took all of His worth away, then that really might call for eternal torment as a proportional punishment. But our sins never actually decrease God’s worth (or His holiness, or any of His other attributes) at all. God is worth just as much after a person sins as He was before they sinned. I just can’t see how Jacob’s argument here works at all. Why should the greatness of God’s worth determine the degree of punishment of sinners, when God’s worth has not been reduced in the least by their sin?

 

Philosophical vs. Exegetical Arguments

When reading arguments that basically claim that God’s character requires eternal torment for those who sin against Him, it is worth asking how many of the claims and statements that are made in the argument can be supported by Scripture. Usually, some of the claims can be. For example, Jacob rightly points out that in some sense all sin is ultimately sin against God, even when it is also sin against other people. I think that can be supported. But that by itself does not get you close to human sins requiring eternal torment. There are other steps in the argument for which there are no good biblical support. These steps and premises are usually based on philosophical grounds or are propped up by quoting other Christians who held these views. Philosophical arguments and the views of other Christians can be either right or wrong, but they should never be used to overthrow the clear and direct teaching of the Bible. And the Bible clearly teaches that the final fate of the unrighteous is for God to destroy their bodies and souls in hell (Matthew 10:28), for them to perish (John 3:16), and for them to be turned to ashes (2 Peter 2:6). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of biblical teaching that supports conditional immortality (see these two short videos for more:  Why I Believe in Annihilationism and What is Conditional Immortality?).

 

Does the thought of God tormenting the unsaved forever inspire worship?

Jacob also claims that, “A God who does not inflict eternal punishment upon His enemies is a God who is not worthy of worship.” That certainly is neither obvious nor intuitive. Do we worship God only because of His power? Don’t we also worship Him because He is good? It is very hard to see how creating a situation where many people will remain in some type of torment (whether physical or emotional) with no joy, hope, or peace for many billions of years, and then billions more, and then on and on forever, is good. If that’s good, then the word “good” has lost all meaning and it becomes pointless to say that God is good.

Now, I do think that God’s justice can be and should be part of the reason we worship Him. But why should we think that justice demands keeping people in torment forever? If people do not deserve eternal life (and outside of Christ, none of us do), then isn’t depriving them of eternal life justice? Destroying evil is a good action, and I believe that we will worship God for doing that. After all, we don’t want evil to go on forever, so we can be thankful that God does not grant evil, unrepentant people eternal life. For eternal torment to be true, however, God does have to grant the unrepentant, evil people eternal life and evil will exist forever. It also worth remembering that we will be worshiping God forever for  reasons other than His justice, like His mercy and love and salvation and the fact that He created everything. Can you really imagine someone feeling like they cannot worship God unless He torments the unsaved forever?

 

A relevant Bible Passage

Is there any Bible passage that sounds even a little bit like Jacob’s argument? I think the closest we can come is this passage from Romans:

CSB17 Romans 9:22 And what if God, wanting to display his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction?

 23 And what if he did this to make known the riches of his glory on objects of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory—

24 on us, the ones he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

This passage does indeed show a connection between God’s wrath and us seeing His glory. But notice that the objects of wrath are not prepared for eternal torment, they are prepared for destruction. (The Greek word translated “destruction” here is apōleia, which, along with its closely related verb, apollumi, is an excellent choice to communicate annihilation. In fact, ancient Greek authors used apollumi to mean what we mean by annihilation. I document this in a video-word study that you may view here: Apollumi, The Word that Tells us What Happens to People in Hell.)

 

A philosophical problem

While I view exegetical evidence as the biggest evidence for conditional immortality and against eternal torment, those who believe in eternal torment also face a difficult philosophical problem.

God promises to “pay back” people for their sins (see this blog post for many Bible verses that show this is true:  Hell is Payback). However, if eternal torment is true, than God never does fully pay back the unrighteous for their sins because even after a trillion years of torment they apparently have only paid an infinitesimally small portion of what they owe. And this will always be true no matter how many years they are in torment. Thus, God does not pay them back and justice is never satisfied and complete.

 

Conclusion 

Arguments that claim that God’s worth (or holiness or character) somehow requires Him to punish the unsaved with eternal torment are flawed because they:

1. Do not work logically

2. Are not supported biblically

3. In fact, produce a conclusion that is contrary to the Bible’s teaching on the nature of final punishment

4. And have their own difficult philosophical problem 

On the other hand, there is good biblical evidence for conditional immortality!

A final pastoral note: Just because I believe Jacob and others who have made similar arguments (I’ve heard many versions of this argument) are wrong on this point does not mean that I don’t accept them as my brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe that we should be able to disagree on the nature of final punishment and still be able to worship and serve together. We should all work together with God’s help and strength in order to win as many as possible of our neighbors to faith in Christ so that they can experience His forgiveness, receive His gracious gift of eternal life, and give Him the worship He is worthy of.