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Romans 2:1–11
“But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things” (Rom. 2:2).
Certain attributes of God—His sovereignty, holiness, and justice—make the existence of hell necessary, as we saw in yesterday’s study. But these are by no means all of His attributes, and those who object to hell are quick to mention other aspects of His character that seem to conflict with the idea of eternal, God-inflicted punishment. For instance, one of the great objections to the doctrine of hell is that it impugns the goodness of God. “My God is good and loving,” the protesters say. “He would never send anyone to hell.” Yes, Scripture is absolutely clear that God is good (Ps. 25:8; Matt. 19:17) and loving (1 John 4:8). And yet, as we have seen, it is indisputable that Christ will judge men and women on God’s behalf, condemning some to hell. How can this be? Is there a way to understand the judgment of God and the existence of hell as expressions of His goodness?
The key to unraveling this dilemma is to remember that God’s love leading to salvation is not unconditional or eternal. The evidence for this is overwhelming. Scripture declares repeatedly that not everyone will be saved, and it even goes so far as to say that God “hates” some people (Rom. 9:13). These passages indicate that God does not love everyone savingly—only those who meet the condition of trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior. Furthermore, while God is patient with sinners, allowing them years and years of life to hear and respond to the Gospel (“the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering,” Rom. 2:4), He does not allow them to waver undecided forever. At some point, failure to make a decision for Him is to decide against Him. Therefore, His salvific love is not eternal, either.
Is the testimony of Scripture as to God’s character therefore inaccurate? Is God unloving? We can answer yes to either question only if we assume that the idea of “goodness” demands that God save everyone, for this is the logical outworking of the argument that the goodness of God rules out hell. On the contrary, God is very, very good, patient, and kind. But people are very, very bad. By rejecting God’s mercy, they spit in His face. In this way, they are “treasuring up … wrath” for themselves. They, not the doctrine of hell, impugn His goodness. Rejecting such a great salvation, they earn for themselves a great punishment, and our good God judges them accordingly.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
A good judge does not leave evil unpunished. God would forfeit His holiness if He were to wink at sin. Unfortunately, many people are “at ease in Zion,” thinking God’s goodness demands that He pardon them. Do you know people who are counting on God to be lenient? Do all you can to help them see that His goodness makes Him just.
For further study
- John 3:36
- Romans 5:8–9
- Colossians 2:13–14
- 1 Thessalonians 1:10
- Hebrews 9:28