Friday, August 28, 2009

Is Everlasting Hell Reasonable?

If you spanked your child, what could that child do to you?

Nothing

If you hit your wife, what could she do to you?

Perhaps call the cops, but probably make you sleep on the couch.

If you hit a police officer, what could he do to you?

You are going to jail tonight. Probably with some bruises.

If you hit the President of the United States, what could he do to you?

You will be shot before your fist even gets close to his face.

So, you did the same thing in every situation. You hit somebody, but you got a different consequence in every situation. So, what changed in order to give a different consequence?

It was the authority of the one whom you attacked. In each case the authority of the person was different. The President has more authority than an officer, who has more authority than your wife (in most cases), who has more authority than your child (or you have a monster, not a kid).

Apply that same logic to the Ultimate Authority, the Infinite Authority. When you sin, your sins are primarily against God because it is His image (Gen 9:6) you are supposed to bear. That means we are His representatives on Earth. When we sin we show that God is a sinner, which is a lie and is an attack on God's character. Our sins are primarily vertical (Psalm 51:4) rather than horizontal, no matter what the sin.

So, what consequence does an attack on the Infinite Authority deserve?

An infinite punishment. Everlasting Hell.

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