Approaching the Question
Before I dive into the examination of Scripture regarding the fate of unbelievers, I want to spend some time discussing the approach I will take. To do that, I will discuss two examples of people that have deeply embraced a certain set of beliefs.
First, let's consider the legend of Santa Claus, a legend that is fervently defended by certain members of our population. Let’s consider this legend from the perspective of a six-year-old boy whose parents have led him to believe that Santa Claus actually exists. This boy loves Santa Claus and is thrilled each Christmastime at the thought of Santa Claus bringing him gifts.
Now, although this boy loves Santa Claus, he might wonder how Santa Claus carries all of those toys in a single bag upon his back. Even to a six-year-old boy, it would appear implausible. How might he deal with this mystery?
In seeking to understand his perspective, the most important consideration is that his parents have lead him to believe. Young children generally trust parents on a wide range of issues. Other questions in his life are mysteries as well. How is it that dad can just turn a key on the car, shift a lever, and then the car starts to move? How is it that mom can just show a card to the lady at the store and then take home whatever she wants? To a six-year-old boy, this is a world of mysteries, and the mystery of Santa Claus would be no different than a host of other mysteries he daily observes. To children of that age, parents appear to know everything, so their assurance that Santa Claus exists would largely settle the matter.
In addition, he will have observed evidence that Santa Claus exists. Perhaps he left a cookie by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and the next morning the cookie was gone. He parents might have agreed to mail a request to Santa Claus, and he later found the requested present under the tree on Christmas morning. You and I know that these bits of evidence are closely related to the fact that his parents want him to believe, but he will see them as independent verification.
Finally, he will likely have friends that believe in Santa Claus as well. This reinforcement by peers would be powerful.
Given all that he has observed, when asked to defend his belief in Santa Claus, he would be able to make these statements:
From his perspective, he is thinking clearly. He can’t understand how Santa Claus carries all of those toys, but there is much that he can’t understand, so he is able to set aside that concern. I don’t blame the boy for believing in Santa Claus. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that believing in Santa Claus for this boy is a rational decision.
Let's now move to a different topic - one of more gravity. Let's consider the topic of slavery. Specifically, I want to consider the notion that the slavery practiced in 19th century America was condoned by God. I think it was not condoned by God and assume that consensus exists among my readers that it was not. In spite of the current consensus on this point, many in the 19th century argued that slavery was justified. This justification of slavery might be difficult for most of us to understand, but we know that the justification took place.
One way that slavery was justified was by appealing to Scripture. Some of you might be surprised to read verses in the Bible that seem to condone slavery. Here are a few from the New Testament:
Each of these verses, when taken on its own, seems to support the notion that masters are justified in having slaves or that slaves should be contented to accept their position in life.
I want to consider this notion of slavery from the perspective of a good-hearted man who was raised on a Southern plantation with slaves. This man has been raised by parents who had slaves, and been surrounded by slaves his own life. In defense of his position that slavery was condoned by God, this Southerner could make these statements:
If those of us who believe that slavery is wrong were given the ability to go back in time and converse with this plantation owner, what might we say to him? Given his statements above, how might we persuade him to reconsider his position?
I believe we must ask that he reconsider the message of the Bible in its entirety. Yes, there are passages that seem to indicate that slavery is condoned by God, but there are other passages that clearly say that we should treat others the way we wish to be treated. Other passages place our duty to love others at the very center of the Biblical message.
In considering this notion, I would suggest to this plantation owner that he consider an illustration of weighing items on a scale. Those passages in Scripture that might support the justification of slavery could be placed on one side of the scale. Those passages that indicate our obligation to love others, and to treat them as we would like to be treated, would be placed on the other side of the scale. By considering the issue in this way, we could arrive at the result represented by this drawing:
First, let's consider the legend of Santa Claus, a legend that is fervently defended by certain members of our population. Let’s consider this legend from the perspective of a six-year-old boy whose parents have led him to believe that Santa Claus actually exists. This boy loves Santa Claus and is thrilled each Christmastime at the thought of Santa Claus bringing him gifts.
Now, although this boy loves Santa Claus, he might wonder how Santa Claus carries all of those toys in a single bag upon his back. Even to a six-year-old boy, it would appear implausible. How might he deal with this mystery?
In seeking to understand his perspective, the most important consideration is that his parents have lead him to believe. Young children generally trust parents on a wide range of issues. Other questions in his life are mysteries as well. How is it that dad can just turn a key on the car, shift a lever, and then the car starts to move? How is it that mom can just show a card to the lady at the store and then take home whatever she wants? To a six-year-old boy, this is a world of mysteries, and the mystery of Santa Claus would be no different than a host of other mysteries he daily observes. To children of that age, parents appear to know everything, so their assurance that Santa Claus exists would largely settle the matter.
In addition, he will have observed evidence that Santa Claus exists. Perhaps he left a cookie by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve and the next morning the cookie was gone. He parents might have agreed to mail a request to Santa Claus, and he later found the requested present under the tree on Christmas morning. You and I know that these bits of evidence are closely related to the fact that his parents want him to believe, but he will see them as independent verification.
Finally, he will likely have friends that believe in Santa Claus as well. This reinforcement by peers would be powerful.
Given all that he has observed, when asked to defend his belief in Santa Claus, he would be able to make these statements:
- I was taught to believe this by my parents
- I have independent evidence to support this belief
- My friends at school believe the same thing I do
From his perspective, he is thinking clearly. He can’t understand how Santa Claus carries all of those toys, but there is much that he can’t understand, so he is able to set aside that concern. I don’t blame the boy for believing in Santa Claus. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that believing in Santa Claus for this boy is a rational decision.
Let's now move to a different topic - one of more gravity. Let's consider the topic of slavery. Specifically, I want to consider the notion that the slavery practiced in 19th century America was condoned by God. I think it was not condoned by God and assume that consensus exists among my readers that it was not. In spite of the current consensus on this point, many in the 19th century argued that slavery was justified. This justification of slavery might be difficult for most of us to understand, but we know that the justification took place.
One way that slavery was justified was by appealing to Scripture. Some of you might be surprised to read verses in the Bible that seem to condone slavery. Here are a few from the New Testament:
- Mat_8:9 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it."
- Mat_24:46 "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
- Luk_12:37 "Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
- Luk_17:9 "He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?
- Eph_6:5 Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;
- Col_3:22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
Each of these verses, when taken on its own, seems to support the notion that masters are justified in having slaves or that slaves should be contented to accept their position in life.
I want to consider this notion of slavery from the perspective of a good-hearted man who was raised on a Southern plantation with slaves. This man has been raised by parents who had slaves, and been surrounded by slaves his own life. In defense of his position that slavery was condoned by God, this Southerner could make these statements:
- I was taught to believe this by people I trust and respect
- I have evidence in Scripture to support this belief
- The other people in my church and community believe the same thing I do
If those of us who believe that slavery is wrong were given the ability to go back in time and converse with this plantation owner, what might we say to him? Given his statements above, how might we persuade him to reconsider his position?
I believe we must ask that he reconsider the message of the Bible in its entirety. Yes, there are passages that seem to indicate that slavery is condoned by God, but there are other passages that clearly say that we should treat others the way we wish to be treated. Other passages place our duty to love others at the very center of the Biblical message.
In considering this notion, I would suggest to this plantation owner that he consider an illustration of weighing items on a scale. Those passages in Scripture that might support the justification of slavery could be placed on one side of the scale. Those passages that indicate our obligation to love others, and to treat them as we would like to be treated, would be placed on the other side of the scale. By considering the issue in this way, we could arrive at the result represented by this drawing:
By looking at Scripture in its entirety, we can find that the passages supporting the assertion that slavery is unjust far outweigh those that seem to imply that God condones slavery (as it was practiced in America). The central position of love in the biblical story points to the conclusion that God wants us to treat others the way we would wish to be treated, and it is impossible to justify the slavery of 19th century America with that truth in mind.
In recognizing this imbalance, we can then go back and reconsider those verses that seem to imply that slavery is justified. For the most part, slaves in America were savagely captured and dragged by force from their homelands. Also, the slaves in America were generally all negro. In New Testament times, neither of these things were generally true. Slavery was often a condition of indentured servitude. Slaves often entered slavery due to financial hardship. Also, slaves were not all of one race, but men of all races could be found in the position of slavery. In the end, we could agree that slavery as practiced in America could not be reconciled with the teaching of the Bible.
In seeking the truth on this issue, it is crucially important that we gather all of the pertinent passages on the topic before jumping to a conclusion. We must not find just a few bits of evidence that support what we want to believe and then ignore everything else. A comprehensive study is required.
Having gone through this analysis, I want to return to the question of eternal torment. What are we to do with this idea that God will torment some people without end? A person who held this belief might give the following responses when asked to defend that position:
- I was taught to believe this by people I trust and respect
- I have evidence in scripture to support this belief
- My friends at church believe the same thing I do
All of those statements might be true, but they are insufficient for proving that the belief in eternal torment is true. Similar statements could be made by a six-year-old boy who believes in Santa Claus. Similar statements could have been made by a Southern landowner who argued that slavery is justified.
Having an accurate scriptural view on the topic of eternal torment is very important. Gaining an accurate view requires more than simply collecting a few verses that support what you’ve always been taught. The message of Scripture on the topic must be reviewed in its entirety, and I ask that you be willing to go where the evidence leads.
In this website, I will conduct a thorough investigation of Scripture on this topic. My conclusion is that the evidence of the Bible leads overwhelmingly to the conclusion that God will not torment anybody for eternity. A few verses might seem to imply otherwise, but those verses are by far in the minority, and all of them can be interpreted differently than the traditional interpretation. If you believe that God will torment some people for all eternity, I hope you will consider the possibility that what you have been taught by people you respect, what you thought was in Scripture, and what many of your peers believe, is not actually true.