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Sin against God deserves an infinite punishment, but suffering forever does not satisfy that infinite punishment

by | Oct 13, 2018 | Annihilationism, Minor Groups & Issues

Some annihilationists argue against eternal conscious torment by saying that if God deserves the payment of an infinite punishment for sins committed against him, then how is it possible for someone who suffers eternally, is able to satisfy that infinite requirement.

There are two main problems with the argument. The first rests in the definition of “infinite” and the second deals with the validity of the statement.

In philosophy, there are discussions about actual and potential infinite. An actual infinite may not “actually” exist. But basically, it is the position that, for example, if you had a line between two locations how many points are on that line? Since a point has no dimensionality, logically there would be an infinite number of points. But if you take half of that same line, how many points are on half of that line. The answer would again be an infinite number. But how could half of an infinite be equal to the whole of the infinite? This apparent paradox is why some philosophers argue that actual infinites cannot exist.

A potential infinite occurs when there is, for example, the addition of one second of time in a continuous manner. As long as the process continues, there is a potential infinite. In other words, it is potentially infinite because it is continuing. However, if we were to pick a moment in time and measure the number of seconds that have passed, there would be a finite number. This is because it had a definite beginning and is increasing over time but we stopped at one point to measure it.

How do we apply some of these thoughts to the issue at hand? Well, we would not say that God has a quality of potential infinity. We would say that God, who has no beginning and end (Psalm 90:2) is, an actual infinite in his duration of time. But of course, applying “duration of time” to God who is the creator of time, is philosophically problematic. Nevertheless, since the goal of this paper is not to discuss those issues, we will continue with the other infinite, the potential infinite.

If a person suffers forever, then his suffering had a beginning and therefore it has a potential infinite quality to it. Since God is infinite in his nature in that he is without beginning and end, then the sin against him is an offense that would require an infinite amount of time. Then a potential infinite of punishment would meet the requirements of God’s infinite judgment since it would be without end.

Finally, saying that suffering forever does not satisfy an infinite punishment does not mean it’s true. Many times people will make a statement that sounds like it could be true but it isn’t. Or at the very least, is not being demonstrated to be true. So, the objection that this article is dealing with is an unfounded objection. It is an opinion and is not a good argument against eternal conscious torment.

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