Select Page

Conditionalism and degrees of punishment

by | Oct 11, 2018 | Annihilationism, Minor Groups & Issues

The Bible teaches different degrees of punishment. Let’s take a look at the biblical evidence and then turn our attention to how it relates to conditionalism.

  • Matthew 10:15, “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”
  • Matthew 11:23-24, “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
  • Matthew 23:14, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation,” (cf. Mark 12:40; Luke 20:47).
  • Luke 12:47-48, “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
  • John 19:11, “Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.””
  • See also the Parable of the two debtors Luke 7:40-50

Just as there are different degrees of sin (John 19:11), there are different degrees of punishment as is amply demonstrated through the Scriptures quoted above. So, what are the conditionalists to do with this?

There are three options available to them regarding the different degrees of punishment in the afterlife for those who have not trusted in Christ.

  1. The wicked do not experience any conscious punishment prior to them being annihilated.
  2. The wicked all experience conscious punishment to the same degree for a time and are then annihilated.
  3. The wicked experience conscious punishment in different degrees for a time and are then annihilated.

Option 1: The wicked do not experience any conscious punishment prior to them being annihilated.

First of all, to deny that there are different degrees of punishment for the wicked is to deny the Scriptures above. Nevertheless, some annihilationists still deny it. Consider this.

“…these sayings [lesser and greater beatings] are intended to underscore divine impartiality; God will take into account the opportunity and circumstances of people in determining judgment. This is not the same as teaching “grades of punishment.” The reference in Luke 12:47– 48 is part of the scenery of the parable and teaches, if anything, the principle that responsibility is commensurate with endowment and opportunity.”1

I do not know what percentage of conditionalists affirm the above denial of varying degrees of punishment in the afterlife. But, unfortunately, they are there. For them, I can only surmise that their position must take precedence over the teachings of Jesus who spoke of degrees of judgment on the final day (Matthew 10:15; 11:23-24).  He said there is greater condemnation for those who do and do not do God’s will (Matthew 23:14).  He said some will receive greater punishment (Luke 12:47-48).  So, can we take rethinking hell seriously?  I can’t.  After all, it is very clear that there are different degrees of punishment according to Scripture.  But, many annihilationists are obligated to deny that because of their presuppositions.

Option 2: The wicked all experience conscious punishment to the same degree for a time and are then annihilated.

Option 2 obviously violates the above Scriptures which teach that there are varying degrees of judgment for different people. This would not seem to be equitable since different people have committed different kinds of sin in different levels of sin.  It would make sense to say that God would punish them in accordance with their sins.  After all, that is what the Bible says.

  • Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
  • Romans 2:5–6, “But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:”
  • Romans 14:12, ” So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.”
  • 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Option 2 is not a valid option either when comparing it to Scripture. Obviously, different people will experience different degrees of punishment. Of course, the judgment that Christians face is not for salvation, but for reward and loss in heaven.

Option 3: The wicked experience conscious punishment in different degrees for a time and are then annihilated.

  • “…when God destroys both soul and body in hell, the destructive act or process will be based on perfect divine justice in each individual case, and will allow infinite latitude for degrees of conscious punishment, whether differentiated by its kind, its intensity, or its duration.” (ibid., Fudge, Edward William. The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment, Third Edition (p. 208). Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.)
  • Traditionalists and conditionalists affirm together that there will be degrees of punishment—the first group, by varying external circumstances or internal sensitivity to them; the second group, by duration, type, or sensitivity to conscious pain during the process of the second death.2

The third option is for the annihilationist who say that the wicked are resurrected and then experience a different degree of punishment that corresponds to their sin.  Once their punishment is completed, they are annihilated.

But this has problems.

First of all, sin is breaking the law of God. Therefore, sin is a legal problem (but not only a legal problem). Punishment is properly related to breaking the law. Therefore, the degree of punishment is in relationship to the degree of breaking the law.

  1. Sin is breaking the law of God (1 John 3:4)
  2. Punishment of the lawbreaker is according to the law (Rom. 6:23)
  3. There are different degrees of sin/law-breaking (John 19:11)
  4. Therefore, there are different degrees of punishment (Luke 12:47-48)

Problem

But, if the unsaved suffer according to their sins, which is according to their wickedness in breaking God’s law, then once the punishment is completed, why are they not saved and then go to heaven?  After all, the law has been satisfied through their suffering. If they say that once the punishment is completed, then they are annihilated, then that means that God is unjust since they have met the requirements of the Law and yet God still punishes them for what they’ve paid for.  It makes no sense.

Second, if they say that there are different degrees of conscious punishment before they are punished with eternal nonexistence, then they are saying punishment is of two types: conscious punishment and nonexistence. But if this is the case, then this particular view of conditionalism which expresses conscious torment is similar to the traditionalist view. The only real difference is duration.  Then, there’s the problem of eternal nothingness being punishment – which it cannot be.

Salvation by works?

I thought I would review the above point in consideration of Temporary Conscious Torment (TCT).  If the wicked fulfill the requirement of the law by being punished, then that punishment is defined as a continuous experience. Furthermore, when that punishment ends, the requirement of the law has been satisfied. The continued punishment then stops.  How is this not a form of salvation by compliance with the law, since it is being saved from the continued judgment of God?

Conclusion

The words of Christ clearly teach that there are different degrees of punishment that people will experience on the Day of Judgment. The conditionalists who deny this, are clearly denying Scripture. But for the conditionalists who admit that there is a measure of punishment in the afterlife before annihilation, they are being more consistent with Scripture. In addition, they are admitting to temporary conscious torment (TCT), instead of eternal conscious torment (ECT).

References

References
1 Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism, Kindle Locations 5583-5587. Cascade Books, an Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers. Kindle Edition.
2 ibid., p. 227

SUPPORT CARM

Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. We greatly appreciate your consideration!

SCHOOLS USER LOGIN

If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at [email protected].

MATT SLICK LIVE RADIO

Call in with your questions at:

877-207-2276

3-4 p.m. PST; 4-5 p.m. MST;
6-7 p.m. EST

You May Also Like…