Degrees of sin and punishment in hell
Are there degrees of sin and punishment in hell?
This is a tough question. For believers, it raises doubts and concerns about the nature and justice of God. But that is precisely why it is a great question to consider. A 10 year old boy in the scenario raises a topic known as the age of responsibility, however, we will save him for another study. The Bible only provides us with limited information about Heaven, Hell and the afterlife. There are some aspects of eternity that we will never fully understand, at least on this side of Heaven. God simply did not reveal everything to us through Scripture. However, the Bible seems to suggest varying degrees of punishment in Hell for non-believers, just as it speaks of different rewards in Heaven for believers based on actions done here on earth.
Degrees of reward in heaven
Here are some verses that indicate the degrees of reward in Heaven.
Greater reward for the persecuted
Matthew 5: 11-12 “Blessed are you when others insult you and persecute you and falsely emit all kinds of evil against you on my behalf. Rejoice and rejoice, because your reward is great in Heaven, because thus persecuted the prophets who were before you. "(ESV)
Luke 6: 22-24 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man! Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in Heaven, because so their fathers did to the prophets. " (ESV)
No reward for hypocrites
Matthew 6: 1-2 “Be careful to practice your righteousness before other people to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when you give to those in need, you do not sound any trumpet in front of you, as hypocrites do in synagogues and on the streets, so that they can be praised by others. Really, I tell you, they received their reward. " (ESV)
Awards according to the acts
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then reward each person according to what he has done. (NIV)
1 Corinthians 3: 12-15 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, expensive stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire and fire will test the quality of each person's work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned, the builder will suffer losses but will still be saved, even if only once it will flee through the flames. (NIV)
2 Corinthians 5:10 Because we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that everyone can receive what is due for what he has done in the body, be it good or bad. (ESV)
1 Peter 1:17 And if you invite him as a Father who judges impartial according to the actions of each one, lead yourself with fear all the time of your exile ... (ESV)
Degrees of punishment in hell
The Bible does not explicitly state that a person's punishment in Hell is based on the seriousness of his sins. The idea, however, is implicit in several places.
Greater punishment for rejecting Jesus
These verses (the first three spoken by Jesus) seem to imply less tolerance and worse punishment for the sin of rejecting Jesus Christ than for the vilest sins committed in the Old Testament:
Matthew 10:15 "Truly I tell you that the day of judgment will be more bearable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city." (ESV)
Matthew 11: 23-24 "And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted in Paradise? You will be taken to Hades. Because if the powerful works done in you had been done in Sodom, they would remain until today. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you. "(ESV)
Luke 10: 13-14 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! Because if the powerful works done in you had been done in Tire and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tire and Sidon than for you. " (ESV)
Hebrews 10:29. In your opinion, how much worse punishments will you deserve from the one who trampled on the Son of God and profaned the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified and outraged the Spirit of grace? (ESV)
Worst punishment for those who have been entrusted with knowledge and responsibility
The following verses seem to indicate that people who are given greater knowledge of the truth have greater responsibility and, likewise, a more severe punishment than those who are ignorant or uninformed:
Luke 12: 47-48 “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but is not prepared and does not carry out these instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will make him be punished only slightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted a lot, it will be asked for even more. " (NLT)
Luke 20: 46-47 “Beware of these religious law teachers! Because they like to parade in flowing clothes and love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the markets. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and at the table at the banquets. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows outside their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. For this reason, they will be severely punished. " (NLT)
James 3: 1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater rigor. (ESV)
Greater sins
Jesus called the sin of Judas Iscariot major:
John 19:11 Jesus replied: “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore whoever handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin. " (NIV)
Punishment according to the acts
The book of Revelation speaks of being unsaved judged "according to what they had done".
In Revelation 20: 12-13 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Another book has been opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged on what they had done as reported in the books. The sea renounced the dead that were in it, and death and Hades renounced the dead that were in them, and each person was judged on what they had done. (NIV) The idea of punishment levels in Hell is further strengthened by the distinctions and different types of sanctions for various levels of criminal acts in the Old Testament Law.
Exodus 21: 23-25 But if there are serious injuries, you must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. (NIV)
Deuteronomy 25: 2 If the guilty person deserves to be beaten, the judge must make them lie down and whip them in his presence with the number of lashes that the crime deserves ... (NIV)
Persistent questions about punishment in hell
Believers struggling with questions about Hell might be tempted to think that it is unfair, unjust and even unloving for God to allow any degree of eternal punishment for sinners or those who refuse salvation. Many Christians abandon trust in Hell entirely because they cannot reconcile a loving and merciful God with the concept of eternal damnation. For others, solving these questions is quite simple; it is a matter of faith and trust in God's righteousness (Genesis 18:25; Romans 2: 5-11; Revelation 19:11). The scriptures state that the nature of God is merciful, kind and loving, but it is important to remember above all that God is holy (Leviticus 19: 2; 1 Peter 1:15). It does not tolerate sin. Furthermore, God knows each person's heart (Psalm 139: 23; Luke 16:15; John 2:25; Hebrews 4:12) and offers each individual the opportunity to repent and be saved (Acts 17: 26- 27; Romans 1: 20). Taking that simple truth into consideration, it is reasonable and biblical to maintain the position that God will rightly and justly assign both eternal rewards in Heaven and punishments in hell.