How could a God who is supposed to be filled with love punish someone in an eternal hell simply because they lived in a way contrary to his desire? This sounds more like an evil tyrant than a benevolent Father.

So, how do you respond to such a question?

My simple answer is this. How could a loving God not respond to evil with wrath? But I suppose that needs a little bit of filling out. Let’s begin with a solid definition of sin. I really appreciate this insight by Cornelius Plantinga:

Sin is disruption of created harmony and then resistance to divine restoration of that harmony….God hates sin not just because it violates his law but, more substantively, because it violates shalom, because it breaks the peace, because it interferes with the way things are supposed to be. (Indeed, that is why God has laws against a good deal of sin.) God is for shalom and therefore against sin…In short, sin is culpable shalom-breaking. (Cornelius Plantinga)

Shalom is another word for peace, for well-being. It’s that thing you desire in your heart for everything to be right in the world. It’s what you want of all your relationships. Harmony. Wholeness. Fulfillment. All those things are wrapped up in this beautiful word.

Doing something contrary to God’s created order breaks shalom. There is real evil (and we ourselves are capable of such a thing) and this evil destroys shalom. Shalom cannot exists where evil exists. This is why God says things like “the sorrow of those who run after other gods shall multiply”. There isn’t shalom in the presence of sin. The further we delve into that realm then the deeper our peace is going to be broken.

Now what is a supremely loving God going to do when shalom is broken? In order to provide shalom then the clutches of evil must be broken. If there is to be shalom in his kingdom then it means there cannot be dwelling within such a kingdom those who are shalom breakers. This is why Piper is right to say that “God’s great purpose in the world is to remove all sin and unbelief and replace it with white-hot worshippers from every tribe, tongue, nation, and peoples”. That’s another way of saying God’s purpose is shalom.

This is, in part, the argument of Psalm 16. When we take God as our refuge we have shalom. Fullness of joy. Pleasures evermore. But when we run after other gods (leave the place of refuge) our sorrows are going to only multiply.

A Helpful Picture?

All analogies break down at some point. And this certainly is not all that could be said about God’s wrath and its relationship to humanity. But I have a vivid picture here which might help us to understand this concept and to go a long way in answering our opening question.

Picture with me if you will a fallout shelter in the middle of a nuclear war. The world outside your place of refuge is inundated with nuclear radiation. We’re talking five minutes outside will cause your pet fish Gil to pop out a third eye. Even breathing this stuff for a moment is going to ravage your bones. Your Father has lovingly told you to stay inside the bunker. It is here that you’ll not only be protected from the impact of the fallout but you’ll also experience the joy of the bunker.

He is also calling everyone on the outside to come into the place of refuge. To find healing. To find protection from this nuclear explosion. Those who believe him and take refuge in him will be safe. Those who desire the shalom and safety of the shelter will find it.

Gospel Refuge

Now the story of the gospel is that we are all shalom breakers. We’re outside the fallout shelter. We not only have a death sentence but our minds, hearts, and will are so captivated by the radiated world that we become to define the world of three-eyed fish as the normal world. We have no desire for the shelter. But thankfully there is One who is powerful enough to break through our slavery and our idiocy. And draw us into the refuge of His Son who takes the full brunt of the radiation (wrath of God) in order to shield all those inside the bunker.

Step outside the bunker and you’re destroyed. Why? Because God is eradicating from his world all those who break shalom. That’s you and I. Shalom is only found in His Kingdom. And His Kingdom is only accessed through His forever shalom-keeping Son. It is He who has lovingly promised to be our peace (our shalom). So if you end up in hell it’s not because God is a vengeful dictator. It’s because you’re evil and you break shalom. And He is eradicating all of our kind. Our only hope is to take refuge in His Son. You’ve stubbornly refused His refuge.

And Christian, when we tip-toe outside our bunker and think there may be other options for refuge, let us not be surprised when we start to feel the effects of radiation. We shouldn’t be shocked when we end up quite shaken in such an environment. But when God is ever put before us, we won’t be shaken (Psalm 16:8) and we’ll find true happiness.

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