Many people are troubled when they hear of atrocities for which the perpetrators are not caught or, when they are caught, it is only after they have been able to spend many previous years living without punishment by society.  A number of the people who played major roles in the Holocaust slaughter during the 1930s and 1940s are prime examples of those who seem to have escaped punishment, either entirely or at least for many years.  In contrast, many faithful Christians have suffered for years with various types of adversities.

This seeming lack of justice or fairness raises several questions about punishment by God.  Among these questions are the following:

·       Are the adversities that people face during their life on earth the result of punishment for their sins?

·       Do some sins result in a greater degree of punishment than others?

·       Does God sometimes severely punish people for relatively minor sins?

·       Are any sins not forgivable by God?

Are the Adversities that People Face during Their Life on Earth the Result of Punishment for Their Sins?

We live in an imperfect world.  Just as the rain falls on both the just and the unjust, adverse things happen to both the righteous and the unrighteous.  People we regard as righteous, as well those whom we regard as unrighteous, experience adversities of all types: financial problems, poor health, marital difficulties, etc.

The fact is that often God doesn’t miraculously intervene in people’s lives to either prevent adversities or to alleviate them, even if the people experiencing the adversities are living a righteous life.  Adversities may be either sent or allowed by God to test His followers, rather than to punish or otherwise discipline them.  The Bible gives accounts of a number of people who experienced adversities that tested their faithfulness.  These people included David, Jeremiah, Joseph, Job, Paul, and others. 

On page 57 of his book entitled Reaching for the Invisible God, Philip Yancey says, 

The Bible gives many examples of suffering that, like Job’s, have nothing to do with God’s punishment.  In all his miracles of healing, Jesus overturned the notion, widespread at the time, that suffering – blindness, lameness, leprosy – comes to people who deserve it. . . . Not once did Jesus counsel someone to accept suffering as God’s will; rather he went about healing illness and disability.

However, in many instances, God may allow adverse consequences, not to test people, but to punish or otherwise discipline them when their lifestyle has not been in accord with His will.  This is evidenced by various biblical accounts in which individuals, groups of people, or nations experienced adversities – even death – because they violated one or more of God’s Commandments.

This leads to the question as to how we can know which adversities are sent or allowed by God as testing, in contrast with punishment or some other form of discipline.  The answer is that we will not know the reason for any particular adversity unless God chooses to reveal it to us.  Even if we pray earnestly for understanding, God may not always give us a clear reason as to why we are experiencing adversity.  However, if we aren’t given a clear reason, it would nevertheless be appropriate – and probably beneficial – to meditate upon the question, What does God want me to learn from this experience? 

Do Some Sins Result in a Greater Degree of Punishment than Others?

In Matthew 10:14-15, Jesus told His 12 disciples,

“[W]hoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.  Assuredly, 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.”

[Note:  When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James Version of the Bible (NKJ), unless indicated otherwise.]

Subsequently, in Matthew 11:21-24, Jesus declared,

“Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” [Note:  Luke 10:10-15 provides a similar account.]

These passages indicate that there will be different degrees of punishment for sin, depending on the extent of the knowledge a person has about Jesus Christ.  No one who lived in Sodom and Gomorrah before those cities were destroyed by God had an opportunity to trust in Christ for eternal salvation, since He did not come to earth until many years later.  In contrast, many of the people living at the time that Christ was on the earth and those who have lived in the years since then have had opportunity to trust in Him.  Those who have refused to trust in Christ will be judged more severely than those who never had the opportunity to do so.

Luke 12:47-48 has a somewhat different message.  In this passage, after speaking a parable, Jesus says,

“[T]hat servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of strips, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to who much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

Like the prior two passages, Luke 12:47-48 makes it clear that the severity of punishment for sin will vary, depending on the circumstances.  However, this passage seems to be applicable to sin in general, not just to the acceptance or rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior.  In the parable, the degree of punishment was dependent on the extent of the understanding that each servant had about what their master wanted them to do.  Likewise, people who don’t know God’s will with regard to what He wants them to do (or not do) won’t be punished as severely as those who know God’s will. 

Revelation 20:12-13 pertains to the final judgment of mankind.  The passage states,

And I [John, the Apostle of Jesus Christ] saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.  Another book was opened, which is the book of life.  The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. . . . [A]nd each person was judged according to what he had done.

A number of biblical scholars believe this judgment applies only to people who have not trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior (i.e., non-Christians), not to anyone who has trusted in Christ for eternal salvation.  If this interpretation is correct, then non-Christians will receive differing degrees of punishment, depending on the nature and extent of their sins and/or good deeds.

However, Revelation 20: 10 and 15 state that everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life (i.e.,  non-Christians) will be thrown into the same lake of fire as Satan, and that they will be tormented forever.  In other words, these verses of scripture don’t support the belief that there will be differing degrees of eternal punishment for people who are not Christians.

Furthermore, Revelation 20:12-13 seems to indicate that everyone who has ever lived, Christians as well as non-Christians, will be at the judgment.  One reason for this belief is that there is no indication in this passage that the people being judged are only those whose names are not written in the Book of Life.  Another reason is that verse 15 infers that not everyone at that judgment will be cast into the lake of fire.  Otherwise, why would the verse not simply state that everyone at that judgment will be cast into the lake of fire? 

Two other scripture passages provide additional support for the belief that the judgment mentioned in Revelation 20 will include both Christians and non-Christians.  In Romans 14:10b, Paul says to the Christians in the church at Rome, “[W]e shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”  Likewise, in 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul states to the Christians in the church at Corinth, “[W]e must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Since there is no account in the Book of Revelation of a judgment just for Christians, it seems reasonable to believe that there will be only one judgment.  And, if Christians will be at the judgment discussed in Revelation 20, it is probable that they, as well as non-Christians, will be judged according to what they have done during their life on earth.

However, for Christians (i.e., the people whose names are written in the Book of Life), the judgment will determine the extent of the rewards they will be given during their eternal life.  In contrast, for non-Christians (i.e., those whose names are not written in the Book of Life), the judgment apparently will determine only the extent of their punishment during eternity.

Does God Sometimes Severely Punish People for Relatively Minor Sins?

Most of the matters that result in severe punishment for what seem to be relatively minor sins actually involve violations of one or more of the Ten Commandments.  Two examples are the killing of a person for not properly observing the Sabbath, or for being stubborn and rebellious to their parents (see Exodus 15:32-36 and Deuteronomy 21:18-21).  Killing someone for either of these reasons seems unduly harsh, but God is sovereign and His judgment is sovereign and, therefore, He has the authority to decide the appropriate penalty for violating any of His Commandments.

One of the most controversial incidents that resulted in severe punishment does not seem to have involved a violation of any of the Ten Commandments.  This incident is recorded in 2 Kings 2:23-24, which reads as follows:

And he [i.e., Elisha] went up from there [i.e., Jericho] to Bethel.  And as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead!  Go up, you baldhead!”  So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the Lord.  And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

A footnote to verse 23 in the New International Version of the Bible (NIV) states, “By calling Elisha ‘baldhead,’ the youths . . . expressed . . . utter disdain for the Lord’s representative. . . .”  Likewise, in their book entitled When Critics Ask, Norman Geisler, Ph.D., and Thomas Howe, M.A., state on page 191 that what the youths did “was no minor offense,” for they “held God’s prophet in contempt.”  Both of these statements may be correct, but the scripture passage itself does not indicate that the youths knew Elisha was God’s prophet.

Geisler and Howe surmise that the youths “were wicked young men, comparable to a modern street gang.”  On page 192 of their book, they speculate, “Elisha’s action was designed to strike fear in the hearts of any other such gang members.  If these young gang members were not afraid to mock a venerable man of God such as Elisha, then they would have been a threat to the lives of all God’s people.”

Gleason L. Archer expresses a similar opinion.   He states on page 205 of his book entitled Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties,

It was a situation of serious public danger, quite as grave as the large youth gangs that roam the ghetto sections of our modern American cities.  If these young hoodlums were ranging about in packs of fifty or more, derisive toward respectable adults and ready to mock even a well-known man of God, there is no telling what violence they might have inflicted on the citizenry . . ., had they been allowed to continue their riotous course. 

Archer goes on to theorize,

Perhaps it was for this reason that God saw fit to put forty-two of them to death in this spectacular fashion (there is no evidence that Elisha himself, in imposing a curse, prayed for this specific mode of punishment), in order to strike terror into other youth gangs that were infesting the city and to make them realize that neither Yahweh Himself nor any of His anointed prophets were to be threatened or treated with contempt.

Geisler and Howe concur.  On page 192 of their book, they declare,

It was not Elisha who took their lives, but God who alone could have providentially directed the bears to attack them.  It is evident that by mocking this man of God, these young men were revealing their true attitudes toward God Himself.  Such contempt for the Lord was punishable by death.  The Scriptures do not say that Elisha prayed for this kind of punishment.  It was clearly an act of God in judgment upon this impious gang.

Although Archer, Geisler, and Howe express the belief that the youths were killed by the bears, at least several other sources give no such indication.  The King James, NKJ, and NIV translations of the Bible all say the youths were mauled or torn by the bears, but don’t say the youths were killed.  The translation by Strong’s Concordance of the Bible of the Hebrew word baqa that is used to describe the damage done by the bears indicates that the youths were ripped or torn. The word baqa does not infer injuries so severe that they would result in death.  If the youths were not killed by the bears, it is easier to accept the position that the punishment fit the crime, especially if the crime was more than just simple teasing or name-calling.

What about 1 John 5:16-17, which indicates there is a distinction between sins that will result in death and those that won’t result in death?  The passage states,

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He [i.e., God] will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death.  There is a sin leading to death.  I do not say that he should pray about that.  All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

A footnote to these two verses in the NIV Bible says,

In the context of this letter directed against Gnostic teaching, which denied the incarnation and threw off all moral restraints, it is probable that the “sin that leads to death” refers to the Gnostics’ adamant and persistent denial of the truth and to their shameless immorality.  This kind of unrepentant sin leads to spiritual death.  Another view is that this is sin that results in physical death.  It is held that, because a believer continues to sin, God in judgment takes his or her life. . . . In either case, “sin that does not lead to death” is of a less serious nature.   

Also in reference to 1 John 5:16-17, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible states,

[A sin unto death] is not only deserving of death, as every other sin is, but which certainly and inevitably issues in death in all that commit it, without exception; and that is the sin against the Holy Ghost, which is neither forgiven in this world nor in that to come, and therefore must be unto death; it is a sinning willfully (sic), not in a practical, but doctrinal way, after a man has received the knowledge of the truth; it is a wilful (sic) denial of the truth of the Gospel, particularly that peace, pardon, righteousness, eternal life, and salvation, are by Jesus Christ, contrary to the light of his mind, and this joined with malice and obstinacy; so that there is no more or other sacrifice for such a sin. . . .

Unlike the footnote in the NIV Bible, John Gill’s interpretation of 1 John 5:16-17 indicates that sin unto death is what is often called “the unpardonable sin.” However, his explanation of that sin is different than what we discuss next.

Are Any Sins Not Forgivable by God?

In Matthew 12:31-32, Jesus states,

“I say unto you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the [Holy] Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”  [Note:  The wording of Luke 12:10 is very similar.]

Likewise, in Mark 3:28-30, Jesus asserts,

“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”

These last two passages pertain to what is called “the unpardonable sin.”  Both passages make it clear that the unpardonable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.   Webster’s Dictionary defines blasphemy as “profane or contemptuous speech, writing, or action concerning God or anything held as divine.”  Strong’s Concordance indicates that the Greek word that is translated as blaspheme may be even more maligning than what Webster says.  According to Strong’s, the Greek word means “to vilify,” which suggests attacking or injuring the reputation of the Holy Spirit by false and/or malicious statements.

With regard to sins in general, the Bible infers that even if a person is a Christian, God will not forgive that person’s sins unless the person confesses those sins to God.  1 John 1:9, which most biblical scholars believe was addressed to Christians, states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  If only confessed sins will be forgiven, then any unconfessed sins will not be forgiven.

Strong’s Concordance notes that the Greek word that is translated as confess in the scripture passage denotes “to confess by way of admitting oneself guilty of what one is accused of, the result of inward conviction.”  In other words, confession involves more than just saying “I’m sorry.”  Sincere confession also necessitates remorse, which should result in repentance.

Repentance, according to Strong’s Concordance signifies “to change one’s mind or purpose.”  Strong’s goes on to note that, in the New Testament, this change is for the better and almost always pertains to the matter of sin.  Among the scripture passages that call for people to repent in regard to their sins are the following:  Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 8:22; 17:30; Revelation 2:16; 3:19.

Although the Bible indicates that a Christian cannot lose his (or her) eternal salvation, the inference of 1 John 1:9 is that Christians will ultimately receive some form of punishment for their unconfessed sins.  [For a discussion of the basis for believing that a Christian cannot lose his (or her) eternal salvation, see our article entitled “What Must a Person Do to Be Assured of Eternal Salvation?”]

In any case, it behooves every Christian to regularly confess their sins and sincerely repent.  Consistent confession and repentance should reduce, if not eliminate, a Christian’s concerns as to what the consequences might be if they were to have unconfessed sins when they stand in judgment before God.  Furthermore, each time a Christian confesses their sins and repents, their ability to have fellowship with God will immediately be restored, enabling them to restore the joy of their salvation.

Another relevant scripture passage with regard to sins that are not forgivable by God is Matthew 6:14-15, in which Jesus Christ declares, “[I]f you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

This passage seems to say that if we as Christians don’t forgive people who have committed sins against us, God won’t forgive our sins.  However, it may be appropriate to wait for the offending person to ask for forgiveness before we forgive them, provided that we are willing to forgive them when they ask.  [See our article entitled “Judging, Anger and Forgiveness.”] 

Conversely, if we are not willing to forgive someone who has sinned against us, Matthew 6:14-15 infers that, unless we are subsequently willing to forgive that person, God won’t forgive the sins that we commit during the time that we are not willing to forgive the person who has offended us.  It also can be inferred that God will punish us for these sins, although we are still assured of our eternal salvation.