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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nA “Hell Glorifies God” Advocate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When writing my essay, I wanted to quote an advocate of the “hell glorifies God” theory so that readers could compare my alternative to it. I did a Google search for \u201chell glorifies God\u201d and took the highest ranking article. It was titled, \u201cHow Does Hell Glorify God?\u201d[1]<\/a> The piece is by Jim Hamilton, Professor of Biblical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, one of the largest seminaries in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hamilton begins his article with what he calls \u201cThe Bible\u2019s Big Story.\u201d God spoke the world into being and \u201cset the terms,\u201d he says. Life now follows God\u2019s pre-decided plot. In the end, God will \u201cconsign [the wicked] to everlasting punishment\u201d and \u201ctake those who believed the word of God and the testimony of Jesus into a new, better, perfect place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The point of hell, says Hamilton, is that God keeps his word. \u201cThat God sends the wicked to hell shows God to be faithful and just\u2026 If he does not send the wicked to hell, he has not upheld his own righteous standard and he has not been just. If he does not punish rebels in hell, the righteous are not vindicated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hamilton\u2019s reasoning for how hell glorifies God claims the righteous are ultimately proven right. \u201cHell vindicates those who obey God\u2019s terms,\u201d he says, \u201ceven if they suffered terribly for doing so. It vindicates the righteous who were persecuted by the wicked. Hell glorifies God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Crucial to Hamilton’s argument is the idea a sovereign God initially set the terms for mercy and justice. God must stay faithful to those terms, which say the unrighteous will be punished in hell and the righteous given eternal life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n God is glorified, therefore, if God stays true to an arrangement God alone decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One wonders why God didn\u2019t at the outset set terms that provide eternal bliss to all. Why didn\u2019t God decide to be merciful and forgive everyone? Wouldn\u2019t this be more loving? And more glorious?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hamilton realizes some perceive his scenario as troublesome. \u201cHow seriously should we take those who object to hell,\u201d he asks, \u201cor try to rewrite the story so that hell isn\u2019t part of it?\u201d Hamilton answers his own question: \u201cAs seriously as we would take Hamlet critiquing Shakespeare\u2019s work. Hamlet has no independent existence. He can only critique Shakespeare if the author decides to write that scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hamilton portrays God\u2019s sovereignty as entailing that creatures have no independent will of their own. God is the author who controls the characters he writes into existence, including foreordaining their ultimate fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn order for God to be just and<\/em> extend mercy,\u201d explains Hamilton, \u201che must keep his promise to punish transgression\u2026 God punishes the wicked in hell to uphold justice against all who refuse to repent of sin, glorify him as God, and give thanks to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Hamilton, of course, God determined some would refuse to repent. And they cannot do other than what God pre-decided. But Hamilton seems untroubled by this divine determination, because he assumes God is all-controlling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a summary section, Hamilton repeats his key points. \u201cHell glorifies God,\u201d he says, because it shows that God \u201ckeeps his word,\u201d \u201cdemonstrates God\u2019s power to subdue all,\u201d \u201cshows how unspeakably merciful he is to those who trust him,\u201d \u201cvisits justice against those who reject God,\u201d and \u201cvindicates all who suffer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remarkably absent from this defense of hell is the category of forgiveness. Rather than forgiving all people, the God whom Hamilton affirms only forgives those who trust in him. Rather than calling the righteous to forgive those who harm, God vindicates them by punishing their opponents. Hamilton\u2019s God gets revenge rather than reconciles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this is divine love, I respond, I want nothing to do with it! Call me rebellious if you like. Rather than glorify God, Hamilton\u2019s view portrays God as controlling, limited in forgiveness, and bent on tormenting some in hell everlastingly. No thanks! <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m repulsed by this vision. If hell glorifies God, divine glory be damned!<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1]<\/a> Jim Hamilton, \u201cHow Does Hell Glorify God?\u201d https:\/\/www.9marks.org\/article\/how-does-hell-glorify-god\/<\/a> (accessed 8\/10\/2022)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I’m writing an essay for a book on hell. Mine is among more than a dozen essays from various contributors. The book’s overall thread is a rejection of the traditional idea of hell. I’m arguing that relentless love is God’s glory. This stands in stark contrast to a widespread view that hell glorifies God. A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[63,7299,7300],"yst_prominent_words":[2892],"class_list":["post-6485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-and_the_kitchen_sink","tag-eschatology","tag-divine-glory","tag-gods-glory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6485\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6485"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasjayoord.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=6485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}God Sovereignly Sets the Terms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
No Free Will<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hamilton’s Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This View of Divine Glory Repulses Me<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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