In meeting any false doctrine one should base the initial discussion on those points on which we agree. The more numerous and the more fundamental these agreements are, the more likely we are to convince those in error on other points. No one likes to admit that he is altogether wrong about anything. But if he can be shown that some of his conclusions are destructive to the most sacred and basic principles of his own faith, he may be more ready to reconsider and to accept the truth.
Nothing is more fundamental than the gospel of our Lord Jesus. No better foundation can be laid for any doctrine than this. And no other emphasis should ever take its place, for souls must be converted, and not merely convinced on technicalities. We need never divorce the justice of God from His mercy. This is the weakest link of the "eternal torment" theory, as taught by its adherents. For this very reason we should all the more determine to make our teaching of the subject an inseparable part of the gospel.
To accept the doctrine of eternal torment is to repudiate the gospel. One cannot consistently believe in both. In the gospel the Lord Jesus Christ is set forth as man's sin-bearer, his substitute. "The Lord bath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isa. 53 :6. In accepting our guilt, He received our condemnation. This penalty He must pay in full before we may go free. For Him to do less than that would be to fail altogether. Most Christians will agree on this.
From this point of mutual and fundamental agreement we may readily decide whether the wages of sin is death, or never-ending torment. For whatever the penalty is, that is the price Jesus must pay in our stead. We know God provided "that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Heb. 2 :9. If death, then, is the penalty, the debt is paid in full, and we are redeemed.
But what about the doctrine of eternal torment? How does that fit into the plan of redemption? There is no change in the plan. It still requires that the Sin Bearer satisfy the demands of divine justice. Here is the crucial point. If the punishment for sin is unending torture, either the Lord Jesus is doomed to suffer that horrible penalty, or the whole family of earth is hopelessly lost. It is clear from this that those who would condemn man to eternal torment condemn Christ to the same, "for He hath made Him to be sin for us." 2 Cor. 5:21. This is a sobering thought to the most ardent proponents of lingering hell-fire. If the gospel is what it is, we can place no value upon it unless we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son. To say that death is not the penalty for our sins is to deny the gospel and to make the vicarious atonement of Christ on Calvary an insufficient and futile sacrifice.
This subject is also related to the very nature and purpose of God. True justice requires that the punishment be in direct proportion to the guilt. Whatever is more than this is cruelty. It is injustice. So, to describe God as one whose cruelty knows no bounds is to invest Him with a character that is depraved and vicious. What Christian would want to be guilty of that?
Finally, how does this doctrine harmonize with the eternal and unchanging purpose of God? Sin and suffering are not and never were a part of His plan for mankind. They are of the devil, and the Lord has no intention of perpetuating these evils. Instead of unending pain and sorrow and perpetual sin, "there shall be no more curse." Rev. 22:3. The justice of God does not frustrate His mercy. Rather, it opens the way for His mercy to be realized. It ensures the eradication of evil for all eternity and makes possible the complete restoration of all things in harmony with the original purpose of an all-wise Creator. The whole creation of God, throughout the boundless realms of His universe, is thus seen to rejoice in the magnitude of His victory over sin.
Surely such fundamental principles as the gospel of our Lord Jesus, the character of God, and His unchangeable purpose toward us offer as solid a foundation as can be had for the teaching of this important subject, "The Penalty for Sin." Let us build on these strong and widely accepted principles in presenting the highly controverted points of our doctrine, that the way might be well prepared for their acceptance.