Honest Questions: How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell? (Matthew 25:31-46)
How can a loving God send people to Hell? There is a simple answer to this question, but it doesn’t resolve the tension behind it. The simple answer is that we are guilty of sins that require a just God to punish. God would not be just if He let evil go unpunished. I think we all have an understanding and appetite for the just punishment of evil, but we believe that punishment should be proportionate to the offense. The punishment must fit the crime. The tension we feel in the question is that the punishment of Hell doesn’t fit the crime of our sinful actions nor the loving character of God. It feels like God is guilty of cruel and unusual punishment and is inconsistent with His loving nature.
My goal today will be to look at one of Jesus' teachings, which speaks about the judgment of God and highlights the weightiness of our sinful deeds. We will see that according to Jesus, we are judged by our works and that these works have more weight than we realize. The punishment of Hell appears inappropriate or out of balance because we don’t comprehend the actual weight of our sins. I must confess that we cannot completely resolve the tension we feel between our appraisal of appropriate punishment and God’s. We must take a step of trust and submit to God’s standard even though we don’t fully understand. We cannot completely cross the gap of understanding and fully comprehend God’s ways, but we can shrink that gap by walking through our passage for today.
Big Idea: Our works show who we worship. The weightiness of our works is tied directly to worship. Behind all of our actions, whether good or evil, is the temple of our heart. What or who we worship affects our treatment of others and our interaction with our environment. Our deeds are connected to our deities. All sins are, therefore, an act of idolatry and an attack on God. Our guilt always has a vertical and horizontal dimension to it. When we see our sin in this two-dimensional way, we can better understand the justice of Hell. Let’s see together how Jesus taught that we all will be judged by our works and that these works are connected with the worship of our hearts.
Matthew 25:31-46, “31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Jesus spoke about a future separation that will take place at the end of this age. He used the analogy of a shepherd separating sheep from goats, a common practice of that time. The two often intermingled, and the more economically valuable sheep, due to their fleece or wool, would need to be separated from the goats. Jesus also used the language of “right” and “left.” The right side was considered a place of blessing, and the left was a place of dishonor. So, before Jesus even pronounces a blessing or curse, the setting prepares us for such a judgment.
It is important to note who separates, places, and judges all the people of every nation. These are not actions that Jesus is a witness to. He is the one committing all these actions. He controls the entire scene as the Son of Man, King, and Son of the Father. Jesus revealed the criteria for His future judgment. He will judge the sheep and goats by their works, specifically towards those in need. The word “for” in verses 35 and 42 indicates the ground or reason for Jesus’ judgment. The idea that the final judgment will be based on works is a teaching scattered throughout the scriptures.
Judgment based on our works or deeds creates two points of tension. First, it is hard to understand how this fits with salvation by grace through faith. Second, it is difficult to comprehend how our evil works deserve Hell. This second point is really felt in light of the nature of the offenses Jesus mentioned in Matthew 25:42-43. These are all sins of omission, things not done, and not commission, things done. Jesus is sentencing people to Hell for the things they didn’t do. They didn’t serve the needy, so they must face eternal separation from God. Verses 35-36, 40, and 42-43 contain a key interpretive point to help us resolve these two points of tension.
Jesus presented Himself as the ultimate recipient of the benevolence of the sheep and the ultimate victim of the negligence of the goats. In verses 35-36 and 42-43, Jesus said “I” nine times and “me” eleven times. Verse 40 explains why Jesus saw Himself as the one in a place of need and the recipient of care or victim of indifference. Both the sheep and the goats respond to Jesus’ judgment of their works in the same way. They both ask the question of how Jesus felt their actions or inactions. Jesus said, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” Matthew 25:40.
The two descriptors, “least of these” and “brothers,” are used by Matthew to refer to the followers of Jesus Christ. This means that we must interpret these acts of charity as happening to the followers of Christ. Acts of charity outside of the family of God are important and something that Jesus promoted, but they are not what Jesus was referring to here. What Jesus stated here echoes what He taught earlier in Matthew 10:40, which reads, “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” How we relate to the followers of Jesus reveals our heart toward Jesus. When we love Him, we will love His people. When we worship Jesus, works of charity will naturally flow out of us. The sheep showed that they had rightly received Jesus by treating His followers with respect. The goats showed they had not rightly received Jesus by treating His followers harshly. Jesus does not separate Himself from His followers but ultimately sees actions committed for or against them as primarily targeted at Himself. Our works show who we worship.
Let’s apply this principle to the two points of tension I mentioned earlier. First, how does Jesus' pronouncement of blessing on the sheep based on their works of charity square with the biblical concept of being saved by grace through faith? The works of the sheep toward the followers of Jesus are rooted in their attitude toward Jesus. We are brought into a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of sins that was accomplished for us by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross. We receive this forgiveness by trusting in Christ and turning from our sins. This forgiveness is not earned but is a gift from God we receive. Receiving this gift of forgiveness transforms us. The transformation of faith is described in the New Testament as a new birth and a resurrection. How do you know someone isn’t dead anymore but has been resurrected? They show signs of life. Good works are the signs of faith. Grace brings about good works. A judgment based on works doesn’t nullify grace but speaks to grace's transformative nature. We must also note that the good works mentioned here are not just acts of charity but the outworking of love for Christ. Good works not done out of a heart of worship for Christ are not truly good.
Second, how does the punishment pronounced on the goats match their crimes? The goats’ indifference and lack of care are more than a humanitarian problem. It is a worship problem. Not receiving Christ's followers means they have not received Him or the Father who sent Him. This shows us that there is both a judicial and relational dynamic to our sin. Our sin can be appropriately described as an infraction or an act of lawlessness, but there is also more. Sin is an act of treason against our King and an act of adultery against our lover. Sin, at its root, calls God a liar and a lover not worthy of our loyalty. When we rebel against His ways, we live as if we know better and believe our hearts belong to another. Sin relationally wounds the heart of God and insults His beauty and glory. This is the weight of our sin and why the consequence of persisting in sin and not receiving the grace of God’s forgiveness is the punishment of Hell.
We need to note that Hell in this passage is not just described in judicial terms but also in relational terms. Jesus spoke of the sheep entering the kingdom of their Father’s blessing. God is described with paternal affection here, and Heaven is where that affection is fully felt. Jesus tells the goats to “depart from” Him as they enter a place of “eternal punishment.” Hell is spoken of in the Scriptures as both a place of punishment and banishment. The theme of banishments reflects the relational dynamic. The goats who displayed their lack of love for Jesus through their mistreatment of His followers are expelled from the presence of the God they despise. Heaven would be a place they hated because God is there. They don’t want to be near God, so their punishment is not to be near Him forever. In some sense, they are getting what they want, just not in a way that they would want. It would be like hating water and complaining that someone put you in the desert. In the desert, you are free from the thing you hate, but you also suffer from missing the good that comes from the thing you hate. If you can picture a place devoid of the benevolence of God, then you are close to capturing a portrait of Hell. I believe it is ultimately just and fair to give the unrepentant what they want, even if it is not something I wish for them to experience.
Our works show who we worship. When we see the vertical and horizontal dimensions of our sin, we begin to understand the actual weight of our actions. We see that our actions reflect our attitude toward God. When we sin against our neighbor, we also sin against God. When we sin against God, we are both running away from His law and Him. The ultimate consequence of our rebellion is to be eternally separated from the one we have been running away from. A loving God does send people to Hell because they don’t want to be with Him in Heaven.
I was personally convicted by how our passage today emphasizes the vertical dimension of our actions. Jesus specifically stated that our actions toward other Christians reflect our heart for Him. As a follower of Jesus Christ, how does this principle affect our community here? This may surprise you, but not everyone is perfect here at Sonrise Church, and sometimes we hurt each other. When, not if, you get hurt or offended by a member of this church, do you feel you can see Christ behind them and respond appropriately? Can you see the face of Christ in the members of our community? Our tone would change significantly if we knew that Christ was receiving every word we aimed at our brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you are not yet a follower of Christ, I bet this message is challenging to hear. Maybe you are struggling with how much weight God places on your actions. Maybe you feel like His judgment is too harsh and His appraisal of evil is too extreme. Let me invite you to consider a scenario that is worth your consideration. If everything the Scripture says is true and our sins are as weighty as Jesus described here, then you only have two responses: you can either resent God or receive His pardon. You can cross your arms, turn your back on God, and resent Him as harsh and cruel. Or, you can trust that His appraisal of sin and justice is accurate and receive the pardon from your guilt He extends toward you as a gift.
In a courtroom, the opinion of the judge matters the most. The defendant may believe his crimes are not that bad, but ultimately, the sentence is up to the judge. God is a gracious judge. He has warned us about the weight of our offenses and the punishment for our crimes. That is not a mystery to us. This warning is an act of kindness because He wants us to escape such a sentence and enjoy a life filled with the blessing of His presence. I must admit that I struggle with grasping the actual weight of sin and the justice of Hell. I have come to doubt my feelings as the barometer of truth. I submit my understanding to God and believe He is the only one with the perfect knowledge of truth. I hope you will submit to the appropriateness of God’s warning about judgment and receive His pardon in Jesus Christ.
Life-Level Application:
Head: Read Revelation 20:11–15 and then 3:5, 13:8, and 17:8. How does the “Book of Life” differ from the other books God uses in the Final Judgment?
Heart: Read 1 John 4:7–12. What event in history did John use to describe the love of God? How does John sequence our love for God and His love for us? How does the love of God affect our love for others?
Hand: Read Matthew 25:14-30. What criteria did the Master use to judge His servants? How did the “wicked” servant’s attitude toward the Master affect his behavior? How does this passage relate to Matthew 25:31-46?
Habit: How should seeing Jesus as the ultimate recipient of our acts of charity toward other believers change our treatment of each other? Think of some recent interactions with other believers that you believe would have happened differently if you considered Christ as the recipient of your actions.