Is hell fair?

from the old testament

• God is an all-good and righteous Judge (Psalm 7:11; Nahum 1:7; see also James 1:17).
• In his conversation with God concerning the impending judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham said, "Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Genesis 18:25). Abraham acknowledged that God is a righteous judge.
• David simply says in the Psalms, "and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness" (Psalm 9:8). David, too, recognized God as the fully good and righteous judge of the world.
• While it's true that God is all good, He is also fully just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14; see also Romans 2:5-6).

from the new testament

• Hell was originally created not for humanity, but for the Devil and the angels who joined him in his rebellion against God, a fact Jesus confirms: "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'" (Matthew 25:41).
• However, hell was extended to also include those from the human race who would follow the Devil's rebellion (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46).
• Because of God’s justice, He created a realm that was designed to enact justice on those who violate His laws (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:14-15).
• Will God force anyone to go to hell? No. People will go to hell on their own accord, by rejecting Christ. Jesus addressed people in His day who "willed" to go to hell when He said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40, emphasis added). C. S. Lewis stated the matter this way: "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell chose it."
• There is a way to escape hell and the sin that brings such a terrible judgment upon us. God is indeed justice, but He is also love, and in His love He took our sins upon Himself at the cross. Christ paid the judgment in full so that we don't have to face hell. Paul writes, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Romans 5:8-9).

implications for today

Regarding how a loving God can send people to hell, we should understand two things. The first is the distinction between what is sometimes called the "antecedent" and "consequent" will of God. Thomas Aquinas explains the important difference between the two this way: "Hence it may be said of a just judge, that antecedently he wills all men to live; but consequently wills the murderer to be hanged. In the same way God antecedently wills all men to be saved, but consequently wills some to be damned, as His justice exacts." To people wanting to live in rebellion apart from God, hell might seem unfair. So why is eternity in hell fair according to God?

God's character demands an eternal hell. Only an eternal punishment is fitting for sins committed against an eternal God. Even in this life, it is recognized that a crime must be gauged according to the worth and dignity of the person it is committed against. As an example, if a person threatens someone's life, it is not uncommon for the authorities to tell the victim they cannot act until the suspect does. But let that same individual make a threat against the President of the United States, and the law will be much swifter, more exacting, and harsher. Because all sin is vertical before it is horizontal, an eternal punishment is fitting for crimes perpetrated against an everlasting Creator.

God's justice demands an eternal hell. It is a fact that not all evil is punished in this life, so a punishment in the next life – which is eternal – must exist.

God's sovereignty demands an eternal hell. Without hell, there would be no final victory over evil.

Human dignity demands an eternal hell. A person can willingly choose to follow or reject God, knowing what consequences await. God respects the person's dignity in allowing him to make that choice.

The cross of Christ implies an eternal hell. Why would Christ suffer and endure all that He did if there is not an unthinkable punishment awaiting those who sin against God? If there is no hell, then there is no need for a cross or a Savior. But hell is very real, and as Christian author Os Guinness says, "For some, Hell is simply a truth realized too late." It is a sobering fact that those who choose to reject Jesus in this life will have their request honored in the next by a loving God who will indeed acquiesce to their wishes and send them to the choice they themselves have made.