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Originally Posted by ChristianTrader  If the unbeliever cannot discern God's moral order, then how are they inexcusable for the evil that they do?
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I'm not trying to pick on you here, I just find your input very engaging.
This quote came to mind. Just for clarity, John Piper uses "judicial sentiment" as to mean a sort of counterpart to the conscience. The conscience accuses or excuses a person of something he has done, while the judicial sentiment accuses or excuses another of what that person does to him.
The part I want to emphasize is the last paragraph; I included everything before it to give some context to what he said (I know how Piper is around the PB
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From
Desiring God, Chapter 2:
Quote:
Another evidence that hell is everlasting is the teaching of Jesus that there is sin which will not be forgiven in the age to come. "Whoever says a word against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:32). If hell is remedial and will some day be emptied of all sinners, then they would have to be forgiven. But Jesus says there is sin that will never be forgiven.
John sums up the terrible realities of torment and endlessness in Revelation 14:11-"And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever: and they have no rest, day or night."
Therefore hell is just. Some have objected that an everlasting punishment is out of proportion to the seriousness of the sin committed. But this is not true, because the seriousness of our sin is infinite. Consider the explanation of Jonathan Edwards:
The crime of one being despising and casting contempt on another, is proportionably more or less heinous, as he was under greater or less obligations to obey him. And therefore if there be any being that we are under infinite obligations to love, and honor, and obey, the contrary towards him must be infinitely faulty.
Our obligation to love, honor, and obey any being is in proportion to his loveliness, honorableness, and authority.... But God is a being infinitely lovely, because he hath infinite excellency and beauty....
So sin against God, being a violation of infinite obligations, must be a crime infinitely heinous, and so deserving infinite punishment.... The eternity of the punishment of ungodly men renders it infinite . . . and therefore renders no more than proportionable to the heinousness of what they are guilty of. 5
When every human being stands before God on the day of judgment, God would not have to use one sentence of Scripture to show us our guilt and the appropriateness of our condemnation. He would need only to ask three questions: 1) Was it not plain in nature that everything you had was a gift, and that you were dependent on your Maker for life and breath and everything? 2) Did not the judicial sentiment 6 in your own heart always hold other people guilty when they lacked the gratitude they should have had in response to a kindness you performed? 3) Has your life been filled with gratitude and trust toward me in proportion to my generosity and authority? Case closed.
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And I agree with Casey, I don't want to debate any of this - I'm interested to hear input from others on the topic.