Hell = choice or punishment?

  • Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.

    You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

ArkangeMikail

Member
Mar 24, 2025
73
46
18
26
France
Faith
Christian
Country
France
Is Hell a choice freely made by evil people or a divine punishment to torment the wicked?

Do evil people chose to go to Hell because they fully and eternally reject God? Or do God Himself throws sinful people into Hell and tortures them because He hates evil people?
 

Wynona

Encounter Team
Staff member
Encounter Team
Jan 27, 2021
4,555
7,332
113
North Carolina
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Gender
Female
I hope this thread gets more answers. I see hell as a choice.

Ezekiel 33:11
King James Version
11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
 

Davidpt

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2023
2,512
797
113
68
East Texas
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Is Hell a choice freely made by evil people or a divine punishment to torment the wicked?

Do evil people chose to go to Hell because they fully and eternally reject God? Or do God Himself throws sinful people into Hell and tortures them because He hates evil people?

Look at the sheep and goats judgment, for example. The goats meant in that account are being cast into hell for simply failing to do any of the following.

Matthew 25:42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment

Obviously, or at least to me anyway, the goats meant here are also meaning these per the following in Matthew 7 and these other passages I submit below..

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 ¶Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Truth7t7

Davy

Well-Known Member
Feb 11, 2018
15,973
3,379
113
Southeastern U.S.
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Is Hell a choice freely made by evil people or a divine punishment to torment the wicked?

Do evil people chose to go to Hell because they fully and eternally reject God? Or do God Himself throws sinful people into Hell and tortures them because He hates evil people?

See Psalms 37 about the wicked. They shall consume away and be no more.

The wicked that go into the future "lake of fire" will choose to go.

If the wicked cannot be their own god, as one of Satan's main attributes is that he wants to be God, and the wicked also think like that, they will instead desire to just perish if they can't be their own authority.

It is God's desire that no one should perish, but that all would come to repentance (per 2 Peter 3).
 
  • Like
Reactions: ArkangeMikail

GodsGrace

Well-Known Member
Aug 29, 2017
17,514
8,609
113
Tuscany
Faith
Christian
Country
Italy
Gender
Female
Is Hell a choice freely made by evil people or a divine punishment to torment the wicked?

Do evil people chose to go to Hell because they fully and eternally reject God? Or do God Himself throws sinful people into Hell and tortures them because He hates evil people?
Of course hell is a free choice.

God loves everyone...He created everyone.

John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.


God gives to everyone the opportunity to become saved.

The default position is that we are lost and require salvation.


John 3:17-18
17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.



Men will be judged on what they choose:


John 3:19-20
19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear * that his deeds will be exposed.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ArkangeMikail

Hazelelponi

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2024
264
385
63
57
Raven
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Is Hell a choice freely made by evil people or a divine punishment to torment the wicked?

Do evil people chose to go to Hell because they fully and eternally reject God? Or do God Himself throws sinful people into Hell and tortures them because He hates evil people?

This question is often framed as an either/or, but Scripture presents a more careful answer.

Hell is not merely a “choice,” and it is not God tormenting people. Rather, hell is God’s just judgment on real sin, and that judgment falls on people who freely choose according to what they love and desire—which, apart from grace, is not God.

The Bible teaches that human beings do have a will, but that will is not morally neutral.

Jesus says plainly:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” (John 8:34, NASB95)


This means people are not forced to reject God against their will; they reject Him because that is what they want. The problem is that sin has bent the heart so deeply that, left to itself, it will always choose darkness over light.

As Scripture explains:

“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NASB95)
Wayne Grudem defines sin helpfully as “any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.”
That matters here, because sin is not just bad actions—it is a condition of the heart.

Jesus Himself explains why judgment comes:

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19, NASB95)


Notice: they loved the darkness. That is the key. Hell is not people wanting God and being rejected; it is people rejecting God and receiving the consequences of that rejection.

At the same time, Scripture is equally clear that God does not delight in punishment:

“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11, NASB95)
“The Lord is… not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9, NASB95)
God’s heart is not cruelty, but mercy. Judgment comes only after mercy is refused.

This distinction is important:
Christianity does not teach that God arbitrarily hates sinners. It teaches that God is holy, that sin is real, and that love does not erase justice. A judge who ignores evil is not loving; he is corrupt.

Yet the gospel is this: God Himself provides the rescue.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” (Ephesians 2:4–5, NASB95)
Left to ourselves, we freely choose sin.
But God, in love, changes the heart, not by fear, but by grace.

That is why salvation is not self-rescue, and hell is not arbitrary torture. Both flow from the same holy, loving God—one from His mercy, the other from His justice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ArkangeMikail

Gottservant

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2022
2,917
884
113
47
Greensborough
Faith
Christian
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
In response to the OP: people in the afterlife realise how great God is and need a place to go where their soul will be separated from the sin it caused while they were alive (because that separates them from God).

If they can't let go of their sin, they die (this is better than torment, if you can't get free).

The problem is many people don't realise there is a consequence for holding on to sin for too long (and that you can't abuse your relationship to God forever) - while God's intention is to give them hope in what He wants them to be: with choice.

This is a great topic, because it has been really simply put.
 

Ronald Nolette

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2020
16,509
4,785
113
71
South Carolina
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Gender
Male
Is Hell a choice freely made by evil people or a divine punishment to torment the wicked?

Do evil people chose to go to Hell because they fully and eternally reject God? Or do God Himself throws sinful people into Hell and tortures them because He hates evil people?
People go to hell by default. All are born lost and must be born again.

People go to hell and many not even know it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ArkangeMikail

Jay Ross

Well-Known Member
Jun 20, 2011
9,361
3,484
113
QLD
Faith
Christian
Country
Australia
Gender
Male
Going into the lake of fire is a consequence of the choices we make with respect to our relationship with God. When we make bad decisions with respect to God, we become a candidate to be dispatched into the Lake of Fire, however God is also merciful and if we repent of our sins against God then He will redeem us, and we will regain God's life if we hold fast to His statutes and commandments. If we sin again while we have the future gift of life then we will not live but once again become a candidate for the second death at the time of the Great judgement.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ArkangeMikail