Most people realize that we live in an imperfect world. Just as the rain falls on both the just and the unjust, both righteous people and unrighteous people are faced with adversities of all types: financial problems, poor health, marital difficulties, etc. As a result, people who lead a relatively righteous life do not seem to have fewer or less severe adversities than people who lead a blatantly sinful life.
In this article, we will focus on two matters regarding punishment for sins: (1) whether or not God uses temporal adversities as punishment for sins, and (2) whether or not some people who are not Christians will experience more severe eternal punishment for their sins than other non-Christians.
Does God Use Temporal Adversities to Punish People?
There does not seem to be compelling reason to believe that God usually intervenes in people’s lives to cause adversities because these people are living a blatantly sinful life. However, there may be some situations in which God causes adversities in order to punish people who have been living such a life. This is evidenced by various biblical accounts in which people experienced severe adversities – even death – because they had persistently engaged in evil practices. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are two well-known examples of this.
Also, God sometimes allows adversities to test whether or not certain people will continue to faithful to Him while they are experiencing adversity. The Bible gives accounts of a number of people who experienced adversities that tested their faithfulness. These people included David, Jeremiah, Joseph, Job, Paul, and others.
On page 57 of his book entitled Reaching for the Invisible God, Philip Yancey says,
The Bible gives many examples of suffering that, like Job’s, have nothing to do with God’s punishment. In all his miracles of healing, Jesus overturned the notion, widespread at the time, that suffering – blindness, lameness, leprosy – comes to people who deserve it. . . . Not once did Jesus counsel someone to accept suffering as God’s will; rather he went about healing illness and disability.
So, how we can know which adversities are allowed or caused by God to test, rather than to punish, us or other people? The answer is that we probably will not know the reason for any particular adversity unless God chooses to reveal the reason to us. Even if we pray earnestly for understanding in regard to the reason for a particular adversity, God may not give us insight regarding why He is allowing that adversity. And, regardless of whether or not God gives us insight as to the reason for a particular adversity, we need to be faithful to Him in the way that we conduct our life.
Will Some People Who Are Not Christians Experience More Severe Eternal Punishment than Other Non-Christians?
In Matthew 10:14-15, Jesus Christ tells His inner circle of 12 Disciples,
“[W]hoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”
[Note: When we quote Scripture in this article, we use the wording in the New King James Version of the Bible (NKJ), unless indicated otherwise.]
Subsequently, in Matthew 11:21-24, Jesus Christ declares,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” [Note: Luke 10:10-15 provides a similar account.]
The foregoing scriptures indicate that there will be different degrees of punishment for sin, depending on how each person has conducted themselves according to their knowledge of God, especially with regard to Jesus Christ. Obviously, no one who lived in Sodom or Gomorrah before those cities were destroyed by God had an opportunity to trust in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation, since Jesus did not come to the earth until many years later. In contrast, vast numbers of the people living at the time that Jesus Christ was on the earth, and those who have lived in the years since then, have had opportunity to trust in Him as their Savior. Therefore, the people who have had the opportunity to trust in Jesus Christ, but have refused to do so, will be judged more severely than those who have never had an opportunity to trust in Him.
In Luke 12:47-48, after telling a parable regarding how well servants performed their jobs when their master was absent, Jesus Christ says,
“[T]hat servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things worthy of strips, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to who much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”
Like the prior scriptures, Luke 12:47-48 indicates that the severity of punishment for sin will vary, depending on the circumstances. The parable alluded to in these verses of scripture indicates that the degree of punishment was dependent on the extent of the understanding that each servant had about what their master wanted them to do. Similarly, other people who do not have an adequate understanding of what God wants them to do (or not do) will evidently not be punished as severely as those who do have an adequate understanding of what God’s expectations are for them.
And, Revelation 20:12-13 indicates that at the final judgment of mankind, every person will be judged according to what they did during their lifetime. This scripture states,
And I [John, the Apostle of Jesus Christ] saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. . . . [A]nd each person was judged according to what he had done.
[For additional perspective regarding the final judgment, click on “What Will Occur at the Great White Throne Judgment?”]
Conclusions
Both righteous people and unrighteous people experience adversities while they are living on the earth. And, even Christians who are regularly trying to live a righteous life probably will not understand why they are experiencing adversity. This lack of understanding is because adversity is not necessarily a result of sins that a person has committed.
In contrast, the final judgment will determine the extent of the eternal punishment for the sins of people who are not Christians (i.e., those whose names are not written in the Book of Life). Furthermore, the Bible seems to indicate that the extent of this punishment will be determined after taking into consideration how each person has responded to God on the basis of their knowledge of God, especially with regard to Jesus Christ.