The eternity of hell

The New Theological Movement ^ | 8/21/2010

[markomalley]

Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, primeval love.
Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.
All hope abandon, ye who enter here. 

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 13:22-30

After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. […] Depart from me, all you evildoers!

With these words, Christ reveals to us the eternity of hell – there will be no forgiveness after death for the sinner who has died in unrepentant mortal sin. No plea for mercy will then be heard and none will come to the aid of the damned, but their punishment will last for all eternity and there will be no end to their misery.

What is it that makes hell to be eternal? Is it God’s justice? Does God deny the damned the grace necessary for repentance? Are the wicked so abstinent as to refuse God’s grace? We shall see that the human soul, after death, becomes immutably fixed on either good or evil, such that no change of course is possible – not even God could bring a soul out of hell, there no grace is efficacious!

(In our discussion of this topic, we rely principally on part 2 of Garrigou-Lagrange’s spiritual classic Life Everlasting)

Why is hell eternal?

Hell is eternal on account of the grave offence which sin is against God. The gravity of punishment is not determined so much by the duration of the sin (most sins only last a moment, but hell is eternal), rather the punishment is determined by the malice in the soul of the sinner and the infinite good of the God who is offended. Thus, since mortal sin kills the soul by annihilating charity and offends God by completely severing any supernatural bond to him in love, such sin requires an eternal punishment. This punishment is the pains of hell (both the despair of the soul who has no hope and the physical pains of fire and ice).

Moreover, hell is eternal because the souls there are immutably fixed in evil, hating God and neighbor. Some theologians (Scotus and Suarez) held that this obstinacy is caused for men and for demons because God no longer offers the grace of conversion to these souls. This, however, is unsatisfactory, since the eternity of hell is then predicated upon a refusal on the part of God and not on the part of man.

Cardinal Cajetan shows the beginnings of a better way. He argued that, in death, the human soul becomes something like the angelic soul – as the pure spirit has a judgment that is immutable so to the judgment of the separated human soul is immutable. Because we are now living on earth and in terrestrial time, after making a choice we can learn something new and successively change our will. The angels however, have an intuitive knowledge, see reality in all its aspects, and can learn nothing new – thus they can never change their will. So it is with the separated soul after death, having chosen for either good or evil in the last moment of life, it can never alter this choice. Having freely chosen for either good or evil, the separated soul immutably fixes itself in this choice.

Later Thomists developed and adapted this fundamental insight of Cardinal Cajetan maintaining that “the soul begins to determine itself by the last free act of the present life, and it attains this fixation immutably, in regard to its knowledge and its will, in the first instant after death. Thus, it immobilizes itself in its own choice. Hence it is not a lack of God’s mercy which fixes the soul in obstinacy.” (Life Everlasting)

Finally, it will be helpful to consider that each man judges according to his inclination. Thus, the humble man judges all things by his inclination to humility, but the ambitious man judges by his inclination to pride – hence the proud man sees the same event quite differently than does the humble man. After death, our inclination to our last end cannot change: thus, the humble man will continue in the next life to judge definitively according to the inclination to virtue, but the proud man will judge definitively according to his pride. The pride of the unrepentant sinner is now eternalized, he is fixed in obstinacy, he is forever perverted and incapable of choosing the only road of return, namely, humility and obedience.

The words of the theologian Fr. Lacordaire: “Had justice alone created the abyss, there might be remedy. But it is love, the first love sempiternal, which made hell. This it is which banishes hope. Were I condemned by justice, I might flee to love. But if I am condemned by love, whither can I turn? Such is the fate of the damned, Love, that gave his blood for them – this Love, this same Love, must now curse them. […] Love is not a farce. It is God’s love which punishes, God’s crucified love. Love is life or death. And if that love is God’s love, then love is either eternal life or eternal death.” (cited in Life Everlasting)

[Lee N. Field]

Q. 11. Is not God then also merciful?

A. God is indeed merciful, but also just; therefore his justice requires, that sin which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment of body and soul.

[fso301]

Hell may be eternal but Christ forgiving his crucifiers very strongly suggests not many people will got to hell.

[JSDude1]

Which makes the sweetness of Christ even greater!

[Salvation]

I disagree. "Many are called, but few are chosen."

From the RSV for this next Sunday's Gospel:

[25] When once the householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where you are from.' [26] Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' [27] But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!" [28] There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out.

So we might all ask ourselves when we deny some of the truths that Christ taught in the Bible, will we be among the many or the few?

[Salvation]

The eternity of hell
The Eternity of Hell
Pope speaks with priests from his diocese about Heaven and Hell
A Brief Catechism for Adults - Lesson 11: Hell
Pope says hell and damnation are real and eternal
Heaven and hell seem to be forgotten
Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death(Only One 1/2 of 1% Think They Are Hell-Bound)<

[Ronaldus Magnus]

...not even God could bring a soul out of hell, there no grace is efficacious!

Although my background in formal theology is lacking, I think that the statement above is in error. I believe that God is capable of bringing a soul out of hell, but doesn't because he chooses not to. My own guess is that He does this out of deference to our wishes. Once in hell, we would lack the grace necessary for repentance and would be unable to change our desire to be there, thus remaining in hell for all eternity.

[CynicalBear]

“I believe that God is capable of bringing a soul out of hell,”

That could very well be a play on words.

God has said that it is eternal hell. If He is perfect, and His word is perfect, then He cannot take a person out of Hell or He would be going against His own word which would be imperfect.

How’s that for conviluted ? :-) But I it makes sense.

[daniel1212]

I think you meant to respond to fso301. and indeed, it is written, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Mat 7:13

All who do not want light over darkness, (Jn. 3:19-21) Christ over sin, and will not exalt God and righteous and just, and abase themselves as damnable sinners, and so cast all their faith in His mercy, that being in the Lord Jesus to save them by His blood and righteousness, (Rm. 3:25-4:1-9) not confidence in their or anyone else’s merits, (Titus 3:5) but with a faith that is characterized by obedience to Him - and repentance when convicted of not doing so - will die in their sins and hear the ominous words of the just judge of all, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Mt. 25:41,46)

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

[fso301]

I think you meant to respond to fso301. and indeed, it is written, Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Mat 7:13

Why then did Christ forgive his crucifiers and wipe their slates clean? None of them asked to be forgiven.

[daniel1212]

Aside from the manuscript dispute as to the inclusion of that text, the inclusion of which i hold as legit, Jesus prayer, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34) did not mean these were saved, but that this particular sin of ignorance would not be held against them, as in the intercession Stephen uttered in his martyrdom. ( Acts 7:60)

The Bible teaches that contrite faith is required for salvation, (Ps. 34:18; Rm. 10:9,10) and in Acts 2 and 3 Peter holds those who consented to Jesus death as needing salvation, and states that they and their rulers slew Christ through ignorance, and so commands repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, expressed in baptism.

But i just realized that caucus threads are closed to those not subscribed, unless invited by the poster, so this may be my last transmission.

[fso301]

Jesus prayer, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk. 23:34) did not mean these were saved, but that this particular sin of ignorance would not be held against them, as in the intercession Stephen uttered in his martyrdom. ( Acts 7:60)

What does it then mean? If they were subsequently saved, all their sins would have been forgiven. What then is the meaning of the unsaved having just a single sin forgiven?

But i just realized that caucus threads are closed to those not subscribed, unless invited by the poster, so this may be my last transmission.

I'm not sure what a caucus thread is.