The Goodness of God and an Eternal Hell

WAYNE JACKSON, MA

DOCTRINAL MATTERSETERNAL PUNISHMENTHELL

Q.

How can a “good” God condemn someone to hell forever?

A.

The late Bertrand Russell, a renowned British agnostic, authored a small publication titled Why I Am Not A Christian. One of the reasons he cited for his unbelief was that Jesus Christ taught that there is an eternal hell for the wicked. Russell could not harmonize Christ’s doctrine about hell with the biblical concept of a just and benevolent God; hence, he rejected the teaching of Jesus and inclined toward the belief that there is no God. Russell, who lived a life of reckless abandon, echoed the sentiments of Cain: “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” On that basis, he became a determined opponent of true religion.

The problem of reconciling eternal retribution with the goodness of God has also had a significant impact on the religious world. Many religions, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and the World-Wide Church of God (Armstrongism), have rejected the doctrine of the eternal punishment of the wicked. Even the churches of Christ have had their advocates of this erroneous viewpoint (cf. Fudge, 1982).

SOME AD HOMINEM ARGUMENTS

An ad hominem (meaning, “to the man”) argument is a type of reasoning employed to focus upon an opponent’s inconsistency. Let us, at the outset of this discussion, utilize such in conjunction with the “no-hell” theory.

First of all, a major premise of the no-eternal-punishment dogma is the notion that such a concept is at variance with true justice. The argument might be framed like this. The Bible speaks of a “just” and “good” God; it also teaches the doctrine of eternal hell. These two positions are mutually exclusive. Therefore, the Scriptures are inconsistent, and cannot be true. We insist, however, that those who thus argue are under obligation to defend their use of the terms “just” and “good.” By whose standard are these character traits to be measured? The critics of the Bible must not be allowed to become “theological dictionaries unto themselves”! Their reasoning is based solely upon their personal ideas of how goodness and justice should be expressed. If it is true that the Scriptures teach that God has appointed eternal punishment for impenitently evil people; and if it is likewise true that the Bible affirms the justice and goodness of Jehovah, then it must follow that eternal punishment is not inconsistent with the nature of God. It is only at odds with some men’s perverted sense of goodness/justice.

Second, no one (skeptic or otherwise) is ready to concede that evil-doers are unworthy of any type of punishment. It is recognized that no society could survive in such an atmosphere. Should the rapist, the robber, and the murderer be told: “Admittedly, you have done wrong, but we (society) will not punish you for your crimes. That would be unjust.”? Is there anyone who argues that there should be no consequences resulting from criminal conduct? Absolutely not! It is conceded, therefore, that “punishment” is not inconsistent with true justice.

Third, let us take our reasoning one step further. Is it the case that genuine justice can be served even when an evil man’s punishment is extended beyond the time actually involved in the commission of his crime? Do we, for example, in our criminal justice system, ask the murderer: “Sir, how long did it take you to kill your wife?”—and then assign his incarceration accordingly? Would justice be maintained by such an approach? Of course not. Here, then, is the point—true justice, combined with genuine goodness, allows the possibility that a wrong-doer may be required to suffer a penalty that is considerably longer than the duration of his evil. The real issue, therefore, is not punishment per se, or even protracted punishment; rather, it is eternal punishment. The skeptic (or religious materialist) simply wants to tell God how long the penalty is to be! Remember, though, in a system of true justice, the offender is not allowed to set his own sentence!

THE CASE FOR ETERNAL
PUNISHMENT BY A JUST GOD

Since no one ever has returned from the dead to discuss his/her personal experiences, this issue is not one that can be settled by human speculation; rather, it must be decided by divine revelation. When the relevant biblical data are assembled, it will be seen, even from man’s jaundiced viewpoint, that the fact of eternal punishment is not inconsistent with the character of a righteous God. Our case will be set forth in a series of interrelated propositions.

The Nature and Fall of Man

Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), hence, he is a volitional being. He has the power to choose good or evil. Joshua challenged Israel, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Humanity was not programmed to rebel; rather, men have “willed” to reject Heaven’s plan for living upon this Earth (see Matthew 23:37; John 5:40). Man was made upright, but he has generally sought the way of evil (Ecclesiastes 7:29). There are, however, consequences associated with this type of activity.

Sin and the Nature of God

The Bible clearly teaches that God is an absolutely holy Being (Isaiah 6:4; Revelation 4:8), i.e., He is utterly separate from evil. His holiness is demonstrated in numerous narratives in the Scriptures. At Sinai, the chasm between God and sinful Israel was vividly underscored (Exodus 19:12-25). The tabernacle arrangement, with its holy place and most holy place (the abode of God—Exodus 25:22) certainly was designed to instruct the Hebrews relative to Jehovah’s holy nature (Exodus 26:33).

The Lord’s holiness not only suggests that He cannot personally commit sin (James 1:13), but also means that He cannot ignore rebellion as if it had never happened. The prophet Habakkuk declared to Jehovah: “Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil [i.e., favorably—WJ]; you cannot tolerate wrong” (1:13, NIV). God takes no pleasure in wickedness (Psalm 5:4), and those who indulge themselves therein will be recipients of His vengeance (Psalm 11:6,7). The Bible affirms that the outpouring of divine wrath upon the ungodly is, in fact, a “revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5).

Sin Separates One from God

When humanity chose to sin, it made the decision to be separated from the holy Creator. The prophet clearly stated that, “your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you” (Isaiah 59:2). In biblical parlance, “death” generally denotes a separation of some sort. When the spirit departs the body, the body is dead (James 2:26). Similarly, when a person enters a state of sinfulness, he becomes spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) for, by that act, he has determined to separate himself from God. Remember, this initiation of estrangement was not forced upon us by our Maker; it is totally our responsibility.

Hell—The Ultimate Separation

Inspiration describes the penalty of hell as “the second death” (Revelation 20:14), which suggests that it is the ultimate separation from God. This is forcefully emphasized in several New Testament passages. In the parable of the virgins, those unprepared virgins who “slept” (i.e., died), when awakened by the coming of the Bridegroom, wanted entrance into His presence, but the door was shut, and they were denied that association (Matthew 25:1-13). Unprofitable servants will be “cast out” (Matthew 25:30), and will hear the Lord exclaim: “Depart from me…” (Matthew 25:41). Paul expressed it like this. Those who know not God and who obey not the gospel, “shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This abiding separation from God is but a continuation of the estrangement that the rebel cultivated in this life. The Lord is not responsible for such a reckless decision!

The Dramatic Horror of Separation from God

How is it possible to describe the spiritual state of being banished from the presence of the supreme Being of the Universe? Being alienated from Jehovah is the ultimate experience of horror. It is a separation from everything that is pure and good, everything that is right and wholesome, and everything that makes for joy and tranquility. It is, however, a spiritual experience, and since the human mind operates on the plane of the material, we really are not prepared to appreciate the gravity of such a circumstance. Hence, God has employed appropriate symbolism to describe the agonies of hell.

The spiritual abode of the wicked is a state of pain, trouble, and sorrow (Psalm 116:3). It is characterized by shame and contempt (Daniel 2:2), a realm of affliction (Jonah 2:2). Hell is a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and the gnashing of teeth (Matthew 23:30), indeed a sphere of eternal fire (Matthew 25:41), where the “worm” (a figure for gnawing anguish) does not die (Mark 9:48). The wicked are described as being beaten with stripes (Luke 12:47-48); they are recipients of God’s wrath and indignation; they experience tribulation and anguish (Romans 2:8-9); and they suffer punishment as a manifestation of the Lord’s vengeance (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Hell is a place of utter torment where no rest is ever known (Revelation 14:10-11). While it would not be an expression of responsible exegesis to literalize the figures of speech catalogued above, one never must forget that the symbolism is designed to emphasize the absolute terror of being abandoned by God. Moreover, the figures doubtless do not do justice to the actual reality of this eternal nightmare!

Is the Punishment Eternal in Duration?

As observed earlier, a major objection to the doctrine of hell is its everlasting nature. Must the suffering go on without end? Is it really just for one to be punished forever when he/she has only been devoted to evil for a relatively brief span in time? Consider this question for a moment. Is God just in granting eternal bliss to those who have served Him only temporarily in this world? I never have heard the Lord charged with unfairness in this instance! It must be emphasized again, the issue is not one that can be determined with the subjective reasoning of biased human emotion. The Bible must supply the answer.

The Scriptures explicitly affirm the abiding nature of divine retribution. The shame and punishment of evil people will be everlasting (Daniel 12:2; Matthew 25:46). “Everlasting” literally means “always being.” Note its contrast with “temporal” in 2 Corinthians 4:18. The claim is made, however, that “everlasting” does not always mean that which is of an absolutely unending nature. True, but in all such cases we learn that fact, not from the nature of the word itself, but from additional information in the Scriptures. The context is always the final judge of any word’s meaning. In Matthew 25:46, the “eternal” punishment of the wicked is contrasted with the “eternal” life (i.e., communion with God) of the righteous. Here, clearly, both are unending in duration. Further, Jesus emphasized that in hell, the agony does not cease (Mark 9:48), and John notes that the smoke of the “torment” of hell’s inmates “goeth up” (the Greek present tense stresses continuous action) “for ever and ever” (Revelation 14:11). Compare the duration of the blissful worship described in Revelation 4:8-10.

Also, the nature of the soul argues for eternal punishment. Consider the following: (a) Man is not wholly mortal, as materialists allege. If such were the case, one man could murder another and completely destroy him. Christ declared, however: “And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). [NOTE: The word “destroy” does not mean annihilation. “The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being” (Vine, 1940, p. 302).] One must conclude that the soul is immortal. (b) In one of the Lord’s discussions with the Sadducees, He said that in the resurrection men do not “die anymore: for they are equal unto the angels” (Luke 20:36). It is quite clear that there is something about man that lives forever. (c) When Peter wanted to encourage godliness in Christian women, he suggested that they should be clothed with the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4). It hardly seems appropriate that a corruptible spirit should be clothed with incorruptible apparel. The implication concerning the abiding nature of the spirit is obvious. (d) Jesus said of Judas Iscariot that it would be better for him if he had never been born (Mark 14:21). If that traitor had no existence prior to his commencement as a human being, and if he was to go out of existence at death, why would it have been better had he never been born? The Lord’s statement plainly indicates that Judas’ soul, in a state of torment, would survive the death of his body.

Finally, the nature of the resurrected body demands that punishment for the wicked is everlasting. In 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul affirms that the dead are raised “incorruptible” (cf. 1 Timothy 1:17, where the term is used of God). Elsewhere we are told that the unjust will be raised (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15), and Christ acknowledged the punishment of both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). All of these factors lead only to the conclusion that if there is punishment after death at all, then it must be eternal in its duration—unless it can be shown that there is some plan of salvation in that state. And for that view, there is absolutely no evidence at all! In fact, the Bible teaches just the opposite. (a) After death, judgment follows—not a second chance for salvation (Hebrews 9:27). (b) Between the Hadean abode of those who die saved, and those who die lost, “there is a great gulf fixed” (the perfect tense form in the Greek Testament stresses the abiding nature of the separation), and passage from one realm into another is an impossibility (Luke 16:26). Moreover, the rich man in that place of torment acknowledged that his brothers back on Earth needed to make preparation during their earthly sojourn; he knew there was no post-death plan of redemption (see Luke 16:28-31). (c) In the parable of the virgins (Matthew 25:1ff), those who “slumbered and slept” (a figure for dying) in an unprepared condition, awoke (i.e., were raised—Daniel 12:2) in precisely that same state, hence, were forbidden to enter in with the Bridegroom (Christ). There is no opportunity for obedience after death!

Divine Justice is Demonstrated by Equitable Punishment

An added dimension to this study surely must be that of “degrees of punishment.” The Scriptures teach that eternal punishment will be proportionate to what is deserved. Jesus said that in “the day of judgment” it would be “more tolerable” for those pagan cities that had received little spiritual influence, than for those cities which rejected Him in spite of seeing His marvelous deeds (Matthew 11:22-24). In one of His vivid illustrations, the Lord told of a certain servant who behaved himself in an unseemly fashion. When his master came and found him unprepared, he assigned him to punishment. Christ then made this statement: “And that servant, who knew his lord’s will, and made not ready, nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes; but he that knew not, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required, and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more” (Luke 12:47-48). Christ indicated that there were varying levels of responsibility when He said to Pilate: “He that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin” (John 19:11). The writer of Hebrews spoke of those who would receive “sorer punishment” (10:29), and James admonished: “Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment” (3:1). Of one thing we may be certain, even in the punishment of those who are evil, the Judge of all the Earth will do what is right (Genesis 18:25).

God’s Goodness Reflected in the Cross

No one—logically and effectively—can argue against the benevolence of Jehovah in the face of the cross. As was observed earlier, the holiness and justice of Deity demands that sin be addressed. Appropriate reward for good and evil is an evidence that “there is a God that judgeth in the earth” (see Psalm 58:10,11). The problem is—how can a just God keep from sending rebellious man to hell? The answer is—through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Paul affirmed, in Romans 3:21-26, that God has shown His righteousness in setting forth Christ to be a propitiation for sin. In this loving act, He preserves His own righteousness, yet, at the same time, He becomes the Justifier of those who, through faith, are obedient to His Son (cf. Hebrews 5:8-9).

When Christ died upon the cross, it was not for any sin that He personally had committed. Though He was tempted in all points like as we are, He had no sin (Hebrews 4:15). When Peter wrote that Jesus “did not sin,” he employed a verbal tense which suggests that the Lord never sinned—not even once (1 Peter 2:22)! Isaiah repeatedly emphasized the substitutionary nature of the Lord’s death when he wrote: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed…. Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6). When the prophet declared that our “iniquity” was laid upon the Son of God, he employed a figure of speech known as metonymy (one thing is put for another)—in this case, the cause being put for the effect. In other words, God did not actually put our sins upon Christ, but He put the penalty of our wrongs upon His Son at Calvary. Christ bore our “hell” twenty centuries ago. In spite of the fact, therefore, that all sinners deserve to be lost, the Lord has provided a way to “escape the judgment of hell” (cf. Matthew 23:32). Again we stress—no man can argue against the love of God in light of His unspeakable gift at the cross!

When all of the data are gathered and analyzed in balance, the doctrine of eternal punishment is not at variance with the character of the Creator.

REFERENCES

Fudge, Edward (1982), The Fire That Consumes (Houston, TX: Providential Press).

Vine, W.E. (1940), An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Westwood, NJ: Revel

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The Goodness of GOD

 

Look at God’s goodness toward you

Romans 11.13–22

By Don Ruhl

What do you do when you lose heart?

Psalm 27 shows what David did when he lost heart. For him, everything in life was about the Lord. Therefore, when faced with a situation where he was tempted to lose heart, what do you think he did, or what do you think entered his mind?

He wrote down Psalm 27 to show us his thoughts, especially verse 13,

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
(Psa 27.13)

Belief alone did not help him, but he believed something specifically, believing that he would see the goodness of God.

David faced grievous trials in his life, but through all of them he thought on our Lord God, and those thoughts sustained David, even as they will sustain you.

The Goodness of God Versus the Goodness of Man 

The Bible acknowledges the existence of good people. Luke by the Spirit wrote that Barnabas was a good man (Acts 11.22–24). Jesus spoke of a good man who brings good things out of his good heart (Matt 12.35).

However, how long does anyone’s goodness last? It does not last forever, because sooner or later we all sin. Sin denies goodness. Goodness denies sin.

However, Psalm 52 declares that the goodness of God remains. While the mighty boast in their evil, their evil makes them short-lived,

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?
The goodness of God endures continually.
(Psa 52.1)

God’s goodness lasts forever, because goodness is what God is. God is good and in Him is no evil at all.

Exodus 33 & 34 The Goodness of God Displayed 

Exodus 33 records the request of Moses to see God’s glory (Exo 33.18). Listen to God grant that request, but pay attention to how God referred to His glory, “I will make all My goodness pass before you…” (Exo 33.19).

The appearance of God’s goodness would be so great that Moses would not be able to survive the experience, unless God intervened, “But He said, ‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen’” (Exo 33.20–23).

For Moses to survive this amazing experience, He needed the protection of rock on three sides, and God’s hand on the exposed side. Imagine that! The glory of God’s goodness is so magnificent that it would take a man’s life just to see it.

However, God promised Moses that he would see God’s backside, a way of letting Moses know that he would not see the full, unveiled goodness of God, it would be somewhat hidden. Then it happened, “Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him…” (Exo 34.5, 6).

And what did Moses do? “So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped” (Exo 34.8).

And what happened to Moses? “Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai…that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him” (Exo 34.29, 30).

Just a partial glimpse of the glory of God’s goodness made Moses shine, like the moon reflecting the sun. Would you find a moment to comprehend just who our God is, that you might see the greatness of the glory of His goodness?

Romans 11.13–22 The Goodness of God Displayed 

God is good and He wants us to take part in His goodness. That is the message of the Bible, and that is the message of Romans 11. In Romans 11 Paul stated that Israelites are the natural branches, which belong in God’s spiritual olive tree.

However, a majority of them have been cut off from the tree and in their place God has invited the rest of the nations to join the tree. The nations are unnatural branches, but the God of heaven can graft us into His tree.

Paul explained further God can be just as severe with us as He has been with the Jews and cut us off through our unbelief.

He can also be just as good toward the Jews as He has been with us and graft them back into His tree again when they believe again.

Then Paul wants us to stand back and look at what he has presented to us, “Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off” (Rom 11.22).

Of course, the moment we commit our first sin, God could have cut us off forever, but He did not desire to do that.

Mark 10.17, 18 The God of Goodness Among Us 

To understand the length to which He would go to include us in His goodness, consider something that Mark 10 shows us, “Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God’” (Mark 10.17, 18).

Jesus was not simply a good teacher as we might compliment someone on his teaching ability. Jesus wanted this man to know that God is the embodiment of good and that God stood before the man.

The God of goodness lived among us that He might show us the goodness of God and that He might include us in that goodness.

We confess that Jesus is Lord because He was the Lord who showed the glory of His goodness to Moses, and that means when we start to lose heart we can believe that we will see His goodness in the land of the living, and be revived.

Psalm 145 states what we ought to do with the goodness of God,

They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness,
And shall sing of Your righteousness.
(Psa 145.7)

We should do that because as verse 9 declares,

The LORD is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
(Psa 145.9)

Psalm 107 shows what a psalmist thought of remembering the goodness of God,

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
(Psa 107.8)

Do you know how important this is? The psalmist repeated the same words in verse 15. That was not enough, so the psalmist said it again in verse 21. You would think expressing that wish three times would have been plenty that we would get the idea, but the psalmist had to say it again in verse 31.

Then go to the beginning of the psalm and you will see the theme of the psalm and you will understand why the psalmist kept repeating the idea,

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
(Psa 107.1)

Meditate upon the entire psalm and learn why the Holy Spirit wanted the psalmist to repeat the declaration that we thank the Lord for His goodness. Are you ready to share in the goodness of Jesus Christ?

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The Providence of GOD

 

God provides what we need to do His work

By Don Ruhl

How is it that each of us has made it to this day? Think of what you have endured during your life on earth. It is as though Someone is watching over you!

That is precisely what the Bible says, Someone watches over us, providing us with what we need in this life, that we might see He will provide us with things not of this world also. We call this the providence of God.

We should know of His workings in our lives, because He cares for us and loves us very much. Some things He does for us whether we know He does it or not, and whether we care for Him or not. Other things He wants to do for us or give to us because we want them.

First, let us understand the difference between miracles and providence.

Miracles and Providence 

What is a miracle? A miracle temporarily suspends a law of nature. It is not simply an anomaly in nature that we cannot explain. A miracle is God interrupting the laws of nature for a spiritual purpose.

Jesus walked on water when He suspended gravity. Jesus turned water into wine instantly when He bypassed the vine and the processing. He did miracles to show that He came from God. Others did miracles to prove they had a message from God.

What is providence? It is not unusual to read early Americans referencing Providence. For example, the last sentence of The Declaration of Independence says, “And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

They recognized that God worked in their lives, and in the life of the new nation, doing so through the normal processes of earth. He did not suspend any natural laws.

Miracles and providence both manifest the working of God. God by miraculous power created nature and its laws. With both miracles and providence God intervenes in nature. One is not greater than the other. We think of miracles as greater because they are rare and different. However, nature is the result of a miracle.

Providence is God continuing to work. God put natural laws in motion that continue until He does something, but it can also mean that He manipulates those laws non-miraculously.

Miracles were obvious. Providence is not always obvious. Therefore, we cannot always discern whether God did something.

Mordecai’s words in Esther 4 show that he could not be certain why Esther became queen. However, that did not matter. He believed that whatever the reason she needed to take advantage of it, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est 4.14).

The Letter to Philemon shows that the Holy Spirit-inspired Paul, could not be sure whether God did something or not, “For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever…” (Phm 15).

If Paul and Mordecai could not always tell, neither can we. We can just do what they did. They did what was right and best. Whether God creates a situation or not, do what is right and best.

The Thinking of Abraham 

Genesis 22 demonstrates what made Abraham the father of the faithful. Even without Scripture as we have, Abraham knew that if God is God, you can expect certain things from Him.

For example, if He requires something of you, He will make the means available. The question is do we have confidence in Him to do it?

God commanded Abraham to go to a certain location and to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering. As the two of them went, Isaac saw everything necessary for the sacrifice, except the animal, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Gen 22.8).

English: Abraham going up to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, as in Genesis 22, illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After an angel stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, something caught Abraham’s eye, and he knew what to do, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son” (Gen 22.13).

Abraham had no Scripture to read, unless it was the Book of Job. Yet, Abraham figured out that God would provide the means for carrying out His wishes.

Romans 8.28 and the Providence of God 

Romans 8.18–39 speaks of various situations we face as Christians, especially difficult situations. If we belong to Christ, why do we experience trouble in this life? God uses all our experiences to work something good in our lives, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom 8.28).

Paul continued to explain the good God seeks through all things in our lives, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom 8.29).

More than anything, God wants us conformed to the image of Jesus. The hardships we endure contribute to that molding process.

Providence and Luck 

Do you believe in an unknown force that makes good and bad things happen? If so, you believe in luck. However, the Bible does not support such a thing.

You believe in God. Why then speak of luck, or wish someone good luck, or blame bad things on bad luck? The Bible does not speak of luck. Why should we?

Let us speak as the Bible speaks, and be silent as the Bible is silent.

The Bible does speak of things happening by chance, “Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side” (Luke 10.31).

The NIV uses the word “happened.” God does not make every event happen, but He lets people and things do as they please and sometimes He intervenes.

He could control every movement if He so wishes, but He also lets things happen. That is why we sin! He does not keep us from sinning, because He lets us do some things we want to do.

Instead of saying I was lucky or someone was lucky, why not say I was blessed or he was blessed? Does that not imply with most people that God had a hand in the matter?

Instead of saying good luck, why not say God go with you or God bless you?

 

There is a God in heaven and He is aware of what happens on earth and He works in our world. Do you wonder why?

He wants you to search for Him. If you search for Him, He will be found by you. If you find God, you will know about Jesus Christ and all that He made available to you.

We think He does good things in the earth, but what He does in the Spirit far exceeds those things.

 

What Does Proverbs 22.6 Mean? 

What does Proverbs 22.6 say? 

Train up a child in the way he should go, 
And when he is old he will not depart from it. 

– Proverbs 22.6 

How do most people interpret it? Train a child to be a Christian, and he will never fall away. If he does fall away, you failed to train your child properly. If he does fall away, he will return. 

However, I have never believed this interpretation and I do not believe it conforms to the purpose of the Book of Proverbs. See Proverbs 1.1–7.

Why do we think Proverbs 22.6 has to do with training them to be Christians? It is the last six words of the first line, “in the way he should go,” that people misunderstand Solomon to mean Christianity. However, that cannot be separated from the first couple of words, that of training up a child. 

What does it mean to train? I believe it is understanding this word in this context that will show the true meaning of this passage. 

The Need for Cultivation 

Think of Proverbs 22.6 in the sense of cultivation. Does this verse refer to religion? Does it teach that children have no choice? How does that jive with other biblical teachings? What about what the Bible says about falling away? Does it teach that all is dependent upon the parents? 

Consider this meaning. The marginal reference of the American Standard Version (ASV) of 1901, on the words, “in the way he should go,” has this: “Heb. according to his way.” What does that mean? Is it saying that the children should set the rules? The idea is this, “As the twig is bent, the tree’s inclined,” and it should not be bent contrary to its nature. Train a child according to his nature and disposition. It centers on the method of the training, not the message of the training. 

Consider what some commentators have written: 

“Initiate, and so, educate. Or, according to the tenor of his way, i.e. the path specially belonging to, specially fitted for, the individual’s character. The proverb enjoins the closest possible study of each child’s temperament and the adaptation of ‘his way of life’ to that” (Barnes). 

Franz Delitzsch translates it Proverbs 22.6 as: 

Give to the child instruction conformably to his way; 
So he will not, when he becomes old, depart from it. 

Then he made this comment:

“The instruction of youth, the education of youth, ought to be conformed to the nature of youth; the matter of instruction, the manner of instruction, ought to regulate itself according to the stage of life, and its peculiarities; the method ought to be arranged according to the degree of development which the mental and bodily life of the youth as arrived at.” 

“The training prescribed is lit. ‘according to his (the child’s) way’, implying, it seems, respect for his individuality and vocation, though not for his self will (see verse 5, or 14:12). But the stress is on parental opportunity and duty” (Kidner). 

I also consulted with Dale W. Manor, Professor of Archaeology and Bible, Harding University: “I have long viewed Proverbs 22.6 as explaining how you should train your child as opposed to the common interpretation that says, if you train them to be a Christian, they will never fall away. 

There are several reasons why I believe the conventional view is not correct. One of those reasons is the marginal note in the ASV of 1901, as they referenced, ‘in the way he should go,’ with, ‘Heb. according to his way.’ Not that we should follow the way the child wants to be trained, but that we should train each of our children in a way that is harmonious with their character. 

Another reason is how William McGuffey, of McGuffey’s Readers, used the passage. I have attached a PDF of a class that he taught, using Proverbs 22.6, and I think that he was spot on. I am writing to you for your translation or understanding of Proverbs 22.6 in the Hebrew since I do not know Hebrew and you do. Yes, I have decided already what I think the passage means, but I am open to what you said the Hebrew says, and especially if the marginal note in the ASV is correct.” 

[That class of McGuffey’s is below]

Professor Manor replied: “First, the phrase under consideration is unusual and Murphy (Proverbs in Word, p. 165) says that it is ‘obscure Hebrew.’ The extremely literal rendering is ‘according to the mouth of his way.’ Idiomatically the series of words appears as ‘in accordance with his way’ (Koehler-Baumgartner, Hebrew-Aramaic Lexicon, v. 3, p. 916). The issue thus remains open to exactly what ‘his way’ is which I think is where you are focusing. The effort to beat one’s self up over children that have gone awry is not the issue, especially since the book of Proverbs indicates the possibility of children deviating from the desires/expectations of the parents (cf. Pro. 10:1; 15:20; 17:21; 17:25; 19:13; 19:26; 28:7; 28:24; 29:3; 30:17). In the list of passages there is no reason to infer that the effort of the parent was necessarily remiss. Your proposal (e.g. that of McGuffey as well), however, is probably a good perspective to put on it, although at the same time, it is critical to realize that Proverbs often speaks in broad stroke generalities and should not be taken as a scientific type chemical reaction.” 

Consider what William McGuffey (of McGuffey’s Readers fame) taught. The following is from McGuffey and His Readers, by John H. Westerhoff III. 

“Teacher. How is teaching like training?

Pupils. We do not very well understand what is meant by training. Solomon says in the book of Proverbs, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” But we never were sure we understood him.

T. You know what training a vine is?

1st P. It is to direct it right.

T. But why does it need directing?

1st P. Because it would grow in wrong directions if it were not trained or directed.

T. Does a dead vine need training?

Several of the pupils at once – No sir, because it does not grow, and therefore cannot go wrong.

T. But when a vine or any vegetable does grow, why would it go wrong if not trained?

2nd P. Because it does not know how to go right, nor to take care of itself.

3rd P. And if it did, it is not strong enough to support itself unless its tendrils were directed to something which they may take hold on, and thus support the whole vine.

T. It is best then that vines should be trained that they may not grovel on the ground, nor stray through the palings, where they might, and most probably would be trodden upon and destroyed by the mischievous and the careless. But which needs training most—the feeble or the vigorous vine?

Part of the pupils—The feeble—others, the vigorous.

T. There seems to be a difference of opinion on this subject. Let us examine it a little. Why do you (addressing one of the youngest who had given the first answer,) think that the feeble vine should have the most care taken of it? Because it is least able to take care of itself. (A pupil who had joined in the second answer.) But taking care is not exactly training. Besides, the luxuriant vine is as much heavier in the top, as it is stronger in the stem, and needs to be held up as much as the stunted one, which if it is weak, hasn’t much to carry.

2nd P. And there is not much danger that the vine which doesn’t grow will get through the palings, even if it should go in that direction.

3rd P. And I remember to have heard my father say that those vines which flourished most, needed the most pruning.

1st P. But if “taking care” isn’t “training”, I wish to know whether “pruning” is. Does not the geranium require more care and skill to cultivate than the night shade does? Does not the sick lamb need the most care? The youngest bird the best food? The draggled kitten the warmest place on the rug? And my little sister, because she is weak and sickly needs more care, and protection.

3rd P. But does it take more to keep out of the street or out of mischief?

All who joined in the first answer—We still think the feeble vine most needs training—and we (quickly replied, the others) still believe the strong vine does.

T. Allow me to reconcile, if I can, your apparently different opinions. It happens to you, as to older persons, to dispute where there is really no difference of opinion. The feeble vine does need more care, and this a part of what is meant by training. This was well illustrated by reference to the geranium, the lamb, etc. But the vigorous and luxuriant vines need as much support, and more pruning than the other, all of which is also implied in training. This was well stated in the question whether the sickly little girl was more difficult to keep out of the street and out of mischief, than the more robust members of the family, who were nearly the same age. But let us not forget the question with which we set out. “What resemblance is there between teaching a child and training a vine?”

Several pupils at once—We know now.

T. Well, let us hear?

1st P. Feeble minds must be taken most care of.

2nd P. And active ones will require the most guarding.

3rd P. And luxuriant minds the most pruning. But, I don’t think I clearly understand what can be meant by pruning a mind.

Several pupils together—We are sure we do not.

T. Let me explain it to you then. Those persons who are most active are in the greatest danger of going wrong, if they do not know how to go right; or are not careful to do as well as they know. They need more frequently therefore to be directed and controlled by their friends, than those who are more sluggish. Those young persons, again, who have very vigorous and active minds, are like the vigorous vine whose growth is rapid, and whose branches and leaves are shooting out on all sides, so as to weigh down the stock and exhaust the vigor of the roots. Such minds are ready to stray off into a thousand unprofitable and even mischievous directions, so as to exhaust their energies, that ought to be directed to some profitable end. Such persons are full of resources and fertile in plans; but often, indeed always, in youth require the skillful bond of discipline to repress their extravagance, to guide their growth, and to lop off their redundancies.

5th P. Do then the smartest boys need the most discipline? 

T. The most active and vigorous minds often do, but not always. Such minds are however best worth the trouble they cost. But smart boys are generally very worthless. It is the intelligent, honest boy, that usually rises by his modest merit to eminent usefulness. But we have said nothing yet on the last part of the verse from Proverbs, which some of you quoted in the commencement of our conversation. What can Solomon mean, when he says that the child who is rightly trained will not depart from the right way when he is old?

3rd P. I think I can tell.

T. Your classmates will probably thank you to do so.

3rd P. When a vine has become old it keeps its set, do as you will. You can easily turn a green vine another way, but when it is dried, it will break first.

5th P. But you can’t make a bean vine wind round the pole in the same direction, as a hop vine does. I have tried it often, and they won’t stay so a single night. One will wind round with the sun, and the other against the sun.

T. You are both right again, you can give any direction you please to a young vine, if it be not contrary to its nature. And both the kinds of vine mentioned may be trained pretty much as you please while green. But neither of them will let go their hold, when once they have been set by age. It would destroy them to be rift off.

1st P. It is plain enough then, what is meant by our not departing when we are old, from the ways in which we were trained while young. Old men keep on in the way in which they have gone while they were growing old—just as the old vine becomes dried in the shape which it took while it was green.

2nd P. May not that be the reason why good men and bad men will never change after death?

1st P. I believe it is. You remember (addressing the teacher) you once told us that this was the force of habit.

3rd P. I see it now much plainer than ever before. As long as the vine was nourished from the earth it was green and soft, though its nature could not be forced, it might be turned from its course. But when it ceased to draw its support from earth, it became fixed so that it could not be changed any more than a man’s character can become vicious after he has gone to Heaven.

T. Your philosophy is good, though there might be objections to your mode of stating it. But we must now close this conversation. We may resume it again should it seem best. You see of what importance it is to have the right kind of training, for our characters will certainly be such as our habits have been. 

[This excerpt illustrates that Proverbs 22.6 is dealing with character, mentality, habits, skill. Don Ruhl]

This passage deals with a child’s, not the parent’s, character, mentality, habits, and skill, not his Christianity. 

Consider this about two great Americans. 

Have you heard of Pop Warner? Growing up as a kid, to me, it was simply the football equivalent of little league. Later, I learned that he was a famous football coach and that he trained one of America’s greatest athletes ever. 

“Pop Warner, a football coach, had a bunch of Indians on his football team. He tried to get them in shape. He had them doing calisthenics like all football players do. They didn’t like it. He couldn’t get them to do it. He didn’t say all Indians were lazy because these boys didn’t do the calisthenics to get in shape. Instead, Pop Warner went around and talked with some of the Indian parents to find out what could be done. With their help, he figured out a new way to motivate them. He loaded his Indian players on the school bus and went two miles away from the college. He put each one of the players off the bus and handed them a tow sack. He said, “Take this tow sack, go out there and catch two rabbits any way you want to. Then run back to town as fast as you can.” They did it! They got in shape. He learned to motivate these fellows based on their background, not based on his. As a direct result, he had a nation’s champion in his caliber of football teams. There was one fellow in particular, a 158-pound fullback who was not very big for a fullback, but was a great athlete. His name was Jim Thorpe. I doubt that Jim Thorpe could have become the outstanding athlete that he was if Pop Warner had not learned to motivate him based on his background.” 

– Monroe and Ehninger, Speech Communication, Page 115 

When parents guide their children according to their interest, desire, talent and natural skill, they excel, because they are training them in the way that they should go. 

Raising Children is never easy but it is hard work and very rewarding.