by Bobby L. Graham
We address a question that some have raised from Luke 12:41-48, namely, "Are there varying degrees of punishment in hell? Also, are there different degrees of reward in heaven?"
This question arises from the following passage in Jesus' teaching, as well as some other passages:
And that 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 deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more (Luke 12:47-48).
As the reader might observe, the two verses quoted above are part of a larger section where Jesus considers what it means to be a faithful and wise steward (servant); or its opposite, an unfaithful and unwise one, including the punishment due the latter. It might appear to some that Jesus here implied varying degrees of punishment in hell as He spoke of the many stripes and the few stripes, but such an implication is not necessary. "Stripes" refers first to the temporal punishment given to the servant, and then, by implication, is to the punishment suffered in the fire of hell by others. Is there perhaps another explanation which better fits the whole of Biblical teaching about eternal punishment?
When asked this same question concerning degrees in heaven, David Lipscomb answered many years ago:
We do not know. Christ came to this world to break down middle walls of division and to make the different families, tribes, and nations of earth one new man. We do not think that he has erected divisions or barriers between the redeemed in the world to come. If there be difference there, it will arise from different capacities for enjoyment. Some of the elite, the polished, the cultivated, think it a little hard to have to associate with the uncultivated clodhoppers and unpolished working women of the country and the town in the world to come; and so the idea has become rather prevalent that they will have a higher sphere nearer the heavenly throne than the horny-handed mechanics of the cities and the country boors who are Christians. But we have never found any Scripture authority for such an idea. It has its origin in the foolish ambition of some who have but little chance for a home in the better land. If there be differences in capacity for enjoyment there, the higher capacity will not be measured by any intellectual culture, by polished manners or cultivated taste or high family there, but by self-sacrificing, self-denying devotion to the honor of God and the good of man here (Questions Answered, by Lipscomb and Sewell, p. 173).
Brother Lipscomb obviously spoke of a different time and culture, but he also captured something of the spirit which still energizes and motivates some to view fellow-Christians as rivals.
Whether with or without the same motivation for the idea, some still see in Jesus' teaching the basis for varying degrees of eternal punishment operating in hell, so that the hottest section is reserved for the worst offenders and the other sections for those of less degrees of offense. I find it more reasonable to conclude that the differing degrees refer to degrees of enjoyment in heaven or punishment in hell. People who have known of the joys of serving the Lord, but then deserted Him, shall experience even more conscience-imposed suffering than those who never served Him because they know what they are missing! Likewise, those who have truly matured over many years in sacrificing themselves of the Lord shall be better prepared to enjoy the bliss of heaven than some others. Their capacities for such enjoyment and their awareness of what they could have enjoyed are greater. This does not mitigate the fact that all of the saved will enjoy their blessings and all of the lost will be punished.
Another passage where some find reason for their conclusion is Matthew 11:21-24:
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.
Jesus obviously taught here that those with greater opportunities, which they had spurned, will definitely be judged by a stricter standard than Sodom, though even Sodom will suffer judgment. This same principle might also be involved in the Parable of the Wicked Servant in Luke 12:47-48.
It is certain, nevertheless, that all who go to heaven will be blessed of the Lord so they enjoy it as fully as their ability allows. Their preparation in this life, however, will determine how much they can enjoy heaven. It is likewise just as certain that all of the lost in hell will suffer eternal punishment, with some suffering more than others, possibly because of their rejected opportunities.
I cannot be certain about this matter, but I have presented another possible explanation. While we might differ about this question, we all must agree that hell's punishment will be excruciatingly and eternally painful and that heaven will surely be worth it all! No one wants to go to hell, but all want to go to heaven. Don't allow such speculations to waste your time and opportunity to prepare for heaven and to avoid hell.
Author Bio: Bobby L. Graham preaches and is an elder for the Old Moulton Rd. church of Christ. He and his wife, Karen, have three children: Richard, Mary Katherine Winland (Darren), and Laura Paschall (Jeremy). He can be reached at bobbylgraham@pclnet.net.
