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Does the devil punish people in hell?
Matthew 10:28
Does the devil punish people in hell? A number of weeks ago, I was watching a video online in which people were having this discussion. They said, it doesn’t really make sense if the devil is evil and he likes people to do evil, why does he punish people for doing evil in hell? And I think those that were having this discussion especially wanted to criticize Christianity and to show that Christianity doesn’t really make any sense at all.
However, there’s a lot of things that are confused in that conversation. In thinking that the devil punishes people in hell for doing evil things. Granted, I would say to that doesn’t really make sense, right? But I think maybe a passage that is helpful for us to consider is one found in Matthew chapter ten, verse 28. And Jesus says this to his disciples after he’s telling them not to be afraid of those that are persecuting them, those that are trying to harm them for proclaiming the good news of salvation in him. He goes on to say this. He says,
Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
He had just talked about those people that were persecuting Christians as the servants of Beelzebub doing the devil’s bidding. And so what is Jesus saying here, is he’s saying, well, don’t fear those people, they can only harm your body, instead, fear the devil because he can harm your body and soul and hell? No. That’s not what he’s saying at all. He’s saying, don’t be afraid of those who persecute you here on this earth and who do the devil’s bidding. But don’t be afraid of the devil either, for what he can do through those servants, instead, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body and hell. And who is that? It’s not the devil, it’s God.
God is the one who created hell as a place of punishment. And it was intended not to be for human beings, but it was intended for the devil and the other evil angels that had turned against God. We might wonder, though, then, does that make God evil? If God is the one who punishes people in hell. By no means. God is absolutely just. You know, in fact, what would make God evil is if God never punished sin. If God allowed all sin just to go unpunished, all victims never to have justice, right? If he never punished sin. But instead he does. And we see that very clearly in God’s Word, that he requires judgment and punishment for all sin.
So then, is there any hope for us as we know that we have all sinned? Well, God has shown mercy to mankind. And how has he shown mercy to us? How can he punish sin and yet show mercy upon sinners? Well, it all comes together in the cross. And I know I’ve said it many times before, but it’s a good reminder why Jesus had to go to the cross. Jesus didn’t simply go to the cross to show you that he loves you this much, to show you that he loves you so much that he’s willing to die for you. No, he went to the cross and actually to pay the punishment that your sins deserve. It was necessary for him to suffer. It was necessary for him to pay the price of your hell that you deserve. And he has. As he cries out from the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He’s suffering the punishment you deserve so that you never have to in hell, but so that he can give you eternal life.
Because the price of your sin has been paid for, God now can declare of you that you are not guilty, and you are free to go, free to enter into his presence, free to enter into heaven forever with him. Trusting in Jesus, we can be confident that this fate is ours and heaven is ours because of him and because of what he has done. So is the devil trying to punish people in hell for doing bad things? By no means. The devil himself likes to do bad things and likes us to do bad things. No. Instead, let us understand what’s really going on. Hell is a place of punishment designed by God to carry out his justice, and yet know that there is escape from it through your Savior, Jesus Christ and what he has done for you. Amen.
