097. How can an infinitely holy and merciful God condemn creatures He loves to everlasting p...

How can an infinitely holy and merciful God condemn creatures He loves to everlasting punishment?

It is not so much that God condemns any one to everlasting punishment as that men and women condemn themselves to everlasting torment by refusing the mercy and grace of God. Many men not only choose sin but they also choose to refuse the wonderfully gracious redemption from sin that God has provided. If men will not allow themselves to be saved from sin, they must necessarily continue in it, and if they continue in it, they must necessarily suffer torment as long as they continue in it. The time must come, sooner or later, when repentance becomes impossible, and so of course salvation becomes impossible. The everlasting torment which any one may endure will be simply the inevitable result of his own deliberate and persistent choice of sin.