Since Jesus paid the debt for sin, isn’t Hell an additional payment?
Question:
I have been posed a question by a conditionalist. He says: The wages of sin is death. Did Jesus pay the price at the cross? Can we pay more than He paid at the cross?
He then goes on to say that eternal hell would be paying more than Jesus paid and that since Jesus didn't stay in eternal hell, we wouldn't.
I need your help.
Answer:
First, Jesus did not spend time in Hell. See Did Jesus go to Hell?
Second, it was Jesus' death that paid the price for our sins, not the time he spent in the grave. "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" (I Peter 3:18).
Third, while Jesus paid the price of sin for everyone, many choose not to accept the offered gift. God's love is shown to all men equally. That is because God is just and impartial. "For there is no partiality with God" (Romans 2:11). Everyone is given the same chance, whether righteous or wicked. But everyone also has to meet the same conditions. "Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:18-19). Notice that the free gift came to all men so that through Jesus' obedience many (not all) will be made righteous. God offers salvation freely to all men, but God placed requirements that must be met. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (I John 5:3). The existence of those requirements doesn’t make the gift any less free. Nor does the free gift mean there isn’t anything necessary for me to do in order to be saved. See What Must I Do to be Saved? for more details.
