God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
Hell glorifies God because:
1. It shows that He keeps His Word.
2. It shows His infinite worth, lasting forever.
3. It demonstrates His power to subdue all who rebel against Him.
4. It shows how unspeakably merciful He is to those who trust Him.
5. It upholds the reality of love by visiting justice against those who reject God, who is love.
6. It vindicates all who suffered to hear or proclaim the truth of God's Word.
7. It shows the enormity of what Jesus accomplished when He died to save all who would trust Him from the hell they deserved. If there were no hell, there would be no need for the cross.
The difference in result between forgiveness that responds to repentance and forgiveness independent of the repentance of the offending party is, of course, that the former pattern issues in reconciliation while the latter does not. But in both cases what is presupposed is that the believer forgives the offender. Transparently, reconciliation is a good thing if it can be achieved, but the goal of reconciliation should not become the cloak for nursing bitterness because it cannot be achieved.
