How can a loving God send people to hell?
Q: "I'm trying to understand how God who is love can send people to be in hell. What's the thought behind going to hell?"
our A: Here are some things to consider:
(1) God has given all people enough evidence to know that he exists.
- "...What may be known about God is plain to them [people],
because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation
of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature --
have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,
so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)
- "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the
work of his hands." (Psalms 19:1)
(2) Nonetheless, people choose not to know him.
- "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served
created things rather than the Creator." (Romans 1:25)
- "The fool has said in his heart, 'there is no God.'" (Psalms 14:1)
- "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has
turned to his own way." (Isaiah 53:6)
- "God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to
see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalms 53:2-3)
- "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control,
brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." (2Timothy 3:1-4)
(3) Therefore, God is giving people what they want.
God wants all people to be saved and know His truth (1Timothy 2:3-4),
and all to repent and come to Him (2Peter 3:9). However,
the Bible also reveals God as one who does not force Himself on
people. He allows people to reject Him even though He doesn't
like it. God is love (1John 4:16), but God allows people
to reject His love.
There will be a judgment of all people, where all people
will be presented before God's throne (Rev. 20:11-13).
Anyone whose name is not found in the "book of
life" is thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15).
God told the Israelites, "I have set before you
life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose
life in order that you may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19).
In a way, that's the choice before all of us: the blessing
or the curse, life or death, God's love or God's wrath.
It seems illogical to us that God could be loving and
wrathful at the same time. However, much of who God is,
is likely beyond our comprehension. We might assume that His wrath
is a contradiction to His loving
character, but our assumptions might be very wrong. God's wrath
and His love might be very compatible, in a way that
we do not currently comprehend.
Even though we don't fully understand things, the decision is still
before us. God says that all of us are rightfully under His wrath and
under His judgment. Jesus plainly said, "...unless you believe that I am
He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).
But He welcomes everyone to turn to Him for forgiveness, now while we
live, so that instead of being condemned by Him, we can be forgiven and
reconciled to Him. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). To find
out how to begin a relationship with God, to receive eternal life,
please see: Connect.
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How to begin a relationship with God
