WHY WOULD A LOVING GOD SEND ANYONE TO HELL?

Why would a loving God send anyone to Hell?

The answer to this question is very simple: Because they hate him, and they hate his ways, and they despise his grace and mercy when he reaches out to them in forgiving love.

God has never sent a repentant sinner to Hell and he never will. Only those who reject him will be condemned.

We do not protest when a human judge sentences a murderer or a rapist to life in prison, yet we sometimes question why the Judge of all the earth would punish the ungodly who refuse to repent.

If any sinner turns to God, who is the righteous Judge, and repents of their sins, God will forgive them.

The question we ought to ask is why does God show mercy to the most wretched of sinners who repent? If we answer this question, we will quickly find the answer as to why God sends some people to Hell.

God is good, and he is far richer in grace and mercy than any of us can comprehend. God doesn’t desire for anyone to perish. It gives him no joy to judge the ungodly. God desires for all people to be saved.

Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live? ~ Ezekiel 18:23

Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ ~ Ezekiel 33:11

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ~ 2 Peter 3:9

Notice that each of the verses above refer to repentance, or turning to the Lord. Yet some people love their sin and refuse to repent. In John 5, Jesus told some of the Jews who rejected his message: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,  yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life”. ~ John 5:39-40

Refusing to come to the Lord who is merciful, gracious, and forgiving, is the reason why  people die in their sins, and people refuse to come to the Lord because they love sin.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” ~ John 3:19-21

Why would a loving God condemn an unrepentant sinner to Hell? Because God is a Just God. Why would a Just God forgive a wretched sinner who repents? Because he is a merciful and loving God.

The answer to many of the questions we have about why God would do this, or why would he do that, can be answered when we take to heart the whole counsel of scripture regarding the attributes and character of God.

2 thoughts on “WHY WOULD A LOVING GOD SEND ANYONE TO HELL?

  1. If you have to repent to receive forgiveness , it’s not forgiveness. It’s only forgiveness if it’s a free gift requiring nothing. All human sin past , present , future has already been forgiven , whether people believe and repent or not. Anything else is not forgiveness.

    Paul teaches that no one rejects Christ in the end , everyone willingly believes.

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    • The Bible does not teach that all past, present and future sins are already forgiven, and repentance is absolutely necessary. According to the the apostle Paul, the unrepentant are treasuring up wrath against themselves for the Day of Judgment.

      But after thy hardness and unrepentant heart treasurst up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God… ~ Romans 2:5

      Paul does not teach that all men are going to believe in the end, 

      Paul tells the Thessalonians, “the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” ~ 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

      Paul also tells the Thessalonians,  “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. ~ 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

      Paul told the unbelieving Jews, “Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’” ~ Acts 13:41

      Paul tells the Ephesians,  “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” ~ Ephesians 5:5-6

      Paul tells the Corinthians, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

      https://rootedandgroundedinchrist.com/2017/03/28/refuting-universalism-is-repentance-required/

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