How would you respond to those who say,
"A loving God would never send someone to hell"?
I would start with a question,
"How do you know that God is a loving God?"
A lot of people believe that God is loving but how do they know that's true?
People often assume that God is loving without really thinking about how they know that.
How do you really know that God is loving?
Creation and nature do not tell you this. You cannot learn that God is loving by looking at the planets and stars, animals or people.
So how can we really know that God is loving?
Well, to know that God is actually a loving God rather than evil or indifferent you would need special, specific revelation about Him.
You would need information about God from God or from someone who truely knows Him.
The Scriptures claim to be God's special and specific revelation to mankind. These Scriptures written by God through men and women who knew God are a special revelation that God is in fact a very loving.
The world around us does not reveal specifically that God is loving but the Word of God does.
The Bible from beginning to end reveals that God is infinitely loving and good.
We also have another special and specific revelation that assures us that God is loving.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, was a unique Messenger from God in that He claimed to be God Himself.
You cannot ask for a better witness of the character and love of God than God Himself.
Jesus not only claimed to be God, but He also believed and taught that the Scriptures were an accurate revelation from God, the actual Word of God.
And so we know that God is a loving God though the pages of Scripture, The Bible, and through the Person of Jesus Christ, God Himself.
In light of our innitial question the Scriptures and Jesus both tell us 2 very important things about God:
1-God is loving
2-God does send people to hell.
God's love for righteousness and His hatred for evil has led Him to both save people from hell and send people to hell.
As I mentioned before, Jesus actually claimed to be the loving God revealed in the Scriptures, and believe it or not we get the mass majority of our teaching about hell from the mouth of Jesus Himself.
If you want to learn about hell just go straight to the teachings of Jesus, the God of Love, and read for yourself.
Actually, contrary to popular belief, Jesus taught more about hell than He taught about heaven.
You can read the New Testment and see for yourself.
After teaching the world about the reality of heaven and hell, Jesus Christ then gave up His own life, dying on a cross for our sins in order to save us from the very hell He warned us about.
This was the ultimate demonstration of God's love for people.
If you want to learn all about the love of God just go straight to Jesus in the Bible and read for yourself.
"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8
Only in the Bible does the Hero die for the villains!
It is the climax of God's LOVE that saves us from the depths of God's HELL.
And so, in Jesus Christ, you actually have the God of Love in human form dying on a cross for sinners in order to save them from the hell He warned us about.
Jesus rose from the grave and offers a "get out of hell free card" to anyone that turns from sin and trust in Him for salvation.
I can't think of anything more loving that God could do.
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." -John 15:13
Let's summarize:
"How could a loving God send someone to hell?
1-We only know that God is loving through the Bible and the person of Jesus.
2-The Bible and Jesus both clearly teach that God sends people to hell.
3-God became a Man in Jesus Christ and died on the cross to save sinners from hell.
4-The death of Jesus Christ is the greatest demonstration of God's love.
5-A loving God sends people to hell who reject His love and salvation offered in Jesus Christ.
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." -John 3:36
God's forgiveness is not automatic. Come to Jesus!
Other related blogs I've written that may be of interest:
Hell
The Dishonest Skeptic
Why did God order the killing of the Canaanites?
Do you take the Bible literally?
The Gospel
