“If God Is Good, Then Why Would He Send Anyone to Hell?”
This is a topic I try to revisit from time to time, because it is something I hear asked quite frequently—usually preceded by: “If God is good, then….”
So, why is it then? Why does God, our GOOD God, send anyone to Hell?
Well, the quick answer is this: God doesn’t want ANYONE to go to Hell. (2 Peter 3:19)
Hell is the consequence–the punishment–for our sin. But God offers grace to anyone who is willing to humble themselves & accept it.
Consider the Manipulative Lies Satan Tells Us
And here comes the follow-up question, usually phrased something like: “That sounds pretty self-absorbed of God, ‘MY WAY OR GO TO HELL!’ & that doesn’t sound good to me at all. It sounds manipulative & controlling! Is God just manipulating us into what He considers to be good behavior?”
Let’s consider firstly how Satan sure likes to twist the truth (John 8:44)… make us second-guess God (1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10)… make us think surely we know better or at least as much as God in determining what “ought to be.” (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Starting out in the Garden of Eden, Satan’s tactics were just the same: “Did God really say….” (Genesis 3:1)
Satan does NOT have your best interests at heart. Everything he tells you comes with fine print.
In the Beginning… GOD
Instead, let’s reframe the situation here just a bit.
God existed before time itself. God existed as GOD before the world or anything in it even was. (Genesis 1:1)
God then created the world & everything in it in 6 days, speaking everything into existence because of His great power & wisdom… including mankind… including you…. (Genesis 1-2; John 1:3)
God, being all-powerful, almighty, outside of time & before time existed, has ULTIMATE authority & say-so… whether anyone agrees with Him or understands. (Psalm 47:7)
God IS. Our belief does not determine His existence… He just IS. (Exodus 3:14)
We Choose Self in Our Sin
But sin came into the picture. (Genesis 3)
Humankind wanted to be like God, to make up their own minds & to do life their way. Satan helped by nudging them further into their doubts, away from God & toward SELF, but every person made the choice to sin.
There were consequences to that sin… & sin became a natural part of humanity. Every single person is born choosing SELF. Every single person is born in sin.
God Never Quits on Us, No Matter How Much We Deserve It
But God lovingly, patiently, faithfully pursues humanity. God gave His law, explicitly through Moses, on stone tablets, outlying how to live a life honoring & pleasing to Him as the only true authority of heaven & earth. (Exodus 20:1-24)
The people eventually chose their own way instead.
God gave the law of sacrifice, atoning oneself through sacrificing animals as a payment on their behalf. (Leviticus 17:11–now no longer necessary because of Jesus!)
The people still eventually chose their own way, even going as far as sacrificing & following all of the “right rituals” just to “get away with” their sin–it didn’t work then & it doesn’t work now.
God judged His people through punishment, but God didn’t give up on His people.
God Relentlessly Chooses to be “Quick to Forgive”
God’s people, the Israelites, went through the endless cycle of humility, comfort, growing pride, self-focus, rejection of God, outright sin… destroying themselves in the process… met with God’s judgement to force the end of their destructive path, then the people would finally recognize their actual need of Him & the wrongs they had been living & would humbly cry out in repentance to God for His help & rescue.
And every single time, God relented & healed & rebuilt. (1 John 1:9; Psalm 107)
Not after they “proved themselves worthy,” not after they begged “enough.”
He just forgave… & restored them.
Every time.
But then the cycle would repeat as soon as they got comfortable.
I Am Like the Israelites. I Follow the Same Patterns.
It sounds like my life in a nutshell.
I go through times where all I want is to please God & live for Him… but God blesses my life & I begin to get comfortable depending on those blessings (vs. Him)… I begin to depend & rely on & seek to stay comfortable… begin to reject God’s nudgings when they’re not comfortable… become hard-hearted toward God to protect my comfort… reject God & choose me… struggle & wear away, feeling trapped & angsty & burdened, like a wounded animal, too afraid to release my grip on that comfort… watch as my life becomes a mess… & finally I cry out to God for help… & He helps me.
And the cycle eventually seems to start all over again.
We Cannot Save Ourselves… On Our Own, We Are Truly HopeLESS
So, this cycle continues throughout history… proving again & again that humanity is not capable of saving itself. I am incapable of saving myself. You are incapable of saving yourself.
“But, God demonstrates His love toward us in that WHILE we were STILL sinners, Jesus Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) (emphasis mine)
What Exactly Is Hell? It’s Our Default Destination Without Jesus
You see, God DOES say that the punishment of our sin… of breaking His laws as ALMIGHTY GOD… & choosing us over Him… is DEATH—not just life-ending death, but a life of death… for eternity. (Romans 6:23)
This death… Hell… is NOT rock n roll music, electric guitars, loud bass, doing whatever you want, “living it up.”
This death… Hell… is eternal separation from God.
God Loves Us Sinners
God tells us that He rains on the just & the unjust… that He cares for us whether we choose or reject Him. (Matthew 5:44-45)
God loves us so much that even while sinners, God made a way possible for our redemption. (Romans 5:8)
AND every good & perfect gift on this earth is a gift from Him, in our lives. (James 1:17)
And in Hell, there is no refuge, no protection, no healing, no comfort, no peace, no love… no hope.
But the Good News is that God tells us explicitly that He wills that NO ONE go there. (2 Peter 3:9)
Don’t Pass Up This Gift of GRACE from ALMIGHTY GOD!
God tells us He tarries long in His return so that EVERYONE has AMPLE opportunity to repent & choose life. (2 Peter 3:9)
And because of this, not only did He tell us HOW NOT to go to Hell (follow His laws explicitly—but every single person has failed this), but HE BECAME the how.
He knew no matter how clear He was about His law, no matter how many opportunities & second chances, or how often He offered a way out… No matter how many times He rescued us & proved His love & faithfulness… we would STILL somehow choose US.
He knew, the ONLY way to rescue us, was for HIM to be our HOW.
He knew we would sin & would not be able to ever repay our debts to Him.
So HE paid our debts.
Jesus, God with Us, Came to Seek & to Save the Lost! (Luke 19:10)
He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth. (John 3:15-16)
He was born of a virgin, a miraculous birth. (Isaiah 7:14)
He never sinned or made mistakes, a holy life. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
He taught, healed, comforted, & led people in love & Truth.
And then He allowed Himself to be captured, questioned, accused, rejected, abused, spat on, mocked, whipped, beaten, & hung on a cross, taking our sin burden/debt before God upon His own shoulders… & He died. (John 18-19)
For you. For me. For the WHOLE world.
HE paid our price so that we don’t have to… because we could never come close to repaying all we owe to this ALMIGHTY GOD.
Why Would Anyone Choose Hell Over a Good God?
So, when I hear that quote, “Why would a good God send anyone to Hell?”
… I think of the counter I saw posted once, “the real question, though, is this: why would anyone choose Hell over a good God?”
God is before time.
God made the world & everything in it.
God has ultimate power & ultimate authority in heaven & earth.
We choose ourselves & our way… we sin.
Our sin creates a debt owed that we could never pay back to ALMIGHTY GOD.
But GOD made a way possible, through Jesus’ willing sacrifice.
“Whosoever Believes on Jesus” (John 3:15-16)
And Jesus’ sacrifice did not end there, with death. No. He rose again, 3 days later, conquering in victory over sin AND death. (Matthew 28:1-8)
And God loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son—Jesus Christ—that whosoever believes on HIM as their hope & redemption & payment of debt, will not perish in eternal death to hope, but shall live a life everlasting. (John 3:15-16)
Jesus tells us He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it, so that He may give life & give it more abundantly. (John 3:17; John 10:10)
You Have to Make a Choice
You can say all day long how you “want to believe, but you just don’t know how,” while still living for you… but the truth is… You have to make a choice. Are you willing that Jesus would save you?
So, please, PLEASE… don’t CHOOSE Hell, when God offers GRACE.
God doesn’t look down on you, thinking, “EXCEPT that one… not her!”
He looks in your heart, sees your despicable sin, & beckons with, “Jesus paid for that, too. Come home to Me, My beloved.”
Jesus Is the Way… The ONLY Way
Jesus is THE way. Jesus is THE Truth. Jesus is THE life. (John 14:6)
NO ONE comes to the Father [God], EXCEPT through Him [believing on Jesus to cover your debt]. (John 14:6)
Whoever seeks to find life their way will lose it, but whoever gives up that self-seeking pursuit for Jesus, will find the life they seek. (Luke 17:33)
Shine HOPE by SHARING hope.
JESUS is the HOPE of the World!
Coming Next Week
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Radiant Necklace Set (Middle Style of 3 Shown) (India)
On-trend set of 3 layered necklaces (only 1 style shown) that can be worn together or separately, featuring a labradorite stone, hammered discs, and a blue topaz crystal drop.
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