How Can A Loving God Send People To Hell?

Why doesn't God pardon everyone and let them all into heaven?

God loves everyone and everything, doesn't he? Well, we are appalled by murder, cruelty, abuse, selfishness, pride and lots of other things. And we feel the same about the people who do them. And we would hope that God disapproves of those things and the people who do them.

Where is the justice if war criminals, murderers, rapists and child abusers can claim a place in heaven? We want to see justice done and we want a God who will be just. If God isn't just then heaven isn't the place we have been been hoping for. People should be held to account for the things they do. Hell is the place where God judges those people who do not obey him, who shut God out, refusing to acknowledge him and holding him at a distance, We shouldn't surprised that such people are shut out of God’s presence in the end!

Hell is not the place where we indulge all our secret pleasures and wild passions. Jesus talked about it as a place of irreversible separation and punishment but no one has to go there; because God is loving and just he does something about bad things and bad people. The bible reveals a wonderful way in which we can be made right with God even if we are bad or have done bad things. Through Jesus Christ he can deal with our wrongdoing without violating his own perfect justice and change us so that we can enjoy heaven with him for ever.

That’s good news.

John Miller - Pastor / Elder - Staines Baptist Church

November 2020