[1] Why does a loving God send people to hell?

• The question of why a loving God allows people to face hell often perplexes believers and non-believers alike, prompting a deeper exploration of God’s nature and human responsibility.
• God is loving, but He is just and holy
• God’s character perfectly balances love, justice, and holiness, creating a divine harmony that defines His actions.
• His justice demands accountability for sin, ensuring that moral order is upheld in the universe.
• His love, however, offers a pathway to redemption through grace, providing hope for humanity.
• While we may desire immediate justice for wrongs, God’s patience allows time for repentance, reflecting His merciful nature.
• Ultimately, His justice will prevail, ensuring that righteousness is upheld.
• Psalm 145:17 (NIV): “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.”

 Hell is the result of sin without repentance

• Hell is not an arbitrary punishment inflicted by God but a natural consequence of unrepented sin and rejection of His holiness.
• Those who reject God’s grace choose eternal separation from Him, aligning themselves with the consequences of their decisions.
• This separation stems from a deliberate choice to live apart from God’s will and love.
• Romans 6:23 (NIV): “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 [2] God does not want anyone to go to hell

• God’s boundless love is evident in His desire for all people to be saved, demonstrating His heart for humanity.
• He takes no pleasure in judgement or the punishment of the wicked but seeks their restoration.
• His patience provides ample opportunity for repentance, delaying judgement to allow for transformation.
• 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV): “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

 Free will comes with responsibility

• God grants humanity free will, allowing individuals to choose whether to accept or reject Him.
• True love requires genuine choice, as coerced devotion is not authentic love.
• This freedom carries the weight of responsibility, as choices have eternal consequences.
• Joshua 24:15 (NIV): “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.”

Jesus covers all the sins of mankind

• At the cross, God’s justice and love intersect, providing a perfect solution to the problem of sin.
• Jesus bore the penalty for humanity’s sins, offering salvation to all who accept His sacrifice.
• This act of atonement demonstrates the depth of God’s love and His commitment to redeeming mankind.
• Romans 5:8 (NIV): “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 [3] Hell is a place of separation, not a sadistic punishment

• Hell is characterised as eternal separation from God’s presence, not a place of torture for torture’s sake.
• It represents the ultimate consequence of choosing to live apart from God’s love and glory.
• This separation reflects the natural outcome of rejecting the source of life and goodness.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 (NIV): “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

Rejecting God is rejecting eternal life

• Those who face hell do so because they have rejected Jesus Christ, the only path to salvation.
• By refusing to believe in Him, individuals choose condemnation over the gift of eternal life.
• This rejection is a conscious decision to turn away from God’s offer of grace.
• John 3:18 (NIV): “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

 God’s justice is perfect

• Human understanding of justice is limited, but God’s justice is flawless and perfectly aligned with His righteous character.
• His ways may be mysterious to us, but they are always just, reflecting His divine wisdom.
• Genesis 18:25 (NIV): “Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

 God honours human choices

• God respects the free will He has given, allowing individuals to choose their eternal destiny.
• He does not force anyone to love Him or spend eternity with Him, honouring the choices made.
• Hell results from choosing a life apart from God, prioritising self or falsehood over the Creator.
• Romans 1:25 (NIV): “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen.”

The cross: The final proof of God’s love

• The existence of hell does not negate God’s love; rather, it underscores the lengths to which He went to save humanity.
• The cross, where Jesus died for mankind’s sins, is the ultimate demonstration of God’s sacrificial love.
• This act provides the opportunity for eternal life to all who believe, countering the reality of hell.
• John 3:16 (NIV): “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

[4] C.S. Lewis on Hell

• In his book The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis offers profound insight into the nature of hell and human choice.
• He writes: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’ All who are in hell choose it.”
• Lewis emphasises that hell is a result of self-selection, where individuals opt for separation from God.
• He adds, “No soul who earnestly desires joy will miss it. Those who seek, find. Those who knock, it is opened to them,” highlighting the availability of salvation to those who earnestly seek God.

[1] All You Want to Know About Hell: Three Christian Views of God's Final Solution to the Problem of Sin by Steve Gregg.

[2] https://www.drghaly.com/articles/display/12677 Arabic

[3] Four Views on Hell: Second Edition (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology) – Editor Preston Sprinkle

[4] The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis