Many people struggle with the above question. We know that God, by His very nature, is love (1 John 4:8), and that hell is a place of eternal torments (Matthew 25:41, 46). How then could God condemn anyone to such a place? This does not fit with the concept many people have of a loving God. Therefore, many start to doubt the existence of hell or even the existence of God.
The Scriptures teach that God will send certain individuals to eternal punishment in hell. Not only that, but His doing so will not be inconsistent with His nature, but instead will be consistent with the way He is described in the Bible.
We must first go back to the beginning when “God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27). Part of being made in the image of God means that all individuals begin their life “upright” (Ecclesiastes 7:29) and for a time Adam and Eve continued in this holy condition. God placed Adam in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8) where God would sometimes visit the man and his wife (Genesis 3:8).
This perfect arrangement, however, was not going to last. It was eventually ruined by sin (Genesis 3). Isaiah gave us the reason for this: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Sin separates man from God.
We must also understand the simple truth that sin is our fault, not God’s. James wrote, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:13-15). We sin when we make the choice to sin. We cannot somehow blame God for our transgressions, but must understand that our sinful choices cause us to be separated from God.
But many want to believe that because God is love then He will accept us in our sin. It is certainly true that love is a fundamental part of God’s nature. But what is also true is that light is equally part of His nature. Before telling us that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), John said, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Therefore, John went on to say that if we “walk in the darkness” (sin), we cannot have fellowship with God (1 John 1:6). To have fellowship with God, we must “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light” (1 John 1:7).
It is also true that God wants to save each one of us. Peter wrote that God is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Does the fact that God desires all men to be saved guarantee that all will be saved? No, it does not. Jesus plainly told us that many will follow the path to destruction while only a few will find the path to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Lest we be tempted to blame God for anyone being lost, let us remember the words of Isaiah: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save… But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
Knowing that only a few will be saved, some have concluded that God only desires to save that select few. But we have already seen that this is not the case. God does not wish for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9). The reason why God wishes to save all but will only save a few is because He has made salvation conditional. These conditions – belief (John 8:24), repentance (Acts 3:19), confession (Romans 10:9-10), baptism (Acts 22:16), and remaining faithful (1 John 1:7) – must be met in order to receive forgiveness of sins, thus making salvation possible.
If we do not do these things we will be lost. Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21-23). Despite their claims of doing various things in the name of Christ, these individuals were not obeying God and were, therefore, still in their sin. Since their lack of faithful obedience left them in sin, they were still separated from God.
What will be the fate of those who, in the end, are still separated from God? Paul told the brethren in Thessalonica of the time “when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). These individuals will be told, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Why will Jesus tell those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel to depart into the eternal fire of hell? The reason is sin – “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). These lost souls, because they have not obtained forgiveness of their sins, will be separated from God and condemned to a place that is away from His presence. God cannot accept unrepentant sinners into His presence in heaven without ceasing to be God Himself, for “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
Therefore, the fact that God is both willing and able to cast the wicked into hell is consistent with His nature. “God is Light” (1 John 1:5). However, as we noted at the beginning, “God is love” as well (1 John 4:8). This is why He sent His Son to die on the cross for us. And it is why He has told us the conditions of grace and offers us the opportunity now to follow Him.
The best way to avoid hell is not to convince yourself that it does not exist. Rather, the best and only way to avoid hell is to believe in Christ, do those things which He has commanded, and continue to faithfully serve Him throughout your days.
So yes, hell is real. And God, because He is God, will condemn many people to this terrible place. But He has done everything necessary to help us escape that fate, if only we will come to Him in humble obedience so that we might be forgiven of our sins that have kept us separated from Him.
Andy
Going through some of your old bulletins looking for something, Thank you so much for these articles, is there a way to share with someone on Facebook? I have been copying them and sending to some family members.