We’ve heard it said time and again. God is love, and a loving God wouldn’t send anyone to hell. But exactly how loving is the God of creation, the God of our universe, the God of all living?
According to John 3:16, God loved us so much “…that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God loves us tremendously. That’s why Jesus died for each and every one of us. However, God is not only loving, but He’s also just. And because He’s just, His holiness requires payment for sin. But because He’s loving, He doesn’t want to see anyone perish. (II Peter 3:9) Therefore, He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
I John 3:16 says, “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”
Now John 3:16 says that God sent His only begotten Son to die for us, but I John 3:16 says that God laid down His life for us. Since we know that Jesus died for us, I John 3:16 makes it clear that Jesus is God. God left Heaven and came to Earth in the form of a man, lived a perfect and sinless life for 33 years; then He died a cruel and agonizing death on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2) That’s how much he loves us.
Then is it true that God loves us so much that He wouldn’t send anyone to hell? It’s true that God doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell. So in order to rescue mankind from an eternity in Hell, He paid the penalty for our sin Himself, and then He extended an invitation to all mankind to simply believe and be saved.
Acts 16:31 says, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”
However, He’s given mankind a freewill; a will to choose Him or to reject Him. So if someone refuses to believe, and they choose to reject God’s salvation, God’s not obligated to them. So then, does God send people to Hell? No. But He allows them to choose their destiny. Because to take away that choice is to strip them of their freewill, and to remove their freewill would only be done by a God who doesn’t love them.