If God loves us, why does he send us to hell?

okay, so one of my youth kids asked my youth pastor this question. I'm a college student helping out with the youth praise//youth teacher.

I don't want to write out the whole answer... or rather my answer, because i'm not sure if it's biblical or not, and it would be lengthy.

The jyst of it is this though, God gives us a choice... to accept his gift or deny his gift. Gifts are not required by the offerer, and also the receiver can accept or deny the gift. Him giving us a choice is true love, rather than him forcing us to accept. It is ultimately our choice on whether or not we go to hell or spend eternity with Him. Also God is pure holiness, he cannot accept sin, which is why Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the cross which was the ONLY way we could be forgiven of our sins. All in all, God does not SEND you to hell, you choose your path?

Sounds great in my opinion, but i don't know if it's biblical!! Need some help here.

Also I would give an example... like in a relationship. True love isn't shown through forcing each other to do things, it comes from choice. Given a choice shows feedback from both recipients, the offerer and the one that has to make a choice. Forcing doesn't show anything, it just shows shelfishness.

but yes, much help needed here! Let me know if I stand correct, if not please correct me!. I wanna to feed my youth truth.

Now that you are a college student

you can look back when you were 12 or 14 and

see that there are just some things

then you could not understand at that time in your life

that you can now.

Pretty good answer.

I do not view salvation as a gift we choose for ourselves since that implies man is able to save himself, rather salvation is originated from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). We do not have the ability to choose to accept salvation as it is offered of our own will, since through Adam's original sin our human nature has been corrupted as well (Isiah 64:6; Romans 5:12). It is not just our mind that is corrupt but our soul, in that we are enable of coming to faith on our own terms.

With salvation being something that man is unable to merit of his own will, once the Spirit of God comes to change an individual's heart/mind he cannot resist such grace, so if God elects an individual unto salvation he cannot fall from that salvation (John 6:37; 44-45; 65). He cannot resist because the love of God overwhelms the individual so intensely change is inevitable. We can say the drawing of God is based on power but not as to coerce an individual, since the will of man is going to ultimately adore God. Put another way, the effect of such grace is effective enough that it will always produce salvation, meaning that God will not fail at saving whom He pleases.

In my opinion the idea that salvation is our choice is not Biblical, and instead believe in salvation as being God's merciful choice to grant to whom He pleases, as Titus 3:5 states, "he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit."

The question is then asked "why would a loving God send people to hell?" First I would question what it even means that God "sends" someone to hell, as the assumption is just pretty vague in the first place. If one is facing eternal punishment then it must be a fair assessment, and so God only plays part in the desicion that one is eternally damned. What God does not play a part of is the actuality of man's sinfulness, for man will sin out of his naturally acquired nature to do so. Man sins because he wants to, and sin separates us from God (Isiah 59:2), so we constitute our own eternal damnation.

So I agree that love is not forced but this is not what God does in order to save man. It is just that the call of God is so effective man cannot help but follow. If God did grant us the choice of salvation, then it would be conditional love above anything else. So in essence you're saying true love is conditional love. Could you support that idea? The idea that God chooses some for salvation irregardless of their sinful actions, on the other hand, means God's love is unconditional, that man is saved by God without any conditions, which I see as the more Biblical view. But again that is just my opinion.

The whole issue of freewill has been debated endless on the forum, so I'm not going to bother addressing it again here. Go read through some of the other threads if you want to see what people have to say about it. I will say this, however, if choosing is required for salvation, and you don't choose, then what happens? You spend eternity in Hell. If you can't choose, but "try" to chose anyway, what happens? Nothing. I think the choice is pretty obvious.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those
who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all
will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits,
after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end,
when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has
abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until
He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be
abolished is death. (I Cor. 15:20-26)

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He
is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head
of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in
Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made
peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether
things on earth or things in heaven. (Col. 1:15-20)

For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope
on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of
believers. (1 Tim. 4:10)

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only,
but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under
the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To
Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and
glory and dominion forever and ever." (Rev. 5:13)

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of
the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the
grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like
that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:15-21)

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and
there is no other. " I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth
from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every
knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. "They will say of
Me, 'Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength.' Men will come to
Him, And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. "In the LORD all
the offspring of Israel Will be justified and will glory. (Isaiah 45:22-25)

...being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:8-11.)

In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will,
according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to
an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the
summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things
upon the earth (Ephesians 1:8b-10)

For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to
all. (Romans 11:32)

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing
of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of
its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the
creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption
into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that
the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together
until now. (Romans 8:19-22)

He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like
leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all
leavened." (Matt. 13:33)

Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You
have given Him, He may give eternal life. (John 17:2)

Because when we pray in faith, God gives us what we ask for, and some people are, well, just asking for it!

__________________
I quit religion.

I like my answer best of all.

Well, here's a big ol' pat on the back for you, pal!

__________________
I quit religion.

hm. well i'm just wondering what does the bible say about this?? is my answer biblical or is it not??

The problem is that there are assumptions in the question that are interpreted radically different by different people.

Is there a hell?
Is this hell eternal?
Is this hell without any redeeming value?
Is it God that does the sending to this hell?
Are there only some of us that go to this hell, or do all of us?
Is being sent here an unloving expression?
Do we really have any choice about it?

There's more, but that's what I got off the top of my head...

__________________
I quit religion.