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

[Timothew]

How can the wrath of God ABIDE on someone who doesn't exist???

They do exist, then they die because nothing can withstand the wrath of God.

 

[anunbeliever]

God in His goodness has warned us of our eternal fate in Hell if we continue in rebellion against Him. Isn't that goodness? He certainly warned us of how awful the eternal fire will be for the lost. That is indeed goodness.

Such a god would be infinitely evil. I would worship a god like that purely out of fear. Any 'good' thing he did would be completely nullified by permitting conscious human souls to suffer for eternity.

 

[iLogos]

I hate the statement "a person sends themselves to hell", no one I know would send themselves to hell. I don't believe in an endless hell of torture, but if it is true no one on that day will willingly jump into hell, they have to be placed there. A majority of people like buddist that don't believe in hell wouldn't choose to send themselves there, for them it doesn't exist.

But what if it's not about torture or even sending?

What if it's the inability for some to accept God?

What if it's their desire to reject God.

That separation what ever it is, does not have to be "torture" that could be hell. Annihilation? May be. Or a endless separation, a hell of our own making.

I don't think there is a literal pit of fire and we jump in or get pushed in.

Origen wondered if this fire was not a purification process and wondered if all would eventually be saved. Wondering this cost him greatly but he never taught universal salvation, just posed the question. We really don't know every thing yet.

 

[dollarsbill]

Such a god would be infinitely evil. I would worship a god like that purely out of fear. Any 'good' thing he did would be completely nullified by permitting conscious human souls to suffer for eternity.

God is VERY good to those who serve and follow Him. The rest have only torment to look forward to in eternity. Those who don't repent have nobody to blame but themselves. We can't say we haven't been warned. How does that make God 'infinitely evil'? It is those who rebel against Him that are evil.

 

[Timothew]

Such a god would be infinitely evil. I would worship a god like that purely out of fear. Any 'good' thing he did would be completely nullified by permitting conscious human souls to suffer for eternity.

I agree, torture is evil. If God permits torture to continue to infinitity, and even establishes it and approves of it, such a "god" would be infinitely evil.

The bible shows that this is not the God of the bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

The sad fact is that people perish without God, but God gave his son, Jesus Christ, so that people could have eternal life and not ultimately perish.

 

[dayhiker]

I find it interesting that ever life after death experience where the person was going to hell have had no narrative of God taking or sending them to hell. Its the demons that come and call them to hell. The person may not even feel comfortable about these demonic voices, but sinec they can't communicate with anyone else, they start to move to where they hear these voices coming from.

 

[Armistead14]

But what if it's not about torture or even sending?

What if it's the inability for some to accept God?

What if it's their desire to reject God.

That separation what ever it is, does not have to be "torture" that could be hell. Annihilation? May be. Or a endless separation, a hell of our own making.

I don't think there is a literal pit of fire and we jump in or get pushed in.

Origen wondered if this fire was not a purification process and wondered if all would eventually be saved. Wondering this cost him greatly but he never taught universal salvation, just posed the question. We really don't know every thing yet.

Origen did believe in the ultimate salvation of all mankind or universalism as did most of the early church fathers, the ones nearest to jerusalem anyway.

We do confuse the word torture today as a process of hurting someone, biblically a "torment" was the process of using stones to beat or shape something into a workable item, sort of like our blacksmith do today, biblically fire, brimstone and sulfer were purification agents, not means of torture.

The fact remains if there is a hell, God designed it and always knew he would place the majorite of man there. Also, hell must be substained through God's power. No one I know would willingly jump into hell, so by God's design men would have to be placed into it. The other issue is God is in all places at all times, so he would be listening to those in hell, their pleas, tears.....truly all tears would not be wiped away.

I know if I had loved ones and children in hell, I would be crying for them in heaven, what parent wouldn't. I guess many hell believers feel that God will remove all past memories of loved ones in hell so they never knew they existed, how could hell be happy if your family was being tortured.

Regardless, mainstream fundy christians believe hell to be a place of fire, torture, etc..for all time, infinite punishment for finite sin.

Let's face it, the majority of people follow the religion of their culture, in places like China, India, etc...babies are indoctrinated from birth and will have a 95% chance of growing into buddism or hinduism, by default of culture a few billion go to hell.

Course, I don't believe that.

 

[WinBySurrender]

I came came out of the indoctrination of hell. Now I can see that there is no eternal torture.

How, exactly, do you "see" that?

 

[apocolypticremedy999]

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.

Well, ultimately it is people that set themselves on the path to hell, but God sends people there for choosing that path, and when he does, it's not an act of love, but an act of righteous hatred. He might have loved them for a time, even enough to send his Son to die for them, who out of love gave hsi life, and gave them opportunities to turn from their sins and to him, but they would have despised the truth and rejected it, preferring to abide in their own evil ways and waxing more evil over time, wherefore God's love and mercy will fade and diminish for them until the point where he throws them into the lake of fire in wrath and hatred. And I think anyone with common sense can agree that sending someone to burn for all eternity without anything to quench that fire cannot be an act of love. Again, it's not an act of love but of righteous and perfect hatred. And there will be not a one who will perish in the lake of fire that did not deserve it.

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. -Psalm 5:5

To be honest, I like God even more considering this, for it assures that evil will not last nor will it reign and that all of God's enemies and therefore also my enemies will surely get what they deserve and that justice will surely be served. People think that this makes God an evil, unloving, and hateful God, but no, it makes him all the more great and good, for good cannot coincide with evil, but must surely press hard against it that it may be vanquished and utterly destroyed.

 

[youngdisciplectl3]

Because God isn't just good, he is a good judge. God is good and when he sends people to hell he has good reason. Sinners deserve to go to hell, but God chose to have mercy on some of us. Thank you God for giving people what they deserve and thank you for having mercy on some of us.

 

[youngdisciplectl3]

I agree, torture is evil. If God permits torture to continue to infinitity, and even establishes it and approves of it, such a "god" would be infinitely evil.

The bible shows that this is not the God of the bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

The sad fact is that people perish without God, but God gave his son, Jesus Christ, so that people could have eternal life and not ultimately perish.

Nothing happens unless God permits it. Is God evil for permitting rape, murder, torture, cancer, starvation, etc... to happen on Earth?

 

[iLogos]

Nothing happens unless God permits it. Is God evil for permitting rape, murder, torture, cancer, starvation, etc... to happen on Earth?

The way this question is posed it could be answered two ways, yes or no but has no bearing on the OP.

I fail to see the point.

The real question is if God loves us why does God send some of us to hell. Your question does not address that.

 

[anunbeliever]

To be honest, I like God even more considering this, for it assures that evil will not last nor will it reign and that all of God's enemies and therefore also my enemies will surely get what they deserve and that justice will surely be served.

You are honestly telling me that you could stand before a person and watch them writhe in agony, knowing it will continue forever, and think to yourself Hallelujah? What if that person was your mother, your daughter, the little old lady down the road? My mind is boggled. I would not wish that fate (if eternal) on my worst enemy.

 

[dollarsbill]

God gave us His Word, the Bible, to warn us of the consequences of rebelling against Him. He gave many instances of how stern He can be. I.E. the Flood, the burning of Sodom alive, destroying a third of mankind in Rev. etc. Deut 28 will make your hair stand up if you have any hair. The warnings are clear as to how God feels about rebellion. Eternity is a very long time to be wrong about Hell.

Revelation 22:19 (NASB)
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

 

[Timothew]

God gave us His Word, the Bible, to warn us of the consequences of rebelling against Him. He gave many instances of how stern He can be. I.E. the Flood, the burning of Sodom alive, destroying a third of mankind in Rev. etc. Deut 28 will make your hair stand up if you have any hair. The warnings are clear as to how God feels about rebellion. Eternity is a very long time to be wrong about Hell.

Revelation 22:19 (NASB)
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

No, The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

 

[Timothew]

How, exactly, do you "see" that?

By all of the passages in the bible that say that the wages of sin is death, the penalty is destruction, unless you repent you will perish, whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life, the person who sins will die, etc etc etc.

 

[Timothew]

Nothing happens unless God permits it. Is God evil for permitting rape, murder, torture, cancer, starvation, etc... to happen on Earth?

Those things happen because of sin. God will set it right when Jesus returns.

 

[dollarsbill]

No, The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

And that's why humans die. All have sinned.

 

[Timothew]

And that's why humans die. All have sinned.

I agree, and those who have had their sins forgiven are resurrected to eternal life, while those who have not had their sins forgiven still owe the penalty of sin, which is death. They go to the second death.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[dollarsbill]

I agree, and those who have had their sins forgiven are resurrected to eternal life, while those who have not had their sins forgiven still owe the penalty of sin, which is death. They go to the second death.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These were dead and alive.

Genesis 2:17 (NASB)
17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Colossians 2:13 (NASB)
13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

Luke 15:24 (NASB)
24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

Luke 16:22-24 (NASB)
22 and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'

Ephesians 2:4-5 (NASB)
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Romans 7:9 (NASB)
9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;

1 Timothy 5:6 (NASB)
6 But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives.

Revelation 3:1 (NASB)
1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

The second death is simply finality. They will eternally be dead but alive.