Our Fall series, WHY?, is answering some of the questions people often think or ask as they consider the Bible and the Christian faith.

Today we are looking at a question that stirs up great levels of emotion; for both unbelievers and believers alike.

Why does God send people to Hell?

That question may be asked in many forms so we have to really listen to what a person is saying.
We must also remember that there is always an underlying motive and often a question like this is based upon some faulty assumptions or basic misunderstanding.
In this case, those revolve around the nature of God, the nature of man, and the nature of sin.

As we look at this week's question, we need to carefully look at the words and phrases, clearly understand what the Bible teaches about each, and then communicate God's truth in a way that is helpful and compassionate.

Colossians 4:5-6

A. What is meant by Hell?

A very sobering definition would be, "Hell is where those who reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ will experience the conscious wrath and justice of God and remain separated from Him and all that is good throughout eternity."

According to the Bible, Hell is a real place and the purpose for it is given by Jesus in Matthew 25:41b.
The definition of Hell that was presented is clearly seen toward the end of the Bible in Revelation 20:11-15.

We have talked about the Biblical doctrine of Hell in other messages and PD would be glad to talk to you about this to answer any questions you might have as well as share any previous messages on the topic.
There are also several web links below that provide a lot of information about the reality of Hell.
Our purpose today is to deal with the WHY, and the idea of whether God sends anyone to Hell and not just the minutiae of the doctrinal details.

B. What kind of God would do such a thing?

God has revealed Himself to us using 4 key characteristics or qualities in countless ways over the duration of humanity.
These qualities are:
God is Holy, All-Knowing, Loving, and Just.

1. Holy means God is separate from and stands alone and above all that is created.
Psalm 18:30a; 1 John 1:5; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23a; Ezekiel 18:20a

2. All-Knowing means God has all knowledge, is aware of all, and is infinitely wise, discerning, and functions as a judge who knows what’s
going on.
Psalm 7:11a

3. Loving means God is totally committed to us, has our best interests at heart, and will do everything within His nature to reconcile us to a right relationship with Him.
Genesis 3
When it comes down to it, if a person desires to be separated from God for eternity, God will grant that desire. Love cannot be forced!

4. Just means God will uphold His standards fairly and completely in accordance with His nature and man’s choices.
John 3:16-18

In the question we are looking at, the word "send" denotes an action only on the part of the sender. However, this understanding of the word "send" cannot be applied to the question at hand because God has given human beings freedom to participate in their life choices and eternal destination.

A better wording might be, "Why do people choose to go to Hell?"
John 3:19.

Birthdays and Anniversaries!

Saturday, October 22nd - Melissa Mater, Eli Nelson
Monday, October 24th - Aaron Walker, DoraLee Sanchez
Tuesday, October 25th - Dayton & Sara Walker
Wednesday, October 26th - Ethan Binkowski
Friday, October 28th - Becky Wilson