Ever Wonder Why? Sýnishorn

Ever Wonder Why a Loving God Would Create Hell? 

Today’s question is one of the most common for both Christians and non-Christians, and as heavy as it is, it’s a key part of the good news. 

But before we dive into why a loving God would create hell, let’s consider some other questions. 

• Can God’s holiness exist without His justice? 
• Can choices exist without consequences? 

Those might seem like even more confusing questions, but let’s explore it for a bit. Most of us believe that if someone hurts another person, there should be consequences—another way of saying that there should be justice. Yet sometimes we’re tempted to believe God is loving without also acknowledging that He’s just. 

But one can’t exist without the other. 

God is holy—set apart and perfect in every way. And because He’s holy, He can’t be surrounded by sin or imperfections, which is bad news since all of us have sinned. Yet God is both loving and just, so He made a new way for us. Jesus satisfied God’s desire for justice while also revealing His great love for us. 

Because Jesus lived a perfect life and died on a cross for our sins, we can be made right with God. When we choose to follow Jesus, God no longer sees our sin—He sees His Son. 

And that creates another essential part of the good news—choice. God gives all of us a choice on whether to love and follow Him or to reject Him and go our own way. God doesn’t force us to love Him, and He doesn’t make us choose Him. 

That choice means there must be another option for people who don’t want to accept God’s invitation to salvation. If God were to remove the consequences of choice—spending eternity with Him or spending eternity without Him—He’d also remove the validity of choice. 

Basically, if someone doesn’t want to accept Jesus, there must be another alternative for them, or else they don’t really have a choice in the matter. And that’s one of the reasons hell exists—to respect the choice of those who don’t accept salvation through Christ and to deal with them righteously. 

Another reason also has to do with God’s justice. Revelation 20:10 tells us that hell exists for God to deal righteously with Satan. Satan’s mission is to steal, kill, and destroy everyone and everything that God loves. And so in His justice, God created hell to finally deal with Satan once and for all. 

Coming back to us, since no human beings are good, pure, and holy on our own, we need Jesus. In His deep love for us, our Father extends the opportunity for everyone to spend eternity with Him through faith in Jesus. And when we accept that invitation and give our lives to Him, it’s His purity that covers us and lets us live in His good presence forever.

Pray: God, thank You for being both loving and just. In this world, we have trouble, but one day, You will make all wrongs right, and I praise You for that. Thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus. Ignite in me a passion to tell more people about it. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Challenge: How does knowing about the reality of hell inform your perception of the good news? How might you share that news with more people in your life?