The Love of God

Some object to the teaching about hell, saying that this does not coincide with the biblical teaching about God's love. Since He is a God of love, they argue, it would be impossible for Him to send anyone to such a place. 

Matthew 25:41 does say the "everlasting fire” was prepared for the Devil and his angels. But this same verse also makes it clear that people will be cast into this place. The con- text of Matthew 25 refers to the judgment of the living Gentiles, and verse 46 shows that the destiny of the un- believers will be everlasting punishment: “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." 

Since Matthew 25:46 mentions both "everlasting punishment" and "life eternal," one cannot logically deny everlasting punishment without also denying eternal life. The words "everlasting” and “eternal" are simply two different translations of the same Greek word. 

God is holy and cannot compromise His standards. He is also just and requires that sin must be dealt with. Man's willful sin has separated him from God and has brought him under God's condemnation. Without the intervention of a loving God no one would be saved from eternal condemnation. But because He is a God of love and not willing that any should perish, God sent His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world: “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2). 

Those who receive Christ as Saviour are delivered from all condemnation: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Those who reject Christ will continue in their condemnation throughout all eternity in the lake of fire. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (3:16-18).