Imagine the unthinkable happening to your family: a serial killer murdered every single member except you. Now imagine the inconceivable happening afterward: during the sentencing phase of the convicted murderer's trial, a loving judge released this criminal back into society rather than sentencing him to life in prison or the death penalty.
Based on the killer's guilt and accompanying verdict, would this judge’s decision be just or unrighteous?
God is loving, according to the Scriptures. In fact, the Bible says in 1 John 4:8, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." However, Scripture also declares God as just, holy, and righteous. This means that all of God's attributes operate concurrently and in perfect harmony at all times, not independently or exclusively of one another. Therefore, God cannot be loving without being just, holy, and righteous simultaneously. Otherwise, He could not be God.
This truth about God’s nature and character is one of the most common misconceptions about Him. Many people assume His unconditional love will keep them from experiencing judgment and eternal consequences for their sins after they die. They also presume that God will automatically grant them access to heaven regardless. However, that is not what the Bible teaches.
Unlike the "loving judge" in the opening example, God cannot overlook or dismiss sinful behavior and remain just, holy, and righteous. Instead, His holiness demands sinless perfection from everyone regardless of how much He unconditionally loves them. When people fall short of this standard, God’s justice mandates that punishment and judgment be rendered against every act of unrighteousness, which results in people's eternal separation from Him in hell (and ultimately the Lake of Fire).
The good news is that God's unconditional love for sinners compelled Him to send Jesus to the earth to redeem them from the horrific eternal fate of hell. Jesus' perfect life of obedience to His Father (lived on behalf of all sinners) satisfied each of God’s righteous requirements for holy living. This feat was something sinful humans could never accomplish on their own.
At the appointed time of His death, Jesus willingly took the entire world's sins upon Himself, suffered the due punishment for each one, and died a substitutionary death in every sinful person’s place. His last words, “It is finished!” signified the Father's acceptance of His sinless life and sacrificial death as payment in full for all sin and unrighteousness.
God sending His only Son, Jesus, to die a sacrificial death for sinners was the only way to redeem and rescue them from hell’s punishment without violating His nature or attributes. God did everything necessary to provide for sinners' redemption shy of forcing them to accept His free gift of salvation.
Those who trust Jesus by faith for their salvation immediately receive God’s forgiveness and will inherit eternal life in heaven when they die. However, those who reject Jesus’ sacrifice will reap the full measure of God’s righteous judgment and punishment upon their death because they rejected the only means of forgiveness and salvation available. Therefore, God does not "send anyone to hell" but honors each person's choice to reject Him and His gift of grace.
I hope this information is helpful in understanding how much God did to keep people out of hell and why sinners end up there despite it.
