Give a reason · 1 Peter 3:15
Why would a loving God send people to hell?
The objection
Eternal punishment for a few decades of wrongdoing seems out of all proportion. A loving parent would never torment a child forever. How can a loving God send anyone to hell?
What the evidence shows
- 01Final judgment is historic Christian belief.
The Apostles' Creed confesses that Christ “will come again to judge the living and the dead.”
The Christian case
- 01No one is sent against their will.ArgumentWilliam Lane Craig
Craig argues God wants everyone saved, and those who knowingly reject him choose separation: “God will not send us to hell—but we shall send ourselves.”
- 02Rescue, not revenge.ArgumentJohn 3:17–19
Jesus says he came to save, and that judgment is people preferring darkness to light.
What Scripture says
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)MeaningGod is described as patient, not wanting any to perish.
“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”Ezekiel 33:11 (KJV)MeaningGod takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
“For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”John 3:17 (KJV)MeaningJesus' mission is framed as rescue.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (1769 Authorized Version), public domain.
Where Christians differ
Most churches teach that hell is conscious and lasting. A minority view, which John Stott argued is a legitimate reading, holds that the lost are finally destroyed (annihilationism).
What skeptics say
As Craig himself states the objection, even grievous sins deserve only a finite punishment, so hell could at most be temporary.
Did you know?
Jesus' word for hell, Gehenna, names a real place: the Valley of Hinnom, just south of Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
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“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)
Sources
- Apostles' Creed, Wikipedia
- William Lane Craig, “How Can Christ Be the Only Way to God?”, Reasonable Faith
- Annihilationism, Wikipedia
- Can a Loving God Send People to Hell? (Craig–Bradley debate), Reasonable Faith
- Gehenna, Wikipedia