How Could a Loving God Send Anyone to Hell?

To answer this question, we must first understand the meaning of free will. It's the power to decide what you'll do in a certain situation. It’s one of the things that makes us human, that we can choose.

Although you have the right to do whatever you want, not everything you do is good for you or others. Make your own choices but remember the responsibility that comes with them.

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. - 1 Cor. 10:23

God gave humans free will, starting with Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve the ability to make choices and decisions in Eden. They could either obey or disobey God when He told them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:15-17). In Genesis 3:1-24, we learn that Adam and Eve made a free will choice to disobey God even though they were warned about the consequences.

Adam and Eve wouldn't be able to exercise their God-given free will if God hadn't planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and stipulated His rules concerning that tree. As a result of this one rule, Adam and Eve were able to exercise their free will and choose between God and something else. And now we too have that ability to make choices freely.

Can you force anyone to love you? Those who love their children want their love and obedience reciprocated voluntarily, not forced. God loved Adam and Eve and He wanted them to love Him on their own free will. By giving us free will, God doesn't force us to love Him. God does not force us to follow Him. God does not force us to do the right thing. The ability to choose is God's gift to us. Every day, we have the choice between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, blessing and cursing, life and death, and God and Satan.

When you love someone, you express your love with gifts, cards and reminders. You hope that that someone will reciprocate that love to you. God loves us that He has given us many “gifts”, “cards,” and “reminders”. He gave us creation that speaks of His glory, He sent us the Bible, He sent us people to tell us about the gospel, To some, He even sends dreams and visions. His ultimate gift is eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ who voluntarily died on our behalf for our sins.

If, after doing all that, you keep saying, “No, no, no, I don't want you, God”, then that's what He'll do. He will leave you alone. And that is what hell is, separation from God by your own choice. Hell is a place where people end up by their own choice if they don't want God.

So God does not send man to hell. Man does that by the choices he makes.

Let us pray.

Father,

We are lifting our unsaved loved ones to you. Please soften their hearts. We ask that You take their hearts of stone and turn them into a heart of flesh. Please open their minds to understanding. We pray that You would grant us opportunities to speak with them, but more importantly that we would continue to come to you in prayer for them.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.