To Hell...with love?

There are many things in the Bible that cause people great anger...the teaching of an eternal place of suffering is very likely # 1 on the list.

Some people who hold Christ's name on their lips want to side with those outside of the Christian camp on this important area...they think that the teaching of hell diminishes the love of God.

Does the teaching of hell take away from God's love?

Or does it actually magnify the love of God?

What?! How could God sending people to a place of unending suffering "magnify" God's love?

1. If God let unrepentant murderers, rapists, liars, cheaters into heaven...and into the new earth would heaven look like heaven? Would the new earth look any different then it is today? Now add to the equation the concept of eternity. These wicked men and women will have forever and ever to grow in their wicked ways. What kind of haven would this be? If God did not punish the wicked He would be no different then our liberal judges today who let repeat offenders out again and again to practice their evil on the innocents of society. Would you define our city streets as a little heaven on earth?

Didn't think so.

Because God is holy, this means that He must punish all sin. God cannot fellowship with sin...this means that sin must be dealt with!

God punishes every single sin that is ever committed in history...every one!

The Bible tells us that God calls all people to turn from their rebellion and unbelief and to come to Him for mercy...and He will freely give it!

To this, someone might say, "I thought that you said that all sin must be dealt with, that God must punish ALL sin."

Yes, this is exactly what the Bible teaches!

Then someone might conclude that everyone is going to go to hell...period!

The Bible does NOT teach the above...quite the opposite...the Bible describes the number of those in heaven at such a great amount...that a person cannot even begin to count them!

Over the years I have asked people if they believed that you had to be perfect to go to heaven...no one has ever answered yes. Everyone thinks that God is going to judge on a curve...you know the thinking...the good deeds outweighing the bad.

The Bible teaches that unless you are perfect you will be condemned on Judgment day!

This is where the gospel [good news] comes in!

Sinful men and women can stand before the Holy Creator of heaven and earth...completely perfect...BUT...not from anything they have done...its not by their efforts.

God has done it all. God became a man...lived a sinless life...and voluntarily became the substitute for lost sinners!

Jesus didn't have to die...because He never sinned...but He chose to die in the place of rebels. And when He hung on the cross...God the Father poured out His wrath upon His Son...the wrath that rightfully rested upon rebellious sinners.

Those who deny the existence of hell...at the same time...diminish the greatness of God's love!

What they are saying is "that sins debt really wasn't that big of thing"...then they may tip their hat at Jesus for paying the tab...but the tab really wasn't that much...after all.

But when you begin to believe what the Bible teaches about hell [even though it is terrifying]...you also begin to see God's love in a new light.

Jesus came to suffer the infinite payment of hell...a debt that we should have paid.

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior...then all of your sins have been placed on Christ...and have been paid for at the cross...and His righteousness [death and resurrection] are yours...

If you haven't trusted Jesus...look at His great love for you...a love that is so infinite...so consuming that He was willing to suffer hell's agonies so you could be free to live with God!

Remember...the teaching of hell isn't some tool that has been invented to scare people!

The teaching of hell exists...because hell exists.

Heaven isn't going to be a place that is filled with people who merely didn't want to go to hell...it is going to be a place filled with people who love Jesus!

When we begin to taste Jesus great love for us [a love that is willing to suffer greatly in our place]...at the same time God pours His love into our heart...so that we can love Jesus in return...

My love for Jesus doesn't earn my way to heaven...Jesus paid that price apart from anything that I did...He offers salvation as a gift...a free gift!