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If God loves us, why did He make hell?

Is hell a real place of eternal fire and brimstone where the condemned suffer forever as punishment from God?

The Bible says in 1 John 4: 8 that “God is love.” So, if God loves us, how can a God of love make such a horrible place for humanity? It doesn’t seem to make sense for God to condemn His own creation.

That is why some have speculated that the doctrine of hell is a falsehood fabricated by charlatans with the purpose of scaring others and (through fear) convincing them to follow their teachings, to attend their churches, and to give money to their ministries. Is this so?

What does the Word of God say?

The Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and there is nothing more authoritative than God’s Word (John 17:17). We are interested in what the Bible says. Let’s allow the Word of God to reconcile in our minds these two ideas that seem contradictory: eternal damnation and a God who loves us.

Hell exists

The word “hell” is mentioned 54 times in the Bible (King James Version). Jesus preached about hell more than anyone else in the Bible. In the New Testament there are 162 references about hell. Although they do not all necessarily mention the word “hell”, they are references to hell. More than 70 of these references were spoken by Jesus Christ himself.

Hell is a place of eternal fire. In the following passage, Jesus tells us the story of someone who went to hell: Luke 16: 19-31, “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Christ said in Mark 9:43-48 that the suffering in hell is so severe that it would be better to live life with one hand, one foot, or one eye rather than enter hell with our whole body and burn forever.

We see in the Bible that hell is a place of extreme pain, torment, suffering, without mercy, without consolation, and without love. There is no place worse than hell!

Is there evidence of hell?

The Bible teaches that hell is located in the heart of the earth. (Compare Psalm 16:10 with Matthew 12:40). Scientifically, this makes sense because we know there is fire within the earth. This is what we see in the news every time they announce a volcano eruption. When we see a photo of a volcano spitting out lava and sulfur we are witnessing the fires of hell itself.

False religions try to eliminate the truth of hell

There are religious people who do not believe in hell. They cannot understand how a God of love can make such a horrible place. So instead of accepting what the Bible says they invent false interpretations. For example, many believe in annihilation, which is teaching that the condemned soul will be eliminated instead of suffering for all eternity. But this is false. The Bible says in Revelation 14:11, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.”

Why did God create hell?

Now that we have seen that hell exists according to the Bible, we return to the original question. How is it possible for God to condemn us but love us at the same time?

The truth is that GOD DID NOT MAKE HELL FOR HUMANITY. Jesus will say to the condemned in Matthew 25:41, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”. Notice that hell was not prepared for man. Hell was prepared for the devil and the angels that rebelled against God!

It was never God’s desire for us to be condemned in hell.

When He completed His creation of man the Bible says that “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) God put man in the garden of Eden. What God prepared for man was paradise, not hell. God wanted fellowship with man, not condemnation.

The problem of sin

The problem is that despite all the blessings of paradise that God prepared for man, man disobeyed the commandment of God. This sin of disobedience caused separation between God and man.

God is holy. And because of His holiness sin cannot endure in His presence. God loves us and wants to have constant fellowship with us, but He cannot when there is sin.

It is like the relationship of a father and his son. A good father loves his son. But when the son is in rebellion against his father, they cannot have the companionship that the father desires because there is a problem harming their relationship. Our sins prevent us from having a good relationship with God.

The love of God

That is why Christ died on the cross. God loved us so much that He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the world to provide for us the way of salvation. Christ loved us so much that He willingly gave His life on the cross for our sins.

Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16 “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.”

In the Old Testament the Jews brought calves, goats, or lambs to the temple for priests to sacrifice. This was the way the Jews received the forgiveness of their sins in ancient times. But Christ became “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Christ provided a perfect sacrifice so effective that He could atone for our sins once and for all. (Hebrews 10:10-12)

If you are ready to turn your back on your sins by accepting the sacrifice of Christ by faith in Him alone, Jesus will forgive you and cleanse you of your sins by His precious blood. This is salvation. Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Hell is the manifestation of God’s wrath against rebellion and sin. However, when someone receives Christ as their Savior, the wrath of God is pacified and by His love and mercy He rescues them from the damnation of hell.

Unfortunately, there are many who reject the love that the Lord demonstrated toward us on the cross, deciding rather to live in their sins instead of letting God change their lives. These people, when they die, will go to hell, not because it is what God wants, but because there IS NO OTHER OPTION! They cannot have fellowship with God unless they are washed by the blood of Christ. And because they cannot have fellowship with God they cannot enter heaven because sin cannot remain in the holy paradise of God.

So the condemnation of man is not God’s fault. If you go to hell, it will be your fault because God has done all He can to save you from your sins and rescue you from hell.

Do not go to hell!  God loves you. Receive Christ as your Savior and let Him change your life. Do it right now! 2 Corinthians 6:2b “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”.

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

—Pastor Emanuel Rodríguez

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