This is a very difficult concept to come in terms with. If God is so loving, why would He send people to hell for eternity (i.e. forever)? Why wouldn’t He give us another life instead of sending us to hell so that we can correct ourselves? After all, most of us have not mass murdered or raped little children! This is indeed a good question! Let me explain.

This can be explained in several different ways:

THE SEVERITY OF PUNISHMENT DEPENDS ON THE VICTIM: ALL SINS ARE AGAINST AN INFINITE GOD

Let me give you simple analogy. Ravi, a 2 year old boy, loved shoes. He was fascinated by them that he enjoyed throwing it at others. When He threw a shoe at his father, he scolded Ravi and said, “Don’t do it.” But Ravi did not stop throwing shoes at people. When he was in middle school, he threw a shoe at the school principal. He was suspended from school for a week. When he was in college, he threw a shoe at the president of his college. He lost his grades and graduated as an average student.

When he started working, he threw a shoe at the CEO; Ravi got fired! But he still loved shoes and enjoyed throwing it at others. He wanted to see the President of United States. He came for a meeting where the President was speaking, and there, he did it again! He threw a shoe at the President. He was shot dead by the special service agents. This analogy shows different punishments for the same wrong thing when it is done to different people.

Every wrong thing that we do (i.e. sin) is ultimately done against God. Why? Because God created us in His image to do good things and bring glory to His name. Instead, we chose to rebel against God by doing the very things which He commanded us not to do. So when we lie, hurt someone, cheat someone, hate someone and take someone else’s things (without their permission), we are ultimately sinning against God.

Since God is Infinite, Eternal, incomprehensibly Holy, and the most important Person in the whole universe, any sin committed against Him must be punished eternally which is away from His presence (in hell) forever!

THOSE WHO GO TO HELL CHOOSE IT WILLINGLY

C. S. Lewis said,

”The door of hell is locked on the inside.”

”There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘[Your] will be done’ and those to whom God will say, ‘[Your] will be done. All that are in hell, choose it. ”

There is an assumption in the question, “Why would a loving God send us to hell?” The assumption is that God sends people to hell against their will. It is simply not true. God desires that everyone go to heaven and be with Him forever

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."(2 Peter 3:9).

But God has given us freewill to decide what we want which is either to enjoy God in heaven or continue to walk against God into hell. He has already offered us forgiveness for our wrong doings through Jesus Christ. God has promised us that if we believe in Jesus Christ and surrender our lives to Him then we will go to heaven and be saved from the punishment of hell. But if we still choose to ignore or reject this offer of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ, it is our decision to walk against God into hell!

JESUS ON THE CROSS REPRESENTS OUR SINS

Have you seen the movie, “Passion of Christ?” This movie depicts the pain and suffering that Jesus went through. In this movie, there is scene which graphically shows His flogging. The Romans were ruthless when it came to punishments. They knew how to torture their prisoners. The Romans used a whip called a flagrum, which consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. When you whip someone with this, these metal pieces would pierce the flesh. When the pull the whip back, it tears the skin exposing flesh. The Bible says about Jesus that,

“his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14)

Then they took Jesus to the place of crucifixion, stripped Him of His clothes and put Him on the cross. The cross in usually wood with very rough surface. His body rubbed against the rough wood as He struggled to push Himself up for air while He was on the cross. Why such horrendous death? The Bible says that Jesus took our sins on to Himself.

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

This is how God sees our wrong doings (i.e. sins). If Jesus, the son of God, through whom the whole creation came to be, who never ever sinned to deserve any punishment, had to die in such a horrible way, imagine what we deserve? Nothing less than Hell!

THE RIGHT QUESTION

So the right question is, “Why would God let sinners like us into Heaven?” and not "Why God would send people to Hell?"

The Simplest answer is,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18)

Anyone can go to heaven if they believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins, including you. God is not waiting to see you suffer in hell,

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

The free offer of forgiveness is available to the whole world, through Jesus Christ. But the question is, "What do we do with it?" Are we going to accept it or reject it?

Jesus Christ said, "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.” (John 8:24)"

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:30-31)"

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

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