Select Page

How can an all loving God punish people forever in hell?

by | Apr 22, 2021 | God, Questions

Many critics of Christianity ask, “How can an all-loving God punish people forever in hell?” The question is worth asking, but unfortunately, it does not accurately represent the Christian God. God is not just “all-loving.” He isn’t just one quality. He is also good (Psalm 25:8), forgiving (Psalm 86:5), merciful (James 5:11), patient (Romans 2:4), personal (John 10:34), just ( Neh. 9:32-33), loving (John 4:8, 16), and righteous (Daniel 9:14).  So, all of these attributes of God combine into the totality of who God is. Therefore, the proper question should be, “How can a loving God who is righteous, forgiving, merciful, and just condemn people to hell forever?”  That way, God is more completely represented.

Often, those who criticize Christianity don’t know who the Christian God is. So, when they criticize him, there often criticizing something we don’t believe in.  I point this out to people all the time in my impromptu debates on the Internet. I tell them that they don’t understand who the Christian God is, and that’s why they don’t ask the right questions about them.  In light of that, I offer this paragraph to explain to the Christian God is.

The Christian God

“There is only one God (Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5), who is the one and only necessary (Exodus 3:14-15), Trinitarian Being (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), eternally consisting (Psalm 90:2) of three simultaneous and distinct persons (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14), the Father (Phil. 1:2), the Son (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). The Trinity is spiritual in nature (John 4:24; Luke 24:39), is non-contingent (Isa. 44:24; Acts 17:25; 1 Tim. 6:16), unchanging (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 9:22), transcendent (Exo. 3:14; Isa. 44:24), and sovereign (Isaiah 46:10). He is the ultimate source (Rom. 4:17) of all truths (Psalm 31:5; Eph. 1:11), all actualities (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 44:24), and all potentialities (Luke 10:13; John 15:22). He created the universe (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 42:5). He does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3; Dan. 4:35) and ordains all that occurs (Eph. 1:11). He possesses infinite knowledge (1 John 3:20), wisdom (Psalm 147:5), presence (Psalm 139:7–12), and power (Genesis 18:14) that manifest out of His good and holy nature (1 Pet. 1:16). That which is good is revealed by God’s nature (Mark 10:18) which is consistent with His holiness (1 Sam. 2:2; 1 Pet. 1:16). He has revealed Himself in creation (Rom. 1:20), Scripture (Exo. 20:1–5; John 5:39), and Jesus (John 1:1,14; Heb. 1:3). There is no condition in which the Christian God might exist or could not exist (Ex. 3:14; Psalm 90:2) since that would not be the God of the Bible.”  https://carm.org/christianity/who-is-god

An analogy. Is a rainbow one color?

rainbow - all loving God

A rainbow is comprised of many colors.  If we took just one of the colors, say green, and then said, why do people consider rainbow so beautiful when they’re all green?  As you can see, that is a misrepresentation of what a rainbow is. Likewise, if you take one quality of God to represent all of what he is, then you are misrepresenting God. God has many attributes and to take one and ignore the others is to misrepresent him.

Back to the Question

The original question was, “How can an all-loving God punish people forever in hell?” but as I’ve stated, God is more than just “all-loving.” Therefore, when we understand that God is also just and holy and must punish those who sin, we can see why God would punish people in hell. But then, why forever? The answer is simple. When we sin, we sin against an infinitely holy God. Therefore, there’s an infinite offense. This is why eternal punishment is the result.

SUPPORT CARM

Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. We greatly appreciate your consideration!

SCHOOLS USER LOGIN

If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at [email protected].

MATT SLICK LIVE RADIO

Call in with your questions at:

877-207-2276

3-4 p.m. PST; 4-5 p.m. MST;
6-7 p.m. EST

You May Also Like…