11 December 2015

Hard Questions—How can a loving God send people to hell?

How can a loving God send people to hell?


hard questions

A1 Briefly

B1 Two choices


C1 God doesn't love


C2 God does love


C3 Love is defined as


D1 Choice rather than emotion


D2 Has the characteristics of kindness, firmness, commitment, tenderness, gentleness


D3 Is described as (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)


E1 Patient


E2 Kind


E3 Without envy


E4 Without conceit


E5 Without arrogance


E6 Good behavior


E7 Not selfish


E8 Calm, no hateful anger


E9 Doesn't bring up the other person's faults over and over


E10 Doesn't rejoice when bad things happen to someone


E11 Rejoices in the truth


E12 Forbears


E13 Has the attitude to believe (one would especially see this in their spouse or child. They listen and take what they say seriously. It does not imply blind faith or believing something that is questionable).


E14 Faith, hope, and patience do not fail.


C4 God does love.


D1 His character is love. Exodus 34:6-7, 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:12


D2 He sent His only, begotten Son to die for the sins of humanity. Matthew 16:21, Hebrews 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:6, Romans 5:8


B2 Why not just annihilate them?


C1 Not showing love to the victims. Punishment is needed for their sake to pay back the evil others did to them.


C2 Not satisfying justice. Is there justice in the world? People cry out for justice. If there is no justice, then there is no satisfaction of equal treatment. Bribes, bullying, threats, etc. would be much more common that already exist.


C3 Incentive. What incentive would there be to live peacefully in society, it there was no punishment whatsoever?


B3 Humans exceptionalism


C1 We are created in the image of God, so we live forever.


D1 Created Genesis 1:27


D2 Resurrection Daniel 12:2, Matthew 25:46, John 5:29


C2 Moral and responsible for others. This results in that we have duties to perform. See here and here
(also see links on those pages). Genesis 2:15 (some would include Revelation 11:18, for we are to take care of the earth), Psalms 8:6


B4 God has warned about disobedience. Ezekiel 18:4, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Exodus 20


B5 God has given the solution. Acts 16:30-31, Acts 10:43. See Need God.

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