Love: Does God’s keep Him from sending people to Hell?

Doesn’t it make sense that what we believe about Heaven and Hell should be based on what the Bible teaches and not just someone’s opinion? Isn’t the Bible the Book of all books that we can trust above all others? Isn’t the Bible God’s Word for man about all kinds of things, including His love for us?

2 Timothy 3:16-17

¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God [THEOPNEUSTOS = God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect [ARTIOS = complete or brought to maturity], thoroughly furnished unto all good works. [Emphasis added]

The Bible tells us that it was because of God’s love for all mankind that He sent a Savior so that anyone could be saved and delivered from His wrath. The most famous verse for expressing this is known by many—

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ For God so loved the WORLD [KOSMOS = world—all mankind], that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If someone has misinformed you, causing you to think that God doesn’t LOVE everyone, the whole world of mankind, please see my article about this—

God:  Does He love everyone?

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world [all mankind with no exceptions] through him MIGHT BE saved [SOZO = saved or delivered]. [Emphasis added]

The apostle John tells us that God loved us even when we were unsaved.  The apostle Paul also speaks of this.

1 Timothy 2:4-5

⁴ Who will have [THELO = desires] ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

⁵ For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; [Emphasis added]

For more information about this, please see my articles about it—

Salvation:  Does God desire it for everyone?

Salvation:  What about those who have never heard the gospel?

But even though we have a God of love, we also know He’s a God of justice.

Romans 1:17-18

¹⁷ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

¹⁸ For the WRATH of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; [Emphasis added]

God is not hiding exactly who He is and what He’s like from anyone.

Romans 1:19

¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [Emphasis added]

Because of His love for all people He desires all to be saved but He won’t save anyone who refuses to accept the salvation He’s provided for that is gained by grace through faith in Christ. 

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. [Emphasis added]

Acts 4:12

¹² Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is NONE other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. [Emphasis added]

The false teaching known as universalism rejects this principle. Universalists have accepted the belief that regardless of one’s beliefs, EVERYONE without exception will ultimately be saved to escape Hell and the Lake of Fire. But here’s what the Bible says about it.  Scripture plainly tells us that those who reject God and His provision will face His judgment and His wrath—

Romans 2:3-6

³ And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance [METANOIA = a change of mind]?

⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself WRATH against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds: [Emphasis added]

Because mankind’s “deeds,” their works of righteousness aren’t up to God’s standard of perfection, they’ll face His everlasting punishment in Hell and the Lake of Fire. 

Revelation 20:12-15

¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their WORKS.

¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into THE LAKE OF FIRE. [Emphasis added]

That sure doesn’t read like universal salvation to me!

But universalists claim that what the Bible says about all this isn’t true. Their teaching contradicts the revelation God gave the apostle John, the apostle Paul and others.

Romans 11:13

¹³ For I [Paul] speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: [Emphasis added]

Paul tells us God sent Christ to provide a means to our reconciliation with God to avoid this terrible place.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who HATH RECONCIED US to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

For more information about God’s work of reconciliation, please see my articles about it—

Reconciliation: What is universal reconciliation?

Reconciliation: What does it mean to BE reconciled?

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, BE ye reconciled to God.

²¹ For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we MIGHT be made the righteousness of God in him. [Emphasis added]

To avoid the Lake of Fire, this that He did for us MUST be accepted by personal faith.  Only by this will someone be saved to escape the wrath of God.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel [EUANGELION = good news] which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

² By which also ye are saved [SOZO = saved, delivered from danger], if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: [Emphasis added]

It is by faith in THIS gospel that anyone can be saved. Therefore, as great a blessing as this salvation is, it is a GIFT God provides for all those who accept the Savior He provided.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:

⁹ NOT of works, lest any man should boast. [Emphasis added]

But despite all this, there are many who won’t accept it.  This is true now as it has always been.  Here’s what the apostle Paul and even the prophet Isaiah tell us about how it was in their lifetime.

Romans 10:16-17

¹⁶ But they have not ALL obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath BELIEVED our report?

¹⁷ So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. [Emphasis added]

But what about those who’ve not heard this message? I’ve devoted a whole article to addressing that one very important question.  Here’s the link to it—

Heaven:  Will EVERYONE end up there?

I’ve even addressed the love issue with another article about this—

Hell:  How can a loving God send people there? 

The biggest problem people face is their own foolishness about this. God has provided a way for anyone and even everyone to get to Heaven, but it MUST be accepted BY FAITH.  That’s all! No work on man’s part is required at all. Furthermore, believing in His work is not a work on our part. The merit for our salvation is in this work performed by Jesus Christ, not anything we do.

Romans 4:4-5

⁴ Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.

⁵ But to him that WORKETH NOT, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. [Emphasis added]

The apostle Paul did everything he could in his ministry to get this same message to people.  But even upon hearing it, so many would reject it.

Again, Romans 10:16

¹⁶ But THEY have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath BELIEVED our report? [Emphasis added]

What a problem this is with people of every generation! Paul even speaks of this in his prayer request to the Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

¹ Finally, brethren, PRAY for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

² And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. [Emphasis added]

Why would there be a need for such prayer if EVERYONE was going to Heaven? Again, it is because of people’s rejection of God’s love and His grace that so many will spend eternity in terrible torment.

2 Thessalonians 1:9

⁹ Who shall be punished with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; [Emphasis added]

Are such passages of Scripture to be ignored?

One part of the problem on this subject is to do with incorrect translations of the Bible.  Here’s one of a number of examples of this—

1 Timothy 2:4

⁴ Who WILL have ALL men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. [Emphasis added]

That phrase— “will have all men to be saved”— is not a good translation of what Paul is saying there.  The word “will” there that the apostle Paul wrote is the Greek word THELO which means wishes or desires.  It tells us God wishes and desires for all people to be saved but He knows MANY won’t be. This is regardless of the fact that they ALL COULD be saved because of what Christ did for them ALL through His death, burial, and resurrection.  God certainly didn’t have to give man the freedom to choose, but He did!  Both unbelievers and believers make decisions every day that are contrary to what He desires or wishes for them.  Even the fact that God makes commands and demands for man to do certain things shows that man has the “will,” the ability, to make his own decisions.

God wants every man and woman to know of His love for them. We’ve noted John 3:16 in this article, but there are many others that speak of His merciful and compassionate attitude toward all—

Psalm 86:15

¹⁵ But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. [Emphasis added]

Psalm 136:26

²⁶ O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. [Emphasis added]

Jeremiah 31:3

³ The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have LOVED thee with an everlasting LOVE: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. [Emphasis added]

Romans 5:7-8

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [Emphasis added]

Romans 8:37-39

³⁷ Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.

³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Emphasis added]

There are those who claim God’s love and His salvation is only available to those who “repent” of their sins. A major obstacle to that is that unbelievers don’t even know ALL their sins. That’s correct! There’s not a person in the world who knows all the sins they’ve committed, mental attitude sins, sins of omission, and even sins of ignorance. To demand complete “repentance” of all sins in that manner as a requirement for salvation is to place an impossible burden on man.  Nobody gets saved by giving up sinning.  Salvation comes to those who put their faith in the One who paid the penalty for their sins.

Again, 2 Corinthians 5:21

²¹ For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we MIGHT be made the righteousness of God in him. [Emphasis added]

It is by simply accepting this which He did for us that ANYONE can be saved forever.

Anytime anyone says, “Repent of all your sins to be saved,” it is an impossible demand. No one has ever been saved by trying to do something about their sin problem. Human effort never provided anyone with salvation. People don’t get saved by their works but by God’s grace through faith in Christ’s work.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For BY GRACE are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:

⁹ NOT of works, lest any man should boast. [Emphasis added]

Don’t be guilty of twisting and deceitfully handling God’s Word. Just believe it! Note what the apostle Paul said about his own ministry.

2 Corinthians 4:1-5

¹ Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;

² But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

³ But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

⁴ In whom the god of this world [speaking of Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

⁵ For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. [Emphasis added]

Universalism is a false teaching! Its origin is Satan himself. As appealing as it may seem, it is false. As consistent with the love of God as it may seem, it is of Satan.  Again, it is false teaching! Those who accept it as the basis for their salvation are doomed to everlasting suffering.

Philippians 3:17-19

¹⁷ Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

¹⁸ (For MANY walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

¹⁹ Whose end is DESTRUCTION, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) [Emphasis added]

Universalism is “another” gospel, one that rejects the exclusivity of the finished cross-work of Christ.  It is His work alone that makes salvation a possibility that is readily available for anyone.

Conclusion—

Salvation comes to anyone by grace through faith in Christ’s work alone.  Even though salvation is freely available to anyone, you’re going to find that very few will accept it.  “Religious” people are determined to have some part in providing it for themselves.  We’re given clear information about this.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For BY GRACE are ye saved through FAITH; and that [salvation] not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God:

⁹ NOT of works, lest any man should boast. [Emphasis added]

If you want to accept God’s love, accept His Son as the sole basis for your salvation.  If you choose to reject Him, you will face everlasting consequences.

Revelation 20:15

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. [Emphasis added]