According to a poll conducted a few years back, while 86% of Americans believe in God, only 70% believe in the devil and 69% believe in hell. It seems that many people do not believe in God because they find that belief in God and belief in hell are mutually incompatible. They are not. Consider…
GOD IS LOVE
1 John 4:8: “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Consider the thoughts about God revealed in Exodus 34:6-7a. God is love. He is pure love. He is infinite love. He is by nature, love. He cannot not love. It is who He is. That love is expressed in other ways: compassion, grace, slow to anger, abounding in loving-kindness and truth.
GOD IS HOLY
But God is also holy. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” – Isaiah 6:3. What does “holy” mean? “Spiritually perfect or pure; untainted by evil or sin” Webster’s. God is holy. He is pure holiness. He is infinite holiness. He is by nature, holy. He cannot not be holy.
So, spiritually speaking, God cannot approve of sin – it is outside of His nature. “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and you cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Habakkuk 1:13).
WHY DIDN’T GOD MAKE MAN WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO SIN?
Because God is love. Love allows choices – even if there are bad choices, love allows growth. Growth involves choices. Love allows mistakes. Mistakes are how you learn to make better choices.
If God stepped in and stopped us every time we made a bad and/or sinful choice, then our lives would not be dependable. The world would not be dependable. And, we would not really be free, would we? God would always be stepping in and saving us from our bad choices.
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GOD IS JUST
Just means “right or fair; equitable; impartial” (Webster’s). Genesis 18:25 – “Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” God must do what is right and fair. God is just. He is pure justice. He is infinite justice. He is by nature, just. He cannot not be just.
Justice means that sin – disobedience – has to be punished. That’s the point behind Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death.” That’s because of the holy and just nature of God.
GOD IS HATRED
If God is perfect and God is complete and God is infinite – then He is also perfect, complete, and infinite in hatred. But, being pure and rigtheous, God hates the one thing – the only thing – that deserves to be hated – sin. He hates arrogance and perverted speech (Proverbs 8:13). There seven things mentioned in Proverbs 6:16-19 which He hates.
HELL
Why does hell exist? Because some people – many people – reject the love of God found in Jesus Christ. Many people are bent on doing things their own way and thus violate the holiness of God. Many people are not going to put on the “Hazmat” suit that is Jesus Christ and thus be punished by the justice of God. Many people are going to feel the wrath of God. That is why hell exists.
That is why God sent Jesus. That’s why we need to obey Jesus. He saves us from the wrath of God that is coming against those outside of Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
–Paul Holland
