One common objection to Christianity is the teaching on hell. “I just can’t believe a loving God would send people to hell for lying about their taxes or cheating on their homework. It’s too cruel.” Those who think like this end up either rejecting God or they keep God and reject the biblical teaching on hell. But, is their argument valid? Does the biblical teaching on hell contradict God’s love?

The problem here is rooted in two misunderstandings. We misunderstand God’s desire and we minimize our sin. When we rightly grasp the true nature of God’s love and the depths of our depravity, then we’ll find that hell does nothing to diminish God’s goodness. In fact, hell actually accentuates God’s grace and redeeming love.

We misunderstand God’s desire.

Did you know that God takes no pleasure in the punishment of the wicked? His heart and desire is not for anyone’s eternal judgment. Yes, we should be warned that God will judge all those who stubbornly persist in rebellion (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thess. 1:9), but that is not His desire.

Read these Scriptures and hear for yourself God’s heart on the matter:

“Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’” Ezekiel 33:11

“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

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37

“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. John 3:16-17

God’s desire is singular for our salvation. At every turn he warns of judgment and calls us to experience the free gift of salvation in Jesus. On the cross Jesus takes on the full weight of hell so that we could experience God’s forgiveness and mercy. Therefore, hell isn’t really about God forcing people somewhere, but rather about them rejecting Him. His invitation to heaven goes out to everyone, but is rejected by many. If people don’t want to be with God on earth, then why would they want to be with Him in heaven? Why would a loving God force people into heaven who don’t want to be there?

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.”

C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

We minimize our sin.

Sin is missing the mark of God’s design for our lives. We choose to disobey His good will. We sin from the inside out. Meaning, our hearts are evil (inside) and lead to all sorts of broken decisions (outside). We slight others with our words. We’re selfish. We hunger for power, possessions, and prestige rather than loving God and loving others.

Scripture doesn’t hold back on the magnitude of our fallen state.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Psalm 19:2-3

When we take an honest look at our lives, we start to see that we are far worse off than we’d like to admit. We’re more greedy, more idolatrous, more covetous and more immoral than we let on. We don’t just lie on our taxes once or cheat on our homework occasionally. We reject God every day in many ways. Hell is the consequence of persisting in this rebellion. We don’t choose hell one time. We choose it a thousand times when we resist God in our lives over and over. If we don’t turn from sin, then God will ultimately release us to an eternity apart from Him.

Salvation is about surrender. We stop our rebellion, and confess our sins. We receive the gift of God’s forgiveness that He is extending in Jesus Christ. What a great joy that God is merciful and desires us to be saved. He desires us to be with Him for all eternity. This is the gospel. Anyone can be saved from hell in Jesus. The invitation goes to every single person until the end of their days. God will welcome all the prodigals home even at the eleventh hour. So, come home!

The gospel is this: we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.

Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage