God is love. 1st John tells us that.
Christians tell people today that "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life" in one breath. In another we say you need to get saved so you don't go to hell.
Hell is a real place where most end up for ETERNITY, and that is not a wonderful plan for your life. What gives?
Who created this world? Jesus. Who created everything in the universe? Jesus. Who created hell? JESUS. Who will say depart from me for I never knew you (see Matthew 7)? JESUS.
If God is a God of love, then he could not create hell is man's argument.
The answer is this. Yes Jesus is a God of Love. But that is just one of his attributes. He LOVES but it is not our love. Our love is selfish, our love is imperfect, our love is not sinless. God is love but without his holiness his love is tainted. He is HOLY and separate from sinners. HE is merciful and HE is JUST. He is a God of wrath. A God of judgment. HE is the Judge of all the earth. He is the Savior of the world. Only at the cross does GOD's LOVE meet HIS WRATH. His hatred of sin is so pure that only hell satisfies the penalty for our sin or a perfect sinless sacrifice. So Jesus offered himself as a substitute for sin. If we truly see how much we rebelled against a Holy God and see he still offers a solution we will see how that is love and see we can't ignore his method to bring man to himself.
Jesus said he is the way. but we neglect this and despise his free pardon. He gave his life because he must punish sin but his love is why he took that punishment. He can't ignore his holiness and what many will count on on the day of Judgment ---the love of God--- to save them is going to be exactly what CONDEMNS them. How can you escape if you neglect so great salvation? You can't.
We think, who is he to say we can't save ourselves? Who is he to say we must come to him? He is God. If you can create something with the power and heat of the sun, you may be able to get a say in how to be saved. Until then you ought to count the cost and examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. A true Christianity is not a smorgasbord where you pick and choose the parts of God you like and pass by what doesn't appeal to you. Think of facing a judge. It doesn't matter if he is a wonderful loving guy if you face him guilty of murder. It is justice that must be served, not love.
In fact, a Judges love for justice will ensure the guilty do not go free.. It is the corrupt, selfish judge that cares only about bribes and who is paying his salary over whether a person is punished to the full extent of the law. Enforcing the law is not loveless, it is a love for truth and a love for justice and a love for righteousness that drives God. Not letting the guilty free and not bowing to human reasoning that hell is too harsh a crime. Not when God himself took our sin upon himself and offers that freely to all who believe.
If we understood how sinful we are we might just look to Jesus. Our sins are like shopping at Wal Mart. I came in to the store last night with 6 items on my list. I did not buy any meat or anything that expensive. I bought a gallon of milk and hot cocoa and orange juice for $1.98 and yogurts and Poland spring water and Ritz crackers and apple sauce and english muffins and Kit Kats and Cheerios and strawberries and granola bars and string cheese. $2 here, $5 here, $.50 here, $2.98 each for Red Barron frozen pizzas. When I checked out all my little items added up to $135. So is our sin. We think, one lie no big deal. Oops, I blasphemed but that car cut me off. I stole this but they really are the thieves ripping me off. Yes it is sex outside of marriage but we are getting married in June. Besides everyone is doing it. Pornography? Who am I hurting? Man I hate him, he just gets under my skin. I don't think anyone likes him. They work me like a dog, I am not punching out for this break I just took. And on and on. 1 lie is all it takes to make us a liar and guilty and lust is adultery and hatred is murder.
Do you see your guilt? It is not good man in trouble with a bad God. It is BAD MAN in trouble with a GOOD GOOD GOD. Jesus saves but he will not allow sin into heaven. He loves you, but he hates your sin. And that is why he went to the cross.
You need to be saved. Then you will truly experience the LOVE of God.
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