The Wrong Idea

For many individuals, it is difficult to answer, "How could a loving God send anybody to hell?" There is an answer to that question. However, rather than search for the answer, many just surmise that a God of love won't send anybody to hell. In religious terms, this is called Universalism.  It is the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. One Christian presented an argument for Universalism by stating the following:

I am not a Universalist, but their statements make sense.

1 Corinthians 15:22[23]

"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (ESV)

2 Peter 3:9

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (ESV)

1 Timothy 2:3–6[23]

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for ALL men—the testimony given in its proper time." (NIV)

1 John 2:2

"He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (NIV)

1 Timothy 4:10[23]

"For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." (ESV)

Romans 11:32[23]

"For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (NIV)

The way they portray God is as more loving. He will eventually lead everyone. How is that not a good idea?

From a human understanding of love, this may sound like a good idea. However, what is forgotten is that the subject of hell is not about God sending people there, it is about those who end up in hell rejecting God's offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no love without justice. If you do not punish the guilty,  you are telling the innocent that they are not loved. As far as it pertains to these verses being used as a defense of Universalism, are they supportive of a Universalist position? No, they are not. Do those of us who do not believe that God will ultimately save and restore everybody to a right relationship with Him have it wrong? No, we do not. The verses used in support of Universalism contains proof that they do not support it at all. Let us take a look. The numbers correlate to the verse used followed by a brief explanation of how the verse doesn't support Universalism. 

1. "in Christ" - You must be in Christ, accept Jesus Christ as your savior, to go to heaven.

2. "all come to repentance" - God desires all mankind to be saved, but an individual must repent, turn from unbelief in the Gospel to belief in Jesus Christ, to be saved. God will not force anyone to believe.

3. "wants all men to be saved" - Again, salvation is available to everyone. However, the desire of God for all men to be saved doesn't override our free will.

4. This one requires a full understanding of the Gospel. The world is forgiven, but forgiveness doesn't save anybody. Forgiveness makes salvation possible through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God, lost in the Garden, restored to an individual when they accept Jesus Christ and are born again of the Spirit of God.

5. "especially of those who believe" - God, in Christ, is the savior of the whole world. Unfortunately, the whole world isn't saved because not everybody believes in Jesus.

6. "have mercy on them all" - God has shown mercy to all. He became a man, in Christ Jesus, and lived a sinless life we could not. He took the penalty of death for our sin that He did not deserve. He rose from the dead to offer the life of God as a gift to all those who believe in Jesus Christ by faith. Mercy: God doing for us in love, what we could not do for ourselves.

The main thing about the love of God is that it is universal. But, He doesn't love people to the point that it overrides their free will to choose. Nobody will be in heaven who doesn't want to be there. More importantly, everybody in hell will be there because they didn't want to go to heaven.