The God of Love

If God was a God of love, then there couldn't be a hell.

This is the claim that many people lodge at bible believing christians.

From atheists to universalists, the claim is made in order to cause the to bible contradictory or to cause us to read all the verses about eternal punishment as a metaphor.

If God is love, as the bible claims, He couldn't send anybody to hell.

They will even go as far to take Jesus' own words to say "if we being evil know how to give good gifts", or in this case, wouldn't want our loved ones to go to hell, "then how much more will The Father give", or in thise case, wouldn't want His loved ones in hell.

Many uninformed believers hear this, and in their mind, it seems very logical.

After all, the bible doesn't just say that God is a God of love... but that He is love.

That's even stronger.

But those same uninformed believers know that there is stil a hell, so how can the two be reconciled? Isn't this a contradiction?

Those who pose the "inconsistency", see it as a gotcha.

Here's the problem though. The "God of love", that they describe... doesn't exist.

How do we know? Our first clue is that hell exists, and people are put there by God.

If there was an "all-loving" god, a being that was all about loving people, then of course there wouldn't be a hell. Hell isn't loving anyone at all. Hell is all about punishment. Receiving the full wrath of God for eternity.

God makes it quite clear the bible that He is not a one dimensional being. He is not this omnipotent love boat.

In other words, those who pose this supposed contradiction actually can't stand the true God because they intentionally strip Him of His other characteristics: holy, just, gracious, merciful.

They actively state that God shouldn't have no other emotion, no other driving force, other than love.

God shouldn't have righteous indignation.

When the caananites literally burn their children alive as an offering to the false god molech, the real God who created them and their children shouldn't feel nothing but love.

This is the god that they say exists.

This god isn't holy, just, merciful nor gracious. Neither is their god overly concerned about these as well.

In other words, they have created an idol, a false god.

They openly show their disdain for the creator and upholder of the universe, by not only saying He doesn't exist but replacing Him with nonsensical image.

They tell God that He's wrong when He declares that His name is Jealous.

When God says He is merciful, in other words, He isn't treating you the way you deserve... and when He says He is gracious, in other words, you don't deserve the things He gives you... these people say that God is lying about Himself.

When we explain to people who God is, if we leave out attributes or characteristics about Him, we end up giving people a false description/understanding of Him.

Is God love? Yes. But God is also Just. If you leave out the justice, then you are wrong. And if you leave out the love, you're also wrong.

Often, however, this error is made by believers who don't really know God very well.

And usually, it's the believers that give the unbelievers the false descriptiob of God.

Let us love God for who He is. Let us put aside all our false ideas of God and find out the truth by studying the scriptures He has provided for us.