How can God be loving if he sends people to hell?

This is one of Christianity’s biggest questions that both Christians and non-Christians struggle with. If I wouldn’t even wish eternal torment on my worst enemies, then how can a God who claims to be loving send people to hell?

Here are three reasons why hell’s existence has never really caused me to question God’s existence, his goodness, or scripture’s credibility:

1. Actions have consequences.

Every choice anyone ever makes has consequences. The word “consequence” usually carries a negative connotation, but consequences can also be good. For example: I brushed my teeth and flossed every day last year, and one “consequence” I reaped from those actions was not having any cavities when I went to the dentist. (Woohoo!)

The way I see it, “hell” is just the natural consequence of rejecting eternal life. Think about it: If someone rejects eternal life (God) then what does that leave them with? Only eternal death (hell).

Consequences are just natural outcomes for our choices, and hell is just the natural outcome of sin.

2. Without hell, justice wouldn’t be possible.

What about all the people who live their entire lives in extravagant luxury gained from oppressing the poor? What about all the murderers who never get caught? What about all the rapists who never get caught? How unjust would God have to be to reward those kinds of souls with eternal bliss and pleasure?

How could justice exist if Satan was allowed to wreak destruction on zillions of souls over a period of thousands of years without consequence?

If hell didn’t exist (or something like it) then justice wouldn’t even be possible.

3. The bigger the offense, the bigger the consequence.

There are no consequences for killing a fly, but if you kill someone’s DOG on the other hand, there are gonna be some consequences. Now if you take it one step further and murder someone’s CHILD then the consequences are gonna be wayyy bigger. An action’s consequences are proportionate to its severity. It only makes sense that one’s dealings with a God (who is ultimate and eternal) would have consequences that are also ultimate and eternal.

Bottom line: Hell = existence without God.

I don’t view Hell strictly as prison / punishment. Instead, I view it as what my existence would be like if it was devoid of all the life, hope, and love that exists exclusively in God. If I were to spend my entire existence without even acknowledging God’s existence, it would only make sense for that separation to continue into eternity.