One of the most sincere objections to Christianity is the question: “Why would a loving God create people just to send them to hell?” Behind this question is often a sense of confusion, pain, or even anger at what appears to be a contradiction between God’s love and the reality of eternal punishment. But does the Bible really teach that God created man with the intention of damning him? Absolutely not.
Hell Was Not Made for Man
Jesus said plainly in Matthew 25:41:
“Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Hell was not designed for humanity. In the beginning God declared His creation “very good” (Gen 1:31). Hell was prepared as a place of punishment for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6). Yet, when people reject God and choose to align themselves with evil, they share in that consequence—not by design, but by decision.
God Created Man for Fellowship, Not Destruction
Genesis 1:26 declares that God created man in His image—unique among creation, endowed with reason, moral awareness, and free will. Man was made to walk with God, to live in fellowship with Him. He was not programmed to obey, but given the freedom to love or rebel.
Sadly, sin separates. “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2). And in that state of separation, man is lost. But the separation is not God’s doing—it’s man’s. God doesn’t force rebellion on anyone.
Think of it like this: If a doctor offers a cure and you refuse it, the illness will run its course. God has offered the cure for sin through Jesus—but He won’t force anyone to take it.
Eternal Punishment and Divine Justice
Philosopher Bertrand Russell rejected Christianity largely because Jesus taught the doctrine of hell. He saw it as inconsistent with divine love. Yet this reflects a misunderstanding of both justice and love.
If God is truly just—and Scripture affirms He is (Romans 2:5)—then sin must be addressed. Society itself acknowledges that wrongdoing requires consequence. No one complains when murderers are sentenced beyond the time it took them to commit their crimes. The length of punishment is not based merely on the duration of the offense, but on the magnitude of the crime and the nature of justice. So it is with sin. To rebel against the eternal, holy Creator is not a light offense—it is an eternal one. And the Bible affirms that the punishment of the wicked is indeed eternal (Matthew 25:46; Revelation 14:11).
The Cross: Christ Bore Our Hell
Here is where God’s love and justice meet—in the cross of Jesus Christ.
When man finally realizes the depth of his sin—that he has violated the holiness of God and stands utterly hopeless to fix it on his own—only then can he begin to grasp the magnitude of God’s love. The gospel is not that Christ simply bore our sins, but that He bore the penalty of our sins. He bore our “hell” at Calvary.
As Isaiah prophesied:
“The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
God didn’t lay the guilt of sin itself on Jesus, but He laid the punishment due to us—the wrath we deserved—upon His Son. That’s why Paul could write that God is both “just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
Christ bore the penalty for sin at Calvary. In His sacrifice, God opened the way for every sinner to escape the judgment of hell (Matt. 23:33). That is not cruelty—it is grace. It is not indifference—it is love beyond measure. In view of the cross, how could anyone deny the depth of God’s love and the greatness of His gift?
The Answer to the Question
So, did God create man just to send him to hell?
No.
He created man to walk with Him in love and holiness. Hell exists because some choose separation over surrender, sin over salvation.
But though we wander by our own choosing, God still pleads for our return:
“I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked… turn and live” (Ezekiel 18:32).
God’s desire is not to condemn, but to save. His will is that every person repent and live—not perish.
“[He] is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).This verse is central to understanding God’s character. It teaches that:
• God lovingly desires the salvation of all people.
• It directly refutes the mistaken belief that God wants anyone to be lost.
• It reveals the perfect balance between God’s justice and His mercy, shown through His patience in giving sinners time to repent.
The invitation is still open.
God is calling you to eternal life through the gospel. The cross of Christ still offers hope, forgiveness, and salvation—but you must respond. He will not force your will. You must choose to follow Him.
“Enter by the narrow gate… For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14).
Will you walk the path that leads to life?
