Question
When I hear about God torturing sinners forever, I cannot see a God of love. What is God really like; what is His true character?
Answer
God created each one of us with the power of free choice, and when someone does not want to be convinced, it is impossible for us to convince him/her. I have found that atheists are usually people who have a totally wrong picture of God, and therefore choose to not believe in such a horrible picture. We have only one way to help them, and that is to give them the true picture of God, so that they will want to get to know Him.
Firstly, the Bible tells us that by nature alone, we should be convinced of a Creator God. The beauty, variety and intricacy of the trees, plants, flowers, birds, butterflies and other insects, fish and animals, should speak to us, and tell us that these things could not just have happened in such profusion, without a wonderful, almighty mind behind it all.
Romans 1 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Secondly, the Bible gives us a picture of a benevolent, perfect, kind, patient, joyful, peaceful, faithful, good and gentle God of love, who hates sin, but loves all sinners. God realizes that we are born in sin, that we are naturally inclined to sin, and therefore He does not condemn us for our sins. He accepts us just as we are, and wants each one of us to be saved from sin, and to live with Him, face-to-face, in a perfect place, forever. But, even though He accepts us as we are, He does not leave us in our sins and addictions, but immediately starts to change us into His image, when we give ourselves totally to Him.
1 John 4:8 … God is love …
1 Corinthians 13 (NIV) 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails …
1 Timothy 2 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is … not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Matthew 11 28 “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Proverbs 3 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Philippians 4 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
John 17:3 “And this is eternal life—that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
Ephesians 2 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you”, says the LORD, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
John 3 14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea …
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy …
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Isaiah 41:10 ‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.”
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
All of these beautiful promises God gives to those who give their lives to Him. This is possible because Jesus, the Son of God, laid aside His divinity, and came to earth, to be born as a human baby. He lived a perfectly sinless life as a human, totally dependent on God the Father, and then went willingly to the cross, to die for our sins. He took upon Himself all the sins of each of us, and paid for them with His own blood, His own life. This enables God to give us salvation and eternal life for free, without we having to earn it, or pay for it ourselves. Jesus did it all, so we can have it all for eternity.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He (God the Father) made Him who knew no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
God wants to have a close personal relationship with each one of us, to change our characters every day closer to His own character. He wants us to open our hearts to Him as to a Friend, and tell Him everything about ourselves, so that He can reveal much more of Himself to us. He wants us to spend quality time with Him, and get to know Him well, so that we can become His children, and be welcomed into His kingdom, forever.
Jeremiah 9 23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
There is one doctrine that is taught in many denominations and religions, which is the main reason why there are so many atheists. That is the doctrine of an eternally burning hell. That is a false doctrine, which the Bible does not teach. Who would want to love and worship a god who tortures His children, who He created, even though they rejected Him, forever and ever? That is a monster, and certainly not our God. The God we serve will one day burn up and totally destroy all sin, the devil and his demons, and all those who reject His offer of free salvation and eternal life. Sin will be completely destroyed, so only love remains.
Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
Malachi 4 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. 3 You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the Lord of hosts.
Psalm 37 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more.
20 But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.
Ezekiel 28 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.
18 You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. 19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”
Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
No, our God is benevolent and fair, and gives everyone a fair chance to make their choice, for Him or against Him. And then, at the end, He will say to all, Let your will be done. He does not arbitrarily send the wicked to hell, and the saved to heaven, but allows all to choose the path that they want to walk. This is the God that I serve, and I hope and pray that all atheists will see this God, and love Him for His beautiful character, and want to spend eternity with Him.
I trust that this all makes sense to you. God bless!
