Today it is common to hear, “God is love. He wouldn’t send anyone hell.” I believe that to be correct. I also hear “God is a God of judgment. God will not allow any sin to go unpunished.” I also believe this to be correct. A paradox.

First, God is a God of love. In John 3:16,17 we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (Jesus), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” God loves His Creation. He sent His One & Only Son to die the death we deserve. So how much does God love us? Roman 5:6-8 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God loves us so much that He sent His Son, our Savior, to take on God’s wrath of judgment.

But what about this “Judgment”? We know this from Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We learn the cost of sin must be paid for from Romans 6:23, “For the wages (what we earned from our sin) is death.” This fact, the price of sin is death is clearly established in Genesis 2 & 3. All of us face the physical death but the second death, the one that all will face at the Judgment before the Father determines where we spend eternity. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8

So, like a coin that has heads & tails, both are true. God is the God of love & judgment. God clearly presented this at the Cross of Jesus. On one side was an unrepentant thief who mocked Jesus. On the other side was a repentant thief who cried out in Luke 23:42, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” In Luke 23:43 Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Because of the Resurrection Power of Jesus, He shares His victory with His Believers. “The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Revelation 2:11. Christ Believers will be “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6

Don’t believe the old lie found thousands of years ago in Genesis 3:4, “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The BIG Lies: ““You will not certainly die,” and “you will be like God.” Both have been proven false.

Like the 2 men dying on their cross. Both had a choice. One chose to spend eternity with Jesus the other chose Hell. Everyone gets the same choice…what about you?