Is Hell a Proof that God is Cruel?

Shalom and happy Sabbath!

Today we will be discussing a question many people ask, “is hell a proof that God is cruel?”

Did you know? 

“…the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice,—one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them.”

Steps to Christ 10.3

Do we also have the picture of a cruel God in our mind? If we do, let’s continue to hear this devotion until the end.

Maybe some have this thought in mind, “Isn’t He the most-forgiving, compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, merciful God? Then why is there a hell full of cruelty? Isn’t it proof that God is a cruel God?”

Now let us trace the root of suffering in this world. Why it is full of misery, disappointment, illness, death, and all other horrible things? It is because of sin. Sin is the cause of all these things.

A question for us, Do we want to be in a world where there is no more death, no more pain, no more crying? Yes! We all long for that world, don’t we?

If we want to live in a world where there is no suffering, pain, disappointment, death, then we need to destroy the cause of it—sin.  

Once we understand this concept, let us see whether hell is a proof of a cruel God or a merciful God.

Let us see closer. What does God really want to destroy? He wants to destroy sin which is the cause of all suffering, pain, and even death. Our loving God does not want to destroy human beings. He wants to burn the root of the problem so that we can live happily. But then, why will there be some who are destroyed as well?

To answer that question, allow me to share an illustration. Imagine that we have something attached closely to us; let’s say it is our cellphone that we hold all the time. Look at the cellphone as a sin which will be destroyed someday. But our merciful God, who does not want us to be destroyed, comes to us and offers a Bible as an exchange. However, we still hold that phone so dearly that we do not want to release it. Can you imagine what will happen? The phone, as it is with sin as the root of all suffering, will still be destroyed. But when the time comes, since we still hold onto that phone, we will be destroyed as well.

So, hell is actually a proof of God’s love to us for the things He wants to wipe away is “…all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 2:14)

Going back to the question earlier, is hell a proof of a cruel God? No! Instead, it is a proof of His love that gives us a way to have an eternal, joyful life. But if we choose to hold onto sin, then we will also be destroyed in the fire and perished.

Therefore, do not let Satan blinds us with the thought that God is a cruel God. The chance we have to live today is to be used wisely. Use it to leave sins and turn to our most-loving God. His grace will empower us to leave our sins behind.

May this devotion be able to open our hearts and minds that the God we serve is the most-loving, compassionate, patient, full of grace and mercy. “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation …” (2 Peter 3:15)

Happy Sabbath and God bless us all. Amen.