How can a loving God send someone to hell?
By C.S. Chen
Why is God angry?
Romans 1:18-32
The wrath of God
1. Revelation
2. Rejection
3. Rationalisation
4. Religion
5. Result
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,”
Romans 1:18 NIV
Wrath of God
Reflective of our evil heart
Revealed = manifested being brought to all human beings
While creation groans & waits for redemption
Why evil seems unpunished?
It will come!
“The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands.”
Psalm 9:16 NIV
“God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day.”
Psalm 7:11 NIV
Revealed against those who are Godless & wicked; Against the sin of the world
All = everyone, unless we come to the Lord Jesus Christ
Suppress = ignore
Held back by the patience of God
Waiting for the day when His wrath will pour
Throughout human history a few drops of wrath poured out on especially vicious outbreak of rebellion
Sin not tolerated but piling up
“since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.”
Romans 1:19 NIV
Known by God from the vastness of heavenly bodies to the amazing beauty of each flower to the hydrologic cycle of water to the mystery of human birth to the glory of sunrise.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1 NIV
We have no excuse of not knowing God…
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Romans 1:20 NIV
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
Romans 1:21 NIV
Neither glorify nor give thanks but putting self as god
Rejecting God & coming out with their own theories
Although the chief end of men is to glorify God & enjoy Him forever
They became fools (emoranthesan – from where the word moron comes from)
A religious world with lots of religions
A world which worship idols (money, sex, K-pop idols, etc)
“Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.”
Romans 1:28 NIV
God abandoned men
Give them over = punishment, sentencing
Forsake God & He forsakes you
“Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”
Romans 1:32 NIV
Not only those who commit but those who approve by watching & inaction
With all the laws, there is no escape
No escape whether by seeking psychiatrists, taking vacations, meditation or drugs
Only way is to return to God