Denny answers:
A judge may not want to send a criminal to jail. But he is only a good judge if he punishes lawbreakers. In the same way, God is love, but He is also just and holy. He must punish sin. Each of us has broken at least one of God's laws against lying, stealing, dishonoring parents, saying God's name as a bad word, or loving anything more than God.
The punishment for sin is death - to be separated from God in hell. Even though we are sinners, God loved us so much that He sent His Son to take our punishment. Jesus died on the cross so those who trust Him can love Him, obey Him, and live with Him in heaven. God doesn't want us to die as sinners, but people who don't turn from sin and believe in Jesus must be punished.
Bible Truth
- "But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives" (2 Peter 3:9b, NCV).
- "The LORD has told you, human, what is good; he has told you what he wants from you: to do what is right to other people, love being kind to others, and live humbly, obeying your God" (Micah 6:8).
- "But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners. So through Christ we will surely be saved from God's anger, because we have been made right with God by the blood of Christ's death" (Romans 5:8-9, NCV).
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