All Bible quotes are from the NASB translation.
It is stated in the Bible that “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Yet it is also stated that people should “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). Do these two statements conflict with one another? This article seeks to explain the nature of hell and show how people, not God, are at fault for hell's existence.
Separation from God is Hell
It does not take a theology degree to realize that humans, without Christ’s sacrifice, are separated from God. It does not take a Bible, either, although Ephesians 2:12 does say to believers (prior to their conversion) that “you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
That description sounds largely like the nature of hell, flames or not. Indeed, it could be said that those who live separate from God are in hell already, though not without an escape.
What caused this separation—in other words, what created hell in the first place? The answer is sin, which results in separation for many from their Creator. The Bible speaks of Adam and God living in the same garden and communicating directly with one another. But Adam’s sin—an allegory for the abuse of free will that all humans are guilty of—led to God’s banishing him from the “tree of life” (Genesis 3:24).
Hell, then, is not a matter of God taking good, happy people and throwing them into the flames. God might have separated Adam from the tree of life, but only because of his sinfulness. It is that sinful condition that, unless it is remedied, leads to people “having no hope and without God in the world.”
Those in hell, then, cannot fault God for their condition. They were living in hell during their time on Earth and continued to do so after death.
For more information on how one can be forgiven (and thus be saved from hell), read "Steps That may be Necessary for Forgiveness."
Christ Can Reunite You with God
It could be said that most religions originate in an attempt to bridge the gap between humans and God. Many advocate good works; others profess a lifestyle, or series of rituals, that can bring one closer to their Creator. In Christianity, Christ is "the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).
When Jesus died on the cross, He endured all the separation from God that sins had resulted in. This may explain why the Apostle’s Creed states that “He descended into hell”; Jesus was enduring all the punishment and separation that sins had ever caused.
Those who repent for their sins and believe in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice, thus, are on the path back to God; their offenses need not result in separation from God the Father. The Holy Spirit, given to believers from God the Father (and the Son, according to some), unites Christians with God in love and fellowship—a condition that could be described as Heaven. Those who wonder if they actually have the Holy Spirit inside of them should read the article "Knowing the Holy Spirit is Within."
Universalism is a controversial theory, but Christ's sacrifice made the idea possible. For a Trinitarian Universalist perspective on the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, read this article.
Living with God is Possible
In short, hell can be considered the separation between God and humans that results from sin. When Christ endured all the “hell” that humanity’s sins would ever cause, it became possible for believers to reunite with God and live in Heaven.
