Why Does God Create People That He Knows Will Go to Hell?

God has revealed to us that there is an eternal heaven. And He has revealed to us there is an eternal hell. And he has revealed to us Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, who comes from heaven and truly enters hell on the cross.

Colin Smith

Updated Jun 19, 2025

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I do not know the ultimate answer to that question. And that is actually a very important statement to make, because God has revealed some things to us. He has not revealed all things to us. Deuteronomy says the hidden things, the secret things, belong to the Lord. And we have to leave the secret things with the Lord. One thing to say is that God is free to do whatever he chooses because he is God. And as one who loves him, there is a place for the Christian believer simply to bow in humility before that.

But I think having raised that fascinating and unanswerable question, where do we go from there? Well, what has God revealed to us? God has revealed to us that there is an eternal heaven. And He has revealed to us there is an eternal hell. And he has revealed to us Himself in His Son, Jesus Christ, who comes from heaven and truly enters hell on the cross. He enters every dimension of what hell is on the Cross, and he does this with his arm stretched out and his hands pierced with nails, so that you and I should never go there.

Originally published May 05, 2025.

Colin Smith is President of Open the Bible and Pastor Emeritus of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He can be heard daily on the radio broadcast, Open the Bible. Colin is the author of many books, including: Fly Through the Bible, Heaven, How I Got Here, and Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings Through the Beatitudes. He is married to Karen, and they have two married sons and five granddaughters.