Dear Conrad.  How can a loving and benevolent God send someone to hell?  -- Jasmine

Dear Jasmine,

When thinking about God we always have to consider all his attributes.  Yes, God is a God of love.  But we also believe that God is fair and just. 

Would it be fair for a parent to reward both the child that obeyed a command to clean his room with the same reward to the other child who yelled back and went into his room and burned it down?

The parent can still love both kids, but he must be just too.  He will reward the one an punish the other.  In this example the parent has both attributes of love and justice. 

In the courts we get rid of judges that are unjust.  We would call a judge to be unjust to let a criminal go free, much less reward a criminal for his crimes.

The great thing about God is that any criminal can have his crimes paid for by Christ if only they submit to Him. 

God is a God of love and justice.  We sin, and deserve punishment - that's justice. 

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But since God is also a God of love provided a payment for our sins - through Christ's death.  We didn't have to pay for our sins, Christ paid for our sins.  The sins are paid for - justice is satisfied.  God's love and justice are both served.