If God Is Love, Why Does He Kill People?

Q

I have a question which I hope you can answer for me please, How would you answer someone who asked ; “If God in the New Testament is a God of love, how does that reconcile with God in the Old Testament who authorizes the killing of women and children – how is that love ?

A

God is love, but He’s also righteous and just. Rejecting Him is a sin and the punishment is death. Those Old Testament deaths He authorized were of pagan idol worshipers who had rejected Him in favor of false gods even though He had waited patiently for them to come back to Him. For example He gave the Amorites 400 years to repent before sending the Israelites to judge them (Genesis 15:16). The women who died were adults and were responsible for their beliefs. The children went to a place of comfort to await the coming of the Lord.

At the End of the Age billions more will choose to die rather than acknowledge Him as their Creator, even though out of love He sent His Son to die in their place so they could live. You can’t blame God for any of this.