“Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.”
A better question: how can a just God have grace on others? Frankly, both questions have the same answer – the death and resurrection of Jesus. Grace can be administered because the Son of God willingly took on the punishment of those who would call Him Lord. But, to those, who refuse to call Him Lord, and would rather be left to their own vices, they are responsible to take on the punishment of their actions – Eternal Death. How can a loving God damn others? By being more than loving. Yes, He is loving, and He perfectly embodies love. But He is also just, and He perfectly embodies Justice.
In response to how a loving God can damn a good person, the answer is simple. If the good person has done any sort of sin – sin being anything shy of perfection – then they are liable to pay the price. “The wage of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). The follow up is then, “But nobody is perfect!” My answer is “Yes, hence why we are so desperate for a savior.”
While on the topic of sin and death, a popular accusatory question is “Will your God send me to hell because I’m gay?” or instead of homosexuality place your sin of choice, my answer will always be the same. “No, God isn’t going to damn you because of [said sin]. He’s going to damn you because you were impatient with the person in line ahead of you, became irritated with traffic, or did not have enough grace for your fellow human being. The sin you mentioned earlier is just another reason on the list. But this list will be wiped clean for all eternity if you simply surrender to Jesus, and choose to love Him, and make Him the Lord, the Governor, the Cornerstone of your life.”
The Father’s Bargain
“Father—‘My son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls?’ And thus Christ returns.
“Son—‘O my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their Surety; bring in all thy bills, that I may see what they owe thee; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after reckonings with them; at my hand shalt thou require it. I will rather choose to suffer thy wrath than they should suffer it: upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt.’
“Father—‘But, my Son, if thou undertake for them, thou must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare thee.’
“Son—‘Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, (for so indeed it did, 2 Cor. 8: 9. “Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor”) yet I am content to undertake it.’
“Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.” — The Fathers Bargain, John Flavel