"Many nonbelievers know only two kinds of Christians: those who speak the truth without grace and those who are very nice but never share the truth. What they need to see is a third type of Christian - one who, in a spirit of grace, loves them enough to tell them the truth."
~Randy Alcorn
"The question is well worth pondering: What, in hell, has God ever done for us?The answer, of course, is that in Christ, God himself has suffered the hellish agonies of the cross. We believe that Jesus descended into hell. That is to say, we believe that on the cross Jesus suffered the full fury of divine wrath and the utter despair of being separated from his Father's love -- the very essence of hell.
What, in hell, has God ever done for us? He has suffered the full penalty that our sins deserve. And now, having been to hell and back for us, Jesus has the empathy of grace to give every grieving, anguished, and enraged person who has lost what they love in life. There are some people in West Virginia who know this, and some who don't, and we should keep them all in our prayers."
Philip Ryken of Reformation 21 blog.