It's a fair question, and it deserves a real answer, not a dodge. On the surface it does sound like a contradiction: a God who is love (1 John 4:8), sending people to everlasting judgment (Matthew 25:46). So which is it?
Why justice belongs in the question
Love that never confronts wrong isn't actually love. A judge who lets every criminal walk free "out of love" isn't loving the victims — he's failing them. God is described as perfectly loving and perfectly just (Psalm 89:14), and both are true of Him at once. Hell isn't God being unloving; it's God taking evil as seriously as it deserves to be taken. That does not make the idea of hell easy; it does mean love and justice are not opposites in the Bible's account of God.
Why Christians take sin seriously
It can feel like the punishment doesn't fit the crime — is anyone's sin really worth an eternity of judgment? But the weight of wrongdoing is measured by who it's against, not just what was done. Rebellion against an infinitely holy, infinitely worthy God is a different order of offence than rebellion against a fellow human being — not because we're uniquely terrible, but because of who He is.
What Christians believe God has done
God takes no pleasure in anyone's judgment.
"As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live."Ezekiel 33:11
That's why He sent Jesus to take the punishment sin deserved, so that anyone who trusts Him doesn't have to face it themselves (John 3:16-18). Hell isn't God's plan for people — it's what's left for those who refuse the way out He's already provided.
What this answer does and does not settle
This does not remove the emotional weight of the question, and Christians should not use it to speak lightly about anyone's fate. It does explain why the Bible presents judgment as a serious part of love for what is good, alongside a serious offer of mercy in Christ. If you are unsure, it is worth reading the passages in context and asking the hard follow-up questions rather than pretending the difficulty is not there.