God is perfectly forgiving and perfectly just.
That’s why He offers salvation to those who repent and believe. But to satisfy His perfect justice, Christ gave His life for our sins.
Perfect love is sacrificial and forgiving, but it cannot approve evil.
Sadly, there have always been people who think a good God should overlook their sins. That’s the belief behind universal salvation. It’s not enough that Christ died for those who repent. Universalists expect Christ to die for unrepentant people who reject His sacrificial offer of grace. This is a false belief that we find throughout human history.
For example, in 2 Samuel 14, Joab sent a "wise woman" from Tekoa to encourage David to pardon his son Absalom even though Absalom was responsible for the premeditated murder of his brother.
The Tekoa woman told David that God wanted him to give unrepentant Absalom a complete pardon because God “devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.”
It’s true that God provides a way for “banished people” (i.e. sinful mankind) to walk in freedom in His presence. But we must believe in Christ and genuinely repent.
Sadly, the woman from Tekoa convinced David to pardon unrepentant Absalom, and Absalom went on to bring great shame and hardship on Israel and his family, especially on David.
Perfect love is sacrificial and forgiving, but it cannot approve evil.
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Knowing how evil Amnon was, we might think that Absalom was justified in murdering his brother, but that's not God's way of handling things. See Absalom - Playing God.
To better understand the errors of Universal Salvation (i.e. believing all people will go to heaven), see 6 Scriptures Used to Promote Universalism and this 3-part series:
Why Hoping All Men Will Be Saved Is a Sign of Unbelief
Why Universal Salvation Mocks Grace and Justice
Universal Salvation Insults God
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