If God wants a real relationship with us, why does He threaten us with hell?

I’ve been struggling with my faith lately, and I have some questions that I can’t seem to find satisfying answers to. One of the biggest ones is this: If God wants a real and true relationship with us, why does He make hell the consequence of not choosing Him?

It feels like that overrides the point of free will. If someone told you to love them or they’d set you on fire, that wouldn’t be love—it would be coercion. So how is a relationship with God supposed to be genuine if the alternative is eternal suffering? Wouldn’t a lot of people just “believe” out of fear rather than actual love or faith?

Another thing that bothers me is how salvation works in Christianity. If someone is born into a different religion (or lived before Christianity existed), are they just doomed? That doesn’t seem fair at all. If God knows everything and knows certain people will never accept Christianity, why even create them?

I also thought of an analogy that really bothers me: If you had a child and you were in a room with a venomous snake, you’d warn them not to go near it, just like God warns us about sin. But if your child ignored you and walked toward the snake, would you just sit there and let them get bitten? No, you’d intervene. So why doesn’t God stop us from making choices that lead to hell, especially if He loves us?

I don’t want to be disrespectful—I just genuinely don’t understand how this all fits with the idea of a loving and just God. If anyone has insights, I’d really appreciate it!!