Let’s Usher People to God not Hell!

Let me say from the start that I believe there is a real heaven and a real hell. But, is it the best strategy to gain converts to Christianity by threatening them with the prospect of burning in hell for eternity? How would you feel if when you met your prospective spouse someone held a gun to your head and said “if you don’t take this person to be your spouse we are going to shoot you in the head!” What kind of relationship could you imagine would spring up out of that moment of decision? If I was going to woo some young lady I certainly would not say something like “if you don’t marry me you will live a horrible painful life that will be like your flesh burning for all eternity!” No fairy tale or romance novel has ever cast such a dark picture of true love. So then why is this our approach to inviting people into the kingdom of God? Why do we present the Gospel in this violent threatening way? Why do we use scare tactics to invite people to receive the greatest gift ever given?

A “convert” who has had the hell scared out of them is converted on the basis of their own selfish nature. They are converted on the basis of looking out for number one, not laying their lives down for a friend. We have, in the church, many professing Christians that I believe have received Christ as a form of fire insurance. They want to be assured that they will not burn in hell’s fire for all eternity. But, what they are missing is a relationship with the risen savior. Christ called us to a life of self denial and self sacrifice for the benefit or others and God. But, the fiery Hell approach plays on man’s natural bent to preserve self. This is contrary to the teachings of Christ and although true theologically, gravely misses the point of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

You see, Jesus calls us to a relationship with Him. The spirit of the living God desires to dwell within you. Christ came to seek and save that which was lost. Save you from what? The fiery lake? No. He came to save you from a life without relationship with Him. He came to save you from a life where we don’t value the relationship of others. He came to save us from a life where we are only fixed on our own needs and not the needs of others. Jesus tells a parable where people are being separated into groups of those who know Him and those who do not. The criterion He uses is those who feed the hungry, clothed the naked, gave drink to the thirsty and visited the prisoner were people He said he knew. But the others who did none of these things He said “depart from me, I know you not.” To be clear, I am not saying that acts of kindness and service will earn a place in heaven. But, these people did acts of service BECAUSE they had a relationship with the living God who enabled them, through the Holy Spirit, in acts of service for His good pleasure. This is what saves a person.

On that day when all will be judged, there will be some sad and rude awakenings for those who acquired “fire insurance”. They will find that their policy was a forgery and they will meet the fate they had hoped to avoid. If you truly love people, please take the time to introduce them to the living God, Jesus the Christ and Messiah and drop the whole fire and brimstone approach. Fire does not save, but living water does.