The Fear of Hell

ViaCrucis said:

Why do people continue to make this claim? It's not true.

The topic which Jesus spoke the most on was God's kingdom.

-CryptoLutheran

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Jesus set so high standards of being His disciples, that most of His disciples walked away from Him. He never encouraged easy believerism in any form. This is why he said that the way to eternal was narrow, and few there be who find it.

Tigger45 said:

I wasn’t preached into the Kingdom of God by using the fear of hell but I was drawn into the Kingdom by the love of the Father.

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And thanks God for that. Others for whatever reason might need other motivations though.

Oscarr said:

The purpose is to awaken the conscience to realise that because of one's sinfulness they are in a state of hopelessness, and there is only a fearful expectation of the coming judgment and the prospect of an eternity in hell suffering the continuous wrath of God.

It is the same as teaching a child to be afraid of running out on a busy road without looking first to see what is coming. In a sense, to be fearful of a busy road is healthy because that fear causes a person to be careful of his personal safety. That is why a window cleaner on the side of a very tall building wears a safety harness, because without it he would be afraid of falling to his death. It is also the very real fear of being burned alive that causes a family to have smoke alarms and an evacuation plan so they can get out of the house as quickly as possible.

So, it is the healthy fear of hell that causes a person with an awakened conscience to seek God with all his heart to be shown the way to heaven.

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Except that in current society, children are taught that danger in crossing the street is a myth.

Neogaia777 said:

Sometimes trying to run from God's wrath can kind of send you in the opposite direction of running to Jesus feet though, is more the point I was trying to make...?

God Bless!

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Because it is the Holy Spirit who awakens the conscience, then it is the same Holy Spirit who will cause the person to understand the gospel and will lead them to Jesus and give them saving faith to receive Him.

The unconverted sinner would not have the realisation that he needs to flee from God's wrath because the devil will make sure that he stays blinded and asleep in his conscience, and will continue to feed him lies that everything is okay and there is no need to get all religious.

There is a big difference between the godly fear of hell that comes through the Holy Spirit, and the mindless fear of someone getting a fright because of imagined or real danger, such as a house fire or motor accident. There will come a time when men's hearts will fail them through fear, but it is not the fear of God, but fear brought about through the lies of the devil.

To All: I'm just trying to speak the truth in love, sorry if I'm not doing it very well...

It might seem to some that I'm only complicating matters, but I'm really just only trying to make them more simple, but I have to tell the truth though...

God Bless!

David Cabrera said:

Except that in current society, children are taught that danger in crossing the street is a myth.

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When I was nine years old I ran across an intersection and was hit by a car. I got only bruises and scratches, but it gave me a healthy fear of crossing the road ever since. Nothing like a near miss experience to wake one up to the dangers!

Neogaia777 said:

To All: I'm just trying to speak the truth in love, sorry if I'm not doing it very well...

It might seem to some that I'm only complicating matters, but I'm really just only trying to make them more simple, but I have to tell the truth though...

God Bless!

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Everything you are saying in is the spirit of fair and reasonable discussion. Don't stop doing that.

Oscarr said:

No one will really run to the feet of Jesus until they know that they have to flee from the wrath to come.

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What about escaping from evil? you know, the things that God hates and that keeps us separated from him.

ViaCrucis said:

What is no longer applicable are the particular commandments given to the Jewish people exclusively as part of their unique covenant relationship to God.

-CryptoLutheran

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Jesus specifically mentioned that those who fulfill the law will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. He also said that he did not come to do away with it but to fulfill it. The law is good because it's spiritual.

Noxot said:

What about escaping from evil? you know, the things that God hates and that keeps us separated from him.

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Evil is failure to keep the Law and brings the penalty of hell and the wrath of God. Hell is an eternal separation from God and all the good things He has created. Therefore escaping from evil is exactly the same as escaping from God's wrath to come.

Jesus specifically mentioned that those who fulfill the law will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. He also said that he did not come to do away with it but to fulfill it. The law is good because it's spiritual.

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The problem is that no one has ever or will ever be able to fulfill the Law. The Scripture says, "There are none righteous, no, not one". The whole point of Jesus teaching obedience to the Law is to show us that this is His standard, but a standard we will never be able to keep. This is why the Scripture says, "No one will be justified by keeping the Law".

Oscarr said:

Yes it is. Jesus made more comments about judgment than anything else. It is the honest and true gospel, not the deceptive "easy believer" gospel that causes people to get religion and yet have unchanged hearts.

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That's the problem right there, Religion never saved anyone, nor does it solve our problems, if anything it makes the life of the Believer harder.

Actually The Gospel of the Kingdom is what Jesus Preached from the time He cam out of the Wilderness after being Tempted, to the time He told His followers to Preach This Gospel of the Kingdom unto all the world,.

When did the Gospel of the Kingdom become the Gospel of Salvation, because no body know anything about the Kingdom, it isn't mentioned unless it is in relation to Heaven itself.

The Gospel of Salvation came into being when Church Leaders misinterpreted the Parable of the sower into the story about people being saved.

People in the street could not care less about Hell and what sends them there, they are to engulfed in their life of sin to care, that is what they do, that is what you did before God Drew you to Himself and gave you a good dose of GRACE, FAITH, LOVE.

JIMINZ said:

People in the street could not care less about Hell and what sends them there, they are to engulfed in their life of sin to care, that is what they do, that is what you did before God Drew you to Himself and gave you a good dose of GRACE, FAITH, LOVE.

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This is because it is the work of the Holy Spirit to awaken the conscience of people to the misery and hopelessness of their sin, and the horrible consequences of it.

Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God leading to salvation for those who believe it.

The problem with much of the preaching is that the standards of holiness in many churches is so low that the Holy Spirit can't work with them, and so they can preach only the gospel on an intellectual basis without God's power in the form of the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to hearts and waking up consciences. All these churches can present is just "easy believer" religion which is not the true gospel at all.

We cannot defeat the blindness that the devil has put upon sinners in our own strength or intellect. We need the power of the Holy Spirit, and that can come only through serious prayer and a thirst and hunger for the level of holiness that causes God to want to work with them.

Oscarr said:

Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God leading to salvation for those who believe it.

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That is just my point, what Paul was Preaching was the Gospel of the Kingdom.
With Signs and Wonders Following.
That is the Power of God in a Ministry.

When is the last time you heard of or saw a Ministry like that?

Jonaitis said:

It is essential if we want to preach the gospel. We should inform them what the nature of hell is, that they may understand the gravity of it and turn from sin to Christ.

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Turning from sin to Christ isn't a decision they have the ability to make, they are the Slaves of sin, they serve sin, and only God has the ability to Save them by Drawing them to Himself.

I don't think that God gives us standards for no reason nor to belittle us. Jesus said be perfect because your father in Heaven is pefect.

Matthew 5:19 he specifically said that those in the Kingdom of Heaven concern themselves with the law.

You believe that God Saves you yet you don't believe that he can make you righteous. by righteous I mean actually righteous, not some kind of funny legalistic belief system.

Therefore it is logical to believe that God Saves you from his Wrath. Instead of Salvation being about transformation in Christ salvation becomes protection against God. Instead of Salvation being salvation, Salvation becomes submission to a god that will smash you for not doing things that he commands and knows you cannot do. But he won't smash you because you accept Jesus.

Because accepting Jesus is not about following him, it's about protecting yourself from being roasted in hell.

Fear of hell often comes with a bad understanding of God and the Bible.

Bobber said:

And thanks God for that. Others for whatever reason might need other motivations though.

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Ah finally a reasonable reply to respond to, thanks for that.

First and foremost ‘God is love’ 1 John 4:8 and I see all of His motives initiating from and through ‘that’ perspective and when I and the vast majority of people I’ve talked to hear fear being initially emphasized out of the gate of a discourse its not only repulsive but is putting the “cart before the horse”. Sure does a loving father warn and discipline a child of course he does but if a child doesn’t see it as an act of love in the form of protection it only brings rebellion especially coming from an unregenerated state of being and only hardens the child’s heart all the more.

I believe in the doctrine of hell, but see it more as a state, rather than a place, for the finally impenitent. I don't believe God desires to punish anyone, but He is holy, perfect, and all-loving and and nothing unholy, unperfect or unloving can enter His presence.

Every Sunday, in our worship, we use the words of the Collect for Purity: "Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden". The greatest motivator for change, for me, is that our lives are laid bare before God. He sees not only every deed and action, but every motive behind them. He sees the true nature of our hearts. I know that if I want to have peace with God, I have to do some real soul-searching and self-examination. Are my actions loving? Do I see the needs of my neighbour as being more important than my own? If I do not, then I know my faith is on very perilous ground.

I am less afraid of hell, than I am of God showing me something in my life now that I should be ashamed of. I'd rather confess and deal with my sins now rather than await that great day when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ and have to give an account for the things done in the body.

Jonaitis said:

I've noticed that some here think it is wrong to preach that unless people will repent they will end up in hell, saying we shouldn't scare people into the kingdom. I beg to differ. Hell is something to be feared and avoided at all costs, and it is one that should exhort and encourage sinners to get right with God.

Did Jesus ever preach hell to make sinners fear of entering it? Yes!

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched" - Mark 9:43

"But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." - Luke 12:5

There are many other such passages. It would be wrong to leave that part out of our evangelism to the lost, for Jesus never was silent about it!

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Aren't most people allready aware of it? When we talk about Jesus as the saviour, there must be something to be saved from. I think most people will figure it out without mentioning hell.

Jonaitis said:

I've noticed that some here think it is wrong to preach that unless people will repent they will end up in hell, saying we shouldn't scare people into the kingdom. I beg to differ. Hell is something to be feared and avoided at all costs, and it is one that should exhort and encourage sinners to get right with God.

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The hellfire gospel is an extreme version of those 'Buy our product or die'-type marketing spiels which are unlawful and unconscionable.

Is God now an arsonist whose agents sell fire insurance?

Has Gabriel's 'Glad tidings of good news for all men' now been twisted and weaponised into 'Accept Jesus or burn in hell'?

Does God resort to psychological duress, emotional manipulation and spiritual terrorism, and like a mafioso say 'I loves ya, but if you don't loves me back...' while He toys with His flamethrower?

If you can't see how the damnation doctrine is straight from the pit with wrath, you got problems.

That doctrine has been singly responsible for untold woe throughout history. It is a hallmark of the dark ages.

Worst thing, it's a slur on God's holy name. For those who subscribe to it, the devil has usurped the throne.

Jonaitis said: ↑
I've noticed that some here think it is wrong to preach that unless people will repent they will end up in hell, saying we shouldn't scare people into the kingdom. I beg to differ. Hell is something to be feared and avoided at all costs, and it is one that should exhort and encourage sinners to get right with God.

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Shrewd Manager said:

The hellfire gospel is an extreme version of those 'Buy our product or die'-type marketing spiels which are unlawful and unconscionable.

Is God now an arsonist whose agents sell fire insurance?

Has Gabriel's 'Glad tidings of good news for all men' now been twisted and weaponised into 'Accept Jesus or burn in hell'?

Does God resort to psychological duress, emotional manipulation and spiritual terrorism, and like a mafioso say 'I loves ya, but if you don't loves me back...' while He toys with His flamethrower?

If you can't see how the damnation doctrine is straight from the pit with wrath, you got problems.

That doctrine has been singly responsible for untold woe throughout history. It is a hallmark of the dark ages.

Worst thing, it's a slur on God's holy name. For those who subscribe to it, the devil has usurped the throne.

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it's a slur on God's holy name

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You yourself posted that you are a proud Universalist.

Universalists don't believe in hell. Thus your posts. They (Universalists) believe that all go to heaven, regardless if they have repented or not. Therefore the question becomes, what is the need for a Savior, then? According to Universalism, there isn't, because there is no judgement, etc. from a holy God. Therefore, God can NOT be holy or perfect or just, and the sacrifice of His only begotten Son is null and void.

THIS is a slur on God's holy name.

Jonaitis said: ↑
I've noticed that some here think it is wrong to preach that unless people will repent they will end up in hell, saying we shouldn't scare people into the kingdom. I beg to differ. Hell is something to be feared and avoided at all costs, and it is one that should exhort and encourage sinners to get right with God.

Did Jesus ever preach hell to make sinners fear of entering it? Yes!

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." - Matthew 7:13-14

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched" - Mark 9:43

"But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." - Luke 12:5

There are many other such passages. It would be wrong to leave that part out of our evangelism to the lost, for Jesus never was silent about it!

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zoidar said:

Aren't most people allready aware of it? When we talk about Jesus as the saviour, there must be something to be saved from. I think most people will figure it out without mentioning hell.

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Aren't most people allready aware of it?

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No. Many deny there is such a thing as hell, and fight tooth n' nail to dispute it, even to using ridicule and twisting scripture to claim that that is not what scripture means.