Should we threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

[tonychanyt]

Good-News/Bad-News Approach to Evangelism

In Matthew 5, the sermon on the mount, Jesus pronounced 9 beatitudes and not a single curse to attract the listeners.

On probably another occasion described in Luke 6, Jesus pronounced 4 beatitudes and 4 woes. None of the woes mentioned death or hell.

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles in Luke 9:

6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

No bad news there.

Jesus sent out 72 in Luke 10. This time some bad news was mentioned:

10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Jesus explicitly mentioned hell or ge-henna in Luke 12:

4“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 and mentioned punishment in Hades.

Jesus had to talk about hell because of gradual revelation. God used him to finally reveal to us the concept of hell.

Now, what about the apostles? After Jesus' ascension, did they threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

Never.

Should we threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

I don't think so.

Should we tell non-believers about hell in evangelism?

If you can do it lovingly, then yes, but only occasionally. When you judge others, remember that you are judging yourself by the same standard as well.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

Good-News/Bad-News Approach to Evangelism

In Matthew 5, the sermon on the mount, Jesus pronounced 9 beatitudes and not a single curse to attract the listeners.

On probably another occasion described in Luke 6, Jesus pronounced 4 beatitudes and 4 woes. None of the woes mentioned death or hell.

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles in Luke 9:

No bad news there.

Jesus sent out 72 in Luke 10. This time some bad news was mentioned:


Jesus explicitly mentioned hell or ge-henna in Luke 12:

Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 and mentioned punishment in Hades.

Jesus had to talk about hell because of gradual revelation. God used him to finally reveal to us the concept of hell.

Now, what about the apostles? After Jesus' ascension, did they threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

Never.

Should we threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

I don't think so.

Should we tell non-believers about hell in evangelism?

If you can do it lovingly, then yes, but only occasionally. When you judge others, remember that you are judging yourself by the same standard as well.

Thanks for sharing. No one really knows the heart so we should probably not condemn anyone to hell because they refuse to believe . That being said, we should be prepared to address the question of those who reject the Gospel and never repent causing them to blaspheme His Holy Spirit, sin unto death.

On another note, unless one thinks the book of Revelation was not written by the Apostle John, he certainly made reference to hell.

• Revelation 14:10-11: "The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name."

Blessings

 

[Diamond7]

Good-News/Bad-News Approach to Evangelism

Jesus talks about this in Matthew 11:17 "We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn. "People go to church for weddings and people go for funerals. I do not believe in threatening people at a funeral with hellfire and brimstone. But I know a church where that is what they do. My dad wanted the good news, he wanted nothing to do with hellfire and brimstone.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Good-News/Bad-News Approach to Evangelism

In Matthew 5, the sermon on the mount, Jesus pronounced 9 beatitudes and not a single curse to attract the listeners.

On probably another occasion described in Luke 6, Jesus pronounced 4 beatitudes and 4 woes. None of the woes mentioned death or hell.

Jesus sent out the twelve apostles in Luke 9:

No bad news there.

Jesus sent out 72 in Luke 10. This time some bad news was mentioned:


Jesus explicitly mentioned hell or ge-henna in Luke 12:

Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 and mentioned punishment in Hades.

Jesus had to talk about hell because of gradual revelation. God used him to finally reveal to us the concept of hell.

Now, what about the apostles? After Jesus' ascension, did they threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

Never.

Should we threaten non-believers with hell in evangelism?

I don't think so.

Should we tell non-believers about hell in evangelism?

If you can do it lovingly, then yes, but only occasionally. When you judge others, remember that you are judging yourself by the same standard as well.

I think it is a great mistake to never talk about hell, sin, and God's wrath. Repentance is part of the gospel. How else you explain what Jesus did on the cross and why. People love to quote John 3:16, and so do I, but very few mention the 'Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already,'

Yes, it is true that we preach loving and Biblically, we preach the good news of Lord Jesus Christ, the news of salvation. But most do not know and understand they need a saviour and why.

We tell the unbelievers that they walk in sin, rebellion, but grace of God is that He does not judge them...but one day it will come to an end. God is good that means He is just and every sin must be punished. But God is holding His wrath and shows grace, that we have a chance to repent. But one day, Lord Jesus will come back, and if you do not accept Him as Saviour, your sins will be judged by God, and He will pour His righteous wrath....do you never preach that?

 

[Dosblade]

Wording as you did no but to warn them yes.

 

[nightmares]

I think it is a great mistake to never talk about hell, sin, and God's wrath. Repentance is part of the gospel. How else you explain what Jesus did on the cross and why. People love to quote John 3:16, and so do I, but very few mention the 'Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already,'

Yes, it is true that we preach loving and Biblically, we preach the good news of Lord Jesus Christ, the news of salvation. But most do not know and understand they need a saviour and why.

We tell the unbelievers that they walk in sin, rebellion, but grace of God is that He does not judge them...but one day it will come to an end. God is good that means He is just and every sin must be punished. But God is holding His wrath and shows grace, that we have a chance to repent. But one day, Lord Jesus will come back, and if you do not accept Him as Saviour, your sins will be judged by God, and He will pour His righteous wrath....do you never preach that?

"You need a Saviour because you are here through no fault of your own and the failure to kill/imprison Satan" is not going to impress anyone and not should it

Also, this idea of rebellion is ridiculous. What sort of rebellion involves going to this planet to suffer and die. Boy that sure showed God

 

[RDKirk]

Hell is irrelevant to nonbelievers. One must be a believer to believe in hell.

What nonbelievers know is their own lives, and those whom the Father has enabled (John 6:65) will know in their hearts that they are lost souls, even if they do not comprehend their situation as such.

That is what the gospel, the Good News, addresses: How salvation happens, not how condemnation happens. The Body of Christ is doing the work of Christ in this world. But what is the work of Christ in this world? It is this:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3)

The unbelievers who have been enabled by the Father already know they are lost. What they need is the gospel to be saved.

 

[B Griffin]

There was a good tract I used to hand out in the 1980's which focused on "The Romans Road". It didn't mention hell specifically, but it mentioned all have sinned and the wages of sin is death. Of course it also included Christ died for us, salvation is by grace through faith, and whoever calls on Him will be saved. It was a very effective tool.