What are the real reasons people do not like "Hellfire and brimstone" preaching (messages)...?

[Neogaia777]

What are the real reasons people do not like "Hellfire and brimstone" preaching (messages)...?

Why does this rub people the wrong way, or bother their conscience, or strike them as "wrong" or bad, or maybe even "evil" sometimes...?

What are the "real reasons" for this...?

Comments/discussion...?

God Bless!

 

[Humble me Lord]

The truth hurts?

 

[Neogaia777]

The truth hurts?

It goes beyond that, why does it strike some people as very bad, wrong, and or maybe even evil...?

God Bless!

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

I used to think it was because they were strong convicting messages, getting to people's consciences when the people had an active (not seared) conscience, but they were too embarrassed to confess their well known (to them and others; especially to God)
sins. i.e. they didn't want to lose face in front of anyone else,
thinking wrongly, that eternal life wasn't worth it,
or, also wrongly, that God would understand and wouldn't hold them guilty for their sins.

Now, though, consider all the NT, and see, are there any such fire and brimstone sermons there ?

Oh, the truth is convicting, and a message sent through a man of God to one or more people is convicting,
and people still often refuse to repent of their well known sins .....
they will just ignore it, or go to someplace with a false teacher and a false gospel that says they don't have to repent, and actually will encourage them to sin more !

 

[Noxot]

it's usually taught with a lack of understanding and so is against infinite love, wisdom and mercy. they confuse the symbols/law which express the Truth and they take it for a sinful and hellish reality which is what sin uses to imprison people in its own motives.

this happens in all kinds of ways.

 

[Humble me Lord]

2 Timothy 4:3-4 , I do believe covers it well.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

 

[Neogaia777]

The truth hurts?

Most people know how bad they are and don't like to be reminded, cause they may feel like they are trying their best to do or be better, and being reminded of how bad they are or can be may be counterproductive to that goal maybe...

Also, it feels like a judgment, and a judgment from a man or men who may not be considering the entire totality of all of scripture as a whole...

Some may also think, "How can you, and how dare you try and judge me...? You don't "know me"... You don't know my "heart" or how hard I am trying to be and do good, and be better either...?"

And may say "Only God can judge me/you/them, and only God alone can know their hearts... You do not sir... And I highly doubt your own sinlessness, or you goodness, especially with or by preaching like "this"...

Strikes some as very wrong, bad, and maybe even evil...?

"Why" though, is the question...? The real why(s)...?

Some may feel that those doing preaching like this are abusing their power/authority and/or position as well...

I mean it's not exactly "Good News", not by itself, alone anyway...

If they are gonna do it all, I think they have to know how the bad news is also, or can be, good news, or a part of the good news also, and always follow up with that also...?

God Bless!

 

[LongtimeBeliever]

Raised in a Baptist church, I heard lots of it, and it put the fear of God in me.
I think it's a shame today we don't hear about the eternal consequences of our rebellion against God.

 

[Neogaia777]

2 Timothy 4:3-4 , I do believe covers it well.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Many abuse it, you know... The gospel is supposed to be good news... Now, it "can include the bad", "only if" it also includes "the good news about the bad", other than that, I don't think it shouldn't be done... Cause that seems like abuse to me...

God Bless!

 

[Humble me Lord]

Another thing often heard from those folk is the scripture about judging others, used totally out of context.

 

[Neogaia777]

Raised in a Baptist church, I heard lots of it, and it put the fear of God in me.
I think it's a shame today we don't hear about the eternal consequences of our rebellion against God.

And God want's you to obey him out of fear of him, right...?

Look, I have had great, great fear of God, in the past, but perfect, or perfected love has no fear involved (anymore) and as you get close to the process of sanctification you must learn to obey love, and obey God out of love, or you'll never reach your goal, and fear causes one not to love like they should...

God Bless!

 

[Noxot]

I think a lack of love and a lack of fear is pretty dangerous. sometimes fear can help those in hell to be restrained, which helps them not be as evil as they would otherwise be. no restraints in general would for the average human, unleash all their flaws at once. so better to suppress them with lesser things if it helps them ease away from their corrupted nature.

that is one of the good effects of the law, it in some ways redirects or suppresses a persons evil nature. at other times the law serves to help reveal a persons wicked nature by allowing their flaw to be manifest through their understanding of the word.

 

[Neogaia777]

Another thing often heard from those folk is the scripture about judging others, used totally out of context.

But, how can we judge another person, when we have a log in our own eye...?

IOW's, While sin is still present with us and in us, how can we judge another...?

It's very true that we don't know their heart and only God alone, really does...?

It's not taking scripture out of context, it's just simple logic... We don't know all we need to know about one another, to judge one another, with accuracy... Also we are still sinners, and have a log in our own eye, and make many mistakes still also, especially with judging...

God Bless!

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Because we live in a society that believes in things like karma and positivity. So some christians blend those worldviews with christianity and refuse to accept God isn't just "Lets sing kumbaya around the camp fire!".

For some its because the truth is hard to hear.

For others its because they don't know how to answer non-christians who bring up the "brimstone" side of the bible.

 

[LongtimeBeliever]

And God want's you to obey him out of fear of him, right...?

Look, I have had great, great fear of God, in the past, but perfect, or perfected love has no fear involved (anymore) and as you get close to the process of sanctification you must learn to obey love, and obey God out of love, or you'll never reach your goal, and fear causes one not to love like they should...

God Bless!

There is also a good reason to fear discipline and consequences of our sins.

 

[Neogaia777]

I think a lack of love and a lack of fear is pretty dangerous. sometimes fear can help those in hell to be restrained, which helps them not be as evil as they would otherwise be. no restraints in general would for the average human, unleash all their flaws at once. so better to suppress them with lesser things if it helps them ease away from their corrupted nature.

that is one of the good effects of the law, it in some ways redirects or suppresses a persons evil nature.

We should maybe fear when we are still immature... But as we grow and mature and develop in the Faith, (which can only truly happen or be done as one grows, develops and matures in love) Fear lessens if this happening right, or in the right way... And we begin to obey out of love and not fear as much as we get "bigger" or "grow up" in the "right faith" more...

Fear becomes less and less of and issue as you truly growing, maturing or developing, in the right kind of true, "right faith", that is... Fear gets in the way of real, Godly Love, and you begin to realize this at some point in your walk, or spiritual growth...

God Bless!

 

[LongtimeBeliever]

But, how can we judge another person, when we have a log in our own eye...?

IOW's, While sin is still present with us and in us, how can we judge another...?

It's very true that we don't know their heart and only God alone, really does...?

It's not taking scripture out of context, it's just simple logic... We don't know all we need to know about one another, to judge one another, with accuracy... Also we are still sinners, and have a log in our own eye, and make many mistakes still also, especially with judging...

God Bless!

There are also so many scriptures that tell us to make sound judgments.

 

[Noxot]

We should maybe fear when we are still immature... But as we grow and mature and develop in the Faith, (which can only truly happen or be done as one grows, develops and matures in love) Fear lessens if this happening right, or in the right way... And we begin to obey out of love and not fear as much as we get "bigger" or "grow up" in the "right faith" more...

Fear becomes less and less of and issue as you truly growing, maturing or developing, in the right kind of true, "right faith", that is... Fear gets in the way of real, Godly Love, and you begin to realize this at some point in your walk, or spiritual growth...

God Bless!

yeah and I guess when we can't find the love we might try looking for the truth.

 

[Neogaia777]

There is also a good reason to fear discipline and consequences of our sins.

Fear discipline, or fear discipline...?

IOW's fear of being punished, or fear of hurting or displeasing God, or taking him for granted, or abusing grace, just for the sake of not wanting to do those things to God, out of your love for him, and not so much fear of the actual punishment, or spanking...?

But not wanting to hurt God, so very much, that the actual punishment is not the main issue, but that you so do not want to displease him so much, that if and when you do, you beat yourself up, much much more so than God ever does, or perhaps, even has to...?

Like a child that's not crying or is in despair because of the spanking, but because he really truly knows how much he displeased his parents, in that moment, and has fallen from grace in his parents eyes in that moment, and that is mainly why he or she is crying or is upset (with themselves)...

God Bless!

 

[Neogaia777]

What is "the good news about the bad news"...?

God Bless!