Of course not. We spread the Good News because we want to obey Jesus and we want people to avoid eternal punishment.
But you wouldn’t know that by reading criticisms from some atheists. They think we’re being big meanies by pointing out our belief in an eternal punishment for those who don’t repent and trust in Jesus.
They are missing something obvious, of course. If we wanted people to go to Hell we’d do like the theological liberals and withhold the Gospel. We’d tell everyone that any path to God will do, or just to conceive God however you want him to be, etc. — basic fake Christian / Hindu / New Age / etc. beliefs. Think of all the time and money we would save! Think how much more popular we would be!
Oddly, these folks often give you the “But I like the definition [of being a Christian] being people trying to live according to the teachings of Jesus” view of Christianity as they are ignoring the reality of Hell, Jesus’ exclusivity and divinity, biblical teachings on marriage and the sanctity of human life, etc. But Jesus’ teachings covered all those things.
How they conflate our warnings about Hell with their view that we want them to go to Hell is puzzling. It is like saying that by warning people not to steal that you really want them to go to jail.
Jesus said Hell was real and He warned people how to avoid it. He is the only way to salvation. Here are a few verses on that topic. I’ve got lots more if you need them!
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Acts 4:11-12 He is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
1 John 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Luke 10:16 “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
Luke 12:8-9 “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.”
John 10:7-8 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
This is a good reminder. It’s like these people think that we are mean spirited because we stand for the truth… it’s the truth that doesn’t change. We are just holding to the truth and they want us to bend so they can feel good about themselves, yet, by doing that, we truly would be cruel.
I have always found it funny how they deride Christians and Christianity for making the claim that the only way is Jesus. As though they werent allowed to participate.
But the claim that Christians who warn of hell are unloving is as nonsensical as saying only X vaccination will cure your disease is unloving. But if X is the only cure, why on earth would it be loving to tell you any thing will work? Isn’t lying a bad thing?
I don’t know how many times I’ve been accused of being unloving for presenting the Gospel that true Christianity (vs cult models) is the only way of avoiding eternal damnation. When I point out that trying to save people from Hell is the most loving thing one could do, I am told I am just intolerant of other beliefs! The only beliefs I am intolerant of are those belonging to people who pretend to be Christians and distort the Word to “prove” their cult or false system is actually true. I have little tolerance for any corruption of facts.
I’m with you, Glenn. I don’t especially like atheists (usually far too smug and arrogant in their unbelief), but I’ll live with that. I also don’t mind genuine believers of other faiths. But I have to admit, I generally detest those who call themselves Christians, yet deny and distort the facts of Christianity. A certain Oregonian “Reverend” comes to mind.
This would be the ideal situation, that our motives were always so clean and Christ-centered. I think part of why people are so turned off by the message of “vaccine X” is its method of delivery. I mean, the message itself is offensive in its own right, but unfortunately there are those who add to the stumbling block of the cross the stumbling blocks of rudeness, impatience, belligerence, and the like. Truth is important, undeniably and uncompromisingly so, but we cannot hope to be effective without gracious patience. I myself have fallen into trap of arrogance, where my own learning has puffed me up with knowledge to the point where compassion was squeezed out the window. Trying to tell people about the love of Christ in an unloving way is not effective persuasion =/.
But yes, thank you for the reminder of why we should proclaim and defend the faith: obedience to Christ and genuine love for people. Ever so needed.
Hi Nichole — thanks for visiting and commenting. I enjoyed your blog, especially the Bacon post!