I like Joe McKeever. He's the Babe Ruth of preachers in my book. When he gets on a roll he can hit nearly any pitch out of the park. His recent article on the reality of hell is a prime example. I suggest you read it...carefully.
McKeever provides Ten Responses to anyone who says they don't believe in hell. His explanations are thoughtful and targeted. I don't have much to add. It's like watching the ball go deep over the center field fence, about the only thing you can do is cheer.
But I will add this. The reality of hell, a place of eternal punishment, has always seemed to me more of a motivation for saints than sinners. The doctrine of hell motivates saints to service. It is the gospel of grace, and the work of God's Spirit, that motivates sinners to repentance and faith.
Perhaps there is someone out there who can debunk my viewpoint, but I have never known someone personally who claimed to be a Christian solely because they did not want to go to hell. I know lots of people who claim they came to understand the love God has for them and the grace he demonstrated through Christ on the cross.
So I'll keep teaching about hell, but I'll keep preaching about heaven and the grace of God that can get you there.
1 comment:
I actually heard a message by the late Dr. E.V. Hill years ago in which he gave his reasons for becoming a Christian. One of them was, "because I did not want to go to hell." I do think a fear of eternal pnishment figures in, but it is not the main thing.
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