Hell as the stick and Heaven as the carrot?
I've been wondering lately about whether hell is a place or an existence. It seems so much of christiandom uses "hell as a place" to scare people into the kingdom, the ol' "Do you know where you're going when you die" question. Is that really what God intended? Isn't living without the ability to enjoy a relationship with Jesus hell? What could be worse? Maybe this whole idea of hell as a place is a tool of the enemy used by the "religious" (read pharisees) to motivate behavior?and how about heaven? Is that all someone should be motivated by to accept the life of Christ? Do this and you get to go here. For that matter, doesn't it seem "The American Dream" is used in the same way? (i.e. become a Christian and God will bless you into the american dream). Is hell, heaven and the american dream really what should motivate someone to receive the life of Christ?
and what of "Christ life", "eternal life", "the abundant life", "being a child of God", "having an intimate relationship with God" in the present? Are these present realities of receiving the life of Christ? What would happen if Christiandom used them as the carrot? psst...buddy. You interested in knowing God? You interested in entering into eternal life in this moment? Want to become a child of God here on earth? What happens to evangelism when the motivation isn't something in the future "hell" or "heaven" nor something of earthly means "the american dream" but something of a spiritual reality in this present moment?
Christiandom has camped on the fear based question: Do you know right now where you're going when you die? (Heaven or Hell)
What is the question we should be asking?
posted by Rick @ 10:33 AM
2 Comments:
Yo Rick,
While the fear-based solution does turn off most people, I do think it has value. For me, it has personal value -- it's the primary reason at age 10, that I came to Christ. I wish I could say it was something else -- but it wasn't.
While I'm sure my salvation was secure and my view of God's holiness was fairly accurate, I know that the side of God I'd like to introduce to others is much different than the side of Him I first saw.
But God is multi-dimensional. His wrath protects his holiness. Zechariah tells a pretty hairy story of the "Great Day of the Lord" (when I first read the title, I thought, this should be cool -- it's a great day -- but if you read it, you'll see it's not so good for those who are there!
We have to remember who created hell, why he created it, and note that wrath is a part of God's emotional makeup. He uses it to protect his holiness. Nothing imperfect shall enter his presence.
A summary thought:
If there's no bad news, there's no good news.
Hell has a dual purpose: to punish those who reject Christ and to drive those who know of it to the good news of the gospel, a relationship with Jesus.
I think you are right in saying that the abundant life is a HUGE carrot. But there's excesses there -- remember the televangelist's promises of health and wealth in the 80's. It was an excessive use of "carrot."
Just as there are excessive uses of "sticks."
Don't we have a great God? He gave us both. Some need a carrot. For me, I needed a stick.
Your Bro.
I hear ya bro. I just wonder what the outcome would be if the main message the lost heard from Christiandom was the immediate reality of knowing God personally. Would the lost be interested?
If there is a God, would you be interested in knowing Him personally/intimately?
John 17:3
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home