Should We Scare People Into Christ?

I've always heard this when I was growing up, that I never scare someone into believing in Christ.  If I do, then that will drive them away from Christ.  And for years, I've believed this.  I don't anymore.

I believe that fear is EXACTLY what people need to come to Christ.  Let me explain.

I've mentioned time and time again that we have to fear God (Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5, etc.).  I've also mentioned that the fear of God is real and literal:

Isa 8:13  But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.

But let me share with you some verses that show the positive effects of fearing God:

Job_28:28  And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Not only is the fear of God the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10), and of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7), but it is also wisdom ITSELF.

Pro 16:6  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. 

The fear of God is also the means by which people run away from evil, which is also the definition of understanding (Job 28:28), something that we must attain "with all our getting" (Proverbs 4:7).

Pro_19:23  The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. 

Those who fear God tend to go to Heaven.  In addition, those who fear God will, according to the ESV, "will not be visited by harm".

So, the fear of God is GOOD, and it keeps you SAFE.  Why wouldn't we want to teach people to fear Him?

Let me remind the reader of this again, because it's eternally important:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 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!
(Luk 12:4-5)

Did you get that?  We must fear the one WHO CAN SEND US TO HELL!!!!!

 

So what does it mean to "scare someone" to Christ?

Well, the most basic way of doing it is to tell them that they are a sinner that's headed to Hell, and that they need Christ.  In my Christianity page on The Sweeping Developer, I go through the basic facts of a man's spiritual condition.  Let me show it to you again:

• There is a judgment coming on all humanity (Revelation 20:11-12).


• None of us are good enough to pass muster (James 2:10). No one is righteous. (Romans 3:10)


• We deserve death because of our sin (Romans 6:23)


• If even the righteous die in the body (Hebrews 9:27), then another death is prescribed for the unrighteous.
  This is referred to as the 'second death', what we call Hell, in Revelation 20:14. A literal lake of fire.


• Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life, as v.15 says, will be cast into this Hell.



• So how can anyone escape this terrible place? In Acts 16:30, the jailer asked what he must do to be saved. Peter and Silas' response? :
  
  

  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." --Acts 16:31



• What does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?
  
  Firstly, you must trust Jesus in everything.
  
  Secondly, Jesus is the Word of God, says John 1:1, 14, I John 1:1, among other places.
  
  He is God's very words, God's very testimony, also found in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16).
  In other words, Jesus is the Bible!
  
  Faith in Jesus means both faith in Jesus Himself and in what the Bible says.
  
  If you believe what the Bible says, and EVERYTHING the Bible says, you believe in Jesus, and you will be saved.
  
  However, if you don't, you will be damned. (Mark 16:16) Jesus is the ONLY way to be saved (Acts 4:12). All other ways (Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, JW, Modern Judaism, Islam, Shinto, etc.) lead to Hell, because they either preach a false teaching about God and/or preach a false Jesus, none of which save (also see Galatians 1:8-9). (I forgot to also list Anglican, Old and New IFB, and other KJV-Only types, seriously, there's a ton of false religions in the world, many under the label of Jesus.)


• Next, get baptized (by immersion). (Acts 2:38, Acts 8:38-39)


• Also, read the Bible and obey what you read. I would start with the New Testament, starting in the book of Matthew.

Some may say that's too harsh, and that I'm driving people away from Christ.  I can only say this about the latter.  They are correct:  I am driving them away...from false Christs.  GOOD!  Because those false Christs will send you to Hell just as much as not even having Christ at all.  Why?  Because such Christs don't have teeth:  They don't send you to Hell (as in Matthew 25:41), they don't teach hard truths (as in John 6:60), they don't teach you to beware of worldliness (as in Luke 8:14), etc.

Some may also say:  OK, then who's the true Christ?  What church has the Truth?  I can only say this about that statement without bias:  Just follow the Bible.  Read it, cover to cover.  Accept the truths of the Bible as plainly and as literally as possible.  This is true faith.  If there are churches that put their trust in the Word of God, for Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1, 1:14, etc.), follow them (I Corinthians 11:1), yet don't trust IN them (Jeremiah 17:5), but IN Christ.

As for all churches, whether true or false, ALWAYS do this:

1Th_5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Finally, I want to share with you something from atheist Penn Jillette.  He presents what Christians OUGHT to be doing in regards to evangelism:

 A caveat though:  I believe based on the following two verses, that we are NOT to proselytize to outward atheists:

Psa 14:1a  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God...

Pro 23:9  Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.