After years and years of the Christian church (and some other religious groups) using fear to convert people into submission. Many people avoid this question, but deep down inside wonder, “Will I burn in Hell?”
In this blog post I will give my opinion as to why Hell doesn’t need to be a message of fear. Why fear shouldn’t be the main reason for converting, nor a primary tool in the process. We have had a discussion about various views of Hell, in which we clarify that we indeed do believe in an eternal ‘lake of fire’, LISTEN TO THAT HERE.
Let’s start by discussing the issue of fear and the Gospel.
Fear and the Gospel
People often get confused by the scriptures when it comes to the issue of fear, mainly because there seems to be conflicting information. Consider these verses:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” – Proverbs 9:10
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18
Here is a verse that has quite a lot of relevance for this post:
“But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” – Luke 12:5
Often this back and forth between ‘do not fear’ and ‘fear’ creates some confusion as to what the teaching of the scripture actually is. However, I would like to suggest that perhaps it isn’t as complicated as what it seems. Consider the verses I quoted above, and I encourage you to do your own reading in scripture on this matter. It would seem to me that New Testament writings have a clear distinction, at least for the most part, when it comes to fear. ‘Don’t fear anything except the God who frees you from fear’.
Don’t fear anything except the God who frees you from fear”
Some might say that is a redundant statement, and other might have some scripture to prove my opinion wrong, and I am okay with that. Consider, perhaps, that fear is a perfectly normal human response to power and might. I have quite a fear of the ocean. When I stand staring out at the vast expanse of the sea, I am in awe, and cautiously fearful of the immense power and potential of the unfathomable amount of water that pulsates back and forth before me. This is not a specifically unhealthy fear, as the ocean can be a dangerous place. How then, does one beat fear?
How do I overcome fear?
In the example of my fear of the ocean, there is a very reasonable way to conquer that fear. Find someone who has mastered the ocean, a fisherman perhaps, or a captain of a ship, and put your trust in their expertise and skill. In this analogy there exists many loopholes, but welcome to the land of analogies. Sure, the fisherman cannot entirely tame the oceans might, but he can avoid it with an incredible amount of success, and that would give me far more confidence to brave the open seas.
The principle is, find someone or something that can tame the might and power of that which you fear, and place your trust in that. Everything that you fear has a weakness, or submits to something else, or even just has a rhythm of danger which some people understand better than you do. Seek out those experts, those authorities, those more mighty than that which you fear, and learn how to conquer your fear.
Everything that you fear has a weakness”
Clearly there are certain things which have a hard time fitting into this principle. The universe is a big place, black holes are far beyond our scope of expertise and power acquisition. Add to that the impossibility of surrounding yourself with experts to assist you with every single fear and the concept of conquering fear seems hopeless.
The Conqueror
As you figured, this brings me to the point of today’s blog. There is One mighty enough, experienced enough, sovereign enough, to subdue every enemy, silence every storm and reign over every principality. Jesus Christ conquered even death itself (READ A BLOG THAT DEALS WITH THAT HERE).
Assuming the aforementioned principle is sound, and makes some sort of sense, then perhaps my assumption about the scriptural teaching on fear isn’t far off. When we find God, we find in Him the one who helps us navigate every storm and every hardship. We find a guide who has mastered every aspect of creation and who can conquer every mighty beast. Every fear should rightfully be brought under control if we bring it to God and allow Him to help us navigate it.
It is imperative that I mention, according to this idea, the danger of the ‘thing’ doesn’t go away. There is still a mighty beast ahead of you, there is still a storm raging. Your guide is an expert over all those things, and in Him there is no weakness.
…in Him there is no weakness.”
Why fear Him?
You might wonder, if fear is then dealt with, why does the Bible instruct us to fear God?
I believe that the fear spoken of here goes hand in hand with our natural human fear response. The reason I no longer fear my enemies is because I know someone more powerful than they are. Power which is beyond my comprehension can only be tamed by a power far greater. There is no power greater. The fear of God cannot be tamed by an expert, or an authority, or a mighty warrior. God is at the top of the food chain so to speak.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”
Luke 12:5
The Gospel and fear
There is no need for the message of Hell to be a message of fear, because God is sovereign over the powers of Hell. God is more powerful than the greatest enemy. Knowledge of God and of Hell coexist, and therefore there is no reason to fear Hell. God is the expert, the mighty warrior who can and will protect you from any danger Hell presents. A fear of Hell comes from a lack of belief in a mighty God, and then I would suggest that your biggest problem isn’t a fear of Hell.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10