Do we need to tell people the bad news about sin, judgement,
the law and Hell before we tell them the good news
about Jesus?
The Case For Bad News
My home church in Woolwich was very strong on this point, even
to the extent of making paradoxical claims. I
vividly remember the preacher announcing that "The Gospel is Bad
News!" - and most of the congregation responding with warm
approval.
Of course, the preacher - Harry Alger on this occasion - did
not stop there. To the best of my recollection, he
continued along these lines:
"The Gospel is bad news to to those who are going to
Hell! It is bad news to those who reject
God! It is bad news to those who refuse to bow the
knee to Jesus!"
Many other people also follow this line. A few
years ago, I was given a tape by Ray Comfort titled "Hell's Best
Kept Secret," which was about this subject. After
some initial reluctance (I am not entirely sure I want
to know about Hellish secrets) I listened and discovered the
'secret' is that people will go to Hell unless they repent and
accept Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.
The point in the tape is not that this is a secret to people
who are already Christians (we teach it quite openly in church)
but that we keep it a secret from those who need to know - the
people who are not Christians yet. This doctrine
does not feature in our evangelistic messages, and this is why
our evangelism is mostly ineffective.
This message sounds plausible. There are a number
of good reasons why we should consider it:
The reality of Hell is clearly part of Biblical truth, and
if we are to be faithful to the Bible, we have a duty to teach
it clearly and powerfully - especially to those who are most
affected by it.
Many of the greatest evangelists in the past had spectacular
results from preaching "hellfire and damnation" to the
unsaved.
It does not make sense to tell people that "Jesus is the
answer" unless we also tell them what the problem is.
Honest evangelism requires that we tell people about the
cost of following Jesus - and they will not be willing to pay
that cost unless they understand clearly the cost of
not following Jesus.
If my memory serves me correctly, this last point was made very clearly
and powerfully on the tape. The picture Mr Comfort gave was of people on
an aeroplane: the engines are on fire, and it will shortly crash. What do
you say to people? To use the approach of many evangelists, the message
goes somethng like this:
"Please listen to me. It would make me - and many other people - very
happy if you were to put on the parachute you will find under your seat,
and jump out of the door over there. You will find the parachute is
extremely comfortable, and you will enjoy the experience far more than
the meal we have just served you. Please trust me: it will be a really good
idea for you to do this quite soon."
Of course, in real life, the message would go something like this... we hope!
"This is your Pilot speaking. It is absolutely vital that you stop what
you are doing and listen to what I have to say. Please do not panic, but I have
to tell you that this plane will shortly crash. If you do what I say, we can
all get out alive. If you wish to survive, you must immediately put on the
parachute you will find under your seat, then form an orderly queue at the
nearest door, and jump out of it as soon as you get the chance. Count to
five and then pull the ripcord. Try to remember to bend your knees as you land.
Good luck."
In this message, you don't try to convince the passengers that what you are
offering them will be comfortable or enjoyable, and you do not need to
encourage them to put down what they are presently occupied with, to pay
attention and act on what you are saying. The messge is clear: do as I say,
or perish. Jumping out of a plane with a parachute may be difficult, dangerous
and unpleasant, but none of that matters: however difficult or unpleasant it
may be, it is better than the alternative. You speak this message with
authority, because you know it is true, and you know that the only chance the
passengers have is if they listen to you and do as you say.