Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)
“IF GOD IS LOVE, then why is there hell?” the nonbeliever flippantly argues. “How can love be the cause of such infinite suffering?”
“It’s the rejection of love that is the reason for hell,” the believer responds. “Hell is what you get when you refuse God’s love. If you refuse the light, you can only get what you deserve—darkness. Actually, it was because God so loved you that He himself (the Son, Jesus Christ) became a human, died, and was resurrected. He wanted you to be free from sin, death, and hell—here and in eternity.”
It’s a discussion we need to care enough to think through and have with others, for the stakes are high and the decisions made will have profound consequences, now and in eternity.
Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (v. 15). He didn’t add, “when it’s convenient” or, “when you’ve equipped yourself with a seminary degree” or, “if you’ve been called to foreign missions.”
Christianity spread like a wildfire across the Roman Empire and beyond because the early believers didn’t hesitate to share their faith even though it was often dangerous to do so. Evangelism wasn’t relegated to a once-a-year series of nightly meetings or to the “professional” who had been trained to preach sermons that would convict nonbelievers of their need for a Savior.
If we really believe Jesus is who He claimed to be and if we have experienced His power changing our lives, how can we not share God’s love with others?
Ask the Lord for holy boldness to share your faith with someone today.
Marlene Bagnull is a wife, mother, and grammy to three youngsters who live within walking distance. She directs two Christian writers’ conferences.
