Fire Insurance

This is something that contemporary churches have been selling for years. We stand in our pulpits, in front of our congregations, in front of our youth groups and tell them that they should accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior because if they do not they will spend eternity in hell. While there are true ideas in this statement, it reduces the gospel and Christ to nothing more than a "get out of jail free" card. It trivializes Christ's goodness, his sacrifice, his holiness, and his call to discipleship. When you come to the cross, the gospel, to Christ and tell him that you want to turn your life over to him, it should not be out of fear. Our culture has become incredibly self centered. "If it does not profit me then I am not interested in it." This has become the cry of our hearts, our own proclamation. Sadly this has even infected the church. From the lay person who sings a solo on Sunday morning for the compliments and hand shakes it will bring them to the pastor who is beaming with pride at the church "he" built that now needs a bigger building to fit all its new members. We are a selfish people. Christ's call is to a loving devoted relationship in which his disciples die to their desired daily in order to take on his desires and make them their own. It is a life of devotion to a savior who has rescued them from their sin and separation from God. Putting a match under someones seat and telling them "it's hotter in hell" is a pitiful way to lead them toward God. A "conversion" by fear encourages the convert to accomplish the minimum amount of work for their salvation to keep from burning. There is so much wrong with this picture that is painted in the new "converts" mind. You cannot work your way out of hell and certainly cannot work your way into heaven. We as the church need to stop trying to fill our churches with scared people who are just going to show up out of a sense of obligation and selfishness. We need to paint the clear picture of the gospel and a Savior who loves us enough to offer reconciliation to the Father through his sacrifice on the cross so that we may take on his righteousness and begin a lifelong process of being molded into his image because WE LOVE HIM, not because we are scared of hell.