Living in a fantasy world is not love. Telling people of a coming day of judgment is a great act of love. You are trying, it seems to me, to justify your unbelief. And I don't say that meanly. You don't accept the many dozens of places where the Bible clearly declares a coming day of judgment, so you see no need to mention it. You better hope you have it right. It's a fearful undertaking to try and edit the Bible.

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

Living in a fantasy world is not love.

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Neither is a fantasy land of talking snakes.

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You don't accept the many dozens of places where the Bible clearly declares a coming day of judgment

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Here you go again - deflecting from the issue being discussed. The issue being discussed is HELL, not a day of judgment.

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It's a fearful undertaking to try and edit the Bible.

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It's a far more fearful undertaking to lead people away from the truth.

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talking snakes.

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No one here believes that apparently but you,

You cannot separate hell from judgment. For instance, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?" Note those are also the words of Jesus.

You are leading people to a truth invented by you. It's why you do not appeal to the Bible. You are instead reduced to talking about trash dumps, or instead making the incredible statement that only one person on the earth believes that Matthew wrote Matthew. And you continue to avoid talking about the universal testimony of the early church fathers who ALL attributed the book to Matthew. Wonder why? Care to explain that?

We are to lead people TO God's love, not away from judgment and Hell. To the Positive, not threatening them about the Negative.

Good morning, WG. I would just reply that you seem to be content with giving them half the message that Christ gave. Do you know more than Him?

Jesus' message is love.

Yes indeed. He loved us so much that He gave His own life so that those who follow Him in faith would be delivered from God's judgment. If you accept the Bible, then that is a clear, plain truth. You can start with John 3:16-18.

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His [e]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the [f]only begotten Son of God.

We love because He first loved us.

Yes. Just ignore the John passage. Have it your way.

Yep, John is correct -- Jesus' love for us and, in response, we offer that love to others.

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Wondergirl
We are to lead people TO God's love, not away from judgment and Hell. To the Positive, not threatening them about the Negative.

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Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh
Jude 22

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We are to tailor the message to the person.

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Originally Posted by dwashbur

We are to tailor the message to the person.

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In other words, preach hellfire and damnation so the listeners quake in their boots? That seems to be what JL suggests.

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Wondergirl
Quote Originally Posted by dwashbur View Post
We are to tailor the message to the person.
In other words, preach hellfire and damnation so the listeners quake in their boots? That seems to be what JL suggests.

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It worked for Jonathan Edwards and many others.
Again, if that's what the person needs to hear, yes. Tailor the message to the person's needs.

How do we know it worked? (Please define "worked".)

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In other words, preach hellfire and damnation so the listeners quake in their boots? That seems to be what JL suggests.

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Never said that.

I understand that I could post a thousand passages, and the response would be cherry picking, I talked to Jesus when I was a child, just change the subject, and on it goes.

I think DW has a good point. I'm not really talking about what needs to be said to people as much as I'm talking about the fact that you cannot eliminate God's judgment from the Gospel message. It has nothing to do with creating fear. It has to do with preaching the full message of the Gospel, and drawing that message from scripture.

"You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

We don't "catch" anyone. That's the Holy Spirit's job, and us being honest with the truth is very helpful there.

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Originally Posted by jlisenbe

We don't "catch" anyone. That's the Holy Spirit's job, and us being honest with the truth is very helpful there.

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"We" (Christians?) "catch" sinners all the time and read them the "truth" (and refuse to look in the mirror).

Then you should stop.

I was quoting your "we" and your preaching instructions.