By Daniel Yoder — 6/14/12
Why Serve Jesus?
If there is no eternal hell, then why live a Christian life now?
Is the threat of eternal torment necessary to cause us to turn to Jesus? Is being a “fire escape” the only value Jesus has?
NO!
1. Jesus is God! Jesus is wonderful. Jesus is perfect. Jesus is love. No one compares to Him. It is a privilege and a joy to know Him, to spend time with Him, to do His will. Jesus knows everything, yet loves us with a perfect love. So if we are wise, we will trust Him and His guidance above our own thinking. Jesus knows more than we do, and He loves us more than we love ourselves. To even consider not following Jesus demonstrates that you don’t yet know Him.
2. There are blessing, benefits, and rewards promised to those who obey the Lord and follow the instructions of His Word. Blessings right now in this life on earth: forgiveness, acceptance, peace, joy, help, good standing with God, and so much more. And also living with God forever and ruling with Jesus in the age to come – just to name a few. Even if those who fail to follow Jesus now have a future opportunity to repent, we have no guarantee they will receive the same blessing or rewards.
3. Just because someone may not suffer eternal torment, does not mean they will escape all consequences for their actions. God is a God of justice. No one gets away with anything. While we may not know exactly what the consequences may be, it would be very foolish indeed to ignore God’s instruction.
4. To reject Jesus is to be under dominion of Satan by default. The devil is a lying their who hates you because you are loved by God. Rejecting Jesus is choosing the devil, which is not wise. Jesus came that we might have life in its fullness, as God intended, but the devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
5. Jesus created the world and He knows how it functions. Not following the manufacturer’s handbook (the Bible) can only cause misery, heartache, and pain. God’s way produces happiness and success. God did not give us His Word to put us in bondage but to share truth that would set us free.
6. Jesus came to deliver us form sin, its power and its effects. Sin is deadly. Sin produces death and all the misery that accompanies death. Sin is a problem, and without Jesus we have no escape from its power. No one but Jesus can set us free. There is no true freedom outside of Jesus Christ.
7. Jesus loves you! And He proved it by dying for you, so you could live. He paid the price for your sins so you could be completely forgiven and go free. He took the punishment you deserved, and graciously offers to you all that He deserves – as a free gift!
Jesus’ kingdom is the kingdom of love. His commandment is to love others as He loves us. Nothing attracts like love. The Body of Christ is built up by love, not by fear. People will not sacrifice out of fear to the extent they will sacrifice for love.
I am extremely glad that Jesus Christ is my Lord. It is a blessing, not bondage, a privilege, not a burden. I encourage you to enjoy my wonderful Lord by turning your life over to Him, too!
Another Question
A related question some ask is “Why should we even bother preaching the Gospel of there is no eternal hell?” In answer to that question, here are some reasons.
1. Obedience to Jesus Christ who commanded us to proclaim the Good News to everyone.
2. So that Jesus can enjoy the fruit of the tremendous price He paid to redeem people. Jesus deserves to get what He paid for.
3. So that people can enjoy the benefits of knowing Jesus which are listed above.
In summary, we should preach the Gospel because of our love for Jesus and because of our love for people. Do we need anymore reason?