One of the most frequently used expressions in evangelical Christianity is "saving souls from Hell." One would look in vain for such terminology in the New Testament. While there assuredly is a literal Hell and there are wicked people abiding there, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is not addressed primarily to saving souls from Hell. There is a reason why this is the case.

If next Sunday all the Christian preachers in America were to tell their congregations that when they were baptized in water they were crucified with Christ and raised with Him to the right hand of the Father, and now they are to live by Christ's Life and to share His sufferings if they are to experience God's salvation, it is possible over half the "believers" would leave their churches. They have their ticket out of Hell (they think) and that is all they want!

They have not been oriented properly to the Christian salvation.

For many years the church we are pastoring has been fulfilling the Great Commission. We have been going into all the world with our books and tapes, the Internet, E-mail, and sometimes by personal appearance or the personal appearance of members of our church, and making disciples. We have been teaching and exhorting people in many countries to obey the commandments of the Lord Jesus.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19,20)

Let us state clearly our conviction that there is a literal Hell and there is a literal Heaven. The wicked are in Hell and the righteous are in Heaven, as far as we know. Let no one accuse us of being soft on Hell or sin. We are stricter than the average American preacher when it comes to presenting the fear of God and the need for righteous behavior. Neither are we diminishing in any manner the continuing need for worldwide evangelism.

What we will be stating in this brief article is that the purpose of the Christian salvation is not to deliver us from Hell apart from a change in our behavior, but to change our behavior so we no longer belong in Hell. There is an enormous gulf between these two perceptions of salvation.

We always have emphasized to our congregation the need to grow to maturity in Christ, that ministry of various kinds will emerge as we give ourselves wholly to the Lord. But some are suggesting our emphasis on maturity in Christ is an exercise in self-centeredness and passivity while the great and unfulfilled need is for us to press each member of the congregation to "get out and evangelize and save souls from Hell."

One aspect of this viewpoint is the idea that if all of us would go out and evangelize, our building would be filled with people, and large numbers of people (it is said) is a good thing regardless of any other consideration. It is maintained that from God's point of view the more people we can persuade to "make a decision for Christ" the more God is pleased.

To be continued.