The absence of bad news

It is not new news to believers that the folks around us need to hear the good news about Jesus.  There is, however, some bad news that is attached to the good news, but is hardly ever talked about.

Simply put, the bad news is that if a person does not embrace the good news and trust in the God-man, Jesus Christ who died and rose again, these will end up in the “lake of fire” forever.  There is a terrible consequence for a person who does not receive God’s free gift of salvation through Christ.  The Book of Revelation refers to it as the “second death”, which means that an individual is forever separated from God.  Jesus spoke often of darkness, deep grief and extreme anguish for those who do not possess eternal life.  The Apostle Paul described this second death as eternal, meaning existence where Christ rejecters will experience total ruination of what human life was supposed to be; a kind of constant depression. So the bad news really is bad.

When was the last time you heard a sermon devoted to the consequences of rejecting or neglecting the good news?  Or a Bible study which was focused on eternal damnation that awaits an unbelieving person.  Have we really given the complete good news if we fail to include the consequences—the bad news? Our culture of tolerance and broadmindedness has muffled our voices on this important matter; and we are fearful that we will be branded as narrow, unloving or other negatives.