In society, citizens are sometimes reminded by government officials that they will be punished if they break civil law. In the home, children are sometimes reminded by parents that they will be punished if they do not obey their parents. In school, students are sometimes reminded that they will be punished if they break the rules of the school or teacher. We understand that in some instances the thought of punishment does, indeed, serve as a detriment to wrong conduct. But what about in the spiritual realm? Is it proper to try to motivate people to serve the Lord by pointing out that eternal punishment awaits the disobedient? Let us consider some facts.

Fact: Jesus taught about punishment for the ungodly. Jesus said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). Jesus spoke those words to His apostles as He was preparing to send them out to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words says that in Matthew 10:28 the word "destroy" [Greek, apollumi, as in "destroy both soul and body in hell"] means "the loss of well-being in the case of the unsaved hereafter." Would you be surprised to know that even in His masterful "Sermon on the Mount," the Christ twice spoke about being "cast into hell" (Matthew 5:29,30) and once about being "in danger of hell fire?" (Matthew 5:22). In another instance the Master spoke about "the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29), and once told some Jewish leaders that they "shall receive the greater damnation" (Matthew 23:14). Yes, Jesus used punishment, even punishment in hell, as a means of trying to motivate people to do that which is right in God’s sight.

Fact: Inspired first-century preachers preached to lost people about punishment for those that do not obey God. After exhorting his Jewish listeners to repent and be converted, the apostle Peter spoke of the Messiah in these terms: "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:22,23). To say that one "shall be destroyed" for not hearing the Christ points to punishment. While preaching in a synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, the apostle Paul, spoke about justification through Jesus. He then warned his listeners, "Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you" (Acts 13:40,41). Inspired by the Spirit, Paul quoted from Habbakuk 1:5, which in the context, deals with the punishment that God would deal out to the Jews. Thus, Paul’s "beware" statement that is recorded in Acts 13:40,41 points to punishment for those that do not believe in the Christ. From the two examples noted above it is obvious that the apostles, as a means of motivating people to serve the Lord faithfully, preached about the punishment of those that do not follow Jesus

Fact: Inspired penman of the New Testament taught about future punishment for the unrighteous. "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). What about those that do not obey righteousness? They shall receive "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish" (Romans 2:8,9). These truths remind us that for the disobedient, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31). Yes, the horrible thought of being lost is a strong motivator to right thinking people, is it not?

Fact: The punishment that awaits the wicked is eternal in nature. We point this out as a separate fact simply because the question that we are answering is, "Is it okay to use the thought of eternal punishment to motivate people to serve the Lord?" We have clearly shown that the Christ, first-century preachers, and the writers of the New Testament at times used punishment as one form of motivation to convince people to obey God. But what about the "eternal" aspect of punishment? Does the New Testament teach such a concept? As we have already noted, when the Christ comes again some "shall be punished with everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). We also recall that Jesus said that some "shall go away into everlasting punishment" (Matthew 25:46). Yes, the punishment of hell is eternal in nature, a place where "the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:43,44,45,46,48).

Fact: Jesus taught about punishment, but not about punishment only. The Master warned both His followers and His enemies about destruction, punishment, and hell. If we want to imitate our Lord, and if we really love people’s souls like He did, then we, too, will teach both the lost and the saved God’s truth about future punishment of the ungodly. However, the horror of future unending punishment was not all that Jesus used to try to motivate people to live righteously. Hell was not the only topic on which Jesus preached. Hell and its future residents did not dominate every lesson that He presented.

What else did Jesus use in order to motivate people to obey the Godhead? In His "Sermon on the Mount," before Jesus spoke about hell, He told His disciples, "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven . . ." (Matthew 5:12). A "reward in heaven" appeals to right-thinking people! The Bible calls that wonderful reward "life eternal" (Matthew 25:46) and "the crown of life" (James 1:12). It is "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4). Punishment motivates, but so does a reward.

In addition to using the possibility of future punishment and future reward, the Lord and His faithful preachers also appealed to their listeners to serve the Lord out of love. The "first commandment of all" of the old law was, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:28,30). On the night of His betrayal, Jesus exhorted His apostles, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). He went on to tell them, "(C)ontinue in my love" (John 15:9). To whom has the Lord promised the crown of life? Answer: ". . . he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (James 1:12). The Lord’s love for us should compel us to love Him in return (2 Corinthians 5:14).

Is it okay to use the thought of eternal punishment to motivate people to serve the Lord? Jesus and His faithful servants of the first century certainly did so. As we have noticed, fear of punishment was not the only means that they used to motivate their listeners. Yet, it was, and is, a God-approved way of trying to get people to obey God.

-- Roger D. Campbell