Saved by Fear?

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (NKJV, www.youversion.com)

Was listening to the local Christian Radio station today, don't often have the radio on (more a CD/iPod kinda guy!)  and heard some preaching that.. well, more or less didn't sit with the newer view on salvation.

"If you died today, do you know where your soul is gonna go?  Do you know for sure?"...

Saved by fear, I call it.

But I thought we were saved by grace, through faith.

I'm 28, 29 in a few weeks. The occasional thought of what would happen when I die crosses my mind, but I'm mostly into how I'm going to live, not what's going to happen when I die.. 

And I'm pretty sure that was Jesus' view to.. Didn't He say "I've come that you might have LIFE?" 


The method of scaring people into an un-considered belief in something they don't understand.. Isn't what Jesus died for.  He showed love. He showed grace.  Yes, He told the truth too, and hell, I believe is a very real place and somewhere I'm not too keen on ending up...  But grace and love first.

Where you go when you die though, matters less to me, and my generation, than how you live in the here now.. 

I choose life.