The Whole Story

I heard about a group of servicemen who asked their new chaplain whether he believed in a real Hell for lost sinners.

He smiled and said, “No. I don’t believe in that.”

“Then you are wasting our time,” they said. “If there is no Hell, we don’t need you. And if there is a Hell, you are leading us astray. Either way, we are better off without you.”

In our witness for the Lord, some of us are willing to talk about Him when the circumstances are right, but if there is any likelihood of embarrassment or ridicule, we keep quiet.

Or, there is a temptation to give out only part of the gospel. We want to tell people that God loves them. We want to tell people that Jesus can fill the void in their lives. We want to tell people about the joy of the Lord. These are great things, of course.

But we don’t want to tell them there is a real place called Hell that is awaiting those who reject God’s offer of forgiveness. We don’t want to tell them that they can reap what they sow and face the full repercussions of their sin. That makes us uncomfortable.

If we are true Christians, we have to deliver this message. The apostle Paul didn’t shrink from this. He said to the elders of the church at Ephesus, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).

When was the last time you told someone the whole story? It may have made you uncomfortable. It may have made them uncomfortable. But wouldn’t you rather they were a little uncomfortable but ultimately repented of their sin and put their faith in Christ? That is the most important thing of all.