“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;” (Romans 1:18)

You may have heard of the term “hellfire and brimstone preaching.” This style was quite popular among Christians in the past and still exist in a more subtle form in many churches today.

The premise is that the gospel must be preached and believed and in order for people to get to heaven. If someone rejects it, they are to be warned of the wrath of God that will come upon them for their unbelief. Basically, the gospel is used to either “save someone to heaven” or “condemn someone to hell.”

But was this Paul’s intention in the Roman letter? I think not.

Verses 16 and 17 tell us what the gospel DOES. The gospel reveals the righteousness of God. It tells about the good things of God.

On the contrary, the wrath of God is revealed but not through the gospel. The light of nature shows that there is a God and God’s hatred of sin is revealed directly to man without the preached word.

The gospel should be a DECLARATION of GOOD NEWS. The gospel is a message of comfort to God’s people not a tool of coercion to force people into belief rooted in fear!