Should we preach about hell? Of course we should. It is a part of the gospel presentation. Jesus did it. 

Should we scare people with hell? To some extent, yes! It makes people reflect. It makes Jesus' crucifixion more important and greater. He sacrificed himself so that we could avoid going to this terrible place. This is the message of the gospels – yes, in the entire New Testament. Of the 12 places in the New Testament where the word hell is mentioned, it is Jesus who mentions it – a total of 11 times. 13 percent of what Jesus preached had to do with hell. Every 46th verse in the gospels deals with this topic. It is part of the gospel presentation:

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

Hell should motivate us for heaven. We constantly warn people about dangers in traffic, dangerous countries to vacation in, dangerous weather, and dangerous medicines. We are deterred from getting involved in certain aspects of life to avoid something worse. 

With regard to hell, Jesus says: "But unless you repent you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5)

The Book of Revelation depicts hell in several places. It is described as a dreadful place and not, by comparison, just like the difference between economy class and business class on an airplane – as some seem to think.

Once I was accused of preaching "too much" about healing. It was in connection with a meeting at the Culture House in Alta. I thought: This accusation is not going to stand. The concert hall was packed with people. 700 had come to hear the sermon. The Altaposten was present and later wrote a great article about the meeting. I preached a balanced gospel about God's love and justice (something I always do). But this time, I particularly emphasized the reality of perdition. 

When I called for response to the salvation invitation, 45 people raised their hands and came forward. The newspaper did not write anything negative about it. They showed that it is a part of the Christian faith. This faith which is now lost in Christian theology at the University and the Faculty of Theology – and among the bishops in Norway. It leads to the decline of other biblical truths as well.

Research shows that where conservative faith is strong among a people, there is less crime. There are many reasons why we should preach the gospel with hell as one of life's two outcomes. First and foremost, so that people will be awakened from lethargy and come to believe in the necessity of the gospel.

But preaching about hell must not take away from the focus on preaching about God's unlimited grace and love for people. God is good must always be the core and motive for all our preaching.