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IFB FEAR TACTICS: BLOODY HANDS PREACHING I answered an e-mail from a lady who was living daily in a state of fear over the idea that her life is not pleasing enough for a holy God and that no matter what she does, she is always fearful of the fact that she isn't doing enough. Now, being CONSCIOUS OF the need to be closer to God and serve Him more faithfully is one thing, but living in a state of unhealthy fear is quite another. As Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." The lady that e-mailed me was clearly NOT of a sound mind, and at least some of the blame lies right at the feet of many IFB preachers who too often think that fear is the only way to motivate people. One item that the lady mentioned was her fear of having "bloody hands" in the day of judgment for not being a good enough witness. I told her that the bloody hands thing is terribly overplayed in IFB circles and that her concern about it is a good sign, spiritually speaking (as opposed to being unconcerned). I basically told her to stay close to God and pray for open doors and seeking hearts while she learns to RELAX and witness as the Holy Spirit leads. Of course, that makes me some sort of heretic in IFB circles because I "should have" told her "Sister, now is the time to ensure that you don't have blood-dripping hands at the White Throne Judgment! It is your responsibility to witness to every person you come face to face with, and God will hold you accountable, if you don't! You're fearful? GOOD! Channel that fear into diligent soul-winning for Jesus!" How a preacher can preach like that and then sleep at night is beyond me. My job is to FEED the sheep and help to LESSEN their burdens (Mat. 11:28-29), not to add to their burdens by plunging them into a state of fear. I realize that a healthy fear of the Lord is a good thing (Mat. 10:28; II Cor. 5:10-11), but such fear is to be balanced with the "comfort of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:31), not used like a cattle prodder for manipulating God's people. This dear soul was practically terrorized over the notion that she is not doing enough to reach the lost and that this might mean that she isn't even saved. Apparently, the "bloody hands" preachers had failed to inform her of a few things: 1. Regarding bloody hands for not witnessing, the standard verses used concern PREACHERS, not all believers (Ezk. 3:18-21; 33:1-8; Acts 20:26-27). No, I didn't say that believers shouldn't witness. I said the bloody hands verses concern PREACHERS and the warnings that they fail to give when PREACHING. Sure, every Christian should witness, but using PREACHER verses to terrorize church members might not be the best way to promote the cause. 2. There are many ways to get bloody hands, not just one. Why such an over-emphasis on Ezekiel 3 and 33 while no mention at all of verses like Proverbs 6:17, Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:3, Ezekiel 23:37, 23:45, Matthew 27:54 and Revelation 19:2? 3. The idea that the lost will never know, if we don't tell them, is generally true, but it's also very simplistic and naive in the way that many believers and preachers apply it. We "tell them" in all kinds of ways each and every day. While it's true that a verbal one-on-one witness is usually best when it's possible, it's false to suggest or believe that we have "bloody hands," if we don't reach this or that person with a verbal witness. While we have the responsibility to witness, THEY (the lost) have the responsibility to SEEK GOD and be open to the good news (Mat. 5:6). This good news can reach the lost as a personal verbal witness, a preached message (live or recorded), a gospel tract, a scripture sign on a street corner or in someone's front yard, a bumper sticker or magnet, a scripture jacket, a cap, a t-shirt, a church sign, a web site or even a Facebook post. Upon receiving such a witness, the sinner now has the opportunity and OBLIGATION to SEEK for more information, and most sinners know of someone with answers. When they choose not to do so, the blood is on THEM, not on the Christian that made an effort to be public with the gospel. This is why every mouth will be stopped in the day of judgment (Rom. 3:19). Sinners have been witnessed to in more ways than any of us can fully imagine (John 5:36, Acts 15:8, Heb. 2:4, etc.), so a lot of the "bloody hands" guilt being preached is wholly unjustified. They HAVE heard and they ARE without excuse (Rom. 1:20; 10:18; Psa. 19:1-3), and this is largely because of the various efforts of concerned believers to be bold and public with the Lord Jesus Christ, instead of hiding Him under a basket. Paul was pure from the blood of all men because he had PREACHED the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27), not because he had personally met with and witnessed to all men, and he told the Corinthians that they were "read of all men" (II Cor. 3:2), which means that those doing the reading were now morally obligated to SEEK for more truth and light (Rom. 2:7), and they were without excuse, if they didn't (Rom. 1:20). So, if you have not hid Jesus under a basket, but you have lived a Christ-honoring life while making efforts to reach the lost with the gospel, you do NOT have bloody hands. Relax, enjoy your salvation, enjoy the peace of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit while continually and prayerfully seeking to be better in your witnessing efforts. 4. The bloody hands scenario is more applicable in specific situations than in general terms. As already pointed out, God spoke to Ezekiel about having bloody hands, IF he failed to warn those whom God had specifically told him to warn. This principle would apply in the Christian's life in cases where God speaks to a Christian's heart about witnessing to a particular person and then the Christian disobeys. A good Bible example would be if Phillip refused to minister to the eunuch after the Holy Spirit had clearly commanded him to do so (Acts 8:29). This is why it is so crucial to stay close to God so as to always be near enough to hear His still small voice and follow his leading. It would be reasonable to say that a Christian who is negligent in this regard could end up with bloody hands. But living in a state of terror because he has not verbally given the Romans road to every relative, every neighbor, every waitress, every check-out clerk and every co-worker is NOT reasonable. Being such a witness isn't even possible, much less reasonable. I don't know if that helps anyone or not, but it seemed necessary to offer a dose of balance to a subject that is mishandled by too many IFB preachers. Some are just trying to tally up more professions and increase the attendance and offerings, while others are just repeating what they've heard preached for years - without praying, meditating and studying the matter through. I'm doing neither. I'm just trying to edify God's people with balanced Bible truth. When personal gospel WITNESSING doors aren't open, there are still many ways to keep clean hands by WARNING sinners, and that's all that those verses in Ezekiel are addressing anyway. The above words will be misunderstood, misrepresented and misquoted, but it's well worth it, if a few good believers are helped. Thanks for reading.