Is “turn or burn” a biblical way to share the gospel?

“Turn or burn” is shorthand for “repent or go to hell.” A “turn or burn” preacher will emphasize hellfire and the need to turn from sin. A “turn or burn” gospel presentation uses the fear of hell to motivate people to believe in Jesus for salvation.

Some people object to the “turn or burn” approach to evangelism as being harsh, off-putting, or downright unbiblical. It’s true that some preachers overemphasize hellfire and damnation, resulting in an unbalanced picture of God’s nature. And some in the “turn or burn” camp fail to show love or concern for the lost. But we should beware of overcorrecting. To present a God of love alone, sans judgment, is equally unbalanced.

Those who use the term turn or burn as a pejorative generally imagine a God whose great love for mankind precludes Him from casting people into a burning hell. On the other extreme are those who see a perpetually angry, merciless God who simply gives people what they deserve. Neither view of God’s character or of hell is biblical. Although the phrase turn or burn is not found in the Bible, the need to turn from wickedness, under penalty of death, is certainly taught:

Other passages also present divine judgment as pending. The way to avert that judgment is to repent:

Jesus taught on hell, and He did so to warn people not to go there. The place of punishment for the wicked after death is associated with burning. Jesus called it “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), a place where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44–49), and a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23–24). Hell is a place where “the smoke of torment rises forever and ever” (Revelation 14:10–11), and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

Jesus also taught the need for repentance (Luke 10:13–15; 13:1–5). Before Him, John the Baptist was “preaching a baptism of repentance” (Luke 3:3) and demanded that his hearers repent (Luke 3:7–9). The unrepentant, John said, would “be cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9).

Other prophets had a similar “turn or burn” message: “Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown’” (Jonah 3:4). “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall” (Ezekiel 18:30). To repent is literally “to change one’s mind”; turning away from sin is a related action. Biblical repentance involves changing one’s mind about Jesus and sin—the forgiven sinner forsakes sin as he turns to Jesus for salvation.

Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, as he is called, preached a sermon titled “Turn or Burn” on December 7, 1856. In it, he argues that repentance is both a merciful call to the sinner and an urgent requirement. God is holy and will not save those who continue in unrighteousness; at the same time, God takes no pleasure in their death and is willing to forgive. Spurgeon warns that religious activity without true repentance is spiritually dangerous—abandoning external forms of sin is not enough; the repentant person must also hate the unseen, hidden sins of his own heart. Repentance is incumbent on the sinner as soon as he feels the conviction of sin. If a sinner will not repent, he must eventually face judgment. Christ is the only refuge: “We must humbly confess that we deserve God’s wrath, and that we cannot avert it by any deeds of our own, and we must put our trust solely and entirely in the blood and merits of Jesus Christ” (The New Park Street Pulpit, Vol. 2, p. 881).

So, Spurgeon had no problem with the “turn or burn” wording or approach. He preached the need to turn from sin and did not shy away from speaking of God’s judgment. Yet even in his sermon “Turn or Burn,” Spurgeon struck the right balance of grace and truth. His goal was evangelical, and he ended with heartfelt a plea for the sinner to be forgiven: “Oh! what would I give if one of my hearers should be blessed by God to go home and repent! If I had worlds to buy one of your souls, I would readily give them, if I might but bring one of you to Christ” (ibid., pp. 888–889).

Sharing the gospel is a matter of proclaiming the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, with a goal of stimulating faith in Him (see 1 Corinthians 15:1–8). There is nothing in that basic message that would require one to teach the realities of hell and judgment in tandem with the gospel. Those subjects are related to the gospel, but not an inherent part of it. Evangelists who feel the need to preach the terrors of hell every time they present the gospel should probably reexamine their methods. After all, “God’s kindness is intended to lead [one] to repentance” (Romans 2:4)—His kindness, not His wrath.

Yes, God’s judgment is a reality. But so is His mercy. The wrath of God exists side by side with His grace. That’s why we have appeals such as this in Scripture: “Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:7).