There are those who emphasize God's power and holiness, and the punishment of hell, to try to win people to Christ.  They use scare tactics.  It is true, hell is a terrible place and people need to know that.  But, God is a loving God.  People will ask, Why would a loving God send someone to hell?  Well, He doesn't send anyone to hell, they choose to go there by rejecting His plan of salvation.  A loving God provides a way of escape from punishment, and He did.

Scare tactics are also used in trying to keep Christians living a godly life.  But our motivation to serve God and live a Christ-like life should not be motivated out of fear, it should be motivated out of love and gratitude for our salvation and God's love for us.  There are times in a Christian's life when they need to discover a new, healthy dose of respect for God's holiness, sovereignty and power, because we get complacent.  But God does not want us living in fear of Him.  What loving parent wants his child to obey them because the child fears him?  Yes, a loving parents puts in place guidelines and consequences, but he wants the motivating factor in his child's life for obedience to be love, not fear.  I know that while I was growing up there were many things offered to me to do that was best for me that I didn't do because I did not want to hurt my father.  Pleasing my father was my main motivation as a child.  There were still times I disappointed and had to be punished, but they were very few.  Those times came when I did not give much thought to what I was about to do.

The more we draw close to God, get to know Him through His Word and let His Word build up in us, the more our desires, plans, thoughts, words and actions will be motivated by our love for God and reflect the love of God to a lost and dying world.