A SOBERING REALITY, AND MY RESPONSE

A SOBERING REALITY, AND MY RESPONSE.
One of the most difficult things for a person to overcome, in terms of accepting Christ as Savior, is the fact that they realize that their deceased loved ones, who died without Christ, are lost forever. This is tragic beyond words. I never take it lightly. I feel their pain when they tell me.

I don't know the numbers of people, with whom I have shared the message of Christ, only to have them respond with questions about their loved ones who have died, but had not entered into a personal saving relationship with Jesus. This caused them great consternation, because the Holy Bible clearly says that only those who have an active, obedient faith in Christ are delivered from eternal torment. It becomes obvious to them that if they receive salvation from Christ, they may never see their unsaved and deceased loved ones again.

All Of This Is True,
However, I usually respond by pointing several things to put this heart breaking dilemma in a right perspective.

* God loved their loved one more than they did, and God is merciful, loving, gracious and kind, and He would have given every opportunity to their loved one to believe and receive Christ, even if it was in their final moments of life.

* We don't know what God was doing secretly with our loved ones before they drew their last breath, but we can trust that He was all that could be done.

* What a great loss it would be for them not to accept Christ, because of a misguided sense of loyalty to their deceased loved one.

* A wrong choice on their part will not help their lost loved ones.

* If they receive and trust Christ personally, they can be the messenger through which other loved ones can be saved and receive eternal life with Jesus.

* God has taken the steps to inform, to convince them of their own need for salvation and therefore they stand in great jeopardy by postponing a surrender to Christ.

These arguments do not always convince a person to trust Christ. But I hope that this post will help someone realize their own need for salvation and will call on Christ, while they have hope, and while they have the opportunity to share their good news with friends and family.