Recently, a friend lost her child. The death of her son grieved her terribly, as most could imagine.
Looking for a way to find something positive in the tragedy, I asked if the young man was saved. She looked at me, confused, even more saddened, and said, “Bill, I don’t know. When he was young, he made a profession of faith, but I honestly have not seen any change or proof.”
Spiritually, the man went downhill as most observed. There was no sign of his living for the Lord or obedience to God’s commandments. One could see in her grieved eyes that she desperately hoped he was in Heaven, but there was a great doubt because of how he lived.
I have seen the doubtful thought peering through the grieved eyes of many who lost their loved ones. At many funerals, I have heard “I hope she was saved, but…” Too many wondered about the eternal destination of their loved one. They all searched very hard for hope that the person was not beginning their eternal agony in a vengeful Hell.
My own father’s death had me wondering also. I had witnessed to him many times, but never got a convincing answer whether he was born-again.
The only hope I ever got about his eternal whereabouts was from his pastor, a very liberal and often unbiblical man, who, at dad’s funeral, told me privately that he thought he was saved because dad often asked him about the spiritual subjects I spoke to my father about. That convinced him that he was saved, but I still wonder.
What would others ponder after hearing of your demise? Would they scratch their heads searching for tangible proof of where you are spending eternity?
Or, without question and hesitation, would people quickly respond about your salvation, “Absolutely, he is in Heaven. When he got saved, there were tremendous changes in him. He constantly read his Bible and lived what God showed him to do. His interest in the souls of others was prevalent. His hand went up almost every time to volunteer for any need the pastor had around the church. He was truly saved and lovingly serving.”
If you are saved, there should be great changes in your life. Surely, for your own eternal benefit, you should be much different from what you were. One’s attitude and behaviour towards our Creator should greatly show spiritual and lifestyle alterations and new interests in the things of God.
It should be apparent to yourself and others that you are not the person you were before salvation. No one, including yourself, should doubt that you are a new creature in Christ!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17
“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9
“Learn to hold loosely all that is not eternal.” — Royden
