The seriousness of death and sin

[FutureAndAHope]

My best friend recently died, and he died young. Being only in his 40's. However this bought to my attention the issue of sin in our lives. Some of us seem to think it is "OK", to sin. Allowing small sins, like software or music piracy, into our lives, with the attitude it won't hurt any one. Yet the bible is clear, we are to obey every law set down by the land. We don't realise how serious these sins are in the eyes of the LORD, His word stating "even the righteous are scarcely saved, so where will the sinner and ungodly appear". Breaking any of God's commands is a serious issue. The LORD has to weigh our actions at the point of death, and determine if we are worthy to inherit eternal life, if we are worthy to continue believing in his son. I saw a great struggle with my friend at the point of death. We must make ourselves clean, and thoroughly purge our sins, least we be found wanting.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

I'm sorry about your friend. My condolences. How did he pass away?

 

[Lost4words]

Sin can have its teeth dug right into a person. I know very well what that is like. Its a daily battle.

 

[Handmaid for Jesus]

I attended a funeral today and the Eulogist spoke on the importance of salvation. Too many people take eternal life for granted. But Lord Jesus gave His life to deliver believers from sin. I hope your friend was a believer.

 

[Call me Nic]

My condolences to you about your friend.

But that quote in 1 Peter about a righteous man "scarcely being saved" is a passage about earthly persecution, and not about eternal salvation. Peter is making the point that those who obey not the gospel (1 Peter 4:17) are even more doomed to a worse end than us, even though we suffer more than they in this present world. A person obeys the gospel from the heart (Romans 6:17) and is the only way of knowing God (2 Thessalonians 1:8); we know God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, forsaking our trust in our own righteousness, and going about to submit to the righteousness of God through faith (Philippians 3:9-10, Romans 10:3-4).

You are saying that we must be "worthy" to inherit eternal life, or be "worthy" to continue believing in Jesus, but let me tell you friend that none of us are good enough to inherit eternal life, because all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23); this is the whole point of us needing a perfect and righteous Saviour. If we could be worthy on our own accord, then we wouldn't need Jesus.

Also, belief doesn't fall into a condition of "worthiness," seeing as Paul the Apostle separates the ideas of faith and work (Romans 4:4-5); faith is that which is a trust toward an outside source as a reliance upon another and not self, but work is that which is a determined trust and faith in one's own ability and capability. None of us are able to save ourselves, neither are we even capable of being worthy. We trust Christ as our outside source and rely upon him so that we don't have to rely upon ourselves.

I say all that to clear up the statements made in the OP about salvation and eternal life. Regarding sin in one's life: we should forsake it as much as possible, absolutely. Not only because God tells us to, but when regenerated, God says explicitly that he placed his laws in our hearts so that our conscience is renewed. We know when we sin, so when a Christian sins, they're sinning against greater knowledge, which brings me full circle back to the passage in 1 Peter 4 in which Peter makes the point that judgement begins at the house of God. The Christian knows better than the heathen as to what sin is and why it is to be repented of; therefore, judgement must come first to the house of God. Not judgement as in eternal damnation though, because God will never leave us or forsake us once we're saved (Hebrews 13:5, John 10:28, John 5:24, John 6:47, John 3:16, Romans 8:38-39, etc), but rather judgement in this life and punishment accordingly. God chastises us, because we shall not be condemned with the world since we are saved by Christ (1 Corinthians 11:32), and also to yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto God (Hebrews 12:11) so that both he may be pleased, and the world may see our light shining forth and they too will glorify God (Matthew 5:13-16).

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I'm sorry about your friend. My condolences. How did he pass away?

I believe it was his time, I saw a vision before I knew he would die, telling me that due the the degree of suffering he was going through in this life, that he would be taken in death. Some weeks latter I learned that he had contracted a bug, that eventually killed him. It was sad to see my friend go. But I now believe he is in a better place now, as he was a believer.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

My condolences to you about your friend.

But that quote in 1 Peter about a righteous man "scarcely being saved" is a passage about earthly persecution, and not about eternal salvation. Peter is making the point that those who obey not the gospel (1 Peter 4:17) are even more doomed to a worse end than us, even though we suffer more than they in this present world. A person obeys the gospel from the heart (Romans 6:17) and is the only way of knowing God (2 Thessalonians 1:8); we know God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, forsaking our trust in our own righteousness, and going about to submit to the righteousness of God through faith (Philippians 3:9-10, Romans 10:3-4).

You are saying that we must be "worthy" to inherit eternal life, or be "worthy" to continue believing in Jesus, but let me tell you friend that none of us are good enough to inherit eternal life, because all of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23); this is the whole point of us needing a perfect and righteous Saviour. If we could be worthy on our own accord, then we wouldn't need Jesus.

Also, belief doesn't fall into a condition of "worthiness," seeing as Paul the Apostle separates the ideas of faith and work (Romans 4:4-5); faith is that which is a trust toward an outside source as a reliance upon another and not self, but work is that which is a determined trust and faith in one's own ability and capability. None of us are able to save ourselves, neither are we even capable of being worthy. We trust Christ as our outside source and rely upon him so that we don't have to rely upon ourselves.

I say all that to clear up the statements made in the OP about salvation and eternal life. Regarding sin in one's life: we should forsake it as much as possible, absolutely. Not only because God tells us to, but when regenerated, God says explicitly that he placed his laws in our hearts so that our conscience is renewed. We know when we sin, so when a Christian sins, they're sinning against greater knowledge, which brings me full circle back to the passage in 1 Peter 4 in which Peter makes the point that judgement begins at the house of God. The Christian knows better than the heathen as to what sin is and why it is to be repented of; therefore, judgement must come first to the house of God. Not judgement as in eternal damnation though, because God will never leave us or forsake us once we're saved (Hebrews 13:5, John 10:28, John 5:24, John 6:47, John 3:16, Romans 8:38-39, etc), but rather judgement in this life and punishment accordingly. God chastises us, because we shall not be condemned with the world since we are saved by Christ (1 Corinthians 11:32), and also to yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness unto God (Hebrews 12:11) so that both he may be pleased, and the world may see our light shining forth and they too will glorify God (Matthew 5:13-16).

I agree that 1 Peter 4:17 is in part talking about suffering, but it is much more than that, In essence the passage is talking about how God punishes eternally.

Now the issue for great soberness here is how my friend passed away. Over the days leading up to his death, he saw demons, these weakened his faith, to the point he became uncertain he had faith, or would make it to heaven. I knew in the past he had sin in certain areas, and I feel God showed me that if he judged righteously he would not make it to heaven. I pleaded with the LORD to ignore his sin. Weather the sin was ignored or became his undoing I don't know. I like to focus on the scripture that says in Christ we are not under the law, and we are called to liberty. It is truely only that liberty that would save. He was not a bad guy, but sin must be judged by God's standards. Let the living man fear, least he fall short of God's requirements. I believe my friend made it to heaven, but each of us should strive to enter the narrow gate.

 

[Call me Nic]

I agree that 1 Peter 4:17 is in part talking about suffering, but it is much more than that, In essence the passage is talking about how God punishes eternally.

Now the issue for great soberness here is how my friend passed away. Over the days leading up to his death, he saw demons, these weakened his faith, to the point he became uncertain he had faith, or would make it to heaven. I knew in the past he had sin in certain areas, and I feel God showed me that if he judged righteously he would not make it to heaven. I pleaded with the LORD to ignore his sin. Weather the sin was ignored or became his undoing I don't know. I like to focus on the scripture that says in Christ we are not under the law, and we are called to liberty. It is truely only that liberty that would save. He was not a bad guy, but sin must be judged by God's standards. Let the living man fear, least he fall short of God's requirements. I believe my friend made it to heaven, but each of us should strive to enter the narrow gate.

I truly empathize with how you're feeling, because I feel the same way about my dad's passing. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure if my dad believed on Jesus Christ; and by his lifestyle and the way he lived, there is absolutely no way to think he was. But the gospel is translated as "good news," and something that is good news refers to something that is not grievous. Salvation is a gift, and a gift is something that we received freely by God, and a gift is something a person gets to keep. The giver of a gift wouldn't ever take it back for any reason, because it's bought and paid for with the intention of transferring ownership to the person receiving it. The salvation that God offers us through Christ works the same way. Since all of us have sin, there is no way we could ever afford to buy salvation, which is why God bought it for us to give to us for free; since we weren't ever good enough to buy it in the first place, we can't ever be bad enough to lose it, seeing as it has nothing to do with our own merits. Our salvation is upheld and kept by the power of God through Jesus Christ, period.

So, seeing as your friend believed upon Christ and trusted him, the unrepentant sin is his life was not something that affected his eternal destination, because the only thing that affects a person's eternal destination is whether they receive and believe on Christ to have their sins remitted. Now God calls those things which are not, as though they were (Romans 4:17) because God is outside of time. So when God sent Christ as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, all who call upon the name of the Lord shall have their sins washed clean past, present, future. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord WILL NOT impute sin (Romans 4:8), which is future tense. A person who is justified by grace through faith will never come into condemnation, no matter how weak they are in the flesh, because Christ is the one who is the once-for-all sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).

So trust in Jesus Christ that he was faithful to your friend's trust in him, and that Jesus did not forsake him when he gave up the ghost, and that he is currently fairing better than any of us here on earth seeing he is in the presence of the Lord. It's actually something to rejoice in, and not doubt, because Satan is trying to get at you with the doubt, to try and cause you to stumble from the power of the grace of God.

Much love to you, friend.

 

[Lucian Hodoboc]

Some weeks latter I learned that he had contracted a bug, that eventually killed him.

What kind of bug?

 

[FutureAndAHope]

What kind of bug?

Not sure, it was some kind of parasite. The doctors were uncertain how to treat it, they did an autopsy to try to get more info on what it was, so they could better treat it in future.