And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Hebrews 9:27
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…
2 Corinthians 5:11
Yesterday Tom* died. My heart aches with grief. For nearly ten years I worked for him. Over time we grew closer. Then suddenly, unexpectedly, his appointment with death arrived. Now he’s gone.
His sister says he is in a better place. But he’s not, and that’s why I grieve for him.
Romans 6:23 says, ‘The wages of sin is death…’ Take my word for it, Tom broke the Ten Commandments. This is the very definition of sin. And the penalty we each must pay for our sin is death, both physically and spiritually.
The Bible is clear that death is the separation of the soul from the body. The soul lives on in one of two places: heaven or hell.
As Hebrews 9:27 above says, after death we face our Judge. The theories of soul sleep or reincarnation are false. Death is followed by judgment.
The result of that judgment is that those who die in their sins are eternally confined to hell.
This is what compels Christians to speak up, as 2 Corinthians 5:11 above says.
But there’s good news! Romans 6:23 goes on to say, ‘…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’ There is only one escape from spiritual death. By shedding His blood on the cross, the Lord Jesus paid the penalty of our sin in full. Those who turn from their own way and place their trust in the blood of the Lord Jesus alone, are given the gift of eternal life. The Bible refers to this as salvation.
Although more than once he was offered this good news of God’s gift of eternal life, Tom strongly rejected it. In so doing, he chose then his soul’s destination now.
God gave him many opportunities to rethink his choice. He gave him a brother who is a Christian who earnestly desired his salvation. He put other genuine Christians in Tom’s life who gently tried to bring up the subject. But Tom didn’t even want to discuss it.
The fact is, God is too loving to force anyone to spend eternity in heaven with Him against their will.
What choice have you made?
If you want help understanding what the Lord teaches us in the Bible about how you can have salvation, please contact me.
*Not his real name