A Message For Those Who Mourn

Weekly Message

March 30, 2014

Hope In The Lord

It’s always hard to lose someone close to you and it’s even harder when there is a question as to whether or not that person had accepted the Lord. We know that Paul says in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. But what happens when someone passes who, to your knowledge, hadn’t believed upon Jesus?

I lost one of my dearest friends this week. He had the maddening habit of alternately saying that he thought perhaps there was something to this faith in God and later making it clear that he really didn’t believe. Which was it? That was important to me. But I never knew for sure. I would, as we all would in a similar situation, like to think that my friend had some measure of faith. But I’m just not sure.

There are comforting words in scripture that we may apply to these times. Peter said in 1 Peter 4:8, “Above all maintain constant love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins.”

Also, I find solace in 1 Corinthians 7:14, which says “For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband.” And then in 1 Corinthians 7:16, “Wife, for all you know, you might save your husband. Husband, for all you know you might save your wife.”

So unbelievers, or those who may have some measure of belief, may be saved through the prayers of others. This is a difficult concept and I can barely get my hands around. It is useless for me to comment further, but I did want to share these thoughts with readers.

Those of you who have friends and loved ones who may not have accepted God’s grace through Christ, know that they may yet gain admission to the holy city through your intercession. And that gives me a great deal of comfort.