If you had a friend or family member who was going to do something dangerous, that you knew for sure would cause them not just harm but would actually result in their death, wouldn’t you warn them, and in the strongest possible terms? If it weren’t possible to physically restrain them, but only to warn, what would you tell them, how would you say it?This is something I haven’t tried before, but I’m going to make this post a platform for your self-expression, but the focus will be on only one topic—salvation. I know that this word will mean slightly different things to different people, because not only is there a difference between the expectations taught by different religions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism—but even among Christians, the word will have different meanings.
Orthodox Christians, for example, use salvation, sotiría in Greek, to mean the process leading to deification, théosis. I’m not positive, but I think other Christians might mean the same thing by the terms sanctification (a process) and salvation (the goal). Other religions, Buddhism for example, might mean nirvana when they think of salvation.
Since I want to gather the words of my fellow Christians, with no disrespect intended, I want to limit the responses to this post to just this group, to people who believe that “it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…” and “…salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:10-12 NIV).
Returning to the thought expressed at the beginning of this post, I want to change the circumstances slightly. This great peril that you knew for sure lay ahead is not a physical danger that probably would result in physical death, but rather, a peril that you know for sure will result in eternal death, eternal separation from God. This is the question of which I want to ask you, brothers and sisters, “What would you say?”Family members, friends, acquaintances, neighbors—any of these might be persons whom you know reject Christ, reject God.
If you could without any hindrance or obstacle, and without fear of giving offense, say to them in a brief moment some message of warning or of invitation, calling them back to Christ (for most of the people around us who don’t believe are merely indifferent and fascinated by the world, more than outright rejecting Christ), what would you say?You may write more than once, and you may have a particular person in mind. I leave it up to you whether you address that person by name or not. One thing about giving a testimony or witnessing is, to really do it, it can never be solely anonymous. Either you give it in person, and you are seen for who you are, or you write it, as I am inviting you, and you sign your name. Since this is an experiment, you may leave your words in the comment anonymous this time.
Remember, this is what you would say if you could. Now, after you’ve written your message to your unsaved (not accepting and following Christ) family member or friend, think about it, pray about it, and ask yourself whether or not you could deliver the message, in person or in writing.
I hope this invitation draws more comments than any other. I am in the same boat as the rest of you; I have family members and friends whom I love, but who don’t want to have anything to do with Christ. I too must face the fact that my silence could be letting them slip into… and my testimony (words and actions both) could be the opening of a door to their hearts, through which they might pass in the end to eternal life.What would you say?
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 NKJV
Dear brother Romanós, this is a hard one. It's often easier for me to speak to strangers than to relatives. Here's what I hope to say to an elderly relative:
ReplyDeleteI know you grew up in church, and that you're happy for me to be in church, and I thank you for that. I also know you've been wounded by people who claim to be Christians...as have I, and sometimes I've done the wounding. But Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by me." I want you to know the Father. It's a more important matter than anything else in life.
Jesus takes people who are maybe respectable and lovable, but spiritually dead, and gives them life. The Bible says, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (that is, on the cross). You see, we're not naturally good. We've been rebels, lost and dead in our selfishness and our sin. We've earned hell, and there is a hell. Yet God loved people. He demonstrated his love by sending his son to die for sinners. Then after he died, he rose again, and more than 500 people saw him at once.
He is himself the door, the way to life. Will you turn from yourself and turn to Jesus and to life?
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I fully realize that my best cleverness, my best argumentation, my best logic won't bring my relative to faith in the Lord. Only the Holy Spirit, working through God's word and God's people, can do that. I pray that he will do so.