When a person dies and there is no sign that they were a believer, is there still hope for their eternal salvation?
Professor Mark Muska says there is the opportunity for a person to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, up until their final breath.
“Even the most hardened person against the Gospel, maybe in those last few hours or even minutes of life, God is speaking to their hearts. They put their faith in Christ and they slide into heaven at the last second, so to speak.”
“I always hold out hope for that kind of a thing, even for people who seem to be the worst of them.”
We may have a burdened heart for the salvation of others, but Professor Muska wants to remind Christians that it’s also important to stay focused on our own relationship with Christ.
“What about you and Jesus? Where are you at? This something we’re uncertain about with this person, but you can have a very high sense of confidence in what’s going to happen when you take your last breath if you put your faith in Christ and in the gospel.”
Professor Sickler points out that we should keep our eyes fixed on the character of God when thinking about the salvation of others.
“Jesus calls us to repent from our sins and follow Him and that’s really what we need to be focused on. The character of God is what we need to be focused on; Who is He? Is He an unjust God? Is He a tyrant? Will He do wrong by anybody? Does He delight in the destruction of the wicked? No.”
He refers to Ezekiel 18:23,
“The word says, He doesn’t delight even in the death of the wicked, and that He desires for everyone to be saved.”
Ask the Professor: On the 3rd Thursday of every the month we invite Bible professors from the University of Northwestern into the studio and open the phone lines for your questions on the Bible, faith and the church. Call-in during the live show, or submit your questions via email on Connecting Faith’s show page.
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