Tasha's path crossed mine Monday morning. I engaged her in conversation. To swing the dialogue to the spiritual, I asked politely if she had a church background. "I'm a Christian," she answered. "Oh," I responded. "If you died today, Tasha, do you know where you would spend eternity?" "No, I don't," she honestly admitted without hesitation. Wow. It's amazing how common that is among professing "Christians."
You would expect a professing Christian to know the answer to that question, since the very reason Christ came was to make sure we knew The Way to the Father (John 14:6). By definition, a Christian is one who personally knows Christ as Savior by looking to Him alone for salvation (John 3), repenting of their sins (Mk. 1:15; Acts 17:31; Acts 20:21), and choosing to follow Jesus (Matt. 4:19, 16:24). Tasha considered herself a Christian, but by her own admission had no clue how to become one, which would have resulted in her knowing with certainty what her eternal destiny would be--with Christ!
I asked Tasha if she would like to know how she could be sure of her eternal destiny. "Yes, I would," she replied. I had the joy of telling Tasha the great news that Jesus came that we might know with certainty The Way to eternal life (1 John 5:11-13). She listened very attentively, because she wanted to know The Way. After I shared the gospel with her, she asked me to pray for her. She wanted to know where she could find a good local church where she could be encouraged in following Jesus Christ. I pray she truly acted upon the truth in order to make her destiny sure (2 Pet. 1:10).After countless witnessing encounters trying to faithfully follow Jesus' call to "fish for men," I have learned many believe they are Christians when they don't know the truth about how to become a Christian--one who follows The Way of Jesus Christ. Should we care? Absolutely!
Jesus and the Apostles cared about people being sure of their salvation. They died that we might be sure. We should care, too. If a person can't explain why they think they're going to heaven, odds are they don't really know The Way and are still dead in their trespasses and sins, following some other way (Eph. 2:1-3), and, according to Jesus, they remain under God's just condemnation (Jn. 3:36). We should care enough, love them enough as Jesus did, to help them "make their calling and election sure" before it's too late (2 Pet. 1:10).
God cares so much about the certainty of our eternal destiny that He sent His Son to explain to us "The Way" to the Father (John 14:6) and to avoid "eternal punishment" in "eternal fire" (Matt. 25:41, 46). He cares so much that He suffered an eternity of torment for our sins that we might be certain of our eternal destiny based on solid belief and sincere repentance (2 Cor. 5:21; Mk. 1:15; Acts 20:21).
Everywhere Jesus went, He warned people to "repent." (Matt. 4:17, 9:35; Lk. 13:1-5). He urged them to act quickly because "the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). Jesus taught that belief in Him and repentance from sin are the essentials of the gospel, The Way (Mk. 1:15; Jn. 3:3-36).
When convicted first century sinners asked Peter what to do to be saved, he told them to "repent" for the forgiveness of sins through belief in Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). But Peter didn't stop there. He pleaded with the "saints" to "be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Why did Peter take great pains to urge "saints" to be "sure" about their eternal destiny? "For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (vv. 11-12). Peter was so consumed about their eternal welfare that he added, "I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder" (2 Pet. 1:13-14).
Jesus' half-brother, Jude, said we should know the gospel well enough to defend it and to share it in such a way as to "snatch others from the fire and save them" (Jude 23).
Paul wrote to believers that we should share the gospel "as though God were making His plea through us" (2 Cor. 5:20). The NIV says God "appeals" to the lost through us and that we should "implore" others to make their salvation sure. The NASB says we should "beg" people to be saved. Like Peter, Paul longed so intently for people to be sure about their salvation that he warned them to "examine" themselves (1 Cor. 11:28). He warned that "now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! (2 Cor. 6:3).
Care enough about people not to simply assume they are "Christians." Care enough to help them make their calling and election sure! That's what a true Christian does.
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