Beth-El Baptist Church

02/13/2011

Greg Tomlinson


What do you say when someone loses a loved that you might encourage them?


When people die, believers and unbelievers often want to know what happens to their loved one who died. We need to be able to use this as an opportunity to communicate Jesus Christ to them.


  1. In general what happens to someone who dies?

Luke 16:19-31 Hebrews 9:27


There are only two possible options for someone who dies. They are either brought into the presence of God (pictured by father Abraham) or they will reside in hell. It is the believer, Lazarus as pictured by the beggar, who is in the presence of God. It is the unbeliever, unnamed and pictured as the rich man, who dwells in hell. There is no pathway from one to the other.


  1. What is the basis regarding someones eternal destiny?

Matthew 16:13-17 John 5:21-29


The eternal destiny of an individual hinges on what the individual did with Jesus. The relationship that the deceased had with Jesus is essence of what is to be evaluated. If the person rejects Jesus and the free gift of life through His sacrifice, the person has demonstrated that they have rejected the only possible way to be in the presence of God. The evaluator of the eternal destiny of a person is Jesus. If Jesus knows the deceased in a personal relationship way, the person is covered by the sacrifice of Jesus and thus enters into eternal life through faith.


Since the issue of works is brought into the discussion, those who have done good enter into life, those who have done wickedness to eternal condemnation. The nature and type of those works must be evaluated.


Isaiah 64:6 James 1:20-27


The works and efforts that a person does in order to be approved by God, they are worthless. Our works are filthy rags and only separate us from the glory and presence of God. Although good works do nothing to aid in our obtaining the personal presence of God, good works ought to be in the life of the believer. Without works, the persons faith is dead. With works, the person doing them out of a sense of love for God and Christ, is demonstrating the reality of the effectual working of their faith.


John 5:21-29


Returning to this passage in John, note that the dead who hear the voice of Christ will live, but not everyone who dies will hear the voice. The only ones who will hear the voice of Christ after dying are those who heard his voice during their life. These are the ones who will pass from death into life. They are directly ushered into the presence of God and Christ upon their death.


2 Corinthians 5:6-11


According to Paul, when the believer dies, he is now absent from the body but he is now in the presence of the Lord. There is no reason for the believer to fear death since in his death, he finds true life.


Luke 18:18-22 Psalm 49:6-10

Acts 16:30-31


When Jesus was asked about inheriting eternal life, the rich young ruler called Jesus “good” but Jesus corrected his understanding of “good”. Only God is truly good by nature and thus only God is good enough to have eternal life. The law of God, found in the 10 commandments (Exodus 20) are a starting guide to expose the reality that the person is NOT good, but wicked in comparison to God and as a result, the person deserves the eternal punishment of hell. Even a lie deserves eternal condemnation because each of us has been created in the image and likeness of God and having been created in His likeness, we are to function exactly like He functions. When we tell a lie, we misrepresent God and defile His image in which we are made. We are now infinitely separated from God. That is why the Psalmist tells us that the soul of a person is precious and the redemption cannot be purchased with wealth. No one can negotiate the value of the soul with God. The only hop is to submit yourself to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.


  1. Does everyone who claims to be a Christian then enter into heaven?

Matthew 7:21-23 Matthew 9:2-7


Unfortunately, not everyone who claims to be a Christ is actually a Christian. There are many people, including pastors and other clergy, who might claim to know Jesus Christ but they are deceiving themselves and trying to deceive others. They can never deceive Jesus. Just as it is easier to say to a paraplegic, “your sins are forgiven” then it is to effectively say “get up and walk”, it is easier for a person to say “I am a Christian” then to “get up and walk like a Christian”.


  1. What should I do about others who claim that I am not a Christian?

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 1 Peter 2:20; 3:16-18


The first thing that we must do is to consider whether or not the other person is telling is the truth and some aspect of our life is not Christ like. If their claim that we are not functioning like a Christian, then we need to repent of that sin and pursue sinning no more. If however, their claim does not hold true, we need to remember that the other person is not the eternal judge but Jesus Christ is that eternal judge.


In summary then, when asked about the eternal state of another, the question must come back to the person of Jesus and what the individual did as payment for their sins. If it is an unbeliever who is asking, then it is important to find out why they are concerned since they are not interested in eternal life have rejected Christ. The desire is to look at the presence of sin in the life of the individual and show them how a perfect and righteous judge, who cannot be fooled, must judge sin and the penalty of sin is eternal condemnation in hell. The person must repent of his sins and turn to Jesus Christ for forgiveness.