Doesn't It Say Narrow

As I approach 50 in a couple of years ,  I have been to my share of funerals. Something that breaks my heart . It is never an easy thing to bid farewell to someone you loved or to watch someone you know go through the pain of loss. But it is appointed one day for all of us to face that last barrier .

As a Christian believer the hard thing for me is coming to grips with the fact I have never been to a funeral were the departed one was not "in a better place". Now I say this with the utmost restraint , that simply cannot be.If the Bible is true(it is) , then we have a big problem.

     [13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)

These are the words of Jesus . Talking about eternal life , heaven . Jesus states bluntly that few will find it. Why? First there is only one gate . Jesus himself . He is the way ,the truth and the life , no one can enter His Fathers presence but through Him.That the way is hard . Which means following Him will cost. It will cost the praise of men and the world. The way being easy is the thought that all is good , we don't need a Savior . We are all basically good and decent people .

So heaven is attained by death . As Theologian RC Sproul put it , we are justified by death. There is no need to give account for our sins , no need for a perfect Savior who died and rose again that one might be justified before a holy God. No sir, just drop dead , and you go directly  to heaven.

But the truth is this . If Christ had to come and atone for the sins of all who will repent and believe , then what should we say to those who are in a delusion of heaven for all . This must be dealt with with the utmost care .

It serves no purpose to go in guns blazing. To tell someone that their whole concept of an afterlife is a lie will do more harm than good. Plus it shows little respect concerning the situation. Also we must be careful to let God be God concerning the person who dies. Perhaps there was a last minute confession and cry out to the Lord. But lets be honest , this is a rarity and should not be an excuse not to bring the truth to bare on this eternally important subject.

The first thing one should do is offer no response when someone says , they are in a better place. Be silent. Place your concern on the living . Pray for them , offer emotional support. Let them talk . Listen and be slow to respond. Let grief work its opening . There is a reason the word of God tells us its better to be in the house of mourning than merry. Death awakens the heart to lofty questions. Is there life after death?Is there a God? What of heaven?

Pray God will give you a time to respond . To share the gospel . But don't make the deceased person the context. Place the person whom you are talking with at the center . There is no question that the idea that their  loved one is in hell according to the message of gospel could arise. Be loving but firm that apart from trusting in Christ , the wrath of God abides on all who will not repent. Those will never be easy words but who will we be , God pleaser or a man pleaser.

In a very practical way I deal with this issue each day. My Dad , who is 70 , has never turned to Jesus . In fact as sad as I'm to say , he uses His name in blasphemy not praise.I love my Dad dearly and pray for his soul . But I make no illusions that unless he repents and believes that he is a sinner , that Jesus , the Son of God , came to die for his sins , rose again for his justification , then he will die in his sins. He will stand before a holy God , a wretched sinner , and for his hatred of God , hell will be just .

That may sound harsh but I'm under no delusion of a better place apart from Christ.  The gate is narrow , may we seek to show others that truth .