But I did more????

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4 ESV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Paul sets no limits here. If you truly have faith in Christ and profess this faith, repenting your sins before the Lord, you will be saved. Some are saved early in life, and others, like me, are saved later in life. Either way, we get saved.

One tricky question that I often hear, and one that is always in dispute is what about the “last minute believer.” Be it a deathbed confession or something similar. Dr. R. C. Sproul said it best, when he wrote, “You don’t get into heaven by your works, but your reward in heaven will be according to those works, according to the New Testament. What that says to me is that although people can make it by the skin of their teeth by repenting in their last dying breath, nevertheless, their degree of felicity will not be nearly as great as that of those who have been serving Christ faithfully for many, many years.” If you disagree, we can agree to disagree.

I would use three examples from the New Testament to support this. One is Jesus' parable of those who work for a certain wage. All were paid a Denari even though others worked longer in the field. This was a prime example of those who came to work late in the day and still received the same reward as the others.

Another would be the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He professed Christ to be the Lord. I made the statement that he deserved to be crucified, acknowledging his sin, and asked Christ to remember Him when Christ entered His kingdom. This is the only time I know of where Christ promised someone, they would be in heaven with Him. He was a criminal, and very shortly before his death, Christ saved him.

Lastly, Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” We do not earn our way to heaven; the idea that we earn our way to heaven is a heresy. More importantly, our good works do not procure, keep, cause, or consummate salvation. They are caused by God’s prior actions to save us (Eph. 2:10). Yet, all the works of faith are simply that, works of faith. Through our works of faith, we glorify God and grow as Christians. Some work longer than others. I, myself, grieve the years I should have been serving Christ and was not.

I am certainly not saying it is okay to wait until the last minute and hope for salvation. On the contrary, we all know that tomorrow may never come. There are instances when a person honestly finds faith at the last minute. Like Dr. Sproul, I believe if you are God’s elect, you will be saved; God selected you, and God is never wrong.

Grace and Peace!