I lost a dear friend

I lost a dear friend......

I had a dear friend who recently died from breast cancer.
She is often on my mind because....she believed that everybody would eventually be saved and go to heaven.

We had our discussions and she was adamant she was right!
What I could not get through to her was that it does not matter what “WE” think, it’s what God’s will is,
according to His Word, the Bible.

We are sinful and fail at every turn.

She did not believe that either,

she was also sure that people are “good” (which a lot of people think.) So I asked her,
“If we all go to heaven eventually, why did Jesus have to come in the flesh and then, have to die on the cross.?”

I am convinced that Jesus died in my place and that He came in the flesh so He could also die to the flesh, which I cannot do. My flesh keeps rearing up again and again.

Even though I tried to tell her that we sin, every day, (she agreed with that)and the Bible tells us “the wages of sin are death” (Romans 6 v 23) I asked her had she done any reading from the Old Testament?

She said, “No, she was mainly in the New testament”
I explained that God had made a covenant with Abraham, and this covenant is still on going!

It is not just with Abraham, if it was it would have died with him,
it is with his seed as well and eventually Christ, and by adoption we are also part of that seed,
because we have accepted Christ as our saviour, and He died for all our sins...

So she then said, “Well, what about “the elect?” that are so often mentioned in the Bible?” So again I tried to explain that “we” are all the elect. Everybody who accepted Christ as their Saviour is!

There is not a special group that is “the elect” I told her I left a church because that was what they taught, and no where does it say so in God’s word!.
John 3 v 16: clearly states “God so loved the “world” with this word “World” we all know God means all the people...right?”
She agreed.....

Then her biggest fear, “Well, what about hell, God sends people to hell....
how can he do that?”

So I then tried to explain to her that......
“God does not send people to hell....” they decide for themselves where they go....

God has given us all a free will so we can decide for ourselves who to follow......

God made hell for the devil and his angels because they rebelled against God......

not for humans!

God loves us and sent His Son to be our hope. He has provided all that we need “for life and godliness.”

What the Father has done for us in Jesus is enough. We are not condemned and no longer need to live in fear, shame, and inadequacy. Jesus is our hope, our righteousness, our life. The truth has set us free.

The devil wants as many humans as possible, (because they are made in God’s image and he hates, no loathes them) to come with him, and hence he tries to deceive them.

The thing is....if you do not follow one.......

then by default you follow the other.

And as C.S.Lewis said.....”The devil will get people to say and do anything.... to make you believe that he does not exist!”

But he does!!!

And of course we need faith, and faith is like a muscle,
the more we use it,

the stronger it becomes,

but it also works in the opposite,

the less we use it,

the weaker it becomes!

We often had discussions like this,

but.....she’s gone now, and as I said,

I often wonder where she is right now!
Blessings..
Yaddy