I Love You but You are Heading Towards Hell
Sometime in March of 2001 I was visiting a woman at the Akron General Hospital whom I had been teaching the Gospel to for a number of years. She had just had her pancreas removed along with part of her stomach because of cancer. Her husband of 55 years was there also sitting on her bedside. I was talking with her about her soul reading scriptures that pertained to salvation. As time went by, she fell asleep and her husband and I began talking. He told me that he was of the opinion that, all anyone had to do to be saved was to believe in God. I handed him my Bible which was opened to Mark 16. I pointed to the 15th verse and asked him to read aloud through verse 16. He read, “15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”
He looked at me and asked, “Are you telling me that if I have not been baptized that I cannot be saved?” My answer was, I did not say a word, you read it from God’s word. Sharply he closed the Bible and handed it back to me. Then he said, “I believe in my own version of Jesus and God and not your version and so I guess we will know who was right when we die.” He did not talk with me about the Gospel after that day.
The woman asked if she could be baptized and I made the arrangements. She called all her family and friends to attend and many came. As I began to explain what was about to take place many of the family members started shouting, and heckling; This is a waste of time…She was baptized in the Catholic Church; she doesn’t need to do this…Why are you making her go through this…Her husband said to her, stop this now, you don’t have to do this…
After about 5 minutes of this the feeble and weakened woman, who did not have the strength to stand up shouted, Stop! Stop! all of you Stop! And in a frail, but angry voice said: I want to do this and if you do not like it you can all leave!
The baptism took place, she was smiling from ear to ear, which we had not seen for some time. Some pictures were taken, goodbyes said, and then everyone left. Four weeks later she died and just over one year after that her husband who was a dialysis patient, stopped his treatments and he also died.
I attended both funerals and as for the woman I am not on God’s throne and cannot tell you with certainty the woman was saved, even though I do hope so with all my heart.
At the husband’s funeral the oldest son and his wife made all the arrangements. They believed that their father was saved because one week before he died while in the hospital, he prayed with them the sinner’s prayer.
At the funeral the minister of their church asked me if I wanted to say anything and I declined. When the service began many people said many good things about the man, which is typical. The minister began with John 14 as the text for his message. He began at verse 2 and read through verse 3. As he spoke, I began to feel uneasy, because he was doing what most people do at times like this misusing scripture to imply that everyone will one day go to heaven. I heard enough, and I stood up and walked forward. As I did so he introduced me as the son of the deceased.
That’s right, the woman, was my mother and the man was my father.
I stepped up to the microphone and began to speak saying; Your minister just quoted a wonderful text from God’s Word. He started at the second verse and read to the 3rd. I would like to visit this scripture again starting at the first verse and reading through verse 6. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
In this text Jesus promised that He was preparing a place for you and that He was going to come back and take you there.
“He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me”
Luke 10:16
But people misuse the words of the Lord when they don’t make clear that the YOU is always those who believe and were baptized. I want to make it perfectly clear so that NO ONE thinks that this text is a promise that everyone has a room in heaven because that is not true. I will tell you what Jesus Himself said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mk 16:16). Did my father believe that, No! Do you believe that? After the service was over many angry people talked with me especially my family.
The truth is no one enters heaven just because we love them, in fact no one will enter heaven even though God the Father loves them, but those who believe and do His will (Matthew 7:21). Because God so loved the world, and He does, He prepared before the foundation of the world a way to enter heaven by saying that whosoever believes in Him, His Son, His Word, shall not parish but everlasting life (John 3:16; Eph. 1:11&12).
Will you make the call to reserve a room in heaven? Rom.10:9 “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
In Christian Love
As always,
in Love
dave scarpino
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”
(John 12:48)
Welcome One and All!
Our faithful Creator is worthy to be praised in this assembly. All praise to Him who reigns above in majesty supreme! He gave His Son to die, for all mankind, that He might redeem all. Our blessed Redeemer suffered and died for our sins and is now risen and sitting at the right hand of God as Head of the church. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, knowing that He is the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him. (Hebrews 5:8-9) “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are
open to their cry.”
(Psalm 34:15)
What Must I Do to Be Saved?
- Hear the gospel——————- John 6:45; Romans 10:17
- Believe the gospel—————– John 8:24; Hebrews 11:6
- Repent of sins——————— Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30
- Confess Christ——————– Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:10
- Be baptized———————— Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38
- Remain faithful until death—— Revelation 2:10; Matthew 10:22