Have Mercy

Throughout this entire book we have been assuming that one day we will see our loved ones in Heaven. But what if you aren't convinced that your daughter or mother or sister really accepted the gospel as presented in the Bible? What if you are unsure as to the eternal salvation of the one you are mourning? We’ve all been taught that as Christians we should not take or give false hope to those who are left behind with just ambiguous or confusing evidence of the faith of a departed loved one. What are we to do?

There is a very small verse in the book of Jude which might help. Very simply, it states:

“And have mercy on those who doubt...” (Verse 22)

Short of having a reliable ‘born-again-o-meter,’ we might not have perfect assurance that our loved one is in Heaven. This verse, though, gives hope to those who wonder. God is commanding us to have mercy on those who have doubts about matters of the faith. This verse certainly implies that God Himself is compassionate toward those who are plagued with skepticism or weakness or confusion. Why wouldn’t we follow His good example?

After all, wasn’t God merciful to us as we were coming to faith? God was certainly patient toward us when we were on our path toward belief. How do we know how far along our loved one might have been?

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

Let us be merciful as God is merciful.