By Robin Sam
THREE people known to me were snatched away from the world last month. The death of two of them was sudden; nobody thought they would die so early. While the third one was ailing, he wasn’t exactly on his deathbed.
Even though none of the three was exactly a friend to me, their death impacted me like the death of an acquaintance would usually do.
Shoukat Ali was in his mid-fifties. He was tall, erudite, spoke fluent English, dressed up elegantly and had an impressive collection of books. At our first meeting, he told me he had no relatives in the city. That his only vice was smoking, and that he was trying to kick the habit. Later, I learned he was divorced from his wife, had a son who lived in a different city and was a habitual drunkard. After his death, his 28-year-old son told me he had always seen his dad as an alcoholic, and how that led to the divorce of his parents when he was only 15. Shoukat did not go to work regularly; however hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his job. Most of the time, he was too tipsy to be working. I asked his son what he felt for his father. “I love him. He was a good man at heart,” he said in a matter of fact tone. Shoukat was found dead in the bathroom face down.
Suresh was a jovial man. A happy go lucky person, I have always seen him in cheerful demeanor. He worked at his brother’s small scale industrial unit. He cracked jokes with his colleagues, was helpful and considerate and generally known for going out of the way to help someone in distress. However, at home he had a different face. He detested going to work, would demand Rs.600 from his siblings for his daily expenses, and kick up a fuss if anyone chided him for his waywardness. He returned home late in the night, mostly drunk and carried home by his friends. He met with his end one day as he was returning home after attending the last rites ceremony of a deceased friend on his bike. He skidded and fell on the road when he tried to avoid hitting a woman who had just then darted across the road. He was drunk as usual. Three days after he was put on ventilator at the Government General Hospital in the city, the family gave the nod to pull the plug as he could not be revived. Suresh was only 36 when he died.
Simon was the treasurer of the church committee. He was well known in his community not just for his good looks but also his helpful nature. He was the eldest of 5 children and had come up in life by the dint of hard work. When his business flourished, he helped his brothers take off in life and married off his sisters. Simon was a do-gooder. He was regular in church attendance, paid his tithes and offerings and held various positions in his church committee. Quite a good man, alright. But the 47-year-old man also wanted to live the ‘good life’. He would ‘relax’ every evening with a few drinks. Even the day before he was knocked down and run over by a speeding truck, the doting brother had had a few drinks with his siblings. The church priest knew Simon’s fondness for the bottle. However, he was wary of warning him of its consequences and did not think it necessary to gently point out that Simon was indeed living a double life before God and men. Simon is survived by his wife and two young children.
This isn’t an Amar-Akbar-Anthony kind of a story. These were real men that I knew. All three men were known for their easygoing nature and helpfulness. They were what you and I would call ‘good men’.
While Shoukat and Suresh died without accepting the Truth that sets us free, Simon knew what it is to believe in the Living God but was either not convinced enough of the liberating power of the blood of Jesus Christ or was not committed enough to live a life holy and acceptable to God.
Perhaps, like Shoukat, Suresh or Simon you are living a life in denial. You have heard about Jesus but don’t think you need Him. Perhaps, you think you can make a commitment tomorrow. In either case, you are terribly wrong. If you think you don’t need salvation, that you are living a life that is ‘good enough’, then let me tell you the entire mankind needs salvation.
The Bible says in Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
In Romans 3:10-18 it says: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no one who is innocent.
Maybe, you are wondering why you need salvation. Simply because the price (consequence) of sin is death.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. This is not just physical death, but eternal death!
So, how does Jesus Christ provide salvation?
In the whole of history, there is no one who claim divinity. There’s no one who can claim that he rose from the dead. Only Jesus Christ died for our sins. He paid the price for our death at the Cross. And He rose from the dead.
Otherwise, Christianity would have been the biggest hoax in history.
Romans 5:8 says: “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Yes, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God the Father, died for us. The death of Jesus paid for the price of our sins. His resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins.
I urge you to consider Jesus. He is the only way to heaven. There is no other way that will take you to the Jehovah, God the Father.
Now, if you are wondering how you can accept Jesus as your savior, here are some helpful verses from the Bible.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Romans 10:9.
“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13.
Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Can Jesus cleanse you and make you live a life totally free from the bondages of sin? Yes, the Bible says if you are in Christ, you are a new being (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter how crimson your sins are, Jesus is ready to make them white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8: 1.
Did Shoukat, Suresh and Simon have a chance to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior in their last living moments? I mean did something as dramatic as in the case of the thief on the cross, who acknowledged and accepted Jesus as His Lord before he died, happen? I don’t know. I wish it wasn’t too late for them. However, it is still not too late for you – today. If you make a commitment to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He will step into your heart and make you a new being. Tomorrow may be too late!
From the archives: All columns by the editor
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Robin Sam is the founding editor of The Christian Messenger newspaper. A journalist with 16 years of experience, he has worked with The Indian Express, Sify.com and Yahoo! besides several other publications. He quit his job in 2008 to get into full-time media ministry. You can contact him at editor [at] christianmessenger [dot] in
