What if a person who is not a Christian finds he has only 5 minutes to live – what can he do to be saved? Certainly not much. During my nearly 60 years in ministry, I have been privileged to witness a few things that help answer that question. My wife had an uncle who was 85 years old, not a Christian, and he was in a coma as the result of a stroke. She had a strong burden of prayer for him and felt we should go see him though she knew he was not conscious.
My wife and I and one of his daughters stood by his bedside and began to pray. For the first time since the stroke, he opened his eyes. I said, “Uncle, we have come to pray for you.” He began to cry and said, “I do want to go to Heaven.” After sharing the gospel with him I told him to call on the Lord and believe Him for salvation. He did! He confessed that he believed in his heart that Jesus died for his sins and was raised from the dead. He thanked and praised Jesus for saving him. Fifteen minutes later he lapsed back into the coma. He died two weeks later.
What did Uncle do? He believed in Jesus. He called on the Lord and asked for His grace and mercy. He did what Paul told the Philippian Jailer to do – “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) he did what John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He did what the thief on the Cross did, he called on the Lord. Paul said, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
He couldn’t work for his salvation, he couldn’t earn it, and he didn’t deserve it, all he could do was believe in Jesus and trust in Him for His mercy. That is the same thing I did over 60 years ago. Whether you have 60 years or five minutes believing in Jesus and trusting what He did for us on the cross is the answer. We are saved by His grace and mercy!
J.T. Parish is the Founding Pastor of Christian Fellowship Church. He further serves on the Church Leadership Council, as Chairman of the Board of World Missions and Evangelism, and as President of the School of Ministry.