Talking about Heaven with a Grieving Person
How Can We Know if Someone Goes to Heaven?
Our culture pretty much believes—or talks at least—that when someone dies the expectation is that they’ve gone to heaven. So what do you do when that’s the way everyone is talking about someone who has died, but you’re not sure that you ever saw any genuine relationship with Christ?
We don’t have to rush in to correct these things, but we do have to look for the opportunity, as we walk with people in the midst of grief, to talk clearly about what heaven really is: It is the place where God dwells, and it is the place where those who have been joined with Christ through faith go to be with Christ upon their death. So we talk clearly about what heaven is, then we talk clearly about who goes there—those who go there are those who have taken hold of Jesus Christ by faith.
But here’s the thing—we don’t always know what’s going on in someone’s life. The real question is: Is there fruit of repentance, fruit of faith in that person’s life? You and I aren’t always privy to that, so we should be pretty slow to question whether or not someone has gone to be with Christ.
What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps (and What Really Hurts)
Nancy Guthrie
Practical and down-to-earth, this short guide will equip you to come alongside a loved one who is hurting and offer comfort in ways that really help.
What we ultimately rest in is that our God is righteous; he does what is right. We can’t say for sure whether or not someone is with him, but we can always say for sure that we know God has done right.
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