So, if a Murderer...The Cults and Grace

Someone asked if a murder repents and turns to Jesus in the last days of their life is that person saved? It is a familiar enough question, popular with the cults. People usually find the answer scandalous; nobody is beyond the reach of his grace except the one who will not receive it. What does that mean?

It means, 'Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.' (John 5:24, ESV, [words of Jesus])

'Whoever' means anyone may come, no one is turned away who comes in repentance, no truly repentant sinner is beyond the reach of his grace. Peter writes, ‘For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit...’ (1 Pet.3:18) The scandal is the cross, the righteous dying for the unrighteous, but there it is.

'Has eternal life' means those who come, hear, and believe know eternal life as a present possession. You have it. You don’t simply hope for it, much less work for it, you have it. Paul writes to saints in Rome, ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom.6:23) More scandal, the repentant sinner gets what he/she certainly doesn’t deserve, but that is the nature of a gift.

'Will not come into judgement' means they are washed clean in the blood of the Lamb and considered righteous in the same way Abraham was considered righteous because he believed God. (Gen.15:6) Jesus told Nicodemus, ‘Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.’ (John 3:18)

'Has crossed from death to life' means whoever comes and believes passes from the death of sin to the life in Christ. They are equipped to walk in his ways, not perfectly, but increasingly in his love, in a process of becoming like him, with the assurance 'he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.' (Philippians 1:6) John writes elsewhere, ‘We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.’ (1 John 3:14) Note, love is the evidence of life, not life the fruit of love. I sometimes challenge Mormons after such a discussion, ’As we speak I stand in life, where do you stand?’

Using what are extreme examples in hypothetical situations demonstrates three things:

As you eye up the offences of another you put yourself in the place of God to judge, the original sin; See Luke 18:9-14.
You limit the reach of God's grace when you should rejoice with heaven when anyone turns in faith to Christ.
You unconsciously make comparisons between you and the other person, underestimating your own desperate need for grace. Here is James’ verdict:

‘If you really fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.’ (James 2:8-13)

Consider James’ words and tell me you have not broken the whole law, that your heart is not black with sin and you in desperate need of saving. The judgement in that question about the murderer shows a shocking lack of the very mercy for which James calls, and an ignorance of your own need of mercy and forgiveness.

Understand James's point, you are a law breaker just as anyone else is a law breaker who is in Adam, so your need is the same as mine, as the imagined murderer.

We all need a Saviour and we had better hope no one is beyond the grace of God otherwise we might all be in trouble. The invitation is to 'whoever' so is the murderer a 'whoever'? Are you?

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