Hi Frank,
If you really would like to have my thoughts on this, that is fine. I know we seem to have different view points on some aspects concerning salvation. Even though we have our differences I think we have many more things that we would agree upon. If we discuss a topic to reason together it will of course always be on a topic that we do not agree with!
First let me make this very clear, I do not base doctrine on anyone's NDE and only should be based on sound scriptural principles. That being said I think this is a very interesting story and notice that this man is described as a "lukewarm churchgoer". I do not know this man and where he stands with his relationship with Christ before this NDE happened, but it does sound like it has changed, praise God! The label "lukewarm churchgoer" make it sound as though he went to church but never really had that relationship with Christ. This is one thing that bothers me, people say just repeat this prayer after me and you will be saved. I think this is very dangerous because it may give a person a false sense of being saved. Possibly he could have been classified as one of the foolish virgins before this experience. Here is an example from my life:
I did not grow up in church and at the age of 10 was taken away from my parents permanently with no chance of returning. I became a ward of the court system and was placed in foster care. One family that I lived with the longest went to church and I had to go also. I heard the salvation message presented in this church many times and I had gone forward to accept Christ in my life many times as well. Was I saved? I did not have the fruit in my life to show that I was saved. I cannot say that I was or was not! In this church I saw that either people were in the good group or they were in the bad group, and I never saw anyone go from bad to good. I knew I was bad and saw no hope of becoming good. Years went by and now I was in the Navy, finished my schooling, went to my duty station and after a while they were trying to kick me out. I was bad and had very bad attitudes. Was I saved??? It was at this point, probably the lowest point in my life that I went to see a scuba diving friend that I knew was bad as well. He told me about Christ and how it had changed his life. Now I would have classified him as in the bad group but now I saw a change in his life and I for the first time in my life I saw hope! I accepted Christ into my life again and wanted this change as well. Christ met me at my lowest and did change my life. My quarterly marks before I gave my life to Christ this time were 1.8 out of 4.0 and that was why they were trying to get rid of me. Three months later I received my quarterly marks again and this time it was 3.8 out of 4.0. God took me at my word and changed my life. Was I saved before? I guess only God knows! Ok, now you know a little about me and were I have come from. I hope it has encouraged some of you here.
My personal thought is that I was saved when I was in the Navy. I think there are a lot of people in church that may have just repeated a prayer and think that is going to save them. When I talk to someone about salvation I want to make sure they know what they are doing and that God is the one that changes their life not them. Maybe that is where this "lukewarm churchgoer" was at, I do not know but have a suspicion he was never really saved. What do you think?
We over come by the word of our testimony and by the blood of the Lamb! Hope you enjoyed a part of my testimony!
David Blackman,
Frank Molver (18 July 2013)
"David re what happens to the luke warm, Neils news on rapture"
Many of us have struggled with this questionThe Lord's answer seems quite hard so we struggle with itHere is an example from Neil re a death experience of a luke warm christian