Bruce Kriegel
My beloved dad died early this morning in Virginia.
He had turned 96 years old on April 19th.
I continued to witness to my dad the gospel of Christ and minister to him ever since I came to the knowledge of the truth of the gospel of Christ, and had called upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save me nearly forty years ago.
Up to when I last saw him in the fall of last year, although he professed to believe in "God" he remained in unbelief about Jesus Christ being Lord and Saviour.
However, I do believe that the truth of the gospel of Christ must have been on his mind during his final days as he declined unto death, and that it is even possible that Jesus Christ could have appeared to him in a vision or in a dream, and that my dad could have then called upon Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Saviour.
Many people have conveyed to me what a good man they think my dad was and that surely God would accept such a good man into his heavenly kingdom.
However, my response is that I agree that my dad was a good man (even the greatest man I have personally known), but that no man can be good enough, or is able to do works of righteousness to earn salvation into the kingdom of God.
The only way to enter the kingdom of God is by believing in the truth of the gospel of Christ, in that the Son of God, Jesus Christ died for your sins, and that he was buried, and that he is the risen Lord and Saviour, and you call upon him to save your eternal soul.
Salvation is by the grace of God through the faith of Jesus Christ, and not by works of righteousness which we have done, or by how "good" of a person we might try to be!
If we could be "good" enough to earn salvation, then Jesus Christ would not have had to die for our sins!
Titus 3:4-7 KJV
[4] But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
[5] Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
[6] Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
[7] That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
[9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
John 11:25 KJV
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
John 14:6 KJV
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Romans 1:16-17 KJV
[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
[17] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV
[1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
[2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
[3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
[4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Romans 10:13 KJV
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
1 John 5:11-13 KJV
[11] And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
[12] He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
[13] These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.