​The Answer:
Dear Working, 

If you’ve not heard it before, let me introduce you to a modicum of truth that carries a hefty theological impact - “Hell is hot, and eternity is a long time.”

Speaking from a pastoral point of view, I want as many to come to a faith in Christ as possible.  And it’s partly because of that statement above.  Hell wasn’t created for humans. It was created for satan and his demons.  But since humans decided to turn against God as well, and reject God’s love to go their own ways, a holy and just and righteous God will need to deal with your sin just as He will deal with satan and the demons’ sin.  But the sentence doesn’t HAVE to be that - God isn’t sending people to Hell.  We choose to go there of our own accord by rejecting the OTHER path He laid out for us - the path that leads straight through His Son, Jesus Christ (Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life… NO ONE comes to the Father, except through Me.” - emphasis mine).

Speaking from a strictly humanistic point of view, one has to wonder if that “death bed confession” is a true repentance, or merely saying words in hopes to have all the bases covered.  The Bible is clear that TODAY is the day of salvation, meaning two things. Firstly, today is ALWAYS the best day to accept Christ as your Savior and make Him your Lord.  Secondly, there are people around this globe making that exact decision today, and yesterday, and tomorrow - every day.  The question is, will you be one of those people?

Because just as TODAY is the day of salvation (as we read in 2 Corinthians 6:2, link above), it’s also true that it is appointed for man to die, and after that comes judgment.  The bottom line is that no one knows when they’re going to breathe their last and walk through the doors.

​Many of us think we still have time to do what we’d like to do - save more money, go on that vacation, buy that house, tell our friends/family how we love them, etc.  We all have plans and dreams and goals we’d like to accomplish in our life… but the one thing we rarely think of is this - “What if tomorrow never comes?”  Years ago, Garth Brooks released a song by that very title “If Tomorrow Never Comes.”  Within that song is a thought and truth that exist for us all - tomorrow is not promised to any of us, and so the decisions we make today may be the last we get to make.  Are we making the BEST decisions we can make?  The BEST decision ANYONE can make at ANY TIME is to follow Christ. (and that’s an EMPHATIC period at the end of that sentence)

So, from a pastoral view, I care less about what they’ve done in the past, and more about a true change of heart and mind towards Christ, who has paid for all OUR sins by dying OUR death on OUR cross… He paid it all - and He’s given us an amazing chance to accept His gift of salvation TODAY… because for some of us reading this, tomorrow may never come.  And if I don’t make the best choice for Christ today, I need to remember that Hell is hot, and eternity is a long time without Christ.

Now, let me deal with one other statement - you’d asked, “why is it allowed that a Priest/Pastor/Preacher save someone just before death after a life of corruptness and inappropriate behavior?”  I would again answer twofold.  First, why not? it’s always a good day to turn from that life into a new life with Christ!! (I think I made that point above)  Secondly, it’s not the Priest/Pastor/Preacher saving anyone - we are just a messenger that God puts in the lives of those whom He is already calling to Himself.  God saves us… we don’t save us.

Would I rather that corrupt and inappropriate life have changed much earlier? ABSOLUTELY. There’s a path of “collateral damage” because of those sins that may have generational impacts on many… but at the end of the day, if there was a truly repentant heart calling out to Jesus, He’ll answer EVERY TIME.

 - Pastor Jason

We’re continuing in the series of Q & A sessions, a la “Dear Abby” that I have received from people… Here’s today’s question - 

Question:
Why should someone believe a human being that states they have been spoken to by God or have a calling to be a Preacher or Pastor?  Is that not just one person’s interpretation of the Bible and what they feel should be stated?  How does one know that is the Word or the belief that if followed, and that is the chosen path of that individual, that it is not misleading, misrepresented, and will not actually be the interpretation that will provide the path to righteousness?
​Signed, Questioning the Clergy

​Response:
Dear Questioning - 

I wish more people would ask in-depth questions like this - it tells me that they’re REALLY searching and REALLY studying and REALLY serious about the steps they’re wanting to take in their faith.  Props to you.  As we’ve done in the past, we’ll break these questions apart and then put them back together at the end.

You asked, “why should someone believe a human being that states they have been spoken to by God or have a calling to be a Preacher or a Pastor?”  My answer would be that blind trust in their words is ill-advised.  Please look at the entire picture.  Words can be used for many things. Words have started love affairs.  Words have started wars.  Words have torn civilizations down and words have built them up.  Don’t ONLY trust their words - the words MUST be followed up with consistent action.  In other words, put their words to the test of their actions.  A smaller book in the New Testament called 1 John addresses this VERY thing in the beginning of chapter 4.  It says, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world…” (emphasis mine)  In other words, there will be a blindness about the faith, but there’s not a foolishness about it.  Be discerning… in fact, Jesus Christ Himself told his disciples to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves   That would apply to us as well.  If someone comes to me telling me God has spoken to them or that they’re “called by God to be a Pastor,” I’ll be excited for them and I’ll encourage them, but I’ll FIRST compare their “hearing” or “calling” from God against what God has ALREADY SAID.  I’ll compare it to the Scriptures… then I’ll watch their lives - their actions. Their words. How they carry themselves while alone and in crowds. Do they act differently depending on who’s around? Do they use empty flattery?  In other words, I’ll test them.  And once they’ve been proven, then I’m all for helping them fulfill the call of God on their lives…  to confirm their words they’ve received from the Lord that it matches with what God already said (remember, He won’t contradict Himself).

You went on to apparently assume the person began preaching the Bible and asked if one person’s interpretation should be valued as highly as someone else’s interpretation.  That’s a DEEP question that has a few levels.  One of those levels has been answered in a previous question, so I would direct you here to review the beliefs that are open for discussion and the beliefs that are settled and non-negotiable.  Given that you just paused in reading this to follow the link I provided and you’ve read it in its entirety, I’ll move on to add some additional Scripture (so we’re not just dealing with my opinion on the topic).  A guy named Peter who followed Christ was a bit volatile early in his journey with Jesus, but after a while, evened things out and became a prolific speaker and writer about Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  Since he was an eye-witness to many of Christ’s teachings and miracles, Peter carries quite a bit of weight in terms of validity.  That being said, he wrote in His second letter that there’s no private interpretation of Scripture.  Read more about it here.  He means this - what the Bible says is what the Bible says - it will be generally and commonly accepted as valid by MANY… so when some odd-ball shows up challenging it and saying that the interpretation he’s been given is the only correct one, you should raise an eye-brow.  And Peter CAN say that, because He was an eye-witness to Jesus’ words and works during His entire earthly ministry - therefore, Peter has some authority on the subject.  This is why most study Bibles and commentaries have tens (or even hundreds) of editors who all confirm that what’s being said is indeed “Scriptural” (meaning, accurate and in agreement with the Bible).  It’s when you get some “translations” (I use that word loosely) that have just a single person who has done the whole work of interpretation that you should steer clear of… the Bible wasn’t ever meant for any one person to have a private interpretation - in other words, understanding the Bible is NOT an exclusive right that only certain people who are “super-gifted” by God can do - the Bible is meant to be daily bread for ANYONE seeking life through Jesus Christ and Him alone.

The other questions fall in line and provide a good summary to the first two you’d asked, so let’s put this all back together.  If someone shows up one day saying that what the Bible says has been COMPLETELY misinterpreted for 2,000 years, and they alone have the correct interpretation, turn away from that guy.  He’s already contradicting what the Bible says, and is most likely trying to establish his own “kingdom” (build up his reputation, start his own cult, or get rich off people’s ignorance and fear).  God makes it clear that there’s only one Way to reconcile with Him and be righteous, but that Way is open to ALL who believe.  And because the same Guy who said He would raise from the dead after three days (and did it!!) is the same guy who said that His Church will continue on until He returns for her, we can trust that the Bible we have today is the same Bible the first church had in the first century, and the interpretation of the Truth are as solid now as they were then… but always be on guard against false teachers, because there are many of them seeking to build up their name and not Jesus’ name (which is why we need to read and study and learn and know what the Bible says - so we aren’t led astray by the fools). - Signed, Pastor Jason