Q:
Is there really such a thing as a death bed conversion? My uncle was a very selfish person who had no use for God, but two days before he died, our pastor supposedly led him to Christ. Did God really forgive him? I have a hard time believing it.
A:
One of the Bible’s greatest truths is that God is willing to forgive us completely, even at the last minute. If your uncle truly committed his life to Christ and trusted Him for his salvation, you can be sure he is now safely with Jesus forever.
Do you remember the two men who were crucified with Jesus? They were criminals of the worst sort, deserving death for their crimes. One of them bitterly mocked Jesus and refused to believe in Him, but the other turned to Him in faith and asked Jesus to save him. He was only hours from death, but Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). His was truly a “death bed conversion,” but God in His grace still saved him.
Don’t, however, draw the wrong conclusion from this. Yes, God can save us even at the last minute, but how do we know we’ll even have a “last minute”? A sudden accident… an unexpected heart attack… a slow dulling of our mental abilities — these and a hundred other things could keep us from turning to Christ.
In addition, think of all the years your uncle wasted, years he could have lived for Christ and known the joy of His presence. If you’ve never committed your life to Christ I urge you to do so today, before it’s too late. The Bible says, “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).