Well, I can't think of many conversations that are harder to have than those we have with

professing believers who have shown little to no fruit in their lives over the years.

Those are hard conversations to initiate and to do really well.

Today's question arrives anonymously.

Hello, Pastor John.

In episode 803, you tackled the question, how do I wisely tell a professing believer?

I don't think he is saved.

I'm now struggling to consider how to apply the principles you put forth in that episode

with an elderly professing Christian who I think may be unsaved and who is close to death.

In thinking about this, I thought about your love for dying saints and figured that in

your pastoral experience, you have been with dying individuals who profess faith in Jesus,

but yet you have strong inclinations that they may not actually be saved.

How do you personally speak to these seemingly nominal individuals, especially elderly ones

when they are so close to death?

That's a really good, real practical question.

I have indeed stood beside the bed of dying professing Christians whose faith I was not

at all sure was real.

This is especially frightening when I know the person has sat under my ministry for years.

The reason that's so especially frightening is because I know I don't have much more

to say than what he's already heard and he has already given evidence that they had no

effect on him.

Now, of course, that's not always the case.

...