The Salvation of Our Loved Ones Is Our First Responsibility and Last Obligation
Our primary responsibility towards our loved ones is to ensure their salvation, and we must make every effort to win them to Christ.
Arthur Vess emphasizes the double responsibility we have for our loved ones' salvation, highlighting the urgency of winning them to Christ while they are young and tender. He stresses the importance of putting forth effort, regardless of the difficulty, to ensure our loved ones are not lost for eternity. Vess shares the story of a mother who prayed all her children into the Kingdom, underscoring the power of prayer in influencing the salvation of our loved ones. He urges parents to lead by example in religious matters, knowing that despite our faults, our loved ones will allow more for us than others.
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This is a double responsibility, both for us and for them. Whatever else we may do for our loved ones, all is lost if they are lost. We may do our best for them, and yet they may choose to be lost; but if we do not do our best for them, they will likely be lost, and at our charge. Somechildren and older ones seem by nature to be easier or harder to win to Christ than others, but themore difficult the task the more effort we should put forth. To grow up in the same home with ourloved ones, and then to be separated from them for all eternity to their eternal sorrow, shouldawaken each of us to allow nothing to hinder our every effort to win our loved ones to Christ.
One mother vowed that she would pray all her children into the Kingdom or pray them out of the world,and she prayed them all in. Both for their final salvation, and for their present training, we mustwin them to Christ while they are young and tender. Many children die unconverted. It is hard totrain a child up as a Christian with an unchristian heart, the foundation of all its desires andresponses. We cannot train them up in the way they should go till we get them into that way.
Despite all the intimidations of the devil, we should have more influence over our childrenthan all others. It is usually so in everything else, and should be so in religious matters. They usually follow our politics, and social ideas, and should follow our religion also.
Of course, this requires a change of heart. Though our loved ones know our faults and frailties better than allothers, they will allow more for us than any others. If you do not think so, let some one else slanderyou. When we see them die without Christ, we shall wonder why we let foolish bashfulness, or backwardness, or the cares of this life, keep us from doing our best to win them to Christ before it was forever too late.
Sermon Outline
- The Double Responsibility of Salvation
- The Challenges of Salvation
- The Urgency of Salvation
- The Consequences of Delay
- The Power of Influence
- The Role of Parents in Salvation
Key Quotes
“Whatever else we may do for our loved ones, all is lost if they are lost.” — Arthur Vess
“To grow up in the same home with our loved ones, and then to be separated from them for all eternity to their eternal sorrow, should awaken each of us to allow nothing to hinder our every effort to win our loved ones to Christ.” — Arthur Vess
Application Points
- We must make every effort to win our loved ones to Christ, regardless of the challenges we face.
- As parents, we have a significant influence over our children and should use this influence to guide them towards Christ.
- We must not let foolish bashfulness, backwardness, or the cares of this life keep us from doing our best to win our loved ones to Christ.