Father and salvation

You state that your father “knows God is real, but he doesn’t want to follow God,” I am not entirely sure how to understand that information. We do know from the Bible that mere knowledge of God does not lead to salvation (James 2:19). Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Saving faith goes beyond knowledge and the affirmation that such knowledge is true. The essence of saving faith is trust and reliance on God for salvation (Psalm 31:14).

When you say your father “believes in God but doesn’t follow him,” I try to picture what that looks like. Does that mean your father professes faith in Christ but refuses to be part of a congregation? Does that mean your father refuses to do what God says in the Bible regarding living as a child of God? Does that mean your father rejects the Bible as God’s word?

You could help your father by asking him what he believes. Ask him what he thinks of Jesus Christ. Ask him what he believes will happen to him when his earthly life comes to an end. His answers will tell you how to respond with appropriate verses from the Bible. If you need help finding such verses, your pastor can help.

Like the rest of us, your father is presently enjoying a time of grace. God is granting your father life so that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he can come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Keep sharing God’s word with your father, so that the Holy Spirit can use that word to work in his heart.

As you share God’s word with your father, keep praying for your father. Pray that God will lead your father to believe the truth of God’s word and confess that with his life. God bless you and your family.