Time to Let Go! Some Theological Considerations.

A friend, responding to the original "Time to Let Go!", wondered if some Christians are reluctant to withhold or withdraw advanced life support for dying loved ones because they are concerned as to whether or not their loved one is saved, and allow the loved ones more time to confess faith in Christ. My response is:

From the Reformed/Calvinist perspective, salvation is God's doing and
God's alone. Our confession of Jesus as Lord is only possible because
the Holy Spirit moves our being to make that confession. That does not
diminish our responsibility to have a loving witness to Jesus with
friends, family, and others. But it does take away (from me, anyhow) the
need to cajole, manipulate, and otherwise try and coerce the "right
words" out of those who may not have knowingly confessed Jesus as Lord
and Savior.

In the mid-80's I was serving a Presbyterian Church near Utica. Robin
and I made many trips to Canajoharie to visit her grandmother. Her grandmother was
a nominal Methodist who was quite resistant to our attempts to share the
Lord (including her son's, my father-in-law, witness) and became quite
argumentative in her responses. She was already in her late seventies,
and we were concerned about her spiritual state. I shared this burden
with a friend, an evangelical Episcopal priest. I'll never forget what
he said, "Rich, as much as you and Robin love her grandmother, think
how much more God loves her and wants her to be saved." A great load
was taken off my shoulder. I sensed my role from that time forth was to
love her and pray for her. Her salvation was in God's hands.

I think we can take a cue from a question Abraham posed to God, "Shall
not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" (Gen. 18:25). While the
context is God's judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah, I think it is a
question, answered in the affirmative, that can be asked of all of God's
dealings with creation. God does what is right and just. His mercy and
grace are just, and his judgments and decrees are just. We have peace
because God always, without fail, and consistently, speaks and does
rightly. When we realize that Jesus is God's ultimate in doing just, we
need not fear nor be concerned about God's dealings with our loved ones.