If my loved one doesn’t know Jesus, will they still go to heaven when they die?

The death of a someone close to you is a deeply painful time. When they don’t have a Christian faith, or we don’t know what they believe, it can be even more difficult. Will Dobbie recounts his own experience and offers some hope

When an unsaved loved one dies, it is surely one of the most heartbreaking circumstances. Yet it is something most Christian’s experience – and find impossibly hard to talk about. But if you are struggling with the doctrine of hell, there is no shame in that. You are in good company.

A pastor friend of mine was once called upon to visit to a couple. Their son, who did not, as far as they knew, have faith, had just completed suicide. My friend is as theologically astute as anyone I know, a seasoned pastor who has authored Christian books. Yet he had literally no idea what to say as he approached their front door.