When I Meant Everyone Can Be Saved, I Wasn’t Thinking of Him

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10, NIV)

I remember when the notorious mass-murderer Jeffrey Dahmer was killed in prison in 1994. I am sure that many people had the same reaction that I did: well at least we don’t have to feed and house him for the next 40 years.

But then the newspaper went on to document his coming to Christ while in prison. At his sentencing, he had said, “Thank God there will be no more harm that I can do. I believe that only the Lord Jesus Christ can save me from my sins.”[i]

I brought up the subject to our Sunday school class. How are we supposed to react? Would we be glad that someone like Jeffrey Dahmer could live such a reprehensible life, give himself over to Jesus, and then stand alongside us in heaven? As expected, while everyone had to admit that the gospel wanted us to be glad about his salvation, our humanness made it a little difficult to be comfortable with it.

God does not really give us that option, however. Of course, it is possible that someone can claim to be born-again and not really be so. I also don’t think it is a good idea to hold up any person, famous or infamous, as a testimony to Christ. They have the annoying habit of failing sometimes.