From what I gather about christianity, if you repent your sins, you can be forgiven and enter heaven. So, say you are a dictator, and you order people's death every day, and you kill and maim, and rape, and steal all day, every day. Then, on your death bed, at the final minute of your life, you repent and magically, you can go to heaven. Is this true? If so, then I dont see why people should have to worry about what they do while they are alive. All they have to do is repent before they die. Easy.
2006-08-18 14:59:39 · 24 answers · asked by lostcause8436 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In Theory, yes its possible.
Do you really want to push the envelope though? If you can't work it in at that last moment you're in trouble.
By the way, what you're referring to is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit...the sin that Jesus warned will not be forgiven in this age or the next. To say a person's sin is too great for God to forgive. Jesus died for the salvation of all men, of all time, of all sin.
Nothing is too great for God to take on.
2006-08-18 15:03:05 · answer #1 · answered by Augustine 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I sin every day, and so do we all. Time will tell if we go to heaven or not - nobody has a guaranteed spot, and nobody is definitely cast out.
I'm not sure I believe in the old "death bed repentence" idea, although it's a nice thought. The problem with it is:
1. you may not get a chance to repent; many people die while asleep or unconscious
2. repentence would have to be 100% sincere: God can't be fooled.
2006-08-18 15:12:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
True enough...
Except for one thing-
You are incorrectly defining the word "repent."
If you continue to sin the same careless way, then you haven't repented. You've only said you're sorry.
Now, if God is super powerful and super smart, and an idiot like me already knows that "sorry" is a load of meaningless crap, don't you think that HE knows it too?
When you repent and ask forgiveness from the Lord it's gotta be real. Absolutely real. And if it is, EVERYTHING is forgiven. The question is, is your dictator just so afraid for his wicked eternal soul that he's grasping at forgiving Gods? Or has he seen the Lord and feels repentant? Chances are, you're referring to the first scenario. Which is, again, a load of crap.
Don't fling empty prayers at the Lord. He can already see into your heart.
2006-08-18 15:15:58 · answer #3 · answered by dinochirus 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not as easy as that. God isn't stupid, and He sees whats in your heart, as well as the words you say, and knows if you really mean it.....
I think too that the only people who would know the exact time of their death, would be those facing execution somewhere.
Having said that, God values every human, no matter how evil, and while that person has life, its their sin He hates, not the person, if they ARE GENUINE in their repentance, and accept God's offer of forgiveness, stop the evil they are doing, they will go to heaven.
2006-08-18 15:10:06 · answer #4 · answered by maggie rose 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's all in the timing. I am told that I am a vile sinner by bigot colleagues and I suppose it it true.
My plan is to set up an IV with rat poison, plug it in, pop it in my veins and after it begins to drip, repent and believe in Christ, accepting him as my Savior.
I thought about doing that same thing with gasoline on a funeral pyre like the Vikings did but I though God might think that using a Viking way to go would be heretical so it's got to be the Kevorkian conversion instead.
In the mean time, party on.
2006-08-18 15:08:46 · answer #5 · answered by valcus43 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Of course, if they're just simple things that don't harm people, and if you feel bad for them, you're forgiven!
But, on your other part, when your about to die, then simply repent, just to get into Heaven, you're not being truthful and not actually repenting. You have to truely repent your sins in your heart to be forgiven.
2006-08-18 15:07:23 · answer #6 · answered by JC 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not really. Only if the person feels true contrition or sorry with the whole of their heart. you cant get away with it if you are sort of cavelier about it and express sorrow simply to get into Heaven for gosh sakes. It is said that God's spirit, the Holy Spirit lives within your heart and the Spirit knows whether it is true or not. After all, the person would not be expressing true sorrow to other people, only to God and God knows if it is the real deal or not. Ain't that easy!
2006-08-18 15:06:01 · answer #7 · answered by Tony T 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure. Lots of christians do it. Look at REVEREND Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker, for example. When their PTL empire fell apart, the floodlights of the world showed what they were really about. Yet they continued to pretend that they were sincere and carry their act as far as they could take it.
Same with REVEREND Jimmy Swaggart ... another who does as he pleases and then thinks that he can sneak around and get a special favour from god.
So, just go and get saved and then if you do something wrong, you can always say, "oopsie" and say a little prayer and Bob's your uncle.
2006-08-18 15:27:30 · answer #8 · answered by SB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, that scenario wouldn't work. When you repent, you are earnestly sorry for what you have done and promise God that you will do all that is in your power to stop sinning.
On that note, you never know when you are going to die, so repenting right before you die won't work either.
Live your life for God, and live with no worries.
Hakuna Matata!!!
2006-08-18 15:08:27 · answer #9 · answered by Spelunking Spork 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Except for "one little thing". Do you watch the news and look at the papers? Lotsa people die, not knowing they were going to.
None of us know when our last breath will come. It could be crossing a street. Or, if you live in California these days, merely standing on one.
2006-08-18 15:03:14 · answer #10 · answered by christian_lady_2001 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋