If an atheist?

Question

If an atheist wants to turn their life around but denied God in the past are they damned to hell because of the unforgivable sin blasphemy??

I myself am Christian but I am curious for a friend of mine.

I believe myself that God is all merciful, but in the bible it says those who deny God cannot be forgiven in this age or the age to come so how would God forgive an atheist?

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come"

Answer 1

No, I believe that God is always willing to forgive a truly repentant heart.

Answer 2

it is actually Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit that is the "unforgivable sin". So a Christian that has the Holy Spirit in them, who knows God and them denies the Holy Spirit, they are unforgiven. I also believe that it is during that act or while you are blaspheming that it can not be forgiven, but if you repent and ask forgiveness that you will go to heaven.
So it really has nothing to do with an atheist.

Answer 3

The only unforgivable sin is one that you don't ask forgiveness for. The Bible says that in heaven there will be people who have committed all sins (the verse escapes me). So no, a person that denied God in the past isn't damned to hell forever because of that denial. If the person changes their beliefs, accepts God, and asks for forgiveness they can certainly go to heaven. It is only if they continue to deny God and die still in denial of God that they would not be forgiven.

Answer 4

Actually I've heard that the blasphemy in question means attributing a work of the Holy Spirit to demonic forces, and since most atheists tend to not believe in demonic forces either, this is one even I haven't managed to do.

Answer 5

Well in Acts 10:43 it says "All the prophets testify about him that EVERYONE who believes in him recieves forgivness of sins through his name." We are not held accountable for what we do not know. If we know in our hearts that Christ is real and reject him, we will reap what we have sown. Even if we later admit the knowlege within us, we will be forgiven but still reap the consequenses of our sin. What about the apostle Paul? He killed and murdered 1000's of Christians and he (got blinded by God and later healed) "turned his life around" was forgiven, blessed and led thousands of people to Christ. Then there's David literally known as "a man after God's own heart" He was a believer all along and still fell into sins...Lust, Murder, fornication (with Bathsheba) After a while he repented to God with an honest heart and was forgiven, but still had to pay for his sin. His first child with Bathsheba was taken at birth (by God) his daughter was raped by her step-brother, who in turn was killed by another brother, The one who killed the brother got power hungry and tried to overthrow his father and take the crown and eventually wound up dying as a result, BUT Solomon Davids youngest son by Bathsheba was blessed and made the Temple for God . I beleve Paul was not punished for his crime because he honestly did not know God, but David was punished for his sin because he knew God, he knew he was living in sin and did it anyway. I hope this has helped. And I strongly believe that if he or she is truely repentant that person WILL be forgiven. :)

Answer 6

No. If they ask for forgiveness they are forgiven, washed in Christ's blood. That's why God sent his only son.

Answer 7

I totally agree with naturefre.. As long as breath is in his body, God is willing to forgive him with a truly repentant heart. Not only this, but he must also be baptized in the name of Jesus. get filled with God's spirit, and live righteously by faith in Christ. With all this, he is on his way to heaven.

Answer 8

I'm pretty close to an atheist myself, but as I understand it (and as a good Christian you should know this too), God will never turn you away. C'mon, isn't that like one of the main teachings of Christianity?

Answer 9

As far as I know, christianity says that so long as you repent for your sins and accept Jesus as your savior, you're okay. On the other hand, I'm not very familiar with exactly what the Bible says (I'm an atheist myself).

Answer 10

God forgives anyone even if the sin is really bad.

The only way though is if your friend really believes and puts his faith in God and prays.