Are you allowed to repent for something you are about to do before you do it?
Say, for instance, you are a soldier fighting in a war and you are about to blow some kid with a hand grenade off the face of the earth. Are you allowed to say "Please Jesus, forgive me for blowing this kid up?" before you even do it?
2007-09-26 18:04:24 · 17 answers · asked by Whishkey Bottom. 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The point of repentance is to come back to God. We recognize that Christ suffers for our sins, so if you know that what you are doing is wrong and do it anyway you have something else to repent for.
Maybe I dont make sense here...
2007-09-26 18:08:02 · answer #1 · answered by niffer 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
That's a hard one. The early Christians believed you could not be a soldier and be a Christian at the same time. After all, didn't Jesus say, "Blessed are the peacemakers." And doesn't the Ten Commandments say, "Thou shalt not kill." Seems the Bible is pretty clear about one thing. That we are all made in God's Image. Even that child about to be blown up. The question is: "Will God forgive the soldier?" I would say that that is between the soldier and his God. I do know a number of veterans who continue to be haunted by the lives they took. As far as repentance is concerned, repentance means that you are turning from the act you have performed. Therefore you can't ask for repentance for an act you have not performed. If he or she is asking for repentance, it must be that he believes that he is about to intentionally commit sin. Seems to me that the soldier is about to jeopardize his own salvation.
2007-09-27 01:50:21 · answer #2 · answered by the_bard48 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is called planned repentance. It is not honest to practice it. One would question whether the person is truly repentent if they fall into a pattern of doing this. I would imagine that it would eventually lead to a form of antinomianism--that is ignoring God's Law altogether. This is very dangerous, because if there is no Law to be kept, then why do we need a Savior, Jesus Christ?
That said, I don't think the example you give is a legimate one for planned repentance. The Lutheran doctrine of Two Kingdoms & the doctrine of Vocation will help you to understand the unique vocation of a soldier.
2007-09-27 01:33:00 · answer #3 · answered by Sakurachan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your example is simply atrocious! You should be ashamed of yourself for disrespecting the troops like that!!!!
As for the question, the answer is, "No." You cannot pre-repent, because repentance means the INTENTION NOT to sin again. This idea that you can ask God to forgive you for doing something and then intentionally commit the sin is ludicrous.
If, my your insane example, you are saying, "But the action was not a sin" then there's no forgiveness to be needed. How can you "pre-repent" for something that is NOT a sin? That's rediculous, too!
Have a blessed day.
2007-09-27 01:41:33 · answer #4 · answered by wyomugs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not. "Repentance" before the fact is no repentance at all. The Catholic prayer known as the "Act of Contrition" concludes with he sentence: "I formly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin." It doesn't have a built in time-lapse.
2007-09-27 02:10:05 · answer #5 · answered by skepsis 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First the soldier killing in defense is not a sin so no repentance necessary. Second if you were sorry you would not commit the sin. So repenting and then committing the sin would mean you were not repentant.
2007-09-27 01:07:11 · answer #6 · answered by Bible warrior 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No! That would be willfully sinning it certainly would not be repentance to pray to be forgiven for what you are supposed to be sorry for! If your friend or your child asked you to forgive them for slapping you and then slapped you would you believe they were seriously sorry for what they did? Would you forgive them? You cannot say you are sorry for doing something and then go right ahead and do it anyway. If you were truly sorry you would avoid doing it not go and do it.
2007-09-27 01:27:31 · answer #7 · answered by I speak Truth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
absolutely and you may also rape his wife and daughters, but only if you have prayed and, GOD tells you it's okay. Also if you are living in the middle east and someone throws stones at you or if someone draws a cartoon that you don't approve of, that would qualify. Unfortunatey Atheism has none of these benefits as they are not filled with 'the word of the lord' but competely bogged down by emphaty and ethics
2007-09-27 01:15:44 · answer #8 · answered by lab90210 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
theres a difference between murdering someone and killing someone. Murdering someone is for your own selfish needs. killing someone is something that has to be done in oder to save your life or others. soldiers should never just kill someone for no reason. they would have to be shooting back. or causeing some distruction. Even king davied killed thousands of men in battle. not out of hatered but becaues it had to be done.
2007-09-27 01:16:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Repentance is for after you do something. If you realize something is sin, you are supposed to turn away from it, not do it anyway and then hope for the best.
2007-09-27 01:07:52 · answer #10 · answered by James Watkin 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋