-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
Timing of Repentence
- Thread starter Katzpur
- Start date
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
It looks like this is one of those threads that isn't going to take off without some help. I'm kind of surprised nobody had an opinion on the subject, since it's something that affects every one of us.
It all gets down to where God draws the line between mercy and justice. I believe that when I was baptized, I entered into a covenant relationship with my Savior. I acknowledged the fact that, without His atoning sacrifice, my sins could not be forgiven, and I would remain forever separated from God. I agreed to try to obey His commandments, and that whenever I failed to do so, I would repent. In turn, He would agree to take my sins upon Himself. He would bear the burden of my guilt.
Even though I don't ever used the phrase, "I am saved," in the present tense, I believe that when I was baptized and entered into this relationship with Jesus Christ, I was given the promise of salvation provided I would endure to the end. To me, the quote from my opening post suggests that we are to be judged by a God who is more concerned with the letter of the law than the spirit of the law. In contrast, I believe that He knows the condition of my heart, and will take that into consideration when judging me.
Yes, repentence is critical. But is God really looking for reasons to condemn us to Hell for eternity. Is there one person alive who has repented of every single sin he has ever committed? If God truly works the way the quote in my OP states He does, there won't be anybody in Heaven after Judgment Day except for God Himself!
Now, will somebody please, please talk to me about this! Or do all Christians actually agree with that quote?
It all gets down to where God draws the line between mercy and justice. I believe that when I was baptized, I entered into a covenant relationship with my Savior. I acknowledged the fact that, without His atoning sacrifice, my sins could not be forgiven, and I would remain forever separated from God. I agreed to try to obey His commandments, and that whenever I failed to do so, I would repent. In turn, He would agree to take my sins upon Himself. He would bear the burden of my guilt.
Even though I don't ever used the phrase, "I am saved," in the present tense, I believe that when I was baptized and entered into this relationship with Jesus Christ, I was given the promise of salvation provided I would endure to the end. To me, the quote from my opening post suggests that we are to be judged by a God who is more concerned with the letter of the law than the spirit of the law. In contrast, I believe that He knows the condition of my heart, and will take that into consideration when judging me.
Yes, repentence is critical. But is God really looking for reasons to condemn us to Hell for eternity. Is there one person alive who has repented of every single sin he has ever committed? If God truly works the way the quote in my OP states He does, there won't be anybody in Heaven after Judgment Day except for God Himself!
Now, will somebody please, please talk to me about this! Or do all Christians actually agree with that quote?
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
We all sin. For some of us it will be the last thing we do on earth.
When we come to God, how could we not repent?
God's forgiveness is Total, if we do repent all our sins we shall be forgiven.
this includes from our first to our last sins, not just a selection.
Terry___________________
Amen! Truly I say to you: Gather in my name. I am with you.
When we come to God, how could we not repent?
God's forgiveness is Total, if we do repent all our sins we shall be forgiven.
this includes from our first to our last sins, not just a selection.
Terry___________________
Amen! Truly I say to you: Gather in my name. I am with you.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Maybe I didn't ask my question very clearly. Of course, when we're standing before God to be judged, we will undoubtedly feel remorse for our sins. We'd be pretty stupid if we didn't. But let's say someone commits a sin and died before he had repented of that sin, do you believe God would condemn him to hell because he had died before having repented?Terrywoodenpic said:
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
I do not agree with Scott on this one, as I do not believe we can classify sins. God is quite capable of Judging us alive or dead, and we will always be able to repent.Katzpur said:
God sees into our very souls and sees if we truly repent.
Michael ... you are as Christian as anyone I know, so don't put your self down.
God is not interested in our system of religious classification, he loves us all.
Terry_________________________________
Blessed are the merciful, mercy shall be shown unto them.
Terrywoodenpic
Oldest Heretic
As I said, This is where we disagree.Scott1 said:We can't, God however, can and does (1 John 5:16-17; Luke 12:47-48).
What is the point of repentance on earth if we can repent after death?
Repentance during our lives is to be able to return God's love and live our lives in Grace.
For us to repent in death is to enable us to share in God's love for eternity, and must be necessary for every one, who dies in, known, sin or not.
It is only in death and our return to God, that we are able to see God's purpose and our true shortcomings.
Terry_________________________
Blessed are the merciful, mercy shall be shown unto them.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Michel,michel said:I don't think for a minute he would do so, but I sometimes think my ideas of Christianity are far too liberal - I don't feel like a 'proper' Christian; so how valid is my point of view ?
There is no such thing as a "proper" Christian. Your point of view is as valid as the next guy's!
Scott1
Well-Known Member
Sins are rightly evaluated according to their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already evident in Scripture,(1 Jn 5:16-17) became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.Katzpur said:
Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.
Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.
For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."
Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother." The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.
One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Thanks for the info, Scott. Now I'd like to tie what you've said back to my OP. Let's say a man embezzles money from his employer (a one-time incident, for the sake of our conversation). He leaves work on that same day and is killed in an automobile accident. Does he automatically go to hell? Another person, a high school kid who is unprepared for a test, cheats. He, too, dies within hours of the event. Does he go to hell, too? Both of these individuals have sinned. Both knew better. Neither one repented, although, given more time, they probably would have done. What do you think will happen to them?Scott1 said: