Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: hall@vice.ico.tek.com (Hal Lillywhite) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: at the last moment Message-ID: Date: 1 Apr 91 09:07:32 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or. Lines: 60 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Several posters have been discussing the possibility of accepting Jesus at the last moment in order to "enjoy life" in sin until then. Aside from the fact that I don't think a sinful life is really all that enjoyable I think there are other problems. For what it's worth here is a repeat of something I posted before, probably a year or 2 ago: Is "deathbed repentance" an acceptable way to accept Jesus? I don't think I can give a simple answer (although there are of course many who do have a simple answer which they believe). However there are some things we ought to consider in regard to this question. First, I believe it is at best dangerous to reject the Lord (or postpone accepting him) so we can do what we want, expecting to fix it all with deathbed repentance. Obviously, we run the risk of sudden death precluding that option. However, I think the problems run deeper than that. I think the Lord is displeased when we reject Him for any reason (although of course we can still repent). What he requires is true repentance, turning ourselves fully and completely around to face him. This means we must be willing to follow him. If a person waits until he has no life left to give to Jesus, I have to wonder if he really is willing to follow him at all. In the parable of the pearl of great price and the parable of the treasure in the field (Mat 13:44-46) Jesus seems to indicate that the price of the Kingdom of Heaven is *all that we have*. Saying "I will spend it or loose it all first" seems to indicate an unwillingness to really commit our all. Planned deathbed repentance seems like saying, "I will give my life to the Lord when there is none of it left to give." This doesn't seem to reflect much commitment on the part of the "giver." Let me give an example of what I mean. When I was a missionary in Peru I met a man who told me that he believed what I was teaching was true and he intended to accept "as soon as he got too old to chase women." Assuming that he really meant what he said (I hope he did not) I suspect he would have a problem. He was not willing to give up his favorite sin for Jesus and therefore was not really willing to turn his life over to the Lord. How can he love God with all his heart, all his soul, and all his mind (Mat 22:37-38) if he is not willing to change his life for the Lord? The moderator mentions the "parable of the laborers in the vineyard" in Mat 20. A man hires workers at various times of the day but at the end of the day pays them all the same regardless of how long they worked. I will agree that this means it does not matter in the final judgement how long ago we made the commitment to Christ. However I find little indication in the parable that those hired at the 11th hour had deliberately waited until then to go to work. For whatever reason they seem not to have had the opportunity to work for him from the first hour. In fact they were anxious enough to work that they didn't even bother to find out how much they would be paid. I think we should have a similar attitude about accepting the Lord. We should be willing to accept when he calls us. Then it will make no difference how long we work, only that we have totally committed to him. Of course there is a difference between the person who deliberately waits and the person who never really has a chance until near death. I think only God can judge here. Our task is to accept him when we have a chance, not to judge others.