Is it too late?

[Missy]

I have a question that has been on my mind for quite some time and I have asked this question to many people - pastors included - and I get a different answer each time. I am hoping to get the final and TRUE answer so that my mind can be put to rest as well as the person that this truly affects.

This person said that they had accepted Christ and was even baptised by immersion going on 3 years ago.  For awhile he seemed to be on fire for the Lord and was really working on his walk with Him.

A year ago, this person said that they had never really accepted Christ as his Savior, that he had just done it for the attention basically and only got baptised because he wanted to see what it would be like.  He rejected Christ, said he understood completely what his choice was, that he knew it would mean spending eternity separated from God.

While he didn't actually bow down and worship the evil one (or so he says - it's hard to know if he is truthful because he has done nothing but lie for so long we just can't believe him) - he had chosen to listen to the evil one and do as he said. He knew it was wrong but didn't care and said that it was much easier to listen to the evil one instead of the Lord.  He has literally said that people should bow down and worship him since he was better than God anyway. Word for word!

He know says that he regrets doing what he did and realizes now that he made a terrible mistake, rejecting Christ fully knowing the consequences of his actions. He now wants to know if it is too late for him to be saved since he believes he committed the unpardonable sin (blasphemy of the Holy Spirit) because of the things he has said and done and because he did reject Christ.

Is it too late for him to be saved? Is he doomed?

Some people say no it's not too late because he has realized the error of his ways and now wants to accept Christ and that it doesn't matter what one has done or said, if the person is truly repentent (I honestly don't know if he is - his behavior says otherwise - but I don't know his heart), then he will be forgiven and saved by the grace of our Lord.

Others say, yes it is too late because he did knowingly reject Christ and His gift of salvation and because he did commit the unpardonable sin.  That you can't expect to say you are better than God and then turn around and expect God to save you just because you feel a little guilty.

He wants to know if it is too late. And I must admit, this person is very close to me and this situation grieves me greatly.  So please, any help or advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

YSIC

Missy

[Missy]

Thank you CD for your insight. No one has explained it to me quite like that and I understand better now.

Isn't there scripture that says the Lord will harden those hearts which have refused His call?

I am proof that God calls and calls and calls - He had done so many times in my life - praise and glory to Him that I heeded His call and answered.

Like you said, only the Lord knows for certain.  I just pray that it's not too late. Although I will not know any different once I am in heaven, the thought of him not being there breaks my heart.

[Perrin556]

Greetings Missy:

Is there forgiveness for one who has willing rejected Christ?

We cannot second guess God and how his Spirit works within the hearts of people.  I believe that the Bible supports the idea that while there is life there is hope.  One of Satan's lies to an unbeliever is that they have gone too far and as such there is no forgiveness.

Think of Saul of Tarsus, a fanatical Pharisee, who actively fought agains Christ by throwing Christians into jail and consenting to their death.  He witnessed the martyrdom of Stephen and was on his way to Damascus with letters of support to persecute anyone who stood for the name of Jesus Christ.  He had not counted on God and that day on the road he was brought to his knees and made to cry out "who art thou Lord" only to receive these wondrous words " I am Jesus whom thou persecutest..."  From a human point of view we would say that Saul had gone too far and deserved to be punished eternally.

Think of the words of Saul, now called Paul as he speaks about the gospel of the grace of God "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15"  It has been suggested, that if the chiefest of sinners is saved, then there is hope for every person who will turn to Christ in honest repentance.

None of us deserved God's mercy, there was nothing in us that made him love us and yet through his grace he provided a way of salvation for us through Christ.  

It is my prayer that God might deal with your friend's heart and bring him to total repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son cleanseth us from ALL Sin".

Jesus said " I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance"

Peace in his worthy name

Robert

[George]

Hello Missy,

That's great that he realizes he needs Christ -- and his fear of not having Christ is the biggest indication that he has come to Christ.  Let me relate a story that is in Church history and I am not sure where I read it but this story was one of those stories you can never forget when you read it.

The Apostle John had led a young man to the Lord and entrusted this man to the church leader in Ephesus.  He had gone away for a period of time (it's been a while since I read this story but I believe this is when he was exiled to Patmos) and when he returned to Ephesus he went to the church leader and said -- How is the fruit that I entrusted into your hands?  The church leader had told the apostle -- Oh the young man has totally turned away from the Lord and now is leading a criminal group of theives and robbers.  The apostle directly asks the church leader -- where is he so that I can find him?  The church leader and the people of Ephesus didn't want John to go and find him -- at the time John was approaching 100 years old.  John persisted and went looking for this young man.  On his way searching for this man he found him and his gang of theives.  Upon seeing John he wept and cried -- for he thought he had lost his salvation and could never return.  The apostle John then brought him back into the fold and many of the theives who were part of this gang became believers as well.  

So I hope this story helps.

Take care and God bless,

Your brother in Christ with much agape love,

George

[Guest shadow2b]

I have a question that has been on my mind for quite some time and I have asked this question to many people - pastors included - and I get a different answer each time. I am hoping to get the final and TRUE answer so that my mind can be put to rest as well as the person that this truly affects.

This person said that they had accepted Christ and was even baptised by immersion going on 3 years ago.

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings All,

The following was stated by C.D.:

Perrin--I do not necessarily agree that the bible supports such as "as long as there is life, there is hope".

I happen to agree with Perrin.

Today is definately the day of our salvation for each and everyone that God calls and the reason why is that we never know at which moment God is going to demand our soul to stand before Him. If we are in rejection of Christ and we are struck by lightening and die - THAT is TOO LATE. Some other examples from scripture of those who reject Christ or blaspheme the Holy Spirit is the family of Korah's Rebellion, the earth opened up and swallowed them alive. Those who rejected Christ in Noah's day. Ananias and Sapphira - TOO LATE!

So is it possible that a person can sin and even reject Christ and STILL be saved? Of course. Here is a radical example if you give it some thought:

1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Please note that the word is MAY, not WILL. We will probably not know for sure because it is the Lord who decides.

As best I can determine there is ONE unpardonable sin and we are told "not to pray about that". I believe it will be made evident in the person that he has completely rejected Christ. Hitler, I believe was one and Charles Manson is another. I believe that when Jim Jones drank that poison, he took away any chance of being redeemed.

To confirm where this lost soul is really at, I would suggest that someone close really get a hold of God and ask HIM. God will certainly answer IF you are sincere and diligent.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[WISDOM]

DE:

The voice of reason speaks....... :thumb:

Excellent illustration George.....

Missy....

Continue to pray for your friend and turn him over to the LORD.  As long as the breath of life is in his fleshly body there's hope.  One thing though.....ensure you let him know that the most solemn thing in the world is our personal accountability to GOD.  If GOD writes OPPORTUNITY on one side of open doors, HE writes RESPONSIBILITY on the other.

Your friend has come to the fork in the road that leads to those doors.  It might help him to know that today the sign above them says PUSH.  Tomorrow they may say LOCKED.  GOD is no respecter of persons.  You enter in to Eternity AFTER this life....which "household" you live in forever is determined only DURING this life.  The clock is ticking.....

[Perrin556]

Brother CD

I understand where you are coming from.  Many are lost tonight because they trifled with the strivings of the Spirit of God.  

Satan's lies to sinners who are undergoing conviction of the Holy Spirit are:

a) Its a good idea to get saved, but put if off until your older etc.

b)  Its too late, you have gone too far for forgiveness.

My dad who is now with Christ,  first heard the gospel at 35 years of age.  He was convicted of his sin and his hopeless condition before God.  He listened to the message of how Christ had died for sinners on the cross and yet he could not find peace with God.  He told me "I wanted to be genuinely saved and to be sure that I was right with God".  For several weeks he struggled in deep soul trouble and thought to himself "I am too great a sinner" I will never be saved.  Early one morning sitting on the side of his bed he opened the Bible which someone had given him and read Romans 5, as he came to the words "When we were yet without strength Christ died for the ungodly" the thought went through his mind "ungodly" that's me!  He re-read the verse and simply got down on his knees and for the first time thanked God for sending Christ to die for his sins.  I witnessed the change of a man who became a new creature in Christ.  The point I am trying to make is that had he given up and settled with the idea that he was too sinful, he may have went on and been lost forever.

On the other hand we had a neighbour who throughout his life was not open to the gospel.   He was a hard working man, a good father, but did not want to allow God near his life.  Last year he developed cancer and faced with his mortality he was open to listening to the gospel.  My brother visited with him many times, bringing the gospel to him and Christians were praying for his deliverance.  The sad thing is that just before he died he said "I guess I will have to die as I lived, I can't understand it."  He went out into eternity and as far as we know without Christ.

May God help us to be faithful to those we live before and come in contact with.  He is the only one who can save.

Robert

[Adstar]

Dad Ernie

1 Corinthians 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

This I feel is for one who trully believed and then rejected the faith. But if Missys description of the situation is correct then her friend only got baptized as a joke somthing to gain attention so he never trully believed or recieved the Spirit so I feel that the scripture quoted above can not apply to Missys friend. That is if the situation is as she believes

All Praise The Ancient Of Days

[traveller]

I think that if a person is afraid of rejection, regrettful over his past choices, and desiring to get right with God that it is the Holy Spirit drawing him. If the Holy Spirit is wooing, then hope remains, no? Would we even want to be a follower of Jesus unless the Holy Spirit is calling?