Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who's been a Christian for many years?

[Leonardo Von]

On 9/4/2020 at 1:45 PM, Dinis said:

Some people say that it doesn’t make sense for somebody who has been a Christian all their life to be in the same state as somebody who did as they pleased all their life and waited until the last second to get their accounts square with God.

 

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who's been a Christian for many years?

Yes.   See the excerpt below:

 

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.  And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,  And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 
  So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.   And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 
 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,   Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 
 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.   Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. " (Mat 20:1-16).

[Hopefully]

Commentary on Matthew 20:1-16

The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. The parable may also be applied more generally, and shows, 1. That God is debtor to no man. 2. That many who begin last, and promise little in religion, sometimes, by the blessing of God, arrive at a great deal of knowledge, grace, and usefulness. 3. That the recompense of reward will be given to the saints, but not according to the time of their conversion. It describes the state of the visible church, and explains the declaration that the last shall be first, and the first last, in its various references.

Till we are hired into the service of God, we are standing all the day idle: a sinful state, though a state of drudgery to Satan, may be called a state of idleness. The market-place is the world, and from that we are called by the gospel. Come, come from this market-place. Work for God will not admit of trifling. A man may go idle to hell, but he that will go to heaven, must be diligent. The Roman penny was sevenpence halfpenny in our money, wages then enough for the day's support. This does not prove that the reward of our obedience to God is of works, or of debt; when we have done all, we are unprofitable servants; but it signifies that there is a reward set before us, yet let none, upon this presumption, put off repentance till they are old.

Some were sent into the vineyard at the eleventh hour; but nobody had hired them before. The Gentiles came in at the eleventh hour; the gospel had not been before preached to them. Those that have had gospel offers made them at the third or sixth hour, and have refused them, will not have to say at the eleventh hour, as these had, No man has hired us. Therefore, not to discourage any, but to awaken all, be it remembered, that now is the accepted time.

The riches of Divine grace are loudly murmured at, among proud Pharisees and nominal Christians. There is great proneness in us to think that we have too little, and others too much of the tokens of God's favour; and that we do too much, and others too little in the work of God. But if God gives grace to others, it is kindness to them, and no injustice to us.

Carnal worldlings agree with God for their penny in this world; and choose their portion in this life. Obedient believers agree with God for their penny in the other world, and must remember they have so agreed. Didst not thou agree to take up with heaven as thy portion, thy all; wilt thou seek for happiness in the creature? God punishes none more than they deserve, and recompenses every service done for him; he therefore does no wrong to any, by showing extraordinary grace to some.

See here the nature of envy. It is an evil eye, which is displeased at the good of others, and desires their hurt. It is a grief to ourselves, displeasing to God, and hurtful to our neighbours: it is a sin that has neither pleasure, profit, nor honour. Let us forego every proud claim, and seek for salvation as a free gift. Let us never envy or grudge, but rejoice and praise God for his mercy to others as well as to ourselves.

[David1701]

On 9/4/2020 at 5:45 PM, Dinis said:

Some people say that it doesn’t make sense for somebody who has been a Christian all their life to be in the same state as somebody who did as they pleased all their life and waited until the last second to get their accounts square with God.

 

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who's been a Christian for many years?

You can't just decide when to repent!  Repentance is a gift from God and he doesn't give it to everyone.  God is the one who decides to whom to give repentance, and when.

2 Tim. 2:25,26 (Webster)

25 In meekness instructing those that oppose him; if God perhaps will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
  26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. 

Everyone who does repent and believe in Jesus Christ will be saved from sin and eternal torment in hell.  He will have fellowship with the Lord and go to be with him; but, a deathbed conversion will not have had time to bear much fruit.

[David1701]

54 minutes ago, Josheb said:

And if God sees fit to foster salvific repentance from an individual's last breath then who am I to question it? 

I absolutely agree, however rare it may be.

Edited June 27, 2021 by David1701

[appy]

We shouldn't care when someone else is saved, all are saved the same way, we should be glad the unbeliever is now a believer regardless of the timing. What is unfair, is to think that we who are saved ahead of someone else, are more deserving than another. Because the reality is, that none of us are more deserving than another. Scripture says, ALL sinned and are deserving of death. It is only by God's grace that we have salvation, so no one can boast in and of him/herself.

And there is only one way for ALL to receive salvation. Faith must be in the Jesus revealed in Scripture, who offered Himself in the place of sinners. The repentant thief's circumstance was that while hanging there on the cross, had time to come to the realization of his sinful state and the need to have hope in Jesus. He was truly repentant.

There are those who think that they can plan on having a deathbed conversion later. The bible warns us to not  plan on a deathbed conversion. It is an unwise plan to presume on God’s grace by putting off repentance and faith in Christ for another time. You may not have that opportunity!

I was reading an article a couple of days ago, about the Champlain Towers in Miami, Florida and in the article was the story of a brother speaking to his sister on the phone, who resided at the condo; moments before the condo collapsed, his sister had remarked that there was a noise, and then she saw the pool below cave in and at that moment the line went dead.

We don't know from the story if she was a believer or not, but given the crisis at the moment, there was no time for her to give reflection on her spiritual state and repent. Those who are unbeliever's reading this, do not put aside the opportunity to receive Christ into your heart for you may not get the change.

2 Corinthians 6:2

 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you,   and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

[David1701]

13 minutes ago, appy said:

We shouldn't care when someone else is saved, all are saved the same way, we should be glad the unbeliever is now a believer regardless of the timing. What is unfair, is to think that we who are saved ahead of someone else, are more deserving than another. Because the reality is, that none of us are more deserving than another. Scripture says, ALL sinned and are deserving of death. It is only by God's grace that we have salvation, so no one can boast in and of him/herself.

And there is only one way for ALL to receive salvation. Faith must be in the Jesus revealed in Scripture, who offered Himself in the place of sinners. The repentant thief's circumstance was that while hanging there on the cross, had time to come to the realization of his sinful state and the need to have hope in Jesus. He was truly repentant.

There are those who think that they can plan on having a deathbed conversion later. The bible warns us to not  plan on a deathbed conversion. It is an unwise plan to presume on God’s grace by putting off repentance and faith in Christ for another time. You may not have that opportunity!

I was reading an article a couple of days ago, about the Champlain Towers in Miami, Florida and in the article was the story of a brother speaking to his sister on the phone, who resided at the condo; moments before the condo collapsed, his sister had remarked that there was a noise, and then she saw the pool below cave in and at that moment the line went dead.

We don't know from the story if she was a believer or not, but given the crisis at the moment, there was no time for her to give reflection on her spiritual state and repent. Those who are unbeliever's reading this, do not put aside the opportunity to receive Christ into your heart for you may not get the change.

2 Corinthians 6:2

 For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you,   and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

People who plan to repent on their deathbed, you have to wonder what they think repentance is.  They clearly think that it's just some kind of decision, or saying a few words; but, that kind of "repentance" would not do any good anyway.

Repentance is a complete change of mind about sin and God.  It is turning from loving sin and hating God, to loving God and hating sin.  This is a grace-gift from God, a miracle that he works in the heart, not some empty decision by an unregenerate unbeliever.

Ez. 36:26,27 (Webster)

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
  27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them .

This is a prophecy about the New Covenant.  It describes the new birth (being born again), which, as Jesus told Nicodemus, in John 3, is absolutely necessary, in order to perceive and enter the kingdom of God, which entry is by faith in Jesus Christ.

True repentance and faith are gifts from God, as the Bible tells us, and are immediately preceded by the miracle of being born again.

Those who plan on a deathbed repentance obviously love their sin and see "repentance" as some kind of get out of jail free card.  It doesn't work that way.  They had better hope (wishful thinking) that God has also planned to give them a deathbed regeneration, otherwise their empty "repentance" will merely add hypocrisy to the list of sins for which they will be judged.

The right response to discovering that one is a sinner in need of salvation, is godly fear and trembling, seeking God to have mercy upon you and save you from your sins, through the blood of Christ shed on the cross.

[R. Hartono]

On 9/4/2020 at 11:45 PM, Dinis said:

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who's been a Christian for many years?

If you plan to do that deliberately God Will add that to the list of your sins.

[appy]

In regard to fearing God, there is already an awareness of God’s justice in an unbeliever's heart, but it doesn’t generate the possibility that they can know more about what Jesus did and who he is. Fearing God doesn't mean the same to an unbeliever as it does to a Christian.

The unbeliever already perceives God as someone who is unforgiving and unapproachable. No one wants to know a God who is perceived as terrifying and causes them to shake in their boots. Raw fear of God is a terrible thing. God’s unmediated presence is scary and such an experience makes people’s legs buckle underneath them. No one is attracted to a dreadful God.

Emphasizing that we humans are to tremble in fearfulness before God, rarely generates a heartfelt love for God, or even a genuine and lasting conversion. Instead, the gospel message should spark in them to desire the hope we Christians have in Christ for themselves, and come to know that God, is both forgiving and merciful, when we talk about sin, the need for repentance and salvation.

The gospel message should characterize the peace, joy, hope and fellowship we have in Christ.

[Selah7]

 

On 9/4/2020 at 11:45 AM, Dinis said:

Can you repent at the moment of death and still have the same salvation as someone who's been a Christian for many years?

Yes indeed! 

[David1701]

48 minutes ago, appy said:

In regard to fearing God, there is already an awareness of God’s justice in an unbeliever's heart, but it doesn’t generate the possibility that they can know more about what Jesus did and who he is. Fearing God doesn't mean the same to an unbeliever as it does to a Christian.

When I was an unbeliever, who knew next to nothing about Christianity, I had no conscious knowledge of God's justice, until I read the gospel of Luke.  While I was reading, I realised that I had broken God's law and was probably in serious trouble, although I didn't realise how much trouble.

This fear of God and of his justice was a good thing!  It is necessary for an unsaved person to realise that he has broken God's law, is under condemnation and cannot do anything about it himself, in order to realise that he needs a Saviour.

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The unbeliever already perceives God as someone who is unforgiving and unapproachable.

Maybe some do, but many nowadays don't give God a second thought (except in dire emergencies) and, if they do, they think that he'll accept you, as long as you are more good than bad (and most people think that they are quite good).

I would encourage you to watch a few episodes of "Way of the Master", in which Ray Comfort does street evangelism, if you don't believe this.

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No one wants to know a God who is perceived as terrifying and causes them to shake in their boots. Raw fear of God is a terrible thing. God’s unmediated presence is scary and such an experience makes people’s legs buckle underneath them. No one is attracted to a dreadful God.

But, they need to know their terrible condition and peril, in order to understand that they desperately need a Saviour.

Luke 13:1-5 (Webster)

 1  There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
  2 And Jesus answering said to them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
  3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
  4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
  5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
 

2 Cor. 5:10,11 (Webster)

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to what he hath done, whether good or bad.
  11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest to God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

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Emphasizing that we humans are to tremble in fearfulness before God, rarely generates a heartfelt love for God, or even a genuine and lasting conversion. Instead, the gospel message should spark in them to desire the hope we Christians have in Christ for themselves, and come to know that God, is both forgiving and merciful, when we talk about sin, the need for repentance and salvation.

The gospel message should characterize the peace, joy, hope and fellowship we have in Christ.

 

We should preach law first, then gospel.  The law to demonstrate the sinner's condition and danger, then the gospel, to show God's solution.

No unregenerate person is attracted to God in faith; rather, he is hostile towards God, hates the light (the Lord and the gospel) and does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.  This is why we MUST be born again, in order to see and enter the kingdom of God.

Rom. 8:7-9 (Webster)

 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
  8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
  9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. Now if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

John 3:19,20 (Webster)

 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men have loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
  20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 

1 Cor. 2:14 (Webster) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them , because they are spiritually discerned.

John 3:3-7 (Webster)

 3 Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say to thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 
  4 Nicodemus saith to him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
  5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say to thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
  6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
  7 Marvel not that I said to thee, Ye must be born again.