Repentance After Death.........

[Tim Myers]

At first, this may seem like a "Duh" question to most of you.......

But, where exactly in the Bible does it say that there is no repentance after a person dies??

And, when I say "repentance," I do not mean screaming and thrashing about and begging for mercy now that it is "too late," or something like that.....

I mean, a person realizing after death that they were a "sinner" and honestly regretting it and being sorry for it and repenting........

Where is it written that people must repent of their wrongdoings before they die or else they will not get a second chance afterwards??

Now, I already know what a lot of you will say.....

"Why wait??"

I agree....a person should not wait until they have died to repent and should do so while they are alive in this world........

But, the fact of the matter is....many will wait until after they die to decide to repent......

Are we to believe that, just because they have died and are no longer in a physical body, God will utterly reject them and absolutely refuse to acknowledge their repentance, even if it is completely genuine and sincere??

 

[GrowingSmaller]

If one was in darkness or ignorance whilst alive then I do not expect them to be treated as if they knew the way around. As a friend said, judge the act by the consequences but judge the person by the intention.

 

[Bear.Fr00t]

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

 

[CryptoLutheran]

And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

This verse tends to be used for all sorts of things, what I remain unconvinced of is that this lone verse properly addresses all the sorts of questions we often ask to which it is given in response. Does the certainty of Judgment after death mean there is no room for grace after the expiration of the body, ever? At all? I'm not prepared to make the argument that this sufficiently addresses this since I don't see how it sufficiently addresses these sorts of questions.

The verse comes within the context of the singular importance of Christ's work with which the certainty and singularity of our own mortality is used as an analogue; it's not given within a context of discussion over postmortem existence or experience and thus I don't see how it sufficiently addresses questions about such.

That all said, I believe the initial question in the OP is fundamentally unanswerable. We simply don't know. I don't believe we are in any position to affirm or deny it with any sense of dogmatic certainty. Either direction we go would simply be speculation on our part, since revelation has nothing to tell us one way or another.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Lillen]

The idea of a second chance is setforth in the creed. Jesus will come back to judge living and dead, why judge the dead, they are already judged!?!