Can someone give a good reason why God should not forgive a truly repented soul after death beside quoting the bible verse that says after death come judgment?

Answer 1

God forgives anyone who truly repents (true repentance involves a firm resolution to sin no more). After death there is no more time, there is no more change. This life on earth is what God has given us to turn towards Him and love Him or to turn away from Him. So our choice is here, if we have truly repented then, of course God forgives, the only thing He can not forgive is the soul who doesn't want forgiveness. jonab: how about someone who despited Christianity because he was wrong by a christian or by his own parents who are christians? He rejected Christianity till the day he died. When he stood before God and truly understood what Christianity was all about and repented would God turn him away. Would God allow him to spend eternity in hell? Is eternal hell too great a punishment for someone who rejected Christ because he was wrong by a Christian? How about someone who grew up in a communist country? You and I probably would also reject Christ if we have to choose between Christ and our family survival. How about someone who have never heard about Christianity or who have heard but never understood? How many time we heard about Christ preached before we understood? All very good questions to which I think only God, Himself, really knows the answers. We can only function with what He has given us. And he has given us not only all that we need to know, but the commission to go and teach all nations, which, of course, includes all individuals. All that we know is that if we are truly presented the Gospel (i.e. Christ) and reject Him and It for whatever reason, then God respects our decision. God is Love, and He loves each of us and He will not force our wills. All "what if" presented above that involve a rejection of the Gospel and of Christ necessarily result in our eternal damnation because this is what we chose, even if we thought it was for very good reasons (our family, etc.) Someone who has never heard of Christianity, which is a stretch for most of the world in this day and age, would be judged on how well he lived the truth to the extent that he did understand it: which would involve taking up his cross and following Christ, even if he didn't understand that is who it was. In other words, there are no easy outs, there is no reason we can ever give that will make it okay to sin, or to put something or someone before Our Blessed Lord (the Word, the Truth, etc.) Jonab: Yes we can know some of the answers. For example let's take the subject - can a child who dies without Christ enter hell. Yes it is true that a child is a sinner and the wage of sin is death and the bible teaches that unless one is born again one can not enter heaven... But lets put our head back on our shoulder and think for a moment. A 10 years old African child was born in hunger and died of hunger (this child is real not hypothetical-they are numbered in the ten of thousands and they die everyday) This child suffered hunger from the day he was born till the day he died. Can anyone has the courage to look at this child in the eyes and tell him: "I am sorry but according to The Bible you belong in hell because you heard about Jesus but you did not accept Him as your Savior" When asked about destiny of these children so many Christian conclude: "only God knows" But wait a minute! When one says "only God know the answer" one actually implies that yes it is possible for the child to go to heaven and yes it is also possible for the child to go to hell and only God can decide where the child will be. That is what one implies! One actually implies yes it is possible for a child who dies without Christ to go to hell. This is unthinkable! This is ridiculous! How can any person in their right mind believe in a God who would allow a child to be born in hunger die in hunger and burn of hunger for eternity???? So instead of saying "only God knows" we should say "I am sure God has a place for the child in heaven" PiusX: The Roman Catholic Church has always taught that we do not know all the ways that the Almighty operates. God is so far beyong our understanding, "My thoughts are not your thoughts". This is unthinkable, this is ridiculous, yes, to us, but then we are not God. The Church has taught several different ways of looking at children, before the age of reason. Classically there has been the answer of limbo. A child dies in this state, for instance, the victums of abortion, before ever committed any actual sin, and they are not baptised. We do not know how God may have communicated Himself to that child. Fortunately, we are not in charge. We must do all that we can in the light of what we have been taught, we must baptise any child in danger of death, and we must trust in the mercy of God, who is Mercy Itself. jonab: It is true that God's mind is way beyond human mind but on the other hand Jesus used simple story like the prodigal son to help us understand the mind of God. Infact Jesus has taught us in such away that even a child can understand how God loves us. All it takes to understand how God love us is a simple mind and heart of a child. So the reality is even a jungle person who has never learned to read and write can still understand the Prodigal Son story and what Jesus did on the cross for him and place his trust in Jesus. And with that same understanding we can be confident that an African child who suffered hunger, thirst, nakedness all of his brief life on this earth will not spend eternity in ...hell!!! Yes we can and must trust in the mercy of God!