A Christianity 'What if' session

LondonDiva

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Feel free to post other what if questions

**What if a man is lying on his deathbed and asks God before he dies to forgive him of all sins and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Personal Saviour. Would he still go to hell if he wasn't baptised?**
 
I got this from the christianity vs christianity thread

Mark 16:16 - He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

That's why I'm asking does one who believes inherit the kingdom of God or does one ALSO have to be saved. HH I'm just as confused as you.
 
LondonDiva said:
Feel free to post other what if questions

**What if a man is lying on his deathbed and asks God before he dies to forgive him of all sins and accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Personal Saviour. Would he still go to hell if he wasn't baptised?**

Yes he will go to Heaven. Baptism doesn't save people, repentance and belief in Jesus does.

When Christ was on the cross and the criminal hanging next to him repented, Jesus said to him "Today you will be with me in paradise." The criminal didn't exactly have the luxury of jumping down from the cross and getting baptized.
 
That is what I thought.
JuJuBoo said:
Yes he will go to Heaven. Baptism doesn't save people, repentance and belief in Jesus does.

When Christ was on the cross and the criminal hanging next to him repented, Jesus said to him "Today you will be with me in paradise." The criminal didn't exactly have the luxury of jumping down from the cross and getting baptized.
you know what. A pastor once told me that there were NO examples in the bible of death bed confessions. So in others words, don't think you were going to live your life any ol kinda way and then at the end think you can confess all of your sins... I wonder if he thought this was a special case or if I was confused by what he said.
 
Only God knows if that persons deathbed confession is genuine. If so, then certainly he will be saved. Baptism is public acknowldegement of acceptance of Christ. If there is no opportunity for it, that doesn't mean they won't be saved.
 
I don't believe baptism is necessary in order to enter the kingdom. I think that if you are growing in Christ and you have the opportunity to be baptized, then do it out of obedience. But, if you didn't have the opportunity, then you weren't disobedient so you will still be able to enter the kingdom.

-Trust
 
good2uuuu said:
Only God knows if that persons deathbed confession is genuine. If so, then certainly he will be saved. Baptism is public acknowldegement of acceptance of Christ. If there is no opportunity for it, that doesn't mean they won't be saved.

Exactly. I don't agree with what that pastor said. Only God himself knows whether that deathbed confesstion is genuine or not. Even if it's last minute God is pleased and joyful that even if that man lived his life full of sin right down to the last minute that he eventually opened his eyes and found God. While we are alive and living and breathing there is no time limit to when it's a good time to find the Lord, whether it be the beginning, middle or slap bang at the end of our lives.
 
good2uuuu said:
Only God knows if that persons deathbed confession is genuine. If so, then certainly he will be saved. Baptism is public acknowldegement of acceptance of Christ. If there is no opportunity for it, that doesn't mean they won't be saved.

I agree. Baptism is also a spiritual symbolization of the washing away one's sins and the adoption into God's kingdom. If Jesus showed us the way, I believe it is important.

When John the Baptist was so humbled and hesitant to baptize Jesus, Jesus confirmed the significance of it and said: "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:13-15 NKJV).

Afterwards God acknowledged it in verses 16-17:
"When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
I believe Christians should follow Christ's example and be baptized. But I also believe they're times when God makes exceptions for those who genuinely repent and confess Jesus as Lord just before their death. But seriously, in this day and age, how many get that chance to make a genuine, last minute confession on a death bed? That's a gamble.




 
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All thats required is your confession and acceptance of Christ for your salvation.

As far as the deathbed confessions, there isnt anything that addresses that specfically, but there a parable that addresses folx who come into the faith later. :

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 market place, 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.

Basically, whether you came early or late you received the same wages. The time period (hours/evening) could be the church dispensations or history time line, but more than likely it is parallel to the time span of a mans life. The 11th hour could be a death bed/end of mans life or it could be the time right before Christs return/end of church history.
 
Could not have said it better. Baptism is physcial/symbolic of joining God's family; it shows the world that you have been washed by the blood but confession is what saves you this comes from the heart this is what God sees first. There were some people that Jesus once he defended satan went to preach to them in their graves to become saved. Some circumstances in life such as death bed incidents does not allow step 2 of salvation process.
JuJuBoo said:
Yes he will go to Heaven. Baptism doesn't save people, repentance and belief in Jesus does.

When Christ was on the cross and the criminal hanging next to him repented, Jesus said to him "Today you will be with me in paradise." The criminal didn't exactly have the luxury of jumping down from the cross and getting baptized.
 
The church I was saved in (Apostolic) believes and teaches not only will you not go to heaven if you aren't baptised, you won't be saved unless you're submerged in water (forget the sprinkles we all got when we were babies), speak in tongues (as a sign of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit within you) and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.

I'm not sure if pastor really believes all of those things must be fulfilled without fail in order for salvation or if he's just trying to cover all bases.

That would rule out pretty much every other demoninations entrance into heaven. I personally don't believe that.
 
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