Is it possible for a christian not to repent?

  • Thread starter Thread starter captainmike
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

captainmike

Guest
the church teaches that unrepented mortal sin sends you to hell. i know from personal experience that it’s possible for a christian to commit a mortal sin. but my experience does not suggest to me that it’s possible for a christian not to repent. how, then, can a christian go to hell?
 
Repentance is a matter of free will, so if they chose not to repent then that means that they can refuse to repent.
 
in my experience, it’s not possible not to repent a sin that one knows is a mortal sin. we can convince ourselves that a certain act isn’t sinful, but if we know it is sinful, then we repent.
 
I know of one who almost didn’t. When in college I went on retreat each year to a nearby Passionist Retreat House. One of the priests told us of an episode with one of the other priests, a very mild mannered man.

He was a chaplain in a hospital at one time and went to a dying man. The man didn’t want a priest and didn’t want to talk; so father just sat down and watched him. The man asked why he was looking at him. Father replied, “I have often heard some one being told to go to h—, but I have never actually seen some one go. This will be something new for me.”

The man immediately broke down and confessed.
 
Joe_Kelley said:
I know of one who almost didn’t. When in college I went on retreat each year to a nearby Passionist Retreat House. One of the priests told us of an episode with one of the other priests, a very mild mannered man.

He was a chaplain in a hospital at one time and went to a dying man. The man didn’t want a priest and didn’t want to talk; so father just sat down and watched him. The man asked why he was looking at him. Father replied, “I have often heard some one being told to go to h—, but I have never actually seen some one go. This will be something new for me.”

The man immediately broke down and confessed.
Click to expand...
interesting story, but doesn’t it kind of prove my point? can a christian fail to repent a sin that he is aware of? i don’t see how.
 
You present a highly packed question. I had a student in my Confirmation group who asked,“What Christian would want to go to hell”? If one is truly a Christian then that would automatically place that person in a position where, at the very least, he or she would want to follow Christ. But then again there is a said faith and a living faith. (see James 2). If someone just calls themselves “Christian” but then seeks worldly things and places them above God then would they really be following Christ?

We all have the gift of free will. While, definitively, a Christian would always choose Christ over sin even after one fell into sin, perhaps that person finds that sin so attractive that it completely took the place of Christ. A person can even know this completely and with full consent will for themselves this alternative “god”. Money, greed, sex, pride are the many replacements for God.

That person may still identify themselves as “Christian” but has in actuality removed himself from God for his or her other “god”. This separation from God is a choice that an infinitely loving God will respect since it was He who gave you this gift of choice. God loves you so much that He would never pull you kicking and screaming into His presence (heaven). He will allow you to remain in your choice throughout all eternity and this is what hell is.

Is is possible for a Christian not to repent? This is mainly rhetorical since by strict definition (objectively) the answer would be no. But can those who still call themselves (said faith) Christian refuse repentance? Absolutely since it’s not about words or identity but what is in the heart. Your relationship with God can only be a Christian relationship if there is one and that would include repentance… teachccd
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top