Questions about when people get "saved"

[MT1926]

Scripture teaches that when we confess and repent of our sins, the blood of Christ cleanses us.

Yes I agree. But it doesn’t really clear up my confusion.

I’m sure you agree that even after we are cleaned by the blood of Christ and pardoned in this life, He still leaves us to deal with the punishment due for that sin, in this life.

My question was if Jesus does this now why is it abhorrent if He continues to do this after we die?

I know we don’t agree on purgatory, and I’m not trying to argue purgatory with you. It’s just abhorrent is a pretty harsh word and I was wondering why you would consider something that God already does in this life is all of the sudden abhorrent in the next?

If we die having truly put our faith in Christ and repented of our sins, then our sins are forgiven. This is not OSAS. OSAS says you ask God to forgive you once in your life and you’re guaranteed salvation forever. We’re talking about people who have actually been justified, regenerated, adopted and sanctified.

OK sorry I misunderstood. When you phrased it…

When we die physically, our sin is purged

I seemed like you were saying regardless of whether we repent or not, sin is attached to the body and is automatically gone.

You further stated…

If God has justified us, what more is left to condemn in us and purge from us in purgatory?

I just figured unrepentant sin would be an answer everyone would give here, except for OSAS. Thus the reason for thinking your response sounded a lot like OSAS.

Thanks

 

[MT1926]

From the Wesleyan/Methodist/Pentecostal perspective, as long as we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit our sins are continually being forgiven by the continued intercession of Christ on our account… We are indwelled with the Holy Spirit as long as we have faith and live the life of faith.

Sounds good, no objections.

The only way to lose the indwelling Holy Spirit is to totally renounce faith in Christ or to willfully stay in sin without thought or grief over your sin, which shows you have given up your faith in Christ.

This statement got me thinking. What happens to a sin that you are unaware of? You are not aware of it so can not have grief over the sin. Sure since you are not aware of it the Catholic perspective would be this is a venial sin and not mortal. However, the sin still remains. You continue in this sin throughout your life, you show no grief for your sin, and most importantly someone else is harmed and wronged from your actions.

Does your faith in Jesus give you an automatic pass and no punishment becomes due for this sin or do you lose your salvation for being in unrepentant sin until death?

However, if someone renounces their faith or lives in sin without remorse/repentance then that shows they were never truly born again. They may have had intellectual belief or knowledge about how Christians are supposed to live, but they never were made new creations by the Holy Spirit.

Can’t really agree with this, because this statement taken to it’s logical conclusion means the only way a person can be born again is because of their own actions.

 

[MT1926]

But in verse 15 He transitions His comments to a future date, but it is very subtle.

Could you please explain how you are understanding this transition? In verse 14 Jesus says some towns won’t accept what they have to say so they should shake the dust of their feet as they leave. This was to signify judgement on those in the town who reject the gospel message. Verse 15 says that when we die and are judged the rejection of the gospel message is a far greater sin than the sexual sins committed by Sodom. The future date is the day we die and judged. Not seeing the rapture here?

From verse 15 through 23 everything He said was futuristic

Sure Jesus is speaking of a futuristic event that will occur before the death of the last Apostle. That’s pretty plain from the text since He says it will occur before they finish their mission in Israel.

Matthew 10:23 seems to be speaking of the destruction of the Temple being the promise to come again within their generation. I understand how the words Son of Man Comes could be referencing His second coming, however I would probably lean towards this being Jesus speaking of a prelude to His second coming since He is plainly speaking of an event that will occur within the Apostles lifetime.

If you are trying to use this passage to mean, he who endures to the end shall be saved=eternally= in heaven, this would not be the passage to prove it.

Why? What am I missing in the Chapter? In the context Jesus seems to be telling the Apostles of the troubled times ahead. How they will be persecuted for spreading the good news, how families will turn against each other. I really like verse 21

21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;

The ones put to death are the martyrs. History, has shown us that all of this has occurred, just like Jesus said it would. Families turned their Children in for becoming Christian. Thousands of Christians persecuted and put to death if they would not renounce their faith. The Apostles being threatened, jailed and put to death unless they renounced Jesus. Not sure if you watched the movie Silence or not? But I think what the Japanese did to the Catholic missionaries is exactly what Jesus was referring to here.

He who endures (being persecuted, jailed and put to death) to the end (never refusing to follow Jesus) will be saved.

When we continue to verse 32
32 So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

It sure seems like the enduring Jesus is speaking of is enduring in acknowledging Jesus in your life. If you do this to the end of your life, you will be saved, because Jesus will not deny you before God.

Could you point to what I am missing and why?

God Bless

 

[lanman87]

This statement got me thinking. What happens to a sin that you are unaware of? You are not aware of it so can not have grief over the sin. Sure since you are not aware of it the Catholic perspective would be this is a venial sin and not mortal. However, the sin still remains. You continue in this sin throughout your life, you show no grief for your sin, and most importantly someone else is harmed and wronged from your actions.

Does your faith in Jesus give you an automatic pass and no punishment becomes due for this sin or do you lose your salvation for being in unrepentant sin until death?

First I would say it is very difficult for someone to be unaware of a sin they committed. But if that is possible the they would automatically be forgiven of that sin by being “in Christ” by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing intercession of Christ.

 

[ltwin]

I’m sure you agree that even after we are cleaned by the blood of Christ and pardoned in this life, He still leaves us to deal with the punishment due for that sin, in this life.

If someone is a murderer, they get arrested, tried and sentenced. They serve their sentence and live with the fall out of being a murderer (loss of freedom, the guilt, the pain/suffering they’ve put others through). They will have to live with the consequences of their sin all the days of their lives. And they should.

If a murderer hears the gospel, is convicted and turns to Christ placing his faith in in Him and repenting of his sin, this person who was a murderer is washed clean and forgiven by God. He is purged of his sin. Christ does not condemn him. Christ does not need to punish him. His death on the cross is enough.

Now, that does not mean this born again person’s crime should be forgotten by society or that he should not face any consequences (legal and personal) for his crime. He cannot erase the effects of his sin, and he cannot simply be let off the hook either. However, once that person dies (provided he dies in Christ) there is no more punishment. We might think he deserves an eternity of purgatorial purging, but the Gospel says there is no condemnation for this man.

If someone spent the majority of their life constantly lying, using and abusing the people around them, they will have to live with the consequences of their actions (broken relationships, hatred and distrust from other people, living and dying alone, feelings of guilt and regret, etc.). Yet, if this person finds Christ in the last 3 years of their lives and truly repents of their old ways, when they die they will not be punished for their lifetime of mistreating people. God forgives them. There is no condemnation for this person.

Continued in next post.

 

[ltwin]

My question was if Jesus does this now why is it abhorrent if He continues to do this after we die?

I know we don’t agree on purgatory, and I’m not trying to argue purgatory with you. It’s just abhorrent is a pretty harsh word and I was wondering why you would consider something that God already does in this life is all of the sudden abhorrent in the next?

I find it abhorrent because I can see no way that the idea of purgatory does not nullify Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 the following:

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

I don’t see how one can believe in the idea of a purgatory where God continues to punish us for sins committed in life while also believing that he has “not counted our trespasses against us.” I don’t see how we can say that Christ died so we might become the righteousness of God while also saying that even after death we have still not attained the righteousness of God through Christ.

 

[MT1926]

First I would say it is very difficult for someone to be unaware of a sin they committed

Why would this be this so difficult? I would think the state of our world is proof positive that people do things every day that they themselves don’t consider to be sinful.

Just seems to me in my mind, if I wronged someone, and was not aware of the sin I committed until I died, I sure would think God’s perfect justice would include making amends (saying sorry) for the sin I was unaware of.

But if that is possible the they would automatically be forgiven of that sin by being “in Christ” by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing intercession of Christ.

I do agree that this is the reason our sins are forgiven. Would you mind explaining how this can be “automatic” and why we don’t need to confess our sins?

 

[ltwin]

I just figured unrepentant sin would be an answer everyone would give here, except for OSAS. Thus the reason for thinking your response sounded a lot like OSAS.

You mean sins you are unaware of? It is possible to make a general confession of sins. “And Lord, please forgive me for any other sins I have committed and bring them to my remembrance and give me the strength to resist them” or something to that affect.

However, I agree with lanman87. There is a way in which Christ covers us by virtue of being one with him that, for example, one unconfessed sin in a lifetime of faith and repentance will not result in damnation.

He is our Ark if we be in him. Yes, we may have “venial sin” as Catholics term it or sins of weakness, but if we are in Christ he will not let us drown. To live in faith is to live in Christ. We do need to be willing to battle our sin and deal with the sin we are aware of.

 

[MT1926]

I don’t see how one can believe in the idea of a purgatory where God continues to punish us for sins committed in life while also believing that he has “not counted our trespasses against us.” I don’t see how we can say that Christ died so we might become the righteousness of God while also saying that even after death we have still not attained the righteousness of God through Christ.

You keep saying punishment, not sure why because purgatory is about purification not punishment. Is there a reason you keep using this word? Yeah I know the word temporal punishment gets thrown around, but that is the term for the mess made from the sin, not the actual eternal punishment from the sin. It is possible to clean up that mess in this life, exactly like you showed in your example. I totally agree that there is no eternal punishment left for sin, but sometimes we are incapable of cleaning up our messes in this lifetime.

Also,wouldn’t you agree that if you were perfectly purified in this life you wouldn’t commit the same sins over and over again. I know you said that sin is connected to the body but sin is also connect to our thoughts and our words and our eyes. Do we no longer have these either in the afterlife? How are these purified so we don’t sin in heaven?

I find it abhorrent because I can see no way that the idea of purgatory does not nullify Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5 the following:

Using this same verse how does saying sorry to someone not nullify Christ’s sacrifice? After all Christ died for our sin and we were forgiven, wouldn’t asking a mere humans forgiveness mean you are admitting Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough for your forgiveness.

I know I am going to far with that analogy, but this is a part of purgatory. Being able to make amends for the sins you did not know you committed or you did not have to suffer the consequences of in this life.

Let’s take your murderer up above. What if he was never caught never punished in this life and had a true conversion on his death bed. Sure Christ’s death is enough to forgive him of the hundreds he killed, but is it fair to this man to bring him into heaven, not because of justice, but because he will have to live for all eternity knowing he never made reparations for his sins?

Purgatory isn’t punishment for our sins, it’s the wash room so we can enter heaven clean. I can’t sleep comfortable without taking a shower, there is no way I want to go to heaven for all eternity with the guilt of all the people I wrong still on my soul. Jesus loves me to much to make me sit in my filth for all eternity.

What’s your thoughts on purgatory, with it not being about punishment but about purification?

God Bless

 

[opulumpu]

Itwin

I understand you do not believe in Purgatory. I do believe in Purgatory. By the way I meant spiritual dirt in reference to my last comment, not physical dirt.

I am not very good at referencing the Bible so I can not provide any quotes. However, here is a scenerio and a follow-up question for you:

My younger brother and I are walking along a jungle dirt track and came upon a mango tree full of ripe mangoes. I ask him to climb the tree and get us some mangoes. He will not and he can not climb the tree because he is afraid of heights. Despite me knowing this, I berate him, call him a sissy and other names you can think of…you know sibling stuff. So I climb the mango tree. Unfortunately, the branch I got on could not carry my weight and it snapped. I fell, smashed my skull and died instantly. I hope you will agree with me that my insulting my younger brother is a sin. Let us assume for our discussions that I could not repent before my death. This sin is petty; it is no where comparable to chopping off an unbeliever’s head or seizing the property of a widow. Assume that I have faithfully followed Jesus all my life.

Here is the question: Are you saying I will go straight to heaven despite my having sinned by insulting my younger brother and despite my not having repented of my sin before I died. If you are in the OSAS band, your answer will be “yes”. But I take it you are not with that group; so where does my soul go to.

 

[guanophore]

I just disagree. Bodily death gets rid of all that is still sinful. There is now no condemnation for those who die in Christ (who died on the Cross as an atonement for sin), and I frankly find any thought that we must bear punishment for our sins (which have already been pardoned and we have already been cleansed of by the blood of Jesus) to be abhorrent.

I see your point, but perhaps it is more a matter of semantics. The purging is only available to those who have been pardoned by His blood. It is not so much a “punishment” but part of the cleansing. We will agree that nothing unclean can enter heaven, but many people still have attachment to sin, and parts of themselves that are “unclean” at the moment of death. The state of purgation that occurs after death prepares the soul to enter heaven. It is what is written about in Scripture as everyone being purified with fire at the judgment.

Paul finishes Romans 8 with his famous declaration that nothing can separate us from the love of God:

Indeed, those who are prepared for heaven are united with Christ, and it is HIs LOVE that purifies the soul of anything that was not purified(made holy) during our mortal life.

When we die physically, our sin is purged.

We are in agreement, then, as Catholics call this “purgatory” or the state of being purged. We are salted with fire, and all the dross is burned away so that nothing unclean will enter heaven. If the attachment to sin was in the physical body only then this would not be necessary, but Jesus made it clear that sins of the mind and heart are just as problematic as sins of the body.

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.I Cor 15: 52

The Apostle also writes about this event at the coming of Christ. We all believe in Purgatory, you believe it happens in “the twinkling of an eye” that we are changed. Catholics typically think of it in more linear time, which is not exactly accurate either, since this transformation takes place outside of time.

 

[ltwin]

Here is the question: Are you saying I will go straight to heaven despite my having sinned by insulting my younger brother and despite my not having repented of my sin before I died. If you are in the OSAS band, your answer will be “yes”. But I take it you are not with that group; so where does my soul go to.

I will answer your question, but let me say from the outset God searches and knows the secrets of the heart. He also knows when we commit sins of weakness and sins of conscience. He knows us fully and knows those who are his sheep and those who are not.

But to your question, assuming this person has faithfully followed and trusted Jesus (is born again) and there is not a longer pattern of willful, rebellious sin in their life, then I do not believe this person is damned. Neither do I believe this person is in purgatory to be cleansed. They are forgiven–despite the momentary weakness of the flesh–and in the presence of Christ to await the resurrection of the body.

 

[tgGodsway]

I would probably lean towards this being Jesus speaking of a prelude to His second coming since He is plainly speaking of an event that will occur within the Apostles lifetime.

I would agree there is a prelude here, but the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem was not the end, but signaled the beginning.

There is a gap in time between what was expected in the first century found in Mt. 10 from what has actually panned out over time. But this gap is not mysterious however.

End Time theologians recognize it and validate it from scripture. At the destruction in Jerusalem of 70 A.D. verse 21 was not fulfilled. Brother did not deliver brother to death, and a father his child. And there is no record of they who endured to the end to saved. And surely they did not preach to all of the cities in Israel and the Son of Man did not actually come in a second coming. To the contrary. after 70 ad. the nation was dispersed into all of the world at least until 1948. But even now the prophecies of a national conversion have not yet come to pass and will not until the tribulation period. So, yes, Matthew 10 is a prelude in a sense, but the one statement: “he who endures to the end shall be saved,” is repeated in both Matthew 24 and Mark 13, where the subject matter is better developed and very clear that Christ was looking way beyond 70 AD. At least this is my humble opinion.

 

[tgGodsway]

The ones put to death are the martyrs. History, has shown us that all of this has occurred, just like Jesus said it would. Families turned their Children in for becoming Christian. Thousands of Christians persecuted and put to death if they would not renounce their faith. The Apostles being threatened, jailed and put to death unless they renounced Jesus.

Yes, all true! but it is not a competed work. We have not yet seen what Mt. 24 promises. We have not yet seen the anti-Christ. So… we cannot say it is all finished now. It began in 70 ad. but will be completed at the coming of Christ.

 

[ltwin]

Also,wouldn’t you agree that if you were perfectly purified in this life you wouldn’t commit the same sins over and over again. I know you said that sin is connected to the body but sin is also connect to our thoughts and our words and our eyes. Do we no longer have these either in the afterlife? How are these purified so we don’t sin in heaven?

Our spirits continue to exist, but the last vestiges of the sinful nature we inherited from Adam are finally extinguished with physical death.

Using this same verse how does saying sorry to someone not nullify Christ’s sacrifice? After all Christ died for our sin and we were forgiven, wouldn’t asking a mere humans forgiveness mean you are admitting Christ’s sacrifice wasn’t enough for your forgiveness.

I know I am going to far with that analogy,

I’m probably going too far with this analogy as well–Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what belongs to God. When we commit a sin against God, we ask him to forgive us because it is right and just. In the same way, when we wrong another person, we ask for their forgiveness because it is right and just. This is someone made in the image and likeness of God, and we have hurt them by our actions. In fact, Scripture indicates that an unwillingness to reconcile with those we have wronged can hinder our spiritual communion with God. If we love God, we also must love other people and that means admitting when we’ve hurt them and making amends. This is part of mortifying the flesh–letting go of the sin of pride and humbling ourselves. We will never reach Christian perfection if we cannot admit to others when we were wrong.

but this is a part of purgatory. Being able to make amends for the sins you did not know you committed or you did not have to suffer the consequences of in this life.

But God has already forgiven you and pardoned you. He has made you a new creation. Justified, regenerated, adopted and sanctified you by the blood of Christ. I’m still struggling to see how God is still keeping score. It’s like the promises made are incomplete, and Christ’s sacrifice was not enough.

Continued in next post.

 

[ltwin]

Let’s take your murderer up above. What if he was never caught never punished in this life and had a true conversion on his death bed. Sure Christ’s death is enough to forgive him of the hundreds he killed, but is it fair to this man to bring him into heaven, not because of justice, but because he will have to live for all eternity knowing he never made reparations for his sins?

I suppose to me it would not be fair. Yet, its probably not fair that I or you or any of us make it to heaven. No, we haven’t murdered anyone, but if his conversion was true and motivated by his love of God and hatred of sin (rather than fear of punishment) then he is in the presence of Christ. This is wonderful, but also sad. What a wasted, tragic life this man lived. Yet, though he left no enduring work, he himself was saved as through fire (1 Corinthians 3).

Purgatory isn’t punishment for our sins, it’s the wash room so we can enter heaven clean. I can’t sleep comfortable without taking a shower, there is no way I want to go to heaven for all eternity with the guilt of all the people I wrong still on my soul. Jesus loves me to much to make me sit in my filth for all eternity.

What’s your thoughts on purgatory, with it not being about punishment but about purification?

I don’t think anyone thinks God lets us sit in our filth for all eternity. The question is, should we build an entire theology just to explain how God makes us pure enough to enter heaven. I honestly don’t see the reason for this entire theology or for the elaborate institutional investment the Catholic Church has committed to it over the centuries. I’m just being honest, from an outsider’s perspective it is quite bizarre.

 

[tgGodsway]

From the Wesleyan/Methodist/Pentecostal perspective, as long as we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit our sins are continually being forgiven by the continued intercession of Christ on our account… We are indwelled with the Holy Spirit as long as we have faith and live the life of faith.

Ianman87, I just happened to come across your post with MT. Of course he will agree with you on this narrow point, because in essence it is the same view.

Wesleyan/Methodist/Pentecostal perspectives are considered to be post-protestant. I’m sure you are aware of that.
With all respect, I disagree with your statement here. Here’s why: Both Catholic and Arminian views to salvation turn the work of justification into a “process” rather than an act. In other words, God is in the process of justifying you. As long as you “endure to the end” of your natural life you will be eternally saved. This view is predominant in most so-called protestant Churches.

Much like a father with his young and foolish son trying to cross a busy highway, the father grabs ahold of his son’s hand to begin the journey across. But if the son refuses to hold his father’s hand, or even shakes loose from it to go back the other way, the father will let go and allow his son to NOT cross with him. And by doing so, the little guy gets hit five different ways.

In the OSAS view, as you guys put it, the father loves his son too much to allow foolishness to get in the way. He takes hold of his son’s hand and refuses to let go as they cross the “one-time” for all time, street to eternal life.

This shows the absolute faithfulness of the father towards his young and foolish son. Justification is an ACT which has eternal results. The sins of a man who accepted Christ now cross over to the scape-goat of another. Christ took all of your penalty on himself. Sin’s eternal penalty is forever quenched by His work. Another way of putting it: The death angel has now passed over you “one time” with eternal ramifications. see John 5:24 It is not as if the death angel after seeing the blood on the doorpost of your heart, must continue to pass over and over and over again. He passes over one time when he sees the blood. The death angel is never to be dealt with again. This is the good news!

 

[opulumpu]

He also knows when we commit sins of weakness and sins of conscience. He knows us fully and knows those who are his sheep and those who are not

As I understand it, sin is knowingly doing what is wrong or knowingly not doing what is right according to God’s rules; ie intentionally offending God. It does not matter whether it is a sin of conscience or of weakness. Sin is sin, regardless of how it is classified.

Neither do I believe this person is in purgatory to be cleansed. They are forgiven–despite the momentary weakness of the flesh–and in the presence of Christ to await the resurrection of the body.

How long is momentary. In my scenerio I did not indicate the legth of time I berated my younger brother. Here is a road rage scenerio: Two friends (A and B) are riding in a pickup truck and they cut Mr C off in traffic. Mr C is enraged, catches up with them and punches the driver of the ruck (Mr A) into a milk shake. Mr. B, in defending his friend, pulls up a hammer from the truck and lets Mr. C have it between the ears, smashes his skull and Mr. C dies on the spot with no time to think about, or repent for his sin of anger, even if it is due to a momentary weakness. Mr. C has never done something like this before and did not anticipate such a thing will happen on his way back from a stressful day at the office. All this I consider momentary weakness. Lets assume that Mr C has been goody goody with Christ up till then. Are you still saying that Mr. C is forgiven and will go straight to heaven and will not suffer any consequence for the lack of control of his emotions.

 

[ltwin]

Lets assume that Mr C has been goody goody with Christ up till then.

Not sure what this means. We don’t go to heaven because we’re “goody goody.” We go to heaven because we are united to Christ by faith in his death and resurrection. Certainly, the heart changed by the love of Christ will be good and should display the Fruit of the Spirit.

Are you still saying that Mr. C is forgiven and will go straight to heaven and will not suffer any consequence for the lack of control of his emotions.

I think the consequence is that Mr. C died and, perhaps, arrives to heaven somewhat less gloriously than he would have had he died in a more Christ-like manner. If, as you said, he never did anything like this before, it was clearly a thing of passion. His culpability is lessened by that fact alone. If he is justified by faith, I believe this extraordinary loss of control (of which he would have no doubt repented of had he had the time to do so) would not necessarily mean he was damned.

 

[ltwin]

Wesleyan/Methodist/Pentecostal perspectives are considered to be post-protestant. I’m sure you are aware of that.

With all respect, I disagree with your statement here. Here’s why: Both Catholic and Arminian views to salvation turn the work of justification into a “process” rather than an act.

Arminians do believe justification is an act not a process. It is an act accomplished by grace through faith. However, if a person ceases to put their trust in God, they have forfeited the righteousness that is their’s by faith.

In other words, God is in the process of justifying you. As long as you “endure to the end” of your natural life you will be eternally saved. This view is predominant in most so-called protestant Churches.

Well, do you believe we can be saved if we do not endure?

Much like a father with his young and foolish son trying to cross a busy highway, the father grabs ahold of his son’s hand to begin the journey across. But if the son refuses to hold his father’s hand, or even shakes loose from it to go back the other way, the father will let go and allow his son to NOT cross with him. And by doing so, the little guy gets hit five different ways.

A better analogy is a son who wants his inheritance from his father so he can run off and do what ever he wants. The father gives him his portion of the inheritance and lets him freely choose his own path in life, and the son chooses poorly–a life of dissipation. Of course, the son squanders his inheritance and ends up feeding pigs to make a living. Coming to his senses, he realizes that he can live much better as a servant in his father’s house, and so the prodigal son chooses to return home and asks his father to forgive him. His father sees him a long way off and runs to him filled with love and compassion. He welcomes him back home, not as a servant but as a son, saying “My son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

This analogy shows that God loves us enough to allow us to choose. Over and over in Scripture we are presented with the choice–choose life or choose death. Yes, those who choose death are foolish, but God wants us to choose. He wants us to love Him because we want to.