I think that we have to trust that God gives all of us sufficient grace and time to make the decision to love him. But, there will come a time that we could make up our minds and refuse to change.
Remember that we can not know when the moment comes in another person. We have to trust that God is merciful and just. If we think of Him as a gotcha type god that will strike a person down on his or her way to the confessional, the unfairness would be despotic. There are people who believe this. I don’t.
I think, that He probably expects far more out of “good” people than He does out of those who have had to struggle to survive. For instance, a person who has been abused and broken as a child would find His love and forgiveness for any step this person would make toward Him. But He has harsh words for the proud, the arrogant and the cruel. Because the proud and the arrogant may very well stand before the judgement and be indignant that a miserable druggie was accepted with open arms. The proud and arrogant will find it the hardest to say, “Lord, be merciful to me for I am a sinner.” It is the pride, arrogance that says, “I am the god of my life. I will have no other god to tell me what to do.”
I do not get into the debates about what Hell is because l don’t know. Whether it is a place or state of being, fire and brimstone, or is something else, I can honestly say I have no idea. But, I do believe that it is the absence of God. And, I do believe that it is our choice to make.
It interests me that I have this same discussion with fire and brimstone Catholics and Protestants as well as with atheists. It seems to me that they share the same image of God.
I don’t think of God as a warm fuzzy for sure. He did create the forces that make black holes and nebulae after all. But a despot would not have come to us with His arms outstretched with love.
