can people in hell repent and turn to God

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.

OneFaith

Senior Member
Sep 5, 2016
2,270
369
83
do they still have free will:unsure:

Someone in jail can repent all they want, but it won’t get them out of jail. If that were the case, everyone in jail would repent just to get out. People in jail do have freewill, but there’s not much they can actually do once they decide to do it. “I choose to use my freewill to get out of this jail and appear in a hammock in Hawaii.” (didn't work). It is the same for hell.
 

Ahwatukee

Senior Member
Mar 12, 2015
11,159
2,375
113
Ephesians 2:8-9





New American Standard Bible


8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and [a]this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Read full chapter
Footnotes
  1. Ephesians 2:8 I.e., this salvation

Romans 8:38-39


The seal is permanent.
Our sealing is only permanent if one is continuing in faith. You yourself post the scripture above:

"For by grace you have been saved [through faith]"

We are not just sealed so that even if a believer turns back to living according to the sinful nature that they are still sealed. If you die in that wandered state, you will die in your sins. Did you not read what I posted on all of this information?

"But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Does the above sound like once saved always saved? If a believer does what is written above, then that would be that persons consequences.

"My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins."

James refers to those in the scripture above as 'brothers,' which means that he is speaking to believers. And should a believer wander from the truth, while in that state they are accumulating sin and are on their way to death, unless they return to faith or someone turns them back.

"Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence— [if] indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard"

"But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, [if] indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory."

"We have come to share in Christ, [if] indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end."

We're not just saved period no matter what we do. Faith from beginning to end is require. You need to stop teaching these false teachings. Remember when Jesus says "unless you take up your cross daily, you cannot be my disciple?" If someone does not take up their cross daily, the apply the consequences that are given. Same thing if we don't forgive other believers when they sin against us. For Jesus says, "If you don't forgive those who sin against you, then neither will your heavenly Father forgive you your sins.

If a believer is sealed no matter what he does or how he lives, then we might as well ignore all of the warnings in the word of God and ignore the letters to the seven churches in Revelation, because hey, we're sealed no matter what, right!

Once saved always saved is one of the biggest lies that Satan has brought into the church!

We are sealed if we continue in faith from beginning to end.
 
Dec 31, 2020
53
30
18
I think some of the verses you are sharing have to do with believers during the Tribulation. Those who become believers during the Tribulation after the Church has been taken up into the heavens to meet the Messiah Yeshua (Jeaus) are different because the time of the Church has interrupted the time of the Jews, which included the need for Levitical offerings. The need for offerings as a symbol of the Messiah covering sin is reinstated after the 'Rapture' has occurred and the Tribulation has begun. Tribulational believers do not receive the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit because G*d has removed the Holy Spirit from the Earth during this period.

Once saved always saved is not one of the biggest lies that Satan has brought into the church. Humanity being fallen is flawed by nature and an imperfect being cannot maintain a perfect state of anything from beginning to end without faltering. Everyone experiences moments of doubt. By your own words, you insist that it takes only one moment of doubt to cost you the salvation and everlasting life which G*d promised you if you accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as your savior. You are trying to commit yourself and others to performing an impossible sanity-fracturing task in order to maintain (work for) your/their salvation with this idea that on the day you breathe your last your going to say, 'Well, I did it! I remained faithful and completely doubt-free from start to finish'. This does not sound like something that comes from G*d.

Salvation is not supposed to be about what you or I do, it is supposed to be about everything that Yeshua (Jesus) did for us. You are trying to say that you, a created being, can snatch yourself out of the hand of Almighty G*d! G*d is omnipotent, you are not. Once saved always saved does not grant license to sin as much as you want; there is discipline for grieving the Holy Spirit. However, you do not cease to be G*d's child. The Son of G*d already took the judgement for all sins and once we accept him as our savior and redeemer we are saved. If we stray, then we are disciplined in order to draw us back to G*d.
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,006
4,313
113
Here's an even more interesting thought...

If a Christian changes his mind and wants to go to hell, will God force him to be saved?

Link to the article here:
https://bible.org/question/if-chris...and-wants-go-hell-will-god-force-him-be-saved
God doesn't force one to be saved IF that was the case God would be unjust. why? because how can HE judge one of the choices of not surrendering to the lord after the appeal by the Holy Spirit was made?

Only a fool would deny there is no God. only a fool returns to his vomit like a dog,

Heb2:3
" how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

IF God can force you to be saved then how can you reject God?
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,006
4,313
113
I think you mean, only a fool would deny there is a God :)
NO,

Ps 14: 1

The fool has said in his heart,
There is no God.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
NO,

Ps 14: 1

The fool has said in his heart,
There is no God.
Reread what you posted you did my x it up. Am sure by accident
I think you meant to say only a fool would say there is No God, or maybe deny there IS A God

you said deny there is no God
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
the only thing that I can think of that could prevent the entire population of hell from repenting is by the taking away of their free will

but I don't see how you could reconcile that with the character of God ???
True

But even if they had free will. God would have to go against his word to release them
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
We are born into a state of becoming.


Eternal primarily means changelessness.

Once we enter eternity we enter a state of changelessness.

Those in hell entered eternity rejecting Him. They will reject Him eternally.
I think they will repent. How could they not? That is why tibia worse for those who had truth in their hands and came close but in the end failed to repent. Or the Pharisee or false Christian who was close. They know how close they were and have to live with that the rest of their eternity
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
if nothing changes at all in hell, does that mean no one can make decisions or think about anything ???

and therefore free will no longer exists ???
Free will will exist. It will just be too late
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
if free will exists in heaven, does that mean it's possible for people in heaven to rebel against God the same way some angels did ???
No
because we would never desire to
unlike them they never experienced spiritual death and despair
 

CS1

Well-known member
May 23, 2012
13,006
4,313
113
Reread what you posted you did my x it up. Am sure by accident
I think you meant to say only a fool would say there is No God, or maybe deny there IS A God

you said deny there is no God
NP just give me a spell check error :)
 

Ahwatukee

Senior Member
Mar 12, 2015
11,159
2,375
113
the only thing that I can think of that could prevent the entire population of hell from repenting is by the taking away of their free will

but I don't see how you could reconcile that with the character of God ???
Once one dies in their sins, the offer of salvation is null and void. Salvation is a faith issue. Who in their right mind would not except the offer of salvation after they find out the truth and have gone down into Hades to begin their punishment?

Jesus gave us the answer to the question of whether a person can be saved after death as found in the event of the rich man and Lazarus.

============================================================

Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’

But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’

‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

===========================================================

No one can come back from the dead to warn the living. However, what Abraham said to the rich man was that, his brothers can find the warnings to keep from going to Sheol/Hades, by reading the words of Moses and the prophets, i.e. the word of God. But once a person dies, he cannot come back and warn anyone.

Today (while you're alive) is the day of salvation! After you die, your record is sealed and the offer is off the table.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
sometimes the PC makes corrections and the overlooked proofreading will get ya. But here are some who live to point out one error but their own LOL
This is true!
 
Dec 31, 2020
53
30
18
And the spellchecker oops! prize goes to-

.....That is why tibia worse for those who had truth in their hands and came close but in the end failed to repent.
The tibia is a bone in the leg. What the spellchecker believed was supposed to be worse about leg bones, I have no idea. Would you please be so kind as to try to write down what you really meant here because I believe the lower leg bones have little to do with whatever you originally meant.
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
And the spellchecker oops! prize goes to-



The tibia is a bone in the leg. What the spellchecker believed was supposed to be worse about leg bones, I have no idea. Would you please be so kind as to try to write down what you really meant here because I believe the lower leg bones have little to do with whatever you originally meant.
It should say that is why IT WILL BE worse....

tibia or not tibia..lol
 
E

eternally-gratefull

Guest
Repentance requires a body and soul. How can they repent?
Where do you come up with this?

the Bible says every knee will bow, and declare Jesus is lord

there will be no unbelievers in hell

it may be repentance from pure fear and actually seeing God, but it is repentance all the same