The “Deathbed Confession”

(Plain Text Version)

There is a persistent myth that one can ignore God’s commands and repent later in life.  This way, one can enjoy sin and avoid punishment in hell.  This is a tragic mistake.

If You are Alive, You Can Repent

It is certainly true that many people have made a last-minute conversion.  For example, one of the men crucified with Jesus repented and received pardon from Our Lord (Luke 23:39-43).  We should never think that God would turn anyone away, even one who has lived in sin for many years.

We do not Know when Death will Come

The obvious error of putting off our conversion is that the time of death is unknown to us.  How do you know that you will read the end of this paragraph?  How do I know that I will finish typing it?  Every day, people die without even one second of warning.  We must live as if we are on our “deathbed” right now.

Since we don’t know when we will die, we must constantly examine our conscience and repent of our sins.  Our imperfections should not be a reason for obsession.  God is our friend, and we should be comfortable with His work of perfecting us.

It Would be Awkward for a Sinner to be in Heaven

If we spend our time on earth offending God and neighbor, we won’t have any appreciation for the goodness of God.  People in heaven desire only to be with God.  They have been freed from the deception which goes with sin.  They are bonded in pure love with their fellow saints.   An unrepentant sinner would feel very out of place.  You might say that heaven would be hell for that person.

We are Alive in Order to Prepare for Heaven

Everything that happens in our day can be an opportunity to get ready for heaven.  If things are going well, we can be more helpful to others.  When things are hard, we can offer our suffering for our own sins and for the conversion of sinners.  When we have done wrong, we can repent and let God change us.

We Can Look at Our Sins Now or Later

Every action of ours is like a pebble dropped into a pond.  It sends out ripples which cover the entire pond.  Everything in the pond is affected by the action of this wave, in a good way or a bad way.  When the wave reaches the shore, it reverses and continues to travel. 

Our actions affect other people.  It influences their choices.  Their choices affect others.  Only after death will we know what our works have produced.

We should ask God for supernatural help to always make the best choices.  When we realize that we have sinned, it is time to repent, confess it, and try to repair the harm we have done.

This may be our deathbed confession!  

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