Articles

When we persuade someone to receive Jesus, we would often say, “If you are willing to confess your sins and to receive Jesus as your saviour, you will be saved.” Many who have heard this are astonished, that such a short confession before Jesus could rescue them from Hell to Heaven. Some even joked about it saying, “If the soul can be saved by a simple confession, then let me continue to live my life as it is now, I’ll receive Jesus when I’m on deathbed.”

The Bible tells us: “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved (Ro 10:10).” All believers are able to testify of this; when we made the confession of repentance before Jesus, at that very moment we are saved, there is no doubt about it. There are also many who have fallen seriously ill and received Jesus on their deathbed, and the Lord has saved them at their last breath. Does this then suggest that those who have planned to do likewise should now go ahead and do so? Have they discovered the loophole to Heaven by exploiting God’s faithfulness to heed their prayer of repentance on deathbed?

We sincerely hope that when they say, “I will receive Jesus on deathbed,” it is made on impulse with no real intention of doing so. For, if they have really put their plan into action, they would have to pay the hefty price of eternal condemnation. Let us take a closer look to examine the underlying motive in saying these words. They are actually saying: “Since believing in Jesus to receive Salvation only requires a confession of sins, there is no need for me to do it now. Let me continue to live my life as it is and at the end of my life – after I have fully enjoyed this life of sin, I will then repent and accept Jesus as my Saviour. Since God said, ‘For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.’ Whether God likes it or not, He needs to keep His promise to deliver my soul into Heaven.”

This apparent “clever” way of trying to cheat God would be the beginning of their downfall; they who dug a pit for God to fall into, have fallen into it themselves. Anyone who thinks that God is like a man who could be deceived by guile, has clearly underestimated the Lord of the whole universe!

Though it is true that all who seek Jesus as their Saviour will definitely be saved, it is referring to those genuine seekers who are sincere in repenting from their sins. A genuine believer is one who desires holiness and righteousness, and determined to turn away from sin. No genuinely repentant person would ask for a couple more years to remain in sin before coming to the Lord. It is obvious that this person has no real desire for repentance but he remains attracted to sin and loves evil more than God. Someone who understands the gospel and chooses only to receive Jesus on deathbed does not pray a prayer of repentance; instead, he prays a prayer out of the fear of Hell. His sole aim is to escape the judgment of Hell and does not genuinely want to repent from sins.

The bible gives an account of these people who have understood the gospel but did not come to receive Christ:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. ~Heb 6:4-8

It speaks of those who have heard the gospel, who have once been enlightened and understood the existence of Heaven and Hell; they who having known everything concerning the gospel, yet did not make the correct response to believe in Jesus. They are not ignorant, but are just unwilling to repent. They having known that Jesus is the Saviour of the world but remain unmoved by it are like the piece of land – when rain falls on it, fails to bear fruit of repentance; instead, it produces thorns and thistles which is the unrepentant heart, their destiny is only to be thrown into the Hell’s fire to be burned forever.   

If anyone has yet to understand the gospel fully, the Lord will wait patiently until this person has come to the complete understanding of the gospel. Even if this person were to understand and believe the gospel at the very last breath of his life, it is still not too late for the Lord to save his soul. However, God is unable to save someone who has heard and understood the gospel and yet decided to continue with the path of sin. It is pointless for him in planning to pray the sinner’s prayer on deathbed, because at the moment he made up his mind to do so, he has already made his choice in the path of life and his destiny has been sealed. All he wants is to continue to sin and is unwilling to repent and turn to God. The prayer of repentance or the sinner’s prayer is not an all-powerful magical spell such that anyone who recites it will be saved instantly. If the person did not make the decision to forgo his sinful way of life, no matter how many times he makes this prayer he will not be saved.

Do not be deceived, for God cannot be mocked. He searches the heart and examines the mind of everyone. Let us come before God in reverence and in all sincerity to confess our sins and to depend upon the Lord Jesus to live a holy and sanctified life. This is true repentance, one that is able to save.