What happens if we sin just before we die?
Question:
For a faithful child of God, one who has put on Christ in baptism, and has lived a faithful life in Christ, but in a moment of weakness commits a sin, which the Scriptures tells us we all do, and he dies in that moment of weakness - do you believe that the blood of Christ will cover that sin so that that person would be in heaven? (See I John 1:7)! What are our chances that we would just happen to die just as soon as we have repented of all our sins? I just wanted some of your thoughts on this idea.
Answer:
While God points out the truth that we all sin, it is a mistake to assume that we all sin constantly. One of the goals of living the Christian life is to make sin less and less a part of our lives. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2). God is abundant in mercy (Psalms 86:15). We pray that God demonstrates mercy when our lives are judged and that includes last-moment sins. However, we should not see God's mercy as a reason not to battle against sin in our lives.
In regards to an unfortunate individual who happens to die just after committing a sin, I cannot say whether he will end up in heaven or hell -- for the same reason, I cannot tell you if any specific individual is in heaven or hell (beyond those God has told us about in the Bible). "For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God" (I Corinthians 4:4-5). I do not have all the facts about any person's life, but God knows all things. I do not know what a person was thinking or his motivations, but God knows the hearts and minds of men. I cannot make judgments on insufficient evidence, but God is able to judge in all fairness. And we know He is a merciful judge.
Thus, I acknowledge that it is God who judges and I try very hard not to place myself in the Lord's judgment seat. I'm quite willing to say that I don't know if a specific individual went to heaven or hell.
However, this doesn't mean that I cannot teach about sin and point out that God said that unrepentant sin will be punished. "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). In these cases, the judgment is not mine, it was the Lord who decided and stated what is right or wrong. I am merely bringing that message to the rest of the world. So if someone tells me that they are committing fornication, I will bluntly tell them they need to repent because God's wrath will come upon them if they don't. That is not my decision. I am relaying what God has already declared.
