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Why You Can’t Just Repent Later

by Autumn Dickson

Why can’t we just repent on the other side? Why can’t we do what we want here and then change when we enter the spirit world? Do we believe in deathbed repentance?

There is a verse in Isaiah that sparked some of these thoughts today.

Jeremiah 17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;

Judah’s sins are written with a diamond-pointed iron pen. Their hearts have been engraved with this sin. In other words, the sin is extremely entrenched in their nature.

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that Christ’s atonement can cover that entrenchment. The price of that sin is not the problem. Christ’s grace can cover it. He is willing to cover it; He wants to cover it. When we read this in Jeremiah, it’s not to make us believe that Christ is incapable of taking care of these things.

Rather, it teaches an important principle: we become what we repeatedly choose. The payment is not the problem; who we are is potentially a problem or a blessing depending on what you’re repeatedly choosing.

I’m going to use a dramatic example to show my point.

If you have spent the majority of your life in a violent gang before being introduced to the gospel of Jesus Christ, you can be washed and cleansed through the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is undeniably important to emphasize the fact that Christ can continually take care of our flaws and sins as we’re working through them. I testify to that. It’s a real thing. It is also true that overcoming your anger and violent tendencies doesn’t just happen overnight.

Even when you are sincerely sorry and feel horrible about your past mistakes, you will still be experiencing lingering effects of sin especially when they’ve been etched in your heart with a diamond-pointed iron pen. Wickedness never was happiness which means our salvation is limited due to our own naturally unhappy state of being.

Let’s explore the gang member example a bit further. You have faced a lot of violence in your life. You repent and change and get permission to be baptized and you’re washed clean. The next day, someone makes you mad and you immediately punch them in the face to cover your insecurity and hold on to social hierarchies.

Why didn’t the baptism get rid of your angry tendencies? Why didn’t it heal your insecurity? Christ can pay for your sins, but are you actually feeling saved when you’re continuously suffering from these horrible feelings?

There is a lot of modern Christian tradition that says yes. If you have accepted Christ, it doesn’t matter what you do. You’re saved. I would argue that Christ can put you in a beautiful kingdom, and you would still feel the effects of trauma you’ve experienced as well as trauma you’ve inflicted on others. Christ can forgive you immediately, but I have not known Him to completely erase the effects of sin at the drop of a hat. In my experience, Christ works with you to change your nature over time. He works with you to heal the sinful engravings on your heart, but He takes His time doing it.

Let’s use a slightly less dramatic example. Let’s say that I am super judgmental in my heart. I hold on to these feelings, and I don’t feel like it’s a big deal. When I die, I’ll just repent, and then it’ll all be good.

Obviously, I don’t know how the spirit world plays out, but this is what I picture. You pass away, and guess what? Those judgmental feelings follow you. You run into one of your old friends from high school on the other side, and immediately, you have a mean thought fill your mind about this old friend. Sure, you’ve said sorry, but are you happy? Are you actually experiencing salvation?

I would argue no.

Your misery follows you. People who are constantly critical of others aren’t happy. It takes time to practice schooling your thoughts to naturally be kind and loving and wholesome and wise. It takes a lot of time to consistently choose uplifting thoughts before those become your natural state of being.

Now, how do we apply this principle? I’ll tell you how we don’t apply it.

You’re not going to look in the mirror and agonize over your flaws. You’re not going to let Satan beat you up. You’re not going to beat yourself up. You are going to rejoice in the principles I just taught.

You are going to rejoice that Christ already took care of your debts. You’re going to rejoice that He is going to fight these battles right alongside you. You are going to rejoice that you are capable of change. Satan likes to put mean thoughts in your head. You are going to have flaws. BUT. Repeatedly choosing goodness will eventually overcome the natural man.

Do not be discouraged when this takes a while. Do not be discouraged for two reasons:

Reason one. You weren’t meant to overcome flaws immediately. There is a lot of growth that occurs in the interim between recognizing your sins, developing a desire to be rid of them, and actually overcoming them. There is growth in between those milestones that God doesn’t want to rob from us.

Reason two. You no longer have a debt to justice. Justice is not hanging over your head, prepared to drag you down to hell. Christ’s grace can cover a multitude of sins. If you’re working on it, He is working with you. You don’t have to completely overcome flaws in order to find the peace you’re searching for. Acknowledgment and trust in Christ are going to go a long way in helping you feel salvation in the meantime.

Rejoice because Christ is King. You can turn your life around. You can overcome persistent flaws. You can be at peace and feel saved in the meantime while you persistently choose good things. I testify that you can feel Christ’s presence without becoming perfect. You can feel salvation because of His atonement.

 

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.