iExodus1744

As a parish pastor, can you maybe refer to scriptures to support your belief? That first sentence of yours pretty much says Jesus' sacrifice was pointless.

My question as well

That is an interesting take, and one that I can imagine is hard to back up with scripture. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that judgement follows death, and the story of the rich man and Lazarus also shows reward and punishment following death. I see no support for repentance following death in the Bible. I just don't want people to be mislead on this post.

Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection are a doorway to reconciliation with God. One needs to step through that door to be reconciled to God. Stepping through that door means believing in the complete character of Jesus (him being God incarnate and everything that comes with that) and the fact that his sacrifice is the only means by which you can be saved. Humanity as a whole is far from reconciled to God as they have not put their trust in him, and they are relying on their own good works to save them when they face God. That is a rejection of the Gospel. Ephesians 2:8 makes it clear that faith in Jesus is the means by which we are saved.

Clearly Jesus' closest followers believed something happened and they were willing to die for it. They sought no power, wealth or fame, only that Jesus' resurrection be made known to everyone. I'm sure you don't need to look too far to see the messed up world we live in. The hardest thing to accept is that we contribute to the mess. None of us are good enough and we will all face God to answer for our crimes against humanity and against Him. If God judges us fairly, we're all screwed. We need someone to take our place. Someone who isn't as rotten as us, but someone who is perfect and isn't facing the same punishment themselves. That person is Jesus, and placing your trust in him will grant you reconciliation with God and a promise of everlasting life even though you will die.