That's just a name I came up for it; I know its not creative. This is the idea that a person can genuinely accept Christ on his deathbed and be saved from hell. It generally goes along with a defense of "faith only" teaching. If a person can genuinely accept Christ on his deathbed, then we would have to concede that good works are not necessary to enter heaven. There is a parable Jesus told that gives us understanding on this issue:
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last. -Jesus in Matthew 20:1-16
So we might ask ourselves the question: Does a person have to be a Christian (servant of God) for a certain time to enter heaven? The parable clearly indicates that the answer is no. It did not matter whether the workers were hired in the morning or late in the evening. And it did not matter whether they worked for 10 hours or 1 hour. The fact of the matter is that God can give eternal life to whomever He wishes. It is His to give. God can be gracious to anyone. We should not keep a scorecard. We shouldn't try to judge for ourselves what God will or won't give to this person or that. Instead we should accept what God chooses to do, because God can do whatever He wants. And we should be grateful simply that He has accepted us. That's what this parable teaches us - God can be gracious to whomever He wishes, and we are not in a position to second guess that.
But suppose there was a man in the marketplace that knew the landowner would pay the latecomer the same amount. Suppose he intentionally waited till the eleventh hour so he wouldn't have to work much. What do you think would happen to that man? If we already know of God and God's kingdom, and specifically God's grace, and we intentionally wait till our deathbed (so to speak) to repent and start serving God, then it won't be good. That's an attempt to cheat God. When the call to work for God comes to us we must respond. This parable is not meant to give people a reason for tardiness. This parable is not meant to say that salvation can wait till the deathbed. Anyone who puts off serving God till their deathbed, or just putting it off at all, faces the risk of missing it entirely. The point of the parable is to teach us not to have expectations of what we think God should do. It teaches us that God can do what He pleases, and we should not complain about it, especially when we receive the pay God promised. But it doesn't teach us that God can be cheated. The only reason the workers hired in the eleventh hour were paid the same is because no one had approached them earlier in the day. As the parable applies to reality, they would be the people who hear the word of God late in life. They're not the people who hear the word of God and intentionally decide to wait till late in life to repent and obey. And in no way does the parable make the point that good works are not required. Afterall, its a parable of workers working for pay. Could the workers put down their shovels if they knew the landlord would be gracious? No, of course not; it would invite the landlord's anger.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous? So the last will be first, and the first will be last. -Jesus in Matthew 20:1-16
So we might ask ourselves the question: Does a person have to be a Christian (servant of God) for a certain time to enter heaven? The parable clearly indicates that the answer is no. It did not matter whether the workers were hired in the morning or late in the evening. And it did not matter whether they worked for 10 hours or 1 hour. The fact of the matter is that God can give eternal life to whomever He wishes. It is His to give. God can be gracious to anyone. We should not keep a scorecard. We shouldn't try to judge for ourselves what God will or won't give to this person or that. Instead we should accept what God chooses to do, because God can do whatever He wants. And we should be grateful simply that He has accepted us. That's what this parable teaches us - God can be gracious to whomever He wishes, and we are not in a position to second guess that.
But suppose there was a man in the marketplace that knew the landowner would pay the latecomer the same amount. Suppose he intentionally waited till the eleventh hour so he wouldn't have to work much. What do you think would happen to that man? If we already know of God and God's kingdom, and specifically God's grace, and we intentionally wait till our deathbed (so to speak) to repent and start serving God, then it won't be good. That's an attempt to cheat God. When the call to work for God comes to us we must respond. This parable is not meant to give people a reason for tardiness. This parable is not meant to say that salvation can wait till the deathbed. Anyone who puts off serving God till their deathbed, or just putting it off at all, faces the risk of missing it entirely. The point of the parable is to teach us not to have expectations of what we think God should do. It teaches us that God can do what He pleases, and we should not complain about it, especially when we receive the pay God promised. But it doesn't teach us that God can be cheated. The only reason the workers hired in the eleventh hour were paid the same is because no one had approached them earlier in the day. As the parable applies to reality, they would be the people who hear the word of God late in life. They're not the people who hear the word of God and intentionally decide to wait till late in life to repent and obey. And in no way does the parable make the point that good works are not required. Afterall, its a parable of workers working for pay. Could the workers put down their shovels if they knew the landlord would be gracious? No, of course not; it would invite the landlord's anger.
Thank you, Brent.
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