Explain Like I'm Five

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ELI5: If you're a Christian, why do you have to be good if Jesus will forgive you no matter what? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I grew up going to church but I'm not religious now and I never really understood this part.

Please, no answers along the lines of "aha, that's why Christianity is a sham" or "religions aren't logical". I don't want to debate whether it's right or wrong, I just want to understand the logic and reasoning that Christians use to explain this.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's all about how you arrive at the pearly gates. You could live a sinful life of you truly redeem yourself on your dying bed; accept Jesus and free yourself of your sinful ways.

The strategy of living sinfully with last minute redemption comes with two big drawbacks. First, death could come for you at any moment - you won't necessarily have time to prepare. Second, your conviction in time of dying needs to be sincere. It would be impossible to fake, and most sinners probably wouldn't even know where to start. That's why it's all but impossible for rich people to get to heaven - their minds are twisted towards justification of their inaction, and their chance of redemption is close to zero.

That's my understanding anyway, I'm an atheist from a Protestant country living in a Catholic one.