Repentance has nothing to do with worldly authorities, its between you and God. A child rapist or a murderer who repents doesn't have to go to jail to be saved, he's forgiven by Jesus when he accepts Him. No strings attached. That being said, if others might be harmed as a Christian you need to speak up. Prosecutors will almost certainly offer immunity in exchange for exposing crimes like this.
Let's take the extreme example of someone who kidnaps and sexually abuses, then murders children. If that man repents to God, but continues to murder children, is he really repentant? Or does he want his cake and eat it too? At the end of the day, neither of us are in a position to say what threshold God uses in qualifying repentance. I'm not even saying he won't go to Heaven. That's between him and God. But I'm not sure that's true repentance.
If a corrupt politician knowingly cheats in an election, lies every day to his constituents and accepts bribes to make nefarious decisions, decides to repent, but continues to retain power (and accept bribes, do evil stuff, etc), what has changed? I feel like some effort has to be made in order for it to be true repentance.
Back to the OP's original message, it's never too late. God will accept you regardless of the past, but you have to do your part going forward.
Psalm 97:10:
Let those who love the Lord hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Repentance, in a very simplistic explanation - "being sorry enough to quit." Again, very simplistic version. If a person continues the sin for which they repented, they didn't actually repent.
Well theoretically sin can be forgiven again and again. Go and sin no more is a suggestion not a law because no man can not sin again, since the theoretical human condition is sin
Now if you measure sin by conscience, then perhaps it is possible for man not to sin after repentance. A rapist who continues to rape would fail by that standard.
What would probably happen is this...
if a child rapist continued raping children but truly repented each time, it would be found at judgment. His soul would endure because he is forgiven, but the fire that tests gold would cause him so much pain and suffering he might as well have gone to hell.
Then again, God is a quantum omniscient existence. He sees far beyond us. If he sees child rapist behavior is actually the result of socially or environmentally caused mental illness, and essentially those actions are primal subhuman ways of lashing out against the inequity of a broken existence, He might just have absolute mercy for him and the cross he beared everytime
Who are we to know God? I think sometimes it is just easier for our limited world view to think of an angry Judeo Christian GOD who would not hesitate at forever eradicating what we perceive only as evil. It is harder as mere humans to truly believe in God as the great redeemer because the thought even the worst of us can escape judgment is mind boggling
Yes and repenting means you have to start doing what is right.
Meaning they will need to go to the authorities and talk. Even if it gets them thrown in prison or Arkancided.
They have to do what’s right, to set the record straight
Repentance has nothing to do with worldly authorities, its between you and God. A child rapist or a murderer who repents doesn't have to go to jail to be saved, he's forgiven by Jesus when he accepts Him. No strings attached. That being said, if others might be harmed as a Christian you need to speak up. Prosecutors will almost certainly offer immunity in exchange for exposing crimes like this.
Let's take the extreme example of someone who kidnaps and sexually abuses, then murders children. If that man repents to God, but continues to murder children, is he really repentant? Or does he want his cake and eat it too? At the end of the day, neither of us are in a position to say what threshold God uses in qualifying repentance. I'm not even saying he won't go to Heaven. That's between him and God. But I'm not sure that's true repentance.
If a corrupt politician knowingly cheats in an election, lies every day to his constituents and accepts bribes to make nefarious decisions, decides to repent, but continues to retain power (and accept bribes, do evil stuff, etc), what has changed? I feel like some effort has to be made in order for it to be true repentance.
Back to the OP's original message, it's never too late. God will accept you regardless of the past, but you have to do your part going forward.
Psalm 97:10:
Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Repentance, in a very simplistic explanation - "being sorry enough to quit." Again, very simplistic version. If a person continues the sin for which they repented, they didn't actually repent.
Well theoretically sin can be forgiven again and again. Go and sin no more is a suggestion not a law because no man can not sin again, since the theoretical human condition is sin
Now if you measure sin by conscience, then perhaps it is possible for man not to sin after repentance. A rapist who continues to rape would fail by that standard.
What would probably happen is this...
if a child rapist continued raping children but truly repented each time, it would be found at judgment. His soul would endure because he is forgiven, but the fire that tests gold would cause him so much pain and suffering he might as well have gone to hell.
Then again, God is a quantum omniscient existence. He sees far beyond us. If he sees child rapist behavior is actually the result of socially or environmentally caused mental illness, and essentially those actions are primal subhuman ways of lashing out against the inequity of a broken existence, He might just have absolute mercy for him and the cross he beared everytime
Who are we to know God? I think sometimes it is just easier for our limited world view to think of an angry Judeo Christian GOD who would not hesitate at forever eradicating what we perceive only as evil. It is harder as mere humans to truly believe in God as the great redeemer because the thought even the worst of us can escape judgment is mind boggling
Well of couse they'd have to stop sinning, otherwise they obviously haven't accepted Jesus yet. Thats the effort you have to put in.