/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

First of all, I think there's a distinction between a general reward (heaven) and specific reward (holiness and merit). The parable is talking about general reward, i.e., all who come to God, regardless of how long they were Christian, will receive the same reward out of our Lord's generosity for "the last."

There is evidence, however, for a specific reward. Our lord talks about those who break certain commandments being called "least in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mat 5:19), compared with those who keep them. There are people who are holier than us, and assuming that they die so, they will be more righteous than us in Heaven. This isn't a competition though. I think of the Prayer for Humility, which says

<Jesus, grant me the grace that others be holier than I, provided I become as holy as I should.

In terms of living a life full of pleasure and then doing a final deathbed conversion, I think there are several problems with it. First, there's no guarantee that you're going to die on your deathbed. You could be killed by a car, murdered, etc. Secondly, since sins harden the heart, a person who has spent their whole life in sin would have a hard time finding contrition outside of a fear of death. In addition to this, God knows the heart of every man, and so He would judge those who sought to "rig the game" accordingly. The mafia members who think they can live a life of crime and hedonism and wash it all away with a half-hearted confession are mistaken. If someone was truly and sincerely repentant on their deathbed, they wouldn't be looking at it like it's a "get out of jail free card," but sorrowfully wishing to serve God, and even take back all the things they did if they could have. I'd say they deserve to be given eternal life just as much as us.

The workers that were hired last had still been standing all day at the marketplace, waiting for someone to hire them. They didn't spend their time in the brothel.

Consider John 6:44

>No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

God calls you at the time he calls you and he gives you the work that he has for you. You don't join up whenever to get free stuff.

Also, I'd agree with >>846177

I don't believe that anyone that has been walking with God for a significant time and had the spirit of God work on their heart will be envious of anothers reward, but rather be glad, that they could do their part of God's work on the earth, while another that didn't get to do anything will look back on their life, grieving the time wasted and the sins committed.

>>846174

>both are entitled to the same rewards in Heaven.

But that's not true

>>846174

>Is there therefore any reason to not pursue a live of endless hedonism and be a deathbed convert when the "end-game", so to speak, is the same?

lol, so you reject a life of "hedonism" only because you think some sky daddy who doesn't even exist says you must do that?

Man, you really do find some weird s— on christian fanatic sites.

Yes, it's the best life there is. Saint Paul says all is permitted, but few things are profitable, the latter being a life in Christ.

For to work for God is more joyful than anything else, no matter what our intellect diseased with sin says. Those who die without having sacrificed themselves for his brothers and Father will eternally hunger for the sweetness of having carried their cross in this brief life in the world, but were they given another chance they'd only waste it again. Their hunger could have no end.

Some think they believe rightly, while not practicing the commandments; others, while practicing them, expect the kingdom as a just reward. Both sin against truth.

>>846180

If he had found that life satisfactory, he would not have asked for a different perspective.

The deathbed conversion thing is a risky game to play, as there is very little chance you literally never knew about Christianity beforehand and then choose to convert when you die. This means you spent all of your life in sin, knowing about God yet choosing to not follow Him.