Justified

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins"- 1 John 4:10 (NIV).

Do any people, known or even well-known, come to mind who committed such atrocities that it's hard to conceive God could forgive them and invite them in through the pearly gates of Heaven? What if they are evil up until the moment of their death, then they repent and accept Jesus into their heart? Scripture says, "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). How can they be justified? The definition of the word justified, which believers are, can be remembered with this simple statement: "It's 'just-if-I'd' never done it." Jesus wiped our sins away...as far as the east is from the west. But, what if that death bed declaration was only self preservation? Don't underestimate God. He knows a man's motives (Proverbs 16:2). We aren't to act the part of the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. God demonstrated His love for all in this: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Go into your Father's house and rejoice that a brother has returned home (Luke 15:31-32), wearing the same banner we all wear: Justified.