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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?
(self.explainlikeimfive)
Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!
Rules
I'm not a Christian, but my wife is so we talk about these types of questions a lot.
You don't "have to be good." You have free will. However, there will be consequences after death depending on what you choose.
"If Jesus will forgive you no matter what" is not accurate. To be forgiven, you have to truly repent for your sins. Only you and God know if you are truly repentant. Would you consider yourself truly repentant if you did something bad because you expected to be forgiven? I mean remember, God is supposed to be omniscient.
Attempting to abuse the system itself would be a sin. But that could be forgiven as well if you truly repented for it.... So all in all, Christianity offers anybody hope for forgiveness, but we have no way to know who is actually forgiven in the end. That alone should be enough argument for erring on the side of caution and not sinning (assuming you accept the stated rules of the system).
Are you truly repentent if you repent because you are afraid of god's wrath in the afterlife?