Bible Discussion Thread

I want to know when a person has done wrong in this life and a lot of it was very wrong and they have a mental illness that clearly doesn't help their decision making process are they bound to hell because they can't completely devote themselves as their thoughts can not focus normally?

Hello Laurel. That would be a very difficult determination to make as not only are there many factors involved, but ultimately God alone is able to know & understand the person & his shortcomings & how that person stands before Him as a result.

Simply from a human standpoint & a Bible reader, I believe that if a person can understand error & personal sin, however young or infirmed he may be, if he can understand that sin violates God's design for him & brings him (& all men) before God in judgement, if he can understand the Gospel message that God sent His Son to die to make reparation & give him restoration, then a mental illness or any other infirmity cannot absolve him from guilt.

But this comes as a very cut & dry statement from me; God alone knows where a person is at, concerning understanding of himself, his actions & God's offer of salvation & spiritual healing. If you are enquiring about someone in this situation, by conversing with him you will know to what level he can understand his own behaviour & God's offer of spiritual healing. He would certainly need God's intervention in his life & man's restraints upon him if his acts against others or himself are dangerous. I realize that I write ignorantly based only on what you've shared, & don't mean to be callous towards anyone who is genuinely in a very difficult place to understand himself or spiritual things.