Can a Convict Repent?

Many convicts “find” Jesus while in prison, but do they really repent? Or do they find Jesus hoping it will help them get out? One young man’s story gives me hope.

There was a young man who grew up in the Church of God, but in his late 20s he drifted away from the Church and sought the material life. In his quest for material things and the temptations of this world, he got caught up in pornography on the Internet. This led to his being caught viewing a 15-year-old girl taking a shower.

Crime and punishment

He was charged with indecency with an underage child. The lawyer said he would probably get six months with probation. When he was sentenced to five years, with five years probation, the lawyer said it was because of a district attorney seeking reelection, and the mother and girl changing their account of what happened.

The first few weeks in county jail, he began studying his Bible and requesting biblical literature from the Church. On my first visits after his transfer to prison, he showed signs of changing, but I wasn’t sure. Most prisoners I had visited had “found” religion. But for many of them, it was just a short-term, superficial decision.

After his first year in prison, there were obvious changes in his life. He told me on a visit that at first he had asked God to help him get out, and he hadn’t understood why God wasn’t hearing his prayers. Later, he began to understand he needed to be there for five years in order to turn his life around and come to repentance.

As time went on, his desire to begin attending church as soon as he was free became paramount. I warned him that it would take time to become as deeply involved in church activity as he wanted to.

Returning to church

A month after his release, his parole officer and counselor agreed he could attend church with a chaperone. It was another month before the pastor of the congregation he was going to attend gave him permission. He was elated and immersed himself in the congregation and all activities he was able to attend.

He met and dated a lady in the Church with whom he was very open about his past. After almost a year of dating, they were married. They both were very happy. But because of his past, not all church members were as helpful and supportive as he and his wife would have hoped. This proved to be a trial for him and his new wife, but they continued to grow in their love for each other.

After they moved to another congregation and began building their life together, he began to counsel with a minister about repentance, baptism and receiving God’s Spirit.

Can a convict repent? This convict, through God’s mercy and the minister’s counseling, came to full repentance and was baptized.

Tragedy and memories

I would like to say that after his changes, this man had a long, successful life. But it didn’t happen that way. Instead, his life ended in a tragic vehicle accident on March 25, 2010. But in the end, his was indeed a successful life.

There was plenty of evidence of the changes in his life and the positive impact he was making on others.

Because of his example, his parole officer asked why it couldn’t have been one of the other parolees who had no desire to change. His counselor, who had asked him to assist her with other offenders, was extremely upset.

The company where he had been working for three weeks voted him employee of the month and closed the business for his funeral. Neighbors who knew of his crime (it was in the newspaper when he moved to the neighborhood) expressed their condolences and explained how much they appreciated his help when they asked for it.

Best of all, he had repented of his sins, entered into a baptismal covenant with Jesus Christ and was continually growing in his commitment to God—the very things God hopes to see in each of us. I believe he will be with Christ at His return. He will be there waiting to help others truly “find” Jesus and repent of their past, whatever it is.

Roy Dove is an elder in the Austin, Texas, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.