Were Nazi concentration camp guards who repented destined for heaven?

Sorry, but I think you're mixing up your theological concepts a bit!

Your question starts off being about pre-destination, moves on towards repentance and forgiveness, and ends with "Can Jews be saved?" As far as I can see, your question has nothing at all to do with justification by faith.

Within the context of belief in God, then, entry into heaven will surely be dependent upon God's judgement of the state of your soul, not upon some human exercise of line-drawing - "You're in - but you're out!"

Christian faith teaches that a true repentance is a turning back to God, and that in turning back to God we may find forgiveness. Only God could tell whether concentration camp guards, Christian or not, had truly repented. Only God could tell whether the Holocaust victims - Jews, Catholics, gypsies, homosexuals, Poles, intellectuals - were truly in tune with God and his heaven.

As a Christian I am not prepared to speculate on whether this or that person will or will not be admitted into heaven - that's God's business, not mine. Nor am I prepared to use human logic to dictate to God about what he would or must do.

My business, having accepted what is for me the truth about God revealed in Jesus Christ, is to live a life that truly reflects the love and forgiveness I have received, and to show that same love and forgiveness in my dealings with other people.

EDIT, in response to Asker's comment:

Justification by faith, it seems to me, has more to do with this life, as in: "Like Abraham, we are made 'just' in God's eyes by our faith, not by our actions." So Paul speaks of 'justification by faith alone.'

And you did use the word 'destined' in your question!

Obama misspoke, he meant to say Buchenwald right? The camp was partially evacuated by the Nazis on 8 April 1945. In the days before the arrival of the American army, thousands of the prisoners were forced to join the evacuation marches. After that, Communist inmates stormed the watchtowers, killed the remaining guards, and took control using arms they had collected since 1942 (one machine gun and 91 rifles). A detachment of troops belonging to the US 9th Armored Infantry Battalion, US 6th Armored Division, US Third Army arrived at Buchenwald on 13 April 1945 under the leadership of Captain Frederic Keffer. The squad entered the outer perimeter of the camp and reported its location to its higher ups, but did not investigate in great detail, moving on to complete other missions. Either way a big fat lie!

Yes, if the repentance was real. If they rec'd absolution from a priest or had were 100% contrite (something we Catholics have a hard time believing, but it is possible - I'd rather not risk my salvation on it).

In terms of the Jews, we view them as our 'older brothers' and I think God's love for them will give them a 2nd chance at the time of judgment.

You might want to delve deeply into the story of St. Maximilian Kolbe (the Saint of Auschwitz). I am sure that he sparked a number of guards to convert.

Forgiveness is easy for God, less easy for us.

God works in mysterious ways. But if the guards were under orders to carry out the crime and they had no choice then of course they MAY be forgiven.

It would be sheer folly to believe that not believing in JC nets you a room in hell.

Deidre says

My Father died in a Nazi concentration Camp.

He fell out the watch-tower.

Many relgious groups seem to have such opt out clauses, which I am sure is only to swell their numbers. If God is true to his word, as I am sure he is, most religions actualy portray him as extraction retibution for wrongs done. No exeptions

WJWNB. You make a point on jews who are not. That reference is to anyone claiming membership of the tribe of Judah (jew) who are not. Most modern so called jews are in fact not of the house of Judah and I feel sure that this passage refers to them. They are the so called "yids", and "neocons".

Since there is no god, there can be no heaven, therefore all the nazi's (like everyone else!) are just rotting in the ground!

The universe is a lot easier to understand if you don't include the big beard in the sky idea!

If and only if they were not Christians before they murdered.

Also, they have to truly be sincere and regretful in their heart.

God knows your heart. If you say sorry and don't mean it, God will know and will not forgive.

God didn't allow this injustice to happen because he doesn't exist, he is a belief not a being. Man created God not the other way round

thats why i don't believe in a christian faith. but this is a really good question, the answers will be interesting