gotribe,

Personally, I am more than confident that Solomon is now among the departed saints in glory praising God. Why? 1) Two entire books of the inspired Word of God which he authored are included in the Canon plus various Psalms which the church has sung for centuries. Let's look in comparison to the "counsel" offered by Job's friends. When we read their advice, we have to be very discerning and bring all the rest of Scriptural truth to bear upon them to determine whether there was any truth in them. But when we read the Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) there is no such need to do this for, IMHO, the entire book is speaking of Christ and His eternal love for His church. We are told that Scripture was written by: "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but <span style="background-color:yellow">holy men of God</span> spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost". Surely, one would be hard-pressed to justify an exclusion of Solomon from being one of those "holy men of God. 2) Solomon certainly wasn't the only man who has sinned against God yet was redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. In fact, can we even name one? <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> That we don't read specifically that Solomon repented of some of his sins is of no consequence for surely there were committed an inestimable amount of sins by myriad people who the Lord has redeemed over the centuries and who never repented of every single one of their sins. If it is absolutely necessary that one repent of every sin before death, I for one have no hope of glory for doubtless there have been many sins which I have committed which I have not consciously repented. Further, is repentance of every individual sin a prerequisite for salvation? To affirm such is to introduce salvific synergism, is it not? A believer is all too conscious of the fact that they have committed sins unknowingly, and thus as David prayed, so do they pray, "Who can discern [his] errors? Clear thou me from hidden [faults]." (Psalms 19:12)

So, just on those two items alone, I feel more than confident that Solomon is to be counted among the children of God and looked upon as an example of how great the mercy of God extends and the power of Christ's sacrifice to save; even the worst of sinners. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

In His Grace,