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Like Paul, John the Baptist, Jesus, and all the other apostles preached the gospel, calling on all people to repent (see Matt.3:2; 4:17; 11:20; Mark 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:3, 5; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 20:21; 26:20; Rom. 2:4: 2 Pet. 3:9). Several times in the book of Revelation, John is amazed that unregenerate people dont repent while suffering Gods judgments (see Rev. 9:20-21; 16:9, 11) - and Jesus pronounced woe upon all the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida because they didnt repent, obviously indicating He believed they had the capacity to repent (see Matt. 11:21). Moreover, He also declared that the wicked people of Tyre and Sidon, who didnt repent, would have repented if they had seen miracles like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida had seen!I came across this question while surfing the web on the topic of OSAS and it intrigues me :
"If a Christian is in bed with a prostitute committing adultery, and during the very act of intercourse a stray bullet from the gun of a drive-by shooter strikes him in the head and kills him instantly, will he go to heaven or hell?"
I was wondering what you guys thought .
In both cases, Jesus believed that those who didnt repent had the capacity to repent and should have repented
Yeshua expected everyone of His generation to repent, because He stated that the men of Nineveh, who repented at Jonahs preaching, would rightfully condemn His generation for not repenting.
Again, if you're only going to focus on the scriputures with Paul saying others were granted repentance and yet willfully skip over all of the others where Paul also said "God has commanded men everywhere to repent"/placed it upon them, one's proof-texting and not dealing fully with the Word.
Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Acts 3
Acts 8:22
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
Acts 8
Acts 17:30
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Acts 17
Acts 20:21
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 20:20-22 / Acts 20
Acts 26:20
First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
Acts 26
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
Romans 2
2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:9-11/ 2 Corinthians 7
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2
Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
Acts 3
Acts 8:22
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
Acts 8
Acts 17:30
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
Acts 17
Acts 20:21
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 20:20-22 / Acts 20
Acts 26:20
First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
Acts 26
Romans 2:4
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
Romans 2
2 Corinthians 7:10
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:9-11/ 2 Corinthians 7
I think your analogy with the drive-by shooting would be more accurate if seeing it from the perspective of one who had something like unforgiveness in his heart - and remembering that how we're treated is based on how we treat others.
Matthew 7
Judging Others
1″Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:37
Do Not Judge
37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Judging Others
1″Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:37
Do Not Judge
37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Still, when Jesus said this, He wasnt simply talking to a crowd of unbelievers alone; he was talking to believers and unbelievers alike. There doesnt seem to be anything in the surrounding context that seems to indicate this is solely for unbelievers or that it applies only to when before you placed your faith in Christ .
Regardless of what side of the fence youre on, heres my take:
Matthew 6:12:
The Lords Prayer
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:14-16
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Mark 11:25
25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.[a]
The Lords Prayer
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:14-16
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Mark 11:25
25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.[a]
If Im asking/believing for God to forgive my sin and simply believing that forgivenes is automatic apart from what I do, but never ask myself Have I forgiven the people who wronged me?, something is off .
Does that mean that Gods forgiveness of sin is the direct result of our forgiving others? Not necessarily
James 2:12-13
12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Still, if we withhold forgiveness from others after having recieved it ourselves, we show that we dont or appreciate Gods Mercy toward us .(Ephesians 4:31-32) .and we set ourselves outside and above Christs law of love.
As we come understand the mercy of God, well desire to be like Him, and pass on the forgiveness weve recieved from Him to others .just as Christ was willing to forgive even those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34)
To do otherwise would be to mock the Charachter of God and God has still made clear in His Word that Hell not allow this:
Matthew 18:21-35
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?
22Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f]
23″Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26″The servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. 27The servants master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28″But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! he demanded.
29″His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.
30″But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32″Then the master called the servant in. You wicked servant, he said, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldnt you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35″This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?
22Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f]
23″Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26″The servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. 27The servants master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28″But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! he demanded.
29″His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.
30″But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32″Then the master called the servant in. You wicked servant, he said, I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldnt you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35″This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
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