I'll ask you the same question I asked another, why ask God for what you already have?
So if I punched you in the face, even if you turn the other cheek, would you not have sought my asking for forgiveness in seeking my good in the Lord to pray for me?
Matthew 5:[SUP]23 [/SUP]Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;[SUP]24 [/SUP]Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.[SUP]25 [/SUP]Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Or what happens if I had gone astray...... if I am forgiven anyway, why would Jesus lead you to do this?
Matthew 18:[SUP]11 [/SUP]For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.[SUP]12 [/SUP]How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?[SUP]13 [/SUP]And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.[SUP]14 [/SUP]Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.[SUP]15 [/SUP]Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.[SUP]16 [/SUP]But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.[SUP]17 [/SUP]And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Tell me how any church can excommunicate any unrepentant brother if we are to forgive him in this regard? There would be no excommunication nor any need for repentance if forgiveness can be given without repentance. We are not talking about salvation. We are talking about proper fellowship with the Father & the Son.
Can you forgive your wife stepping out in committing adultery, since you are forgiving her future sins? So this is not about salvation, but maintaining proper fellowship. God will forgive when believers repent from chasing after seducing spirits for a sign so as to receive them as vessels unto honor in His House when the Bridegroom comes.
There are too many verses warning believers of not departing from iniquity that they run the risk of being left behind even though they are still saved; and thus still having His seal to be received later on as vessels unto dishonor in His House.
So believers have not received their inheritance as a vessel unto honor in His House yet. That is why there is a race; not only for the rewards of crowns as they are His crowning achievements in us, but to avoid the consequence of being a castaway, and thus becoming a vessel unto dishonor in His House for not looking to Him for help to depart from iniquity.
