Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - Outer darkness: A thousand years? or for eternity?

bearbear · 01-31-2014, 12:52 PM

To me it's not an issue of losing salvation because someone who is truly born again and given a new heart and new spirit will come to forgive everyone who has offended them.

Jesus was able to forgive his enemies, and because he's living in us, we're also able to by Christ who empowers us (Phil 4:13). He wouldn't have laid the burden on us if it were not possible.

Taking things back to the passage. If it were possible to repay our debt while suffering in this prison, wouldn't that be adding works to salvation? All the other cross referenced verses on forgiveness seem to speak towards this possibility. God's forgiveness of us is clearly stated to be conditioned on our own willingness to forgive others elsewhere in scripture. Such a thing is possible after we become born again because Christ lives in us and we'll come to adopt his value system as we abide in him and his words. We'll come to treasure the unseen spiritual and heavenly riches that abide forever and not the things of the world that are passing away.

Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Mark 11:25
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Colossians 3:13
Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

If forgiveness was required for salvation, it'd seem like something that would be so important that Jesus would want us to pray for it daily. In fact Jesus does this in the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6. He also tells us to pray that we wouldn't yield to temptation but be delivered from the evil one. Perhaps because the consequences of being tempted and falling into unrepentant sin are very grave. But we have nothing to worry about if we abide in Christ and his words (John 15).

01-31-2014, 12:52 PM	#17
bearbear Member Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 765	Re: Outer darkness: A thousand years? or for eternity? To me it's not an issue of losing salvation because someone who is truly born again and given a new heart and new spirit will come to forgive everyone who has offended them. Jesus was able to forgive his enemies, and because he's living in us, we're also able to by Christ who empowers us (Phil 4:13). He wouldn't have laid the burden on us if it were not possible. Taking things back to the passage. If it were possible to repay our debt while suffering in this prison, wouldn't that be adding works to salvation? All the other cross referenced verses on forgiveness seem to speak towards this possibility. God's forgiveness of us is clearly stated to be conditioned on our own willingness to forgive others elsewhere in scripture. Such a thing is possible after we become born again because Christ lives in us and we'll come to adopt his value system as we abide in him and his words. We'll come to treasure the unseen spiritual and heavenly riches that abide forever and not the things of the world that are passing away. Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. If forgiveness was required for salvation, it'd seem like something that would be so important that Jesus would want us to pray for it daily. In fact Jesus does this in the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6. He also tells us to pray that we wouldn't yield to temptation but be delivered from the evil one. Perhaps because the consequences of being tempted and falling into unrepentant sin are very grave. But we have nothing to worry about if we abide in Christ and his words (John 15).