Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
What really stood out to me by this post of yours is this expression "long standing offenses". It has been my impression that many within the leadership of the Local Churches and LSM feel that there is some kind of expiration date on offenses. My understanding is that you need to repent of offenses and then they are forgiven...
|
Now hold on a second here...
The Lord's death on the cross was/is, according to scripture, just that... Forgiveness that was given before anyone who had been forgiven had repented... The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world... Which was before humanity sinned... Are you saying that before you were forgiven by God you had to repent of your offences? . . . I hope that's not what you are saying.
Forgiving someone should take place immediately upon our (the one who has suffered the offence) turning to the Lord regarding the related matter... How else can we turn to the Lord out of a pure heart? . . . Or does scripture tell us that we can turn to the Lord even as we hold to offended feelings? . . . Surely it doesn't. . . . It is not a matter of "...you need to repent of offenses and then they are forgiven..." . . . It is a matter of to be able to enter into the forgiveness that has already been given... You need to repent. . . . Not repenting prevents you from receiving what blessing is already there for you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
You don't just sweep them under the rug and then claim "that was a long time ago".
|
It is not a matter of sweeping or not sweeping "...under the rug and then claim "that was a long time ago"... Which smacks of fallen natural man reasonings... It is a matter of abiding in the Lord, and expressing the Lord... The matter regarding Phillip Lee... WAS... a long time ago... Check any calendar... Thirty years is a long time ago... Thirty years is pretty much a generation (or longer)... People have been born and are now 30 years old, and this matter is still being discussed... And worse... People are still holding to their offended feelings regarding it... How the Lord must mourn this.
The above made clear... The Lord is obviously allowing this matter to be held to and discussed by some... As He could easily shut it down if He so desired... So what should really be our consideration is, "Lord, what is it that you are after that you have allowed this matter not to die?"
Perhaps the Lord would remind us of this scripture...
John 9:1-3... "And as He passed by, He saw man blind from birth... And His disciples asked Him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?... Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned nor his parents, but he was born so, that the works of God might be manifested in him."