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On the Cross, Jesus said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do..."
Did the Father forgive them?
Did the Father forgive all?
Let me continue.
Let me share something which maybe you didn't realize. We are all responsible for Jesus' crucifixion!
Acts 2
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 4
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Do you see it? In Acts we are called out You and All of Israel - you crucified HIM! That's everyone.
This is of great importance to understand.
Luke 23
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Who is the "they" that crucified Jesus? IT IS ALL OF US!
So who did Jesus pray for? EVERYONE. FORGIVE THEM ALL! He asked the Father.
John 11
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Jesus, who is the image of the Father and came to do the Father's works, clearly says here that the Father will always hear is prayer!
Jesus who asked forgiveness for all, is the same heart of the Father -> you really think the Father did NOT forgive everyone?
So the danger Jesus was talking about was being refined and fit for heaven, lol
Hmmmmm, maybe so
Mar 9:49**For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt
A Living Sacrifice
Rom 12:1**I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2**And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Jesus wept. You would have thoroughly upbraided him for that, no doubt whatsoever.
My church shares the gospel with anyone who will listen. We baptize ~200 persons/year. We run a free medical and dental clinic for the poor in our community. We give away coats and toys to hundreds of kids every Christmas. We run a food bank. We visit the sick and care for widows. We started 30 new churches in the last 10 years and we are debt free.
On the Cross, Jesus said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do..."
Did the Father forgive them?
Did the Father forgive all?
Some of those who crucified Christ were indeed converted, St. Longinus being the most notable. God always stands ready to forgive.
Mankind remains free to accept or reject the grace and forgiveness offered by God. God does not annihilate human nature by removing man's free will.
All of those for whom Christ prayed "Father forgive them" were still alive at the time. After death, there is no opportunity for or possibility of repentance.
One day when Thomas Aquinas was preaching to the local populace on the love of God, he saw an old woman listening attentively to his every word. And inspired by her eagerness to learn more about her God whom she loved so dearly, he said to the people: It is better to be this unlearned woman, loving God with all her heart, than the most learned theologian lacking love.
~Thomas Aquinas
You are arguing that Aquinas' preaching here condemned himself?
Let me continue.
Let me share something which maybe you didn't realize. We are all responsible for Jesus' crucifixion!
Acts 2
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 4
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Do you see it? In Acts we are called out You and All of Israel - you crucified HIM! That's everyone.
This is of great importance to understand.
Luke 23
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Who is the "they" that crucified Jesus? IT IS ALL OF US!
So who did Jesus pray for? EVERYONE. FORGIVE THEM ALL! He asked the Father.
John 11
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
Jesus, who is the image of the Father and came to do the Father's works, clearly says here that the Father will always hear is prayer!
Jesus who asked forgiveness for all, is the same heart of the Father -> you really think the Father did NOT forgive everyone?
Yes, for we are forgiven / saved / redeemed because of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And we don't have access to this grace wherein we stand except through faith (Romans 5:1-2).
Therefore, it is only those who enter in through the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14) of faith in Jesus Christ and what He did for us on the Cross, who are forgiven.
There are two irreconcilable attributes in the heart of God.
1) justice: which requires that the exact punishment be meted out for every crime; and,
2) mercy: which desires that less than what we deserve be meted out as punishment.
You cannot have justice and mercy at the same time unless justice is somehow satisfied in the shewing of mercy.
God did this at the Cross.
As the song goes, "Justice and mercy meet at the Cross."
It is only through faith in what Jesus did on the Cross for us as a propitiation (the appeasement of the wrath and justice of our Almighty Father) that we can be forgiven of every sin.
Justice is satisfied in the Cross so that mercy may be given without compromising God's justice.
I know that some here may even reject these concepts to their dying day; nevertheless these concepts are the gospel of Jesus Christ by which we can alone be saved.
Last edited by justbyfaith; 06-20-2022 at 08:32 PM..
But as a Christian your beliefs should be according to what is taught and revealed by Jesus Christ!!!
It is written of Jesus Christ in the volume of the Book (Hebrews 10:7, John 5:39-40, Psalms 138:2).
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