From the desk of the Tiger Lily.
First, thank you to everyone who was kind about Sherlock, and also for your prayers. I have been remiss in being silent because it still hits too close to home, but at some point I will share with you about a very special kitty who was taken to Heaven to be with Jesus and who you will get to meet someday.
This is something rather radical in concept, and it is what the Holy Ghost has Spoken to me. Some of you will probably dismiss it completely, and that's okay. It is not a fundamental tenet on which your salvation depends; however, it is a personal revelation that I am still astounded by as it shows an even more generous aspect of the Father's Nature towards us.
I'm sure everyone remembers the various ad nauseum character assassinations perpetrated upon Trump in an obnoxious and ill-fated attempt to separate him from conservative evangelicals leading up to both South Carolina and the Bible Belt beyond, namely the MOG's mocking "Two Corinthians" and witheringly condemning a man who "never asked for God's forgiveness". And it bothered me, because as a Christian who is "supposed" to look to someone as a leader that holds the same principles you do, what do you say to something like that? Of course on the face of it, it looks very bad for Trump at the least because it's an "obvious" thing all "true" Christians do.
And all Christians do it, right? You screw up, sometimes a spur of the moment knee-jerk reaction to something or someone which the rational you later regrets, sometimes an ingrained weakness from the old self who was a slave to sin that rears its ugly head at your most susceptible moments. You confess your sin(s) to God, ask Him for His forgiveness, turn from it, and try to do better/make the right choice to abstain from giving in to temptation next time.
So I've been pondering it in my spirit and in the Spirit for the last couple of months. And the question occurred to me via the Holy Ghost, does God Require people to ask Him for forgiveness? What does the Bible say? So I looked up "forgive", "forgiveness", and "forgave"... and not ONE Bible verse supported this mainstream Christian groupthink dogma of "you must ask God to forgive you of your sins in order to be a Christian".
Don't believe me? Look it up for yourself. All references in the Bible are given at the bottom which pertain to forgiveness (not including a select few which are about Joseph's brothers asking him for forgiveness, Moses asking God's forgiveness for Pharaoah and later for the people when they made the golden calf, some laws in Numbers about circumstances when the Lord would forgive/release a woman from her vows, Joshua speaking to the people when they sinned, Abigail asking David's forgiveness, and Solomon dedicating the temple in 1 Kings 8/2 Chronicles 6 asking God to Forgive everyone who asks when they pray facing towards the temple).
Am I saying this makes Trump a Christian? No. He has done a lot of selfless things for people that he does not brag about in his campaign speeches, which I will enumerate in a subsequent post in future, and love does cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). I'm not God, so I don't know the state of his heart, nor am I choosing a Pastor-in-Chief. My point is that asking God for His Forgiveness is not required for people to be Forgiven by God and Saved through Christ Jesus, only asking forgiveness of our Christian brothers and sisters that we offend. It is different with God, because He knows we desire His Forgiveness; our siblings in the Body of Christ don't, because they are not All-Knowing like God.
Some would point to the Lord's Prayer as "proof" that we should ask for forgiveness (Matt 6:12 and Luke 11:4), but even in that example His forgiveness is conditionally based on our forgiveness of others, which is the point and focus of what Jesus says. It is a blueprint for the manner in which we are to pray, but it is not the Christian version of draconian law for prayer.
Last, I want to make it very clear for the legalistically-inclined that I am not giving them a loophole to exploit in not lowering themselves to ask for God's Forgiveness. It is a heart issue which shows God who you really are, and humbly asking for His Forgiveness is for our benefit, not for His. As Jesus said: "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Luke 18:10-14
To summarize:
1) God does not Require Christians to beg for His forgiveness every time they sin, or even once, in order to be a Christian and/or Forgiven of sins, though it is pleasing to God and good when we humble ourselves to do so as we confess our sins (1 John 1:9).
2) Trump's honest answer that he loved God but wasn't sure whether he had ever asked God's Forgiveness and that he addresses his wrongdoing person to person does not mean he is a hypocritical faker.
3) People who use this knowledge as a reason to never humble themselves and ask for God's Mercy and Forgiveness will Answer to God, because I am not giving them license to continue in their Phariseeical ways. Your decisions and actions are your responsibility alone in Jesus' Name Amen.
agtG
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Psa_25:18 Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.
Psa_78:38 But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
Psa_86:5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Psa_130:4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Jer_31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jer_36:3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
Dan_9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.
Mat_6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Mat_6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat_6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mat_18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat_18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat_18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat_18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Mar_11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mar_11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Luk_6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Luk_7:42 And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
Luk_7:43 Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
Luk_11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Luk_17:3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk_17:4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Act_5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Act_13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
Act_26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
2Cor_2:10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;
Eph_1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Col_1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col_3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
1Jn_1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
