Who was the audience and who was he asking patience for?
That's right, fellow Christian who had formerly committed all sorts of sins but had come to Christ through repentance.
You cannot forgive your enemy while you are in battle for survival. Only when they have laid down their arms and beg for mercy do you have the option of forgiving them.
Hmm I see your point, but let me ask you this. On the cross, Jesus cried out for the Lord to forgive them because they do no know what they do. So even when they were actively killing Him, He still asked for forgiveness. Now, I don't know if they were actually forgiven, but the ultimate decision isn't up to us, it's up to God. So while they may not repent to us on earth, we can still ask God to forgive them. But I agree, it's only when they beg for mercy in front of Him will it be granted. So we can rebuke them, but not condemn. Forgiving them when they don't repent is more of a benefit for us.
Who was the audience and who was he asking patience for?
That's right, fellow Christian who had formerly committed all sorts of sins but had come to Christ through repentance.
You cannot forgive your enemy while you are in battle for survival. Only when they have laid down their arms and beg for mercy do you have the option of forgiving them.
Hmm I see your point, but let me ask you this. On the cross, Jesus cried out for the Lord to forgive them because they do no know what they do. So even when they were actively killing Him, He still asked for forgiveness. Now, I don't know if they were actually forgiven, but the ultimate decision isn't up to us, it's up to God. So while they may not repent to us on earth, we can still ask God to forgive them. But I agree, it's only when they beg for mercy in front of Him will it be granted. So we can rebuke them, but not condemn. Forgiving them when they don't repent is more of a benefit for us.