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22:9, 16 ‘mine’). The reference to ‘thou...art dead’ (Rev 3.1) refers to the fact that
some of the church’s putative ‘members’ were not saved. We know some were
saved as there was a ‘church’ (Rev 3:1) but part of the ‘thou’ referred to those
unsaved people who were, as unsaved, by definition not part of the church but
appeared in human terms to be so - ‘hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.’
(Rev 3:1). So here an angel is responsible for the unsaved being represented as
part of the Church (Rev 3:1).
Christians do, sinfully, fail to keep the two great commandments (1 John 1:8, Rev
2:14) whilst still being Christians (Rev 2:16). In Revelation the belief system of
the Nicolaitanes is added to the Law as a proscription. This does not mean that
Christians are under a commandment to either believe or disbelieve this doctrine as
that would amount to Law (Rom 10:4). It is the sin against the two great
commandments alone that is the issue (Deut 30:10, Mat 22:40, 28:19, John 14:15,
Rom 10:4, 2 Cor 3:6-7, Col 2:14, Rev 2:4, 19:13). Again however a continued
refusal to repent for sins against the two great commandments, can instigate a
process that may culminate in loss of Salvation (Rev 2:22-24). Loss of Salvation,
rather than lack of God’s forgiveness for a specific sin or set of sins, is the danger
for a rebellious Christian (Rom 8:1, 1 John 1:7, Rev 3:19). Such loss must always
be deliberate, conscious and amount to wilful and determined rejection of Christian
status, no Christian wanting to remain saved can be in this category (Mat 12:31,
Rom 8:1). It is a conscious and irredeemable blasphemy for as long as it remians
(Mat 12:31, Heb 6:4) and not any other kind of sin (Mat 12:30-31, Rom 8:1).
A Christian can discern by the Spirit what he should specifically confess and
repent (1 Cor 2:11-16, 12:7, 11, Heb 8:10). A Christian has consciously or
otherwise forgiven all sins against him or her in the basic spirit within and by the
operation of the Holy Ghost within us (Mat 6:12, 14, Luke 11:4, Rom 8:26, 1 John
3:9). This deals with the contingent threat and danger of Matthew 6:14-15. Under
the Law forgiving others (Mat 6:14-15, Mark 11:26 - see also Mat 18:35) is a
commandment with a contingent curse-threat/blessing-promise involved. Just
because it is the Holy Ghost (interacting with Christ in Romans 8:26-27 whereby
the Holy Ghost is the 'Spirit' and Christ is the 'he') within us does not lessen the
fact that our spirits are righteous as a result (1 John 3:9). Forgiveness from God for
a Christian is therefore unconditional (1 John 2:12).
The Lord’s prayer actually states that the prayer has already forgiven those that sin
against the praying person (Mat 6:12, Luke 11:4). When Jesus issues a contingent
curse-threat/blessing-promise about forgiveness in Matthew 18:35 he is referring to
forgiveness under the Law which is given to an individual under the Law only