How Do If Statements Like Luke 17:3 Work?

I suppose there is an exception to just about any rule, but I think we can easily see how “if statements” are intended to work as a matter of course. Consider the below examples that are of the same form as Luke 17:3. Doesn’t every single one of them mean that if the condition is not met, the result is not realized?

Bobby, IF you eat your carrots, Momma will let you have some ice cream.

Acts 8:36-37 And Philip said, IF thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest (be baptized) …

I John 1:9 IF we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Ezek 18:21 But IF the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

II Chron 15:2 …IF ye seek him, he will be found of you …
II Chron 15:2 … IF ye forsake him, he will forsake you

Matt 6:14, For IF ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you …

Luke 10:28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed

John 14:23 If a man love me, … my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love

John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

I Cor 15:1-2 … brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, … which … ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved IF ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

Rom 8:12-13 brethren … IF ye live after the flesh, ye shall die
Rom 8:12-13 IF ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live

Col 1:22-23 to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: IF ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel

II Tim 2:12a If we endure, We shall also reign with Him (NKJV)
II Tim 2:12b IF we deny him, he also will deny us

Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

Heb 11:7 is it true those who don’t diligently seek him are going to be rewarded anyway just because somebody says formal “logic” doesn’t rule them out?

James 4:8a Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you

Rev 3:5 implies that if we don’t overcome, our name will be blotted out of the book of life, right?

Acts 10:35 implies if we don’t fear God and work righteousness, we won’t be accepted by God, correct?

Rev 2:10 if we are not faithful unto death, will we still receive the crown of life?

In each case, something is conditioned upon somebody doing something. And the result is not achieved unless the condition is met.

Now consider Luke 17:3 – “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.“ Wouldn’t that likewise mean then that one must repent before we should forgive them? Of course while we are waiting on their repentance, we should not hate them, or treat them in an unkind way, or hold a grudge against them (those actions are always wrong no matter what the situation); it just means we keep gently rebuking them as we have opportunity (because we love their soul and they have to repent to go to heaven).

Jesus died for all the sins of everybody, but God only forgives those who repent – Luke 13:3, Acts 2:38, 3:18, II Pet 3:9, etc. And our forgiveness of others is supposed to mirror God’s forgiveness of us (Eph 5:32).

hear Bible Crossfire Sunday nights at 8:00 central on SiriusXM radio Family Talk 131 and 62 local stations across America or at www.BibleDebates.info