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Can a child of God fall like Judas? |
[4/29/2021,
4:40 PM] Sunny Caw inquired:
The
pastor mentioned two personalities in his sermon, namely Judas and Lot. The
book of Hebrews clearly lists Lot as a man of faith, though he lived a shabby
life compared with Abraham. This should be clear to me.
But then, what about Judas, the bible called the son of perdition? Did he carry out any good works, or the lack of them, sincerely to be considered as a chosen child of God?
Hopefully, I can get some wisdom from you as a fellow brother's keeper.
======================
Brother Sunny, THANK YOU most kindly for asking the questions.
Let us fear no questions as long as we are willing to have our Bible wide open. With the Holy Book wide open, those in error will learn the truth, and those who are unlearned may also learn the truth… all will benefit except those who are repulsed and hardened by the truth.
Brothers, let’s gird up our minds and search the Scriptures together.
Please pardon me for the late response; I was thinking about how best to deal with the subject. I have received a little light; let’s listen to the words of Christ; His words matter, and matter supremely.
The phrase “son of perdition” with respect to Judas occurs in John 17:12. Many read the phrase and conclude that Judas cannot possibly be an elect, much less a child of God.
Let us put that verse in context; the paragraph begins at verse 6. Let’s put that verse in CONTEXT to help us understand the proper implications of the phrase “son of perdition.”
Read the passage carefully. In verses 6-19, the Lord Jesus was speaking of the TWELVE men, i.e. the Apostles, whom God the Father had given to Him.
Let me ask a few questions. Please feel free to ask your questions too – cultivate and nurture the art of asking apt questions; I told my boys (all men now!) – the only stupid questions are the unasked ones! Perhaps answering these questions will assist us in answering Sunny's question, i.e. Is Judas a "chosen child of God"?
John
17
6 ¶
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world:
thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
7
Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
8
For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have
received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have
believed that thou didst send me.
9 ¶
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me; for they are thine.
10
And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
11
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to
thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me,
that they may be one, as we are.
12
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou
gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that
the scripture might be fulfilled.
Concerning
v6:
1.
Was Judas Iscariot among “the men whom thou gavest me out of the world”?
2.
Was Judas Iscariot among the men to whom Christ had manifested the name of
God?
3. Was Judas Iscariot included among the “thine they were”?
- If yes, in what
sense did Judas Iscariot belong to God the Father?
4.
Was Judas Iscariot included among the “they kept thy word”?
5.
What explains the fact that Judas Iscariot was an Apostle among the twelve for
nearly 3 years, until the end of Christ's public ministry?
6.
What precipitated Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus Christ at the end?
Concerning
v7:
1.
Was Judas Iscariot included among those that “have known all things…”?
Concerning
v8:
1.
Do the pronouns “them” and “they” include Judas Iscariot?
-
Did Judas Iscariot believe that God had sent Jesus Christ?
-
Was Judas Iscariot among them that had received the word of God through Jesus
Christ?
Concerning
v9:
1.
Was Judas Iscariot among those Christ Jesus prayed for?
Concerning
v10:
1.
In what sense were they Christ’s and God’s?
2.
Is Judas Iscariot among the all that are Christ’s and God’s?
Concerning
v11:
1.
Was Judas Iscariot among those Jesus asked the Holy Father to keep through His
name?
Concerning
v12:
1.
Did Christ keep Judas Iscariot while He was with the Apostles?
-
Why was Judas able to follow Christ for three years, until the end of Christ’s
ministry?
-
What precipitated Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus Christ?
2.
In what sense did Jesus Christ fail to keep Judas Iscariot?
-
In what sense was Jesus Iscariot lost?
3.
What is a “son of perdition”?
-
How was Judas Iscariot the son of perdition?
4. If Jesus Christ had kept Judas Iscariot, would the Scripture have been fulfilled?
[4/29/2021,
4:42 PM]
Here
is another significant passage in Matthew 19, Jesus' words in response to
Peter’s question: v27 ¶Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
Apostle
Peter was speaking on behalf of the twelve apostles; “what shall we have,
therefore” – the pronoun “we” would have included Judas Iscariot.
*28
¶And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed
me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his
glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.*
Note closely what Jesus Christ said in v28 of the twelve Apostles upon Peter’s inquiry.
1.
“Jesus said unto them” – was Judas included in the response? “Verily I say unto
you” - the thing being something very considerable, and of great moment, Christ
uses the emphatic declaration in His reply to Peter’s inquiry
-
“Ye which have followed me”: Judas had been following, and was still following
Jesus when those words were uttered by Him.
-
Did Jesus make a mistake about Judas’ place in His kingdom? Was He taken by
surprise? Or did He know all along that Judas would betray him?
-
Did Matthias’ taking the apostolic office vacated by Judas’ invalidate Christ's
words in v28?
I’m sure you have other questions; ask them, and we will study together.
Appreciating
the distinction between eternal salvation and temporal salvation should aid us
in seeing Judas Iscariot’s proper place in the kingdom of Christ.
