Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Why did Jesus encourage to betray? | John 13:27 | JCrichton | 145354 | ||
Hi, iktoose! I apologize if I've burdened you further... I was attempting to be as comprehensive as possible... "If you believe in Jesus, you are saved. If you don't, you go to hell, correct?" This statement is 100 percent corruect since Scripture is adamant that no one else can save us (Acts 4:10-12)... still, we know that there are irregularities in God's Salvific Plan (these irregularities are built-in or produced as the Creator sees fit)... We know of at least two people who were taken into Heaven prior to their physical (corporeal) death: Enoch and Elijah; we know of several people who were brought back to life by Jesus (Lazarus being one of them) prior to His death and Resurrection; we know that while Jesus came to the Jews, He introduced the Kingdom of God to a Samaritan woman (not considered part of the children of Abraham)in a manner which He had not previously divulged (God is Spirit and worshippers must worship in spirit and truth); we know that Jesus chose to sorround Himself with those who society deemed unworthy and unrighteous; Peter, John and Andrew witnessed Jesus' communion with Moses and Elijah (the first, dead thousands of years prior to Jesus' birth and, the latter, dead hundreds of years prior to His birth)... One more thing we know: Jesus is the resurrection and life (John 11:25)... so it is He who has complete control over Life and death! For this reason, moved by the man's humble confession Jesus promised one of the criminals crucified with Him that on that very day he would be with Jesus in Paradise (Luke 23:33-43)... this fortunate man did not have to be taught about Jesus, he did not have to be baptized by water, no one came to him to bring him to Jesus... he pleaded his case, after defending the Innocent One, and Divine Mercy was granted him beyond his dreams and expectations! And while suffering all of the physical and spiritual anguish (Isaiah 52:13 thru 53:12), Jesus did nothing but care for us... even after we assaulted, mocked, and cursed Him, He simply asked the Father to forgive us! (Luke 23:34) Jesus' Mercy knows no bounds! It is His immense capacity to forgive that allows me to think that Judas' end may not have been Hell! This said... I wanted to assure you that Jesus has the ability to save and to regenerate us! Clearly, it is He who determines who is Saved and who is not... but He's revealed much in the Holy Scripture... allowing us to know about His Love and Mercy and His desire to Save each and everyone of us! I wanted to let you know that God's Plan is not that we perish, but that we choose Life (Jesus) and gain eternal life! God Bless Angel |
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2 | Why did Jesus encourage to betray? | John 13:27 | DocTrinsograce | 145369 | ||
Hi, Angel... Excuse me for jumping in here, especially if it is out of context. I've been pretty busy lately. Consequently I haven't been able to follow all of the threads. In John 17:12 Jesus mentions someone called "the son of perdition" as one who was lost. The context is Christ's prayer to the Father on behalf of His disciples. I have always thought that this person was Judas. The commentaries available to me seem to confirm this interpretation. I don't mean to put you on the spot... but if Judas were saved, wouldn't we need to find someone else on whom to pin the label of "son of perdition?" If so, who else would fit the bill? In Him, Doc |
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3 | Why did Jesus encourage to betray? | John 13:27 | JCrichton | 145372 | ||
Hi, Doc! I understand your position... there are those who belief that if Judas would have searched Jesus out and asked for forgiveness, he would have found salvation... They forget that Peter just minutes before (or hours) had professed that he would never abandon Jesus, that he would follow Him to the death (John 13:36-38) and the others said as much (Mark 14:27-31)... at the end they all left Him! If the most fervent believers broke away when danger arose, how could a lukewarm believer open his heart and spirit to the Truth? In the Old Testament we hear about Israel's rebelliousness, how God used other nations to punish them... we also hear how God would punish these same nations for going to far in their mistreatment of Israel... also we hear how God welcomes these nations back into Him... God's Way is not our ways! Christ asked the Father to forgive those who would crucify Him... not just those who did the actual nailing... He spoke for all (inclusive of the high priest and the guard that would pierce Him after His death)... Did Judas know more than any of the above? Did he have some particular insight that revealed to him that he was betraying God? Was Judas' guilt greater than the high priest, the colective religious, the Roman soldiers that paraded, assualted, crucified Jesus? Yes, he was designated "the son of perdition," but does that mean that God has no power to redeem him? Does it mean that God destined one lowly human to betray his Master and then simply left him to his own abilities? If Christ had so much Mercy for those who took part in His crucifixion, could He not have some mercy for the one who could do nothing but betray Him? Could it not be that Jesus gave Judas his only way to redeem himself when He said that it would be better for the one who betrayed Him not to have been born? (Matthew 26:24) Ultimately, it is God only who knows to what end Judas came... so as the Archangel Michael, I will pass no judgment upon the evil committed by Judas, I will simply allow God to handle it! God Bless! Angel |
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4 | Why did Jesus encourage to betray? | John 13:27 | DocTrinsograce | 145379 | ||
Hi, Angel... Thank you for your reply. Your fundamental persuppositions differ from my own, but I believe that I am following your logic. Setting aside those differences, and given the assumption of syntergistic salvation and that premeditated sins are no different than sins of passion: I beg your indulgence with a nother question. You offer the rhetorical question, "Could it not be that Jesus gave Judas his only way to redeem himself when He said that it would be better for the one who betrayed Him not to have been born? (Matthew 26:24)" Are you suggesting that Judas' suicide produced some kind of redemptive merit? In Him, Doc |
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5 | Why did Jesus encourage to betray? | John 13:27 | JCrichton | 145429 | ||
Hi, Doc! We know that God does not want to cause us harm nor that any harm befall us... yet, Yahweh demanded that Abraham sacrifice his son Isaac, through whom the promise given would be fulfilled... since we have a fantastic 20/20 vision into the actual events, we are in a superior position than Abraham when assessing God's intent for Isaac... but Abraham could only trust in God; he understood that God could have brought Isaac back to life or simply intercede and prevent him from carrying out his labor... Judas, as much as he tried, did not have Abraham's faith nor his understanding of God (1 Corinthians 2:8); since it is evident that God wants us all to live rather than die, Judas' suicide could have had some kind of redemptive merit! Please, understand that I am not claiming that anything that we do could secure us our salvation... there is no Christian alive that could claim that by committing suicide he/she is going to the Father! What I am saying is that Judas had as much choice in the matter of betraying Jesus as Peter had in pronouncing that third and final denial of Jesus! This combined with the fact that not one of the twelve (or any of the peripheral disciples) had the spiritual nor emotional fortitute to stay by Jesus side when He was arrested... Scripture speaks of one disciple tha followed Jesus, but even he would not have been so bold if he did not have some familiarity with at least some in the high priest's household... Given all these factors and the fact that God's Way is different from ours... I am suggesting that God's Rule is beyond our grasps (Romans 9:15) and that He could have allotted Judas redemption through his desperate act of remorse and self-conviction! God Bless! Angel |
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