“—but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.” 1 Corinthians 2:13
In defense of certain doctrinal truths, one may force an explanation of a difficult subject in order to make all things agree doctrinally, but in the process only create more undoctrinal positions that are incorrect, than what they supposedly keep correct.
Such is the case, I believe, in many arguments concerning Judas Iscariot. Many, in their zeal to argue in behalf of eternal salvation, decree that Judas had to be a lost creature, even when Christ called and ordained him. Some claim infallibility on assuming this position, and charge all other teachings to be heresy.
But I wish to submit that the matter of whether Judas was saved or lost is not so much a position toward Judas, as it is a position regarding Christ, His wisdom, righteousness, redemption, and kingdom.
I shudder to think about reasoning along the lines that Christ would take a lost man (or a demon incarnate, as some propose) and willfully, knowingly set him into a sacred position as an apostle, and empower him to tender with the souls of men (thus placing a stumblingbloc before the lost) and to serve the needs of God’s sheep (thus placing a wolf in sheep’s clothing in the fold of God’s sheep.)
For all this to be done, there would certainly be fault to be found in Christ. Such an act would be an impeachable offense by any leader, to personally place criminals in positions of trust.
When God created Adam, He made him perfect. Before God made him, He knew Adam would sin, so God foreordained salvation through Christ. But God did not create Adam as a sinner. Adam became a sinner by his choice, and the fault is not God’s.
The point: For Christ to have made Judas an apostle when he was a lost creature, would have made the error to be on Christ’s part, the same as it would be if a New Testament Church was to ordain a known “Jezebel” to be their pastor. But when Christ placed Judas in the apostleship, he was qualified to fill it, or the fault would be Christ’s. Judas did what he did by his choice, as Adam did, and the fault was not on Christ’s part. Acts 2:25 tells us Judas fell from his apostleship by his own transgression. He was not placed in the apostleship “in” his transgression through a transgression on Christ’s part. To say that he was, is to imply Christ doesn’t do according to righteousness.
Some say Christ was justified in choosing and ordaining Judas as a lost creature so as to fulfill prophecy. But I ask, who wrote the prophecy? What righteous reason would God have to write a game plan that would include such a horrendous decision as putting a member of the Devil’s squad on His team? God doesn’t operate by the damnable principle, “Let us do evil, that good many come” Romans 3:8. Rather, Christ did just as His Word commands, 1 John 4:1–“try the spirits whether they are of God.” “Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is a devil”is not telling us that Christ chooses evil men to do His work. But it is explaining that in spite of all God does for men, that some fall for Satan’s wiles and do no more with their opportunities than what Satan would have them to do.
The Bible calls what Judas did a betrayal. Had Judas been Satan’s agent when Christ set him in office, what Judas did then would not have been a betrayal. It would have been no more than Christ tempting Judas to do what Satan wanted him to do and collaborating with Satan’s evil work.
Judas began as a true servant of God would–chosen and ordained of Christ. No Christian can tolerate the deed or person of one who would betray the Lord, and neither could Judas. The sentence he passed upon himself reveals what he thought of the deed and of the person who committed the deed. None of Satan’s servants killed themselves for their part in Christ’s crucifixion.
Judas serves to warn us of how far Satan will go if a Christian allows him to enter their heart (Luke 22:3) 1 Peter 5:8–If Judas had been some devil incarnate being, Satan would not have entered into his heart, he would have already been there as the power of his being.
Some argue that Judas was just one appearance of a Satanic triune being, that appeared on earth before as Cain, then as Judas, and will come again as the anti-christ, and that all three of these are one in the same, “the son of perdition.” WOW!
(1) This would mean reincarnation is a fact. It would mean Satan can also give life and create human beings from his demons. It would mean Satan can incarnate himself into human flesh like Christ did.
(2) It would mean that Satan also has the victory over death, and that at his will, he can raise from the dead those whom he will, if he can have a Cain, Judas, and anti-christ who are all the same “son of perdition.” WOW!
God put a mark on Cain for who and what he was. God’s Word has identified the anti-christ for who he is. Then why would Christ embrace Judas as one of His apostles if he were this satanic, immortal being? Would Christ not then become a partaker of his evil deeds? See 2 John 10-11.
It is incorrect to say a saved person cannot do what the devil wants them to do since they are saved (some argue a saved person would not do what Judas did,) BUT only when a Christian has on the whole armour of God will they withstand in the evil day – Ephesians 6:13.
Some act as if Judas’ sin was so horrible that not even Jesus’ blood could atone for it. So again, this is about Christ and not Judas. For Christ’s blood to be insufficient to atone for some sins would make it insufficient to atone for any. The perfection of Christ’s blood makes it a sufficient covering for all sins. The fact Christ never failed where Judas did fail, makes Christ’s offering a perfect atonement for Judas’ sins and the sins of the whole world. WOW!
SHARING
