Articles
John H. Niemelä
John 5:28-29 in Light of 5:24[1]
I. INTRODUCTION
Amen, amen, I tell you, the one who listens to My word and believes the One who sent Me has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).
Do not be shocked at this, because an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, unto the resurrection of life; but those who have done substandard things, unto the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29). [2]
Those who interpret John 5:24 in light of 5:28-29 expect Jesus to summon all people (believers and unbelievers) to the Great White Throne (GWT). They regard verses 28-29 as universal. If that were actually so, John 5:24 would not promise believers an exemption from the summons to the GWT. It would only exempt them from eternity in the lake of fire.
By contrast, this article contends that John 5:24 promises that Jesus will not even summon believers to the GWT judgment. It goes without saying that they will never experience the lake of fire.
Most of Christendom understands John 5:24 as older editions of the King James Version [3] rendered it:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [i.e., the lake of fire]; but is passed from death unto life. ( emphasis added)
Unfortunately, such an understanding serves as a catalyst for most of Christendom imagining that a believer’s destiny is not settled until the final judgment. That is the polar opposite of John 5:24’s promise. This article categorically denies that believers will be at the GWT. Paraphrasing Shakespeare in Hamlet:
To be [at the GWT], or not to be [at the GWT]? That is the question .
Analysis will proceed under the following outline:
I. Hermeneutics and the order of operations.
II. John 5:24 as the great divide.
III. John 5:24 takes priority over 5:28-29.
IV. Three Grace views of 5:28-29.
a. Believing is the good that every believer has done.
b. The sinless regenerate-seed only does good.
c. Unbelievers doing good is hypothetical and impossible.
V. Proof that unbelievers doing good is hypothetical
and impossible.
a. The New Testament uses similar hypothetical arguments.
b. Unbelievers will be the last group to be resurrected.
c. “Hypothetical and impossible” is the simplest Grace view.
II. HERMENEUTICS AND THE ORDER OF OPERATIONS
Conflicting views of John 5:24 derive from opposed hermeneutical starting points. The following math problem illustrates:
4 + 1 × 3 = x
Should one add first or begin by multiplying? The results differ:
One student adds first (as if parentheses were around 4 + 1); the other multiplies first:
Addition First
Problem: 4 + 1 × 3
Interpretation: (4 + 1) × 3
Step 1: 5 × 3
Step 2: 15
Multiplication First
Problem: 4 + 1 × 3
Interpretation: 4 + (1 × 3)
Step 1: 4 + 3
Step 2: 7
Mathematicians follow this order of operations: P = parentheses, E = exponents, M/D = multiply (or divide), A/S = add (or subtract). The acronym is PEMDAS. The student on the left erred by ignoring PEMDAS. The one on the right followed PEMDAS, multiplying before adding. That led to the correct answer: 7, not 15. Even if 100% of a teacher’s students answered 15, it is still wrong.
Virtually all interpreters start with 5:28-29. They assume that everyone (believers and unbelievers) will appear at the GWT. Taking 5:28-29 to affirm that believers will be at the GWT would preclude 5:24 from excluding believers from that judgment. [4]
Reversing the order of operations (starting with 5:24) yields an entirely different result. Jesus promised that no believer will appear at the GWT. This precludes including believers among “those in the graves” (5:28) who would appear at the Great White Throne.
Will Jesus judge believers at the GWT? Or will only unbelievers appear there?
III. JOHN 5:24 AS THE GREAT DIVIDE
Why is 5:24 the great divide? Why not 5:28-29? Grace interpreters stand unified against the majority view of 5:24. Despite agreeing that 5:28-29 does not mean that believers appear at the GWT, they differ on the particulars of those verses. Thus, 5:24 is the dividing point. Sections III–IV of this article will focus on why 5:24 (not 5:28-29) is the starting point; sections V–VI will show that one Grace position on 5:28-29 is the most consistent with 5:24.
A 2013 book in Zondervan’s Counterpoints Series (Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment) [5] conveniently shows John 5:24 as the great divide. Each contributor to the Views book represents a segment of Christendom. Three writers (Calvinist Thomas Schreiner, Anglican James Dunn, and Catholic Michael Barber) prioritize 5:28-29, while Robert Wilkin emphasizes 5:24. The general editor, Alan Stanley, wrote the following summaries of each author’s view. The great divide in regard to John 5:24 is crystal clear:
Thomas R. Schreiner: Works will provide evidence that one actually has been saved: At the final judgment works provide the necessary condition, though not the ground for final salvation...
James D. G. Dunn: Works will provide the criterion by which Christ will determine eternal destiny of his people...
Michael Barber: Works will merit eternal life: At the final judgment, good works will be rewarded with eternal salvation…
Robert N. Wilkin: Works will determine rewardsbut not salvation: At the Judgment Seat of Christ each believer will be judged by Christ to determine his eternal rewards, but they remain eternally secure even ifthe judgment reveals they have failed to persevere in good works or in faith. [6]
Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber all surmise that believers will appear at the final (GWT) judgment. Wilkin does not. John 5:24 is a great divide within Christendom.
Each author wrote a main article, to which the others responded. Wilkin emphasizes the verse, mentioning it fourteen times, at least once in each essay. Schreiner and Dunn both mention it twice (but each only does so in a single essay); Barber avoids the verse entirely. [7]
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John 5:24 Citations in Main Essays and Rebuttals |
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|
Stanley |
Wilkin |
Schreiner |
Dunn |
Barber |
|
|
Main Essays |
|
|
|||
|
Introduction |
1 |
||||
|
Wilkin |
6 |
||||
|
Schreiner |
2 |
||||
|
Dunn |
— |
||||
|
Barber |
— |
||||
|
Conclusion |
1 |
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Responses: |
|||||
|
to Wilkin |
— |
2 |
— |
||
|
to Schreiner |
3 |
— |
— |
||
|
to Dunn |
1 |
— |
— |
||
|
to Barber |
4 |
— |
— |
||
|
Totals: |
2 |
14 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
Akin to Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber, some translations render John 5:24 as if it only promises that believers will not end up in the lake of fire. They express it with some variation of “will not be condemned,” “will not come into condemnation,” or “will not be found guilty.” [8] Instead, the promise is that believers will not even appear at the final (GWT) judgment. A great divide exists over the interpretation of John 5:24.
IV. PROOF THAT 5:24 TAKES PRIORITY OVER 5:28-29
John 5:22-30 has seven uses of the kri- family of words. Krinō (“to judge”) appears twice (5:22, 30), and krisis (“judgment”) has five uses (5:22, 24, 27, 29-30). Both John’s word choice and context are significant. [9] Each requires analysis.
A. John’s Word Choice
Both English and Greek add suffixes to nouns. For example, the English suffix -al refers to an action. Examples include “arrival,” “denial,” and “removal.” Likewise, the Greek suffix - sis generally focuses on actions, not results of those actions. The renowned grammarian James Hope Moulton concluded his analysis of noun suffixes by saying:
In the classical [pre-300 BC], and still more in the Hellenistic period [300 BC–AD 300], a differentiation of meanings was observed in the use of the several formations: -sis then expressed the verbal abstract [the verbal action]..., and -ma the result of the action... [10]
B. The Context of John 5:22-30
Six uses of the kri- family of words in John 5:22-30 set the pattern for 5:24. Analysis will begin with the verses in which a verbal form appears.
1. “Krinō” and “Krisis” in John 5:22
For the Father judges [krinō] no one, but He has granted all [execution of] judgment [krisis] to the Son.
The Father will not judge at the GWT but will delegate that to the Son.
Clearly, this speaks of people facing Jesus as Judge, i.e., the act of judging.
2. “Krinō” and “Krisis” in John 5:30
I can do nothing of Myself. As I hear, I judge[krinō], and My judgment [krisis] is righteous, because I do not seek My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Again, this speaks of Jesus as Judge at the GWT.
3. “Krisis” in John 5:27
…and [the Father] has granted Him authority to execute judgment [krisin poieō], because He is the Son of Man.
Although krinō does not appear here, krisin poieō (“make judgment”) is equivalent. This follows the pattern.
4. “Krisis” in John 5:28-29
…an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear His voice and [those raised from the tombs] will come forth— those who have done good things, unto the resurrection of life; but those who have done substandard things, unto the resurrection of judgment[krisis].
Consider the chronology for unbelievers here. They will rise, so Jesus can try them. Precisely, the phrase “resurrection of judgment” refers to being raised so they could appear at the GWT. Again, krisis refers to the act of judgment (the GWT), not to its result (the lake of fire).
5. “Krisis” in John 5:24
Amen, amen, I tell you, the one who listens to My word and believes the One who sent Me has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment[krisis], but has passed from death to life.
The other six uses of the kri- family of words in John 5:22-30 refer to the GWT. Everything in context points to krisis in 5:24 as a court appearance, not the lake of fire. Jesus promised that believers will not appear before Him as Judge.
6. Summary of Word Choice and John 5:22-30’s Context
Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber attempt the wrong order of operations in John 5:24 and 28-29. They ignore John’s choice of krisis (not krima), a word normally focused upon action, not result. Most of Christendom neglects the Biblical equivalent of PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiply/divide, add/subtract). Bad hermeneutic leads to catastrophic results. A great divide ensues.
V. THREE GRACE VIEWS OF 5:28-29
Free Grace advocates agree that John 5:24 promises to exclude believers from the GWT. Despite unity there, three consistent Grace views of 5:28-29 exist, as Wilkin clarifies:
[B] This could be an example of Johannine use of absolute language. Positionally speaking, all believers are holy and sinless. [C] It is also possible that Jesus is pointing out the futility of salvation by works...
[A] Another view is that the reference to doing good alludes to believing in Jesus. [11]
This article will treat the views in the following order:
A. Believing is the good that every believer has done.
B. The sinless regenerate-seed only does good.
C. Doing good is hypothetical and impossible for unbelievers.
A. Believing Is the Good that Every Believer Has Done
The pertinent part of the passage reads:
…all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, [12] to the resurrection of life…
John Hart is one of many holding this view. [13] He states it in a totally transparent way, even surfacing the key difficulty with the view:
In this passage, all Christians are considered to be those who did the good [ta agatha] deeds (v. 29), namely, they exercised faith in Jesus (see the contrast between believing and disobeying [the command to believe] in 3:36), and they will go to a resurrection of life. [14]
One difficulty here is that good ( things) is plural. Another is that believing is not something that a believer does; it is something that happens. A person is persuaded that Jesus guarantees him or her eternal life. Believing is not something that one does, but that one experiences. [15]
B. The Sinless Regenerate Seed Only Does Good
Again, the following is the portion of the passage which this view seeks to explain:
…all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life…
Zane Hodges proposed the Sinless Regenerate Seed view in 1979. [16] He reiterated his argument in his commentary on John:
It is perfectly true that even after we are born of God, we continue to live in a sinful body that expresses itself all too often. But it is the unmistakable doctrine of the Apostle John that, in the final analysis, “whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he has been born of God” [17] (1 John 3:9). This verse means exactly what it says, but of course it is the new person created by regeneration that “does not…and cannot sin.” [18]
Regarding 1 John 3:9, I concur that the sinless regenerate seed cannot sin. However, the difficulties with this understanding of John 5:29a seem insurmountable. John directs his gospel to unbelievers. Thus many [19] of his parenthetic asides assist unbelieving readers to understand difficult ideas. [20] In a book for unbelievers, would not John need to have added a parenthetic aside to clarify this result of regeneration? It seems far too advanced for unbelieving readers—without a parenthetic explanation. [21] Another solution is needed.
C. Doing Good is Hypothetical and Impossible for Unbelievers
Before I make a case for the view, a brief explanation of the passage under this model is appropriate. Again, the passage provides context for the analysis:
…all those in the tombs will hear His voice and will come forth— those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life…
A rewording of this passage may make the “hypothetical and impossible view” clearer.
At the GWT, any unbeliever who has lived an absolutely perfect life, consistently doing only perfect and good things, would receive eternal life while standing before the judge.
No unbelievers at the GWT will be found to have lived perfect lives meriting eternal life. Jesus did not predict that He will find any who did good. He will find none.
Chuck Swindoll offers some clarity on John 5:28-29:
Theoretically, a person can go to trial before the judge and, if he or she is found to be morally perfect, gain eternal life. However, in a practical sense, no one is morally perfect. Therefore, to face judgment without grace is to face condemnation. Consequently, Jesus uses the two ideas interchangeably; judgment is condemnation [e.g., reaching a verdict to condemn]. His point, then, is to avoid judgment altogether by grace that is received through belief. [22]
The analysis of the “hypothetical and impossible” offer will focus on three issues:
1. The New Testament uses similar hypothetical offers.
2. Only unbelievers will be in graves at the time of the GWT.
3. “Hypothetical and impossible” avoids a bait-and-switch.
1. The New Testament Uses Similar Hypothetical Offers
Although Zane Hodges did not accept the “hypothetical and impossible view” of John 5:28-29, he did so elsewhere. In fact, in 2005 or 2006, I told him my view of this passage. His first words were, “I, of all people, should hold your view.” He said this, because he is well-known for taking this approach in Rom 2:6-7:
In line with the teaching of the Gospel of John as well as Jewish thought in general, this future destiny is identified in terms of eternal life. God will certainly give it to any who deserve it by persisting in good work.
Unfortunately, no one does this. As Paul later makes quite clear, “There is none righteous, not even one. There is no one doing good, there is not so much as one” (Rom 3:10, 12). Yet the principle remains true that, if there were someone who did do good persistently, and who was indeed righteous, God would give him eternal life because of that. [23]
On the same page, Hodges sets forth Jesus proposing a hypothetical and impossible option to a lawyer:
When a specialist in the Jewish law (NKJV = “lawyer”) asked Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus asked the counter question, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” (Luke 10:25-26). The lawyer then proceeded to quote the two foremost commandments of the law, the commands to love God and neighbor. To this Jesus replied simply, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live” (Luke 10:27-28). The problem was, of course, that neither the lawyer himself, nor anyone else (other than the Lord Jesus) has ever, or will ever, fulfill these two supreme commandments. [24]
Once again Jesus set a hypothetical and impossible option before someone in the hope that the hearer would recognize: “That’s impossible.” People who realize the impossibility of earning eternal life often become open to a gift by grace. In John 5, Jesus was confronted by religious leaders who wanted to kill Him because He told a man to pick up his mat (John 5:16). They demanded perfect adherence to their rules. Jesus sought to put His sandal on their foot—for them to realize that He, the Judge at the GWT, would demand perfection. They would be infinitely better off to accept His offer of life (5:24) than to face Him as judge (5:28-29). This is not the NT’s only use of a hypothetical and impossible offer.
2. Only Unbelievers Will Be in Graves at the Time of the GWT
As 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 notes, the resurrection of believers will occur in stages:
A. Church age believers will rise in the pretribulation Rapture.
B. Tribulation saints will rise for the start of the Millennium (Rev 20).
C. OT saints will have a role in the kingdom; they rise before the Millennium begins. [25]
D. Millennial saints who die will be part of the first resurrection. Their resurrection will be prior to the GWT. [26]
Who will still be unresurrected at the time of the GWT? Only
unbelievers will still be in tombs. Note that 5:28 speaks of “all those
in the tombs,” not “all those
who are
in the tombs.” Jesus did not say, “everyone who ever was in a tomb” will
participate in 5:28-29.
[27]
He spoke of those who would still be in tombs at the time of
the GWT. Thus, it is vital to remember that
the GWT is after the Millennium. Unbelievers
will be the sole participants.
3. Hypothetical Avoids a Bait-and-Switch
Whether one holds that believing is the good that every believer does (Grace view 1) or the sinless regenerate-seed approach (Grace view 2), both assume that Jesus asserts that believers will do good. Of necessity, both views see Jesus introducing the Bēma, at which believers’ works will be judged. Therefore, both views logically envisage Jesus saying in John 5:24, “Only unbelievers will be judged.” So far, so good. But only a few verses later, they imagine Jesus saying, “Unbelievers will be judged at the GWT; believers will be judged at the Bēma.” That creates a bait-and-switch.
View 3 avoids this difficulty. Only a tiny part of John 5 speaks of the promise of everlasting life for believers (5:21, 24-26, 40). On the other hand, 5:22-23 and 27-39, 41-47, warn them that rejecting Him will result in facing Him as judge. In verse 27, Jesus turns from a focus upon Himself as the life-giver to His role as their future judge at the GWT.
The topic in 5:28-29 does not include believers. The focus shifts to unbelievers at the GWT. In John 5:24, Jesus promised categorically that believers will not appear at the GWT, but in 5:28-29 He asserted that unbelievers certainly will be there.
Grace people need not struggle over an imaginary bait-and-switch. John 5 does not say, “Believers will not be judged [GWT], but believers will be judged [Bēma].” Rather, Jesus promised in 5:24 that believers will not be judged at the GWT, but 5:28-29 certifies that unbelievers will be judged there.
What is the appropriate response to an objector who asks whether the Bēma compromises the truth of 5:24? “Absolutely not.” The topic in this portion of John 5 is whether one will be judged at the Great White Throne. Jesus promised that believers will not be judged there, but unbelievers will. He said nothing about the Bēma here.
An illustration may help. My wife Diane and I purchased lifetime senior passes to U.S. national parks. They are not passes to any state, county, or municipal parks. We did not buy passes to every park everywhere. Similarly, Jesus did not offer exemption from all assizes, but to the one specific judgment that is a major focal-point in John 5.
View 3 allows saying that the only judgment in view is the GWT. Jesus said nothing here about believers doing good. Why not? Eternal life is a gift to believers. He spoke of the requirement that unbelievers would need to be perfect to merit eternal life. Believers receive eternal life without merit, so why would Jesus stipulate something about their doing good? Why would He hint at their facing a judgment (albeit a different one) in a context exempting them from the GWT judgment?
VI. CONCLUSION
We have seen that John 5:24 is the great divide in Christendom. Three scholars (Thomas Schreiner, James Dunn, and Michael Barber) represent the vast majority of those who call themselves Christian. They all regard John 5:24 as nothing more than a promise that believers will not be in the lake of fire.
Why? They and their compatriots ignore John 5’s order of operations (a Biblical counterpart to PEMDAS[28]). John 5:24 takes priority over 5:28-29, because verse 24 categorically promises that believers will not appear at the GWT. Therefore, 5:28-29 describes the judgment of unbelievers.
Grace people are clear on 5:24 but diverge in their approaches to 5:28-29. Some say that believing is the good thing that every believer does, but the verse speaks of having done good things (plural). Also, believing is not a thing done, but something experienced.
Other Grace people opt for the sinless regenerate seed, but that is a deep theological truth for a book designed for unbelievers. John typically adds parentheses to help unbelieving readers understand anything difficult. Though 1 John 3:9, indeed, speaks of this truth, John 5 certainly does not.
The final Grace position is that Jesus spoke hypothetically: If any unbeliever were absolutely perfect, He would not deny that person eternal life. No such unbelievers ever have or ever will exist. No one will receive eternal life through merit.
The arguments in favor of the “hypothetical and impossible offer view” are that Scripture uses such arguments elsewhere with unbelievers; the only ones still in the graves at the time of the GWT will be unbelievers; and this is the only Grace view that escapes the bait-and-switch.
How might one sum up the two passages?
Jesus promised that believers will not appear at the Great White Throne (5:24), but 5:28-29 guarantees that unbelievers will appear there to see if any reached perfection: the hypothetical and impossible requirement that an unbeliever would need to attain.
Copyright © John H. Niemelä 2022, reprinted 2023
[1] This article is reprinted from the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Autumn 2022 Volume 35/Number 69, 15-30. Dr. Niemelä has lightly edited it and then very graciously allowed TTVF Journal to reprint it.
[2] Unless otherwise noted, all NT citations are from the Faithful Majority Translation (FMT), copyrighted by John H. Niemelä. This is an in-process translation of the New Testament from the Majority Text.
[3] The New King James Version corrects the older versions here.
[4] Of course, no believer will go to the lake of fire. The crux is whether 5:24 promises more—that believers will not appear at the Great White Throne.
[5] Alan P. Stanley, general editor, Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment , Counterpoints Series: Bible and Theology, series ed., Stanley N. Gundry (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013).
[6] Stanley, The Role of Works , back cover, wrote all four statements to summarize each author’s view. Emphasis added.
[7] See Thomas R. Schreiner, “Justification Apart from and by Works at the Final Judgment Will Confirm Justification” in The Role of Works, 92-93; James D. G. Dunn, “If Paul Could Believe Both in Justification by Faith and Judgment according to Works, Why Should That Be a Problem for Us?” inThe Role of Works, 57-59.
[8] The KJV, NAB, NETB, NIRV, NLT, and Webster Bible are some that misinterpret the verse in this manner.
[9] John’s Gospel uses krima only once (9:39), speaking of judgment’s result, not the act.
[10] James Hope Moulton, Accidence and Word-Formation in James Hope Moulton and Wilbert Francis Howard, A Grammar of New Testament Greek , vol. 2, (Edinburgh, SCT: Clark, 1920), 355. Neither Moulton nor I claim that every occurrence of every - sis Greek noun refers to action, nor that every occurrence of every - sis noun refers to action, nor that every occurrence of every - ma noun refers to result. It is a general pattern. (Section IV-B of this article contends that the general pattern holds true here.) Romans 5:16 is an important exception, in which krima is an action (the verdict), while katakrima is the result (the judicial sentence).
The 160 NT - sis words follows [KRISISis capitalized]: agalliasis,aganaktēsis,ainesis,aisthēsis,anablepsis,anachusis,anadeixisanagnōsis,anairesis,anakainōsis,anakrisis,analēmpsis,analusis,anamnēsis,anapausis,anapsuxisanastasis,anesis,anoixisantapodosis,antilēmpsis,antithesis,apantēsis,apekdusis,aphesis,aphixisapochrēsis,apodeixisapokalupsis,apokatastasis,apokrisis,apolausis,apolutrōsis,apothesis,athetēsis,athlēsis,auxēsis,basis,bebaiōsis,biōsis,brōsis,chrēsis,deēsis,diagnōsis,diairesis,diakrisis,diēgēsis,dikaiōsis,diorthōsis,dosis,egersis,ekbasis,ekdikēsis,ekplērōsis,ekstasis,elegxiseleusis,endeixisendōmēsis,endusis,enteuxisenthumēsis,epanorthōsis,epignōsis,epilusis,epipothēsis,episustasis,epithesis,erēmōsis,exanastasis,genesis,gennēsis,gnōsis,hairesis,halōsis,halusis,hexishomoiōsis,horasis,hupantēsis,huparxishupokrisis,hupomnēsis,hupostasis,hupotupōsis,husterēsis,iasis,kakōsis,katabasis,katakrisis,katanuxiskatapausis,katartisis,kataschesis,kataskēnōsis,kathairesis,katoikēsis,kauchēsis,kausis,kinēsis,klasis,klēsis,koimēsis,kolasis, KRISIS,ktisis,kubernēsis,lēmpsis,lusis,lutrōsis,metalēmpsis,metathesis,morphōsis,nekrōsis,opsis,orexisosphrēsis,parabasis,paradosis,paraklēsis,paratērēsis,paresis,pepoithēsis,peripoiēsis,perithesis,phanerōsis,phasis,phronēsis,phusiōsis,phusis,poiēsis,pōrōsis,posis,praxisprognōsis,prophasis,proschusis,proskarterēsis,prosklisis,proslēmpsis,prothesis,ptoēsis,ptōsis,purōsis,rhusis,stasis,sumphōnēsis,sunantēsis,sunchusis,suneidēsis,sunesis,sunkatathesis,suzētēsis,tapeinōsis,taxisteleiōsis,tērēsis,thelēsis,thlipsis,zētēsis.
[11] Robert N. Wilkin, “John,“ The Grace New Testament Commentary, rev. ed., ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 192.
[12] “Good (things)” is plural in Greek, as is “worthless (things)” (5:29).
[13] I once held this view. It may be attractive but does not quite fit the passage.
[14] John F. Hart, “John” in The Moody Bible Commentary, Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, gen. eds. (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 1622.
[15] Someone will object, “Believing is an active voice. Therefore, believing is an action done by people.” No, that is not the active voice’s only use. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 411) defines simple active , “The subject performs or experiences the action. The verb may be transitive or intransitive. This [the subject performing or experiencing the action] is the normal or routine use, by far the most common [of the active]” (italics his; underlining mine).
Buist M. Fanning, Verbal Aspect in New Testament Greek, Oxford Theological Monographs (Oxford, ENG: University Press, 1990; reprint, Oxford, ENG: Clarendon, 2002), 135-36, names a category of verbs to which pisteuōbelongs, “Verbs of passive cognition , mental attitude or emotional state. No focus on exertion to maintain knowledge. Attitude or to act in keeping with it” [emphasis in original]. He then appended some verbs in that category. I started with his list, but (1) removed verbs lacking active forms, (2) added noeō, (3) added basic definitions, and (4) made pisteuōbold. His list appears on ibid ., 136; the resulting list follows:
agrupneō(to be alert); ginōskō(to know) [in present tense]; grēgoreō(to be alert); dokeō(to think); elpizō(to hope); exoutheneō(to disdain); epithumeō(to desire); euaresteō(to take delight); eudokeō(to take delight); thelō(to desire); katheudō (to sleep); kataphroneō(to despise); merimnaō(to be anxious); mimnēskō(to remember); mnēmoneuō(to remember); noeō(to perceive); nomizō(to think); oida(to know); pisteuō(to believe) ; prosdokaō(to expect); phroneō(to think).
Let me illustrate the upshot of the citations of Wallace and Fanning: “I know that I am writing this near Knoxville on a cool, breezy, and sunny summer morning with a few clouds.” My body detects the coolness. My knowledge of time (morning), place (near Knoxville), date (early summer), and weather (cool, sunny, with a few clouds) does not derive from action or decision, but from sensory perception and mental awareness. My knowledge (belief) concerning time, place, date, and weather is not an action.
Theodore Mueller, “Linguistic Nonsense about Faith,” Concordia Theological Quarterly 48 (January 1984): 61-66, has helpful analysis along the same lines.
[16] Zane C. Hodges, “Those Who Have Done Good—John 5:28-29; Part 6 of Problem Passages in the Gospel of John,” Bibliotheca Sacra 136 (April–June 1979): 163-64.
[17] See Zane C. Hodges, The Epistles of John: Walking in the Light of God's Love (Denton: Grace Evangelical Society, 1999), 140-44, for a presentation of the evidence for this view of 1 John 3:9.
[18] Zane C. Hodges, Faith in His Name: Listening to the Gospel of John (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2015), 109.
[19] Clarifying difficulties is a common (but not the only) reason for parentheses. Often, they give emphasis.
[20] Merrill C. Tenney in “Footnotes of John’s Gospel” ( Bibliotheca Sacra 117 (October 1960): 364, lists 59 parenthetic asides in John. Gilbert Van Belle in Les parenthèses dans L’Évangile de Jean: Aperçu historique et classification texte grec de Jean , Studiorum Novi Testamenti Auxilia, ed. Frans Neirynck, vol. 11 (Louvain, BEL: University Press, 1985), 243-329, typed in the Greek text of John from Nestle26, adding parentheses and en-dashes (–) to mark both parentheses and parentheses within parentheses. Excluding parentheses within parentheses, I count 174 parentheses in Van Belle. John’s Gospel has at least 100 parentheses.
[21] John 7:39 illustrates clarifying parentheses, (“Now He said this about the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him were about to receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”)
[22] Charles R. Swindoll, John, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2014), 119. Unfortunately, Swindoll imagines (per his flowchart) that John 5:24 involves “all of humanity” facing “judgment before death κρίμα (krima).” This approach is from his mind, not from exegesis: (1) John 5:24 does not even use krima; (2) it speaks of believers avoiding krisis; (3) and 5:28-29 speaks of a judgment of those in graves, not a pre-death judgment. When Swindoll stays with the text, he is clear; when he strays, he gets lost.
[23] Zane C. Hodges, Romans: Deliverance from Wrath (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society), 63.
[24] Ibid., 63-64.
[25] Scripture does not say when they will rise, but it must be prior to the start of the Millennium.
[26] This is suppositional, since Scripture does not address this. However, I argue that no saints (of any dispensation) will be part of the GWT judgment, because John 5:24 is a trans-dispensational promise. It was true for the age of Israel believers (prior to Pentecost); it is true for church age believers; it will be true for believers under the return to the age of Israel during the Tribulation. How could this trans-dispensational truth be revoked for Millennial saints?
[27] Lest anyone go on autopilot—traditionally, people think of part of the passage speaking of the first resurrection and part about the second resurrection. If so, every human being would participate. Instead, the passage speaks only of unbelievers, so the participants would be the only ones unresurrected after the first resurrection is totally completed.
[28] Parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division, addition/subtraction (see the introduction to this article). When one violates the proper order of operations, wrong answers result.
by Lindsey Adkins
As born-again believers, the temptation to look at our good works can be overwhelming. The Apostle Paul instructs us to judge whether our works as believers are rewardable at the Bema Seat,[1]but nowhere are we told to look to our good works to know we are born again. Here are five good reasons to stop looking at our works to know if we have eternal life.
1. We are participating in pagan practices.
Christianity claims to be different than all other religions. And the way one obtains everlasting life is the defining characteristic that sets it apart.
In ancient Egypt it was taught that after death the person’s heart is weighed on a scale. If wickedness outweighed righteousness, then the demon god Ammit would devour the heart; the person suffers a second death, and ceases to exist. [2] The ancient Greeks held that upon death a person would go to one of three destinations dependent on what kind of life they lived. [3] In Hinduism, one is judged according to Karma. How good or bad a person lives, conditions how they will spend the next life. [4] All of these religions have something in common, a person’s level of good works, determines where they will go in the afterlife.
This common understanding of judgment after death has persisted throughout the ages. Accordingly, many within Christendom also believe that Jesus saves us, but if we want to go to heaven, then we must work together with Him and live a life characterized by good works. “If we want to go to heaven, then we must be good enough.” Sadly, this basic principle of the world (Colossians 2:20-23) continues to dominate much of Christendom.
The biblical view is fundamentally different and admits that our works don’t measure up. One sin is enough to tip the scales of righteousness (James 2:10). We are saved not by our own righteousness, but by grace through faith alone in Jesus alone (Ephesian 2:8-9). The way an ancient Egyptian might gain assurance, would be to evaluate his life’s practices (a sort of test run of what is to come), but for born-again believers in Christ assurance of eternal life comes not from the good works we do, like the ancient Egyptian, but from the promise we believe… hence the title believer.
If we say, we can know we are regenerate by our life’s practices, then we are saying that there is a subjective level of righteousness that proves objectively that we have eternal life while at the same time having to acknowledge the biblical truth that we are not good (no one is good but God). When we say, we can have assurance by looking at our works, this is just a clever way of saying my good outweighs my bad. We are no better than the Egyptians, Greeks or Hindus.
Christianity, in its biblical form, isdifferent. We know works matter because we understand the law of sowing and reaping, but we also know, when it comes to our good works, we can’t merit the gift of eternal life. We can’t measure up, and Jesus has to save us by grace. If we are weighing our works to see whether or not we have eternal life, it is because we don’t believe in Jesus for the life He so freely gives according to His promise. If that is the case, then like the pagans, we will be judged by our life’s practices and will be found wanting.
2. We are judging with subjective and unknowable standards.
According to Jesus’ promise, our assurance of eternal life is an objective truth (John 3:16, 4:10-13, 5:24, 6:47-48, 11:25-27), but we turn it into a subjective practice when we say a life characterized by good works and the relative absence of sin suggests regeneration. In contrast, Scripture presents eternal life as something we objectively know for sure (John 17:3; 1 John 5:13).
The Apostle John reminds us that we still sin (1 John 1:8), and the Apostle Paul, himself, struggled with the flesh (Romans 7:14-25). However, attempting to covertly qualify our sins as more or less acceptable, leads us to construct our own idea of sins God will allow, and one’s He won’t allow, based off our own judgements, biases, dispositions, and feelings. [5] Scripturally, any attempt to quantify an acceptable amount of sin is completely without support:
1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (1 John 1:5-6)
Left to our own devises, the way we evaluate our works and sin for assurance of eternal life is a subjective pursuit in which only the self-righteous are assured. Even the great apostle to the Gentiles was forced to admit: O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 7:24-25)!
Instead, evaluating our good works and sin reveals our inadequacy. This is the purpose of the Law. It is a mirror that reveals our imperfections, or a tutor to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). Looking at our works for assurance of salvation, should lead us to a dead end. The exercise should be objective; we have sinned and fall short, which should lead us to look for a new solution. But, much like people Jesus encountered, we evaluate our works subjectively to determine if we have eternal life.
Consider the example of the rich young ruler. When Jesus confronts him with the Law, he responds, All of these I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack (Matthew 19:20)? This young man was religious. This is obvious with his response of claiming to keep the law. Being a religious Jew, he would have participated in the customary sin sacrifice. The young ruler was aware he had sinned; keeping this custom of sin sacrifice is an admission of sin. Yet, he believed that his life’s practices were good enough to be considered law abiding. Much like today, he viewed it as a characterization; he must try and live a life characterized by following the law, and the sin sacrifice would cover him when he did mess up and sin. God saves him, but he must do his part by living a life characterized by goodness; therefore, he asks what do I still lack (Matthew 19:20)?
He wasn’t understanding the purpose of the Law. Jesus’ answer, If you want to be perfect (Matthew 19:21), both exposes the route to salvation the young man had chosen (the works route), and shows him the impossible standard this path demands. Perfection was the very requirement the young man could never achieve. He was seeking glory, honor, and immortality (eternal life), by means of patient continuance in doing good (by keeping the law). And if this is the path he was taking, he had to be perfect. Looking at our works for assurance of salvation should lead us to Christ, not comfort in a vague subjective practice that falsely assures us of salvation.
Instead of following the example of the young rich ruler and being in the fog of subjectivity without knowing if we have the acceptable amount of good works and absence of sin in our lives to prove we have eternal life, we should always take Jesus at His word and believe the objective promise of God. Again, because we still sin, if left to our own, the way we evaluate our sin in the flesh will and (by nature) can only be subjective. We must therefore reject this practice, follow the Bible, and confess our sin.
1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)
Scripture tells us objectively that we know that we have eternal life, but fellowship and the abundant subjective experience of eternal life can be broken by sin in our lives… by failing to abide in Christ.
3. We are following in the footsteps of cults.
Undeniably many people in cults or non-Christian religions stay away from drugs, violence, immorality, and other vices. Many do good works; they can be hard-working, honest employees, give to the poor, and care for others with persistent outreach. They often help and love each other in their religious communities. Anyone, who has lived by a practicing Mormon family, can attest to this. They can look at the practices of their lives and measure up to (if not surpass) many Christians. Should this prove they are indwelt with the Holy Spirit? Should their transformed lives, and desire for holiness prove they have the right religion? Unfortunately for them it does. The frequent testimony of people in cults is that they were living bad lives, and then everything changed after they converted. Or, if they grew up in it, their testimony is that they always desired holiness.
The testimony of a Christian is different from the rest of the world’s religions. Our testimony is that we are not good. Our life’s practices don’t measure up, and that is why we need Jesus, the cross, and His promise of eternal life. Perhaps if a Mormon discovered he is actually lost in the fog of subjectivity and not assured of salvation, this would show him (or her) how fundamentally different our beliefs are. But If we tell a Mormon, that after we became a Christian, we stopped doing certain bad works and started to desire holiness, they can come right back and tell us the same thing. Our desires as people can change for many reasons. We can become sick of the consequences of sin, we can be convinced of a judgement to come, or we might like the feeling of doing what is right. And while it is beneficial in many ways to live a morally upright life, it doesn’t prove we have found the right beliefs, that we are born again, or even that we have believed the promise of eternal life. Our source of assurance comes, not from doing good, but from knowing with perfect assurance that Jesus and His promise of eternal life are true. This is our testimony.
4. We are not the “many” in Matthew 7:21-23.
Although Jesus provides us with an invaluable sneak peek into the plight of unbelievers at the Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), His warning in Matthew chapter 7 causes grave concern for some born-again believers:[6]
7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
7:23 And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:22-23)
Like any fair judge, Jesus gives the many an opportunity to make their case. Their defense is in the form of a question, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? Surely the miraculous nature of these good deeds are definitive “proof” of regeneration or eternal life.” The many point to their works and hope the Judge concludes that they must be one of His own, but He commands them to depart from Him.
Fortunately for us, Jesus already established: Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21). You and I are not a part of the many. As believers in Jesus and His promise of eternal life, we have already done the will of the Father recorded in the one book designed to tell us how to enter the kingdom of heaven: This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent (John 6:29).
If Jesus turns away unbelievers who do good works, even dazzling signs in His name, why should we look to our good works for assurance of eternal life? Only when a person believes in Him whom He (the Father) sent do we have perfect assurance of eternal life.
5. We are not victims of a spurious faith.
Why would you and I think we have believed in Jesus when our lifestyle does not reflect Him? Put another way, how should we know if we are false converts or victims of a spurious faith except by looking at our good works? These kinds of questions bother many within Christendom.
Usually the term false convert is thrown around rhetorically to describe someone who has believed “defectively.” The typical narrative explains that the many may have believed in Jesus, but it was only intellectual assent. Because their head faith never manifests in the heart, their lives evidence a spurious faith. They do not have eternal life. They are not saved.
This is an unfortunate mistake. The idea of spurious faith is illogical. (A) cannot be (non-A). One is either convinced something is true, or is not convinced. We know a person can feign faith, where they say they believe, but are only pretending. A person can have misplaced faith, which is faith in the wrong thing. A person can also have faith that does not profit others. This is a person who believes, but fails to act on what he or she believes in a manner that blesses others. [7] But spurious faith or faith that is not faith is both unbiblical and logically impossible.
People can have a strong sense of assurance of salvation, but in fact be unregenerate. You and I may believe many things about Jesus, but if we have not believed in Jesus alone for the promise of eternal life, then any assurance of eternal life we have is based off of a false premise. We may do many good works, yet sadly not have eternal life. You and I can see the problem of gaining assurance of eternal life from our good works. But, if you and I believe Jesus when He promises us eternal life, then we have eternal life. Our faith is not spurious, but perfectly assured!
Enough Is Enough!
If for whatever reason, when we look to our works for assurance of eternal life, we are taking our eyes off of our Savior and His promise, and putting trust in ourselves and something that Scripture characterizes as filthy rags. How can you and I be assured by the filthy rags of our flesh if looking to our works for assurance keeps us from doing the one thing that Jesus requires of us to know for sure we have eternal life (1 John 5:9-13)? Born-again believers must continue believing what Jesus promises is true.
Jesus promises: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Jesus promises: Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13-14).
Jesus promises: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life (John 5:24).
Jesus promises: And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:40).
Jesus promises: Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life (John 6:47-48).
Jesus promises: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world (John 6:51).
Jesus promises: I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this (John 11:25-26; underlining added)?
Do you believe this(John 11:26)? Martha did: Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world (John 11:27). Like Martha, do we believe Jesus and His promise to us and know that He alone is the Christ, the Son of God, who has given us eternal life? Enough is enough…let’s stand on the consistent promise of our Lord and Savior and know for sure we have eternal life!
Copyright © Lindsey Adkins 2023
[1] Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5). To be in the faith is to be in the race with the opportunity for reward at the Bema Seat. Those out of the faith are born-again believers who have been disqualified from running the race and gaining eternal reward. Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
[2] “In the Hall of judgment, Ammit, “the eater of the dead” or “devourer,” waited impatiently at the feet of the scribe god Thoth, while the heart of the dead person was weighed in the one pan of the Great Balance. The other pan held an ostrich feather, the feather of Maat (truth). If the dead person’s deeds were pure, reverent, and honest, the heart and the feather balanced. In such a case,… the person should be spared and become one of the blessed dead. … If, however, the scales tipped, and the heart was heavier than the feather, the person was proved unworthy of eternal life. In that case, … Ammit … would eagerly devout it (heart), and the person would perish forever.” [https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Ammit/309834#:~text=in%20ancient%20Egyptian%20religion%and,the%20hindquarters%20of%20a%20hippopotamus]
[3] “ Tartarus: This region is easily associated with Christianity’s Hell. This is where people were imprisoned and doomed to suffer the worst punishments for all of eternity. Asphodel Meadows: This is where the vast majority of deceased souls reside. This is an in-between place for souls who lived a mild life. Elysium:… this is the region of the Underworld where all mortals aspire to reside. Elysium is for the most heroic of mankind, and this is close to Christianity’s Heaven.” [https://www.joincake.com/blog/greek-afterlife/]
[4] “In Hinduism, one’s present state of existence is determined by his performance in previous lifetimes. The law of Karma is the law of moral consequence, or the effect of any action upon the performer in a past, a present or even a future existence… The goal of the Hindu is to achieve enough good karma to remove himself from the cycle of rebirths and achieve eternal bliss.” [Josh McDowell and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today’s Religions (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983), 289.]
[5] This can come from a misinterpretation of certain verses such as 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 or Galatians 5:19-21. These lists are naming the deeds the world practices and exhorting believers to remember that they are children of God. As children of God, it isn’t fitting of us to walk in the same deeds as unbelievers who cannot inherit the kingdom.
[6] For a more detailed exposition see: Lindsey Adkins, “The Most Terrifying Verse in the Bible?” The True Vine Fellowship Journal 2022 (Sequim, WA: TTVF, 2022), 13-20.
[7] A person who has dead faith is saved from the lake of fire, but their faith does not save them from a bad evaluation at the judgement seat of Christ (James 2:12-13).
Now That’s Good News… Now That’s Love!
By Frank Tyler
[Editor’s Note: The Beguelin Home Fellowship gathers for a breakfast fellowship, 10:00am on Fridays at Mariners Café in Sequim, Washington. We were studying the second volume of Come and See, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s systematic theology, specifically the doctrine of the trinity, when one of the members of the fellowship asked two really good questions: “What is the relevance of a doctrine like the trinity to evangelism?” And secondarily, “If we are living in the end times when Jesus could come back at any moment, why spend our time on something that does not lead to opportunities to share the good news?” Both of these questions are excellent!]
Introduction
Although the Scriptures nowhere say that faith in the trinity saves anyone eternally, the Lord uses brothers and sisters, who understand doctrines like the trinity, to reach out powerfully with the good news. When Jehovah’s Witnesses go door to door sharing their faith, they attack the doctrine of the trinity in order to gain an audience for their message. Christians on the receiving end of their message are often unprepared and become flustered when defending their faith. However, those of us who are prepared and well-grounded in our understanding of this doctrine have a very unique opportunity to respond with love, gentleness, and grace—born of confidence and knowledge. Let us consider two approaches.
By Frank Tyler
[Editor’s Note: Few stories in the Gospel of John capture the imagination like the story of Nicodemus (John 2:23-3:21); few passages of Scripture are as important in understanding our salvation. As an evangelist I have always loved the story of Nicodemus, but was never comfortable with explanations of God’s love (John 3:16) that focus upon a New Testament or post-cross understanding. True, for you and I—with the events of the Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection historically fulfilled on a brutal Roman cross—we cannot escape the conclusion of God’s sacrificial love… but prior to the cross, how would Nicodemus, a scholar schooled in the Torah, understand Jesus’ meaning when He says, For God so (in this manner) loved the world (John 3:16)? The answer lies in understanding Jesus’ apologia to Nicodemus and his disciples. Beginning in verse 3:14, Jesus takes them back in time to God’s deliverance of Israel from the fiery serpents (Numbers 21:4-9), to a timeless and well known theme, the unfailing loyal covenantal love or “chesed” of God (Psalm 136). From this referent, Jesus challenges Nicodemus and his disciples to understand the manner of God’s love in lifting up (3:14) or giving His Son (3:16). Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s loyal covenantal love or “chesed” not just for Israel, but for the world, Jew and Gentile alike.
In a previously published article (Frank Tyler, John 3:16: The Manner of God’s Love, The True Vine Fellowship Journal 2018 (Sequim, WA: TTVF, 2018), 9-20), I wrote about the manner of God’s love in John 3:16. At that time, I understood Nicodemus as an unbeliever seeking Jesus out at night. This current article corrects my misunderstanding: Nicodemus and his disciples come to the light of God’s revelation: 1) that Nicodemus, as a new believer (John 2:23-25), might better understand what has transpired in his own life and 2) that his disciples might hear the good news from Jesus, Himself. Nothing refreshes the soul and mind like the correction of the Lord in His word. I hope you are as refreshed as I am!]
HEBREWS CHAPTER 6
By Ken W. Yates
[Editor’s Note: Few books in the New Testament create as much tension for believers as the book of Hebrews. Yates, himself, openly acknowledges: “It is ironic that the book I once dreaded and avoided has become a source of comfort and motivation. Hebrews does not threaten the Christian with the loss of salvation. Instead, it greatly encourages believers to remain faithful to the Lord in the midst of this fallen world in which we live. Grace will do that… If you are now looking for the strength and motivation to serve the Lord and please Him, the Book of Hebrews is for you. We will be His partners forever, if we persevere.” (Ken Yates, Hebrews: Partners with Christ (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 9-10.)]
The Third Warning Passage
As previously mentioned, 5:11-14 introduces the third warning passage in the Book of Hebrews. In those verses the author specifically says that the readers have failed in their Christian living because they have not gone on to maturity. Here in Chap. 6 the author tells them to press on to such maturity (6:1-3), what will happen if they fall back (6:4-8), and then gives them another call to hold fast to their hope (6:9-12). At the end of the chapter, he concludes this warning.
Go on to Maturity (6:1-3)
By Bob Wilkin
[Editor’s Note: As director and founder of the Grace Evangelical Society, Bob Wilkin consistently defends the freeness of eternal life and costliness of discipleship. He has allowed TTVF to reprint this short, but insightful article.]
I still use the expression saving faith occasionally since it saves a lot of space. By saving faith, I mean faith in the saving object, the gift of God (everlasting life, John 4:10, 14; Eph 2:8) given by the Messiah Giver Jesus (John 4:25- 26; 6:47).
But what is faith? It probably is no surprise to you that most Evangelicals today do not believe that faith is persuasion. Indeed, many ridicule the idea that saving faith is merely being convinced of the saving truth.
Please take a moment and put down on paper in 25 words or less what faith is. All done? Here is what most Evangelicals today say.
One leading pastor and theologian defines faith in this way: “Receiving Christ as your supreme Treasure is what faith is,” and “An essential element of saving faith is treasuring Christ above all things,” and “Faith includes the embrace of Jesus as our all-satisfying Treasure.” [1]
By Lindsey Adkins
Introduction to a Christian Tragedy
A quick search on the web shows Matthew 7:21-23 is regarded as one of the most terrifying passages in the Bible, shooting fear through the veins of Christians everywhere.[1]
7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
7:23 And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) [2]
It’s easy to see why the notion of people who thought they were on their way to heaven, but were really on their way to hell, terrifies so many. But like a Greek tragedy, could the commonly prescribed remedy for avoiding this tragic fate, actually be what brings it about? Are the things we do to stop this from happening, the very things that bring it to fruition?
By Jacquie Wagner
Introduction
1 John 4:19 — We love because He first loved us.
John 15:12
—
“This is My commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved
you.”
1 John 3:23 — This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
Mark 16:15 — And He said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all creation.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 — Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1
Not Optional