Once Saved Always Saved? Part 2 of 2

(Continued)

Now, concerning Heb 6:4-8, there are different interpretations. The main ones include:

1. Those in Heb 6:4-8 are Christians who have fallen away and lost their salvation;
2. They are Jews who have tried Christianity but returned to Judaism;
3. This passage talks about the loss of rewards for backsliders but not the loss of salvation;
4. This is a hypothetical case to warn Christians about the dangers of apostasy, but it did not happen.

I will discuss each briefly and then tell my position:

Saved and then lost. This assumes that Christians are preserved by their perseverance. If they endure, they are saved. If they don’t, they will be lost. But according to:

• 1 Pet 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Christians are protected by God’s power, not the strength of their perseverance. So, this interpretation is not valid.

Jews who are not yet Christians. According to this view, these are seekers who tasted the goodness of the gospel but never embraced it and returned to the law when they faced trials. Let’s check what they have experienced to see if they are believers:

Enlightened. To give light, to shine, light up, or illumine. The same Greek verb phōtizō occurs one more time in Heb 10:32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings.

So, the group in Heb 6 enjoyed the same enlightenment as the Christians in Heb 10.

Tasted of the heavenly gift (v 4), tasted the good word of God (v 5), tasted the powers of the age to come (v 5). Tasted translates the Greek verb geuomai, which means to try the flavor of, partake of, or enjoy. Heavenly gift is not further defined. Some suggest it to be the free “gift of God” (Rom 6:23) or eternal life. Others believe the gift is grace (Eph 2:8). Some interpret “the word of God” as the Scriptures or the gospel. Some equate “the powers of the age to come” to be “signs and wonders and various miracles” (Heb 2:4). This school contends that since the Heb 6 group only “tasted” the benefits of belief but did not swallow them, they were only seekers but not yet believers. However, besides Heb 6:4 and 5, tasted also occurs in Heb 2:9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

Jesus did not just “taste” death partially. He died the most cruel death invented by men, for men! Hence, the premise that “tasted” falls short of full participation is not substantiated.

Partakers of the Holy Spirit. Greek adjective metochos. Sharing in, or a partner in a work or office. Some interpret this to be sharing or having fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Again, this word’s other usage in Heb indicates otherwise:

• Heb 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle, and High Priest of our confession;
• Heb 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,
• Heb 12:8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

If a person shares in the heavenly calling, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Father’s discipline, having a part with all three Persons of the Trinity, he is an insider, not an outsider! Heb 6:4 is particularly relevant because of Rom 8:9b, “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

My conclusion based on the evidence is that these are not just Jews but Christians.

Lose rewards but not salvation. Proponents claim that the writer of Hebrews is not talking about losing salvation in chapter 6, only the rewards of salvation. What does the text say? We have already examined what these people experienced in v 4-5 to be part of the salvation process. What about v 6? Fallen away translates the Greek verb parapiptō, which means to deviate from the right path, turn aside, wander, to error. It occurs only once in the NT in Heb 6:6. What is the outcome of this falling away from true faith? It is impossible to renew them again to repentance. They have repented before. If they fall away, they cannot renew their repentance again. Repentance from what? The word repentance is the Greek noun metanoia, translated uniformly as repentance in the KJV, a change of mind or reversal of decision. Of particular interest is its occurrence in Hebrews besides v 6:

• Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
• Heb 12:17 For you know that even afterward when he (Esau) desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

Both were genuine repentance, not false. I conclude that Heb 6:6 is about the consequence of falling away from faith in God, not just rewards not even specified in the entire paragraph.

Hypothetical for warning. This school contends that this verse presents a hypothetical case based on KJV (NKJV, RSV):

• Heb 6:6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

They believe the “if” in “if they shall fall away” is a matter of possibility, but had not happened. Opponents point out that the premise does not stand, as there is no “if” in Greek. The phrase is a participle and can be translated as “having fallen away” (see Interlinear). Another objection is, “If this were hypothetical, why bother warning someone against something that can’t happen?”

Nevertheless, there is some merit in this interpretation given:

• Heb 6:9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

My view is that of the four common interpretations, the first three have serious difficulties. I am not fully satisfied with the fourth, but the problems are less serious than the others. My interpretation principles are to start with exegesis instead of imposing a theological system to explain an idea, and to use clear passages to clarify more obscure verses.

On balance, I believe the “once saved, always saved” view to be valid, as this article tried to demonstrate.

Once Saved Always Saved? Part 1 of 2

Q. Heb 6:4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Can you explain “Once Saved, Always Saved”? Can a truly born-again Christian walk away from God and lose his position as God’s child?

I will answer the primary question before addressing Heb 6:4-8. The primary issue is whether our salvation ultimately depends on God’s promise or on us. My position is it depends on God, not our ability to hang on. Let us review two passages of what God promised:

• John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
• Rom 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The conclusion is no enemy is greater than God to snatch us out of the Lord’s and the Father’s hands. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. The natural question is, “OK, no one is greater than God, but can’t we walk away from God ourselves?”

My response depends on whether that person is really a born-again Christian. If he is a genuine Christian, then God will discipline a wayward child to bring him back:

• Heb 12:5  and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

However, if he is a counterfeit Christian, then his walking away from God is a case of:

• 1 John 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.

They are Christians in name only, but their lack of perseverance shows that they do not have saving faith and were not truly born-again.

Books have been written by both proponents and opponents of eternal security to support their position. Space does not allow me to address their arguments in this short article, but the above sums up my view.

(To be continued)

Opportunity after Death?

Q. Does the following passage mean those who died in sin before Christ also had a chance to receive salvation when Christ preached to them after He died?

• 1 Peter 3:19-21 After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits—to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. Only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water. And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not removing dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.

1. No. First, who are the “imprisoned spirits”? Some link this to:
2. Eph 4:8-9 Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

They proposed that after His death but before His bodily resurrection, He descended into Hades and preached to the OT saints waiting there for His resurrection, then led these “captives” and ascended on high. However, the text clearly stated that the imprisoned spirits were those who were disobedient in the days of Noah, not OT saints, nor anyone who died in sin before Christ.

Others link them to:

• Gen 6:1-5 Now, it came about when men began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. And they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever because he also is flesh. Nevertheless, his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• 2 Pet 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
• Jude 1:6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

They proposed that the imprisoned spirits were either fallen angels (“sons of God”) who did not keep their own domain and took human wives (“daughters of men”) or the spirits of wicked men who did evil continually. Either way, they cannot be generalized to mean all who died in sin before Christ.

Secondly, the Greek word for “made proclamation” is “kēryssō,” to proclaim after the manner of a herald, not “euangelizō,” to bring good news. There is no need to assume the Lord preached the gospel to them. It could be to announce judgment or condemnation.

Third, the Bible clearly teaches that there are no second chances after death to receive salvation:

• Heb 9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
• Lk 16:26 And besides all this, between us there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ There is no crossing from Abraham’s bosom to Hades or vice versa.
• Rev 20:12, 15 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. … And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
• 2 Co 6:2 for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—

Each person will be judged according to their deeds after their death. All opportunities to repent and be saved are in this life. There is no second chance to cross over after death.

Lose Salvation?

I have Asperger’s disease and received an mRNA vaccine without my knowledge. Can I still be saved since it was not a choice I made directly, but one made for me?

Thank you for your sharing. I am sorry for your condition and am praying for your healing. From your email, I can see that you believe that mRNA is the “mark of the beast” and are concerned about losing your salvation. Although you did not accept my previous explanation, I will answer your question. Taking your affirmation that you are a Christian believer at face value, my answer is YES, you are still saved, despite receiving the vaccine.

My rationale is:

1. The love of God:

* Heb 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

* Heb 13:5b-6 for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

* The love of God does not depend on your performance. God does not leave you when someone did something to you against your will. That is the way of the world, not God.

2. The promise of God:

* Jn 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

* 1 Jn 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.

* 1 Jn 5:12-13 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

* You passed out of eternal death into eternal life when you believed in Jesus. You do not flip in and out of physical life. Similarly, you do not flip in and out of spiritual life.

3. The image of God:

* Gen 1:26-27 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

* People assume that this image and likeness is physical, but it is not. Both human beings and animals have bodies for the physical dimension and souls for intellectual and emotional functions. However, only humans have spirits:

* 1 Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

* Man’s spirit is made in God’s image and can interact with His Spirit. That is why only human beings worship. Animals, having only souls for cognitive functions but not spirits, do not worship.

* Even if mRNA does change your DNA, an assertion NOT supported by most scientists, your DNA is not the image of God. DNA is physical, but God is spirit:

* Jn 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

• So the premise that mRNA can change your humanity is faulty. It is not the mark of the Beast.

Salvation has always been, and will always be, by grace through faith. It is never of works, neither yours nor what other people did to you. It is entirely dependent on the finished work of Christ, who is Himself God and loves you to such an extent to die for you. His love for us is forever. Whether you believe what I said is up to you, but I base my claim only on what the word of God says, not on any human assertion, which is fallible and prone to error.

Is Salvation Contingent?

Q. The Aramaic version of John 3:15-17 says “may” have eternal life. It is the same as NIV but different in other versions. Does “may” here denote a sense of contingency where salvation is contingent on something in addition to believing (John 16:8-11)? 

A. First, since the NT was written in Greek, let’s consult the Greek NT rather than a translation, be it Aramaic* or English. For the sake of English readers I will use an interlinear instead of just the Greek text. In both Jn 3:15 and 16, the English “may have” is translated from the same Greek word “eche”. Let’s look at what it means.

The word eche has a Strong’s Concordance Number of 2192, and a lexicon definition of “to have, i.e. to hold, or own, possess”. The meaning of its parsing (analyzing a sentence into its parts and describing their syntactic roles) tag is as follows:

V – Verb

P – Present tense

S – Subjunctive mood. The present subjunctive shows continuation or repetition. The action expressed by the verb is ongoing or repeated.

A – Active voice. The active voice is used when the subject of the sentence is the agent of the action described in the verb.

3 – 3^rd person

S – Singular

Therefore, grammatically the “may have” in the Interlinear does not mean something contingent, but shows “continue to have”.

Next, note how this word is translated in other leading English translations of John 3:15:

NAS: believes will in Him have eternal

KJV: perish, but have eternal life

For John 3:16, we have:

NAS: in Him shall not perish, but have eternal

KJV: perish, but have everlasting life

The New American Standard Bible (NAS) and the King James Versions (KJV) are both word-for-word form equivalence translations, considered more “accurate” than the New International Version (NIV) which is a thought-for-thought function equivalence translation.

This raises the question of why some translations give the impression that something in addition to believing is required. My knowledge of Greek is limited, not sufficient to question the work of translation committees of scholars. One possibility might be that the subject of the sentences in Jn 3:15-16 is “everyone (Greek pas)”, but not everyone will have eternal life, only those who are “believing in Him”. The contingency is therefore not something in addition to believing, but whether they are “believing in Him” or not. I would not take the Aramaic translation as more reliable than the Greek NT itself. Hope this helps.

*PS Some scholars believe the Gospel of John was written in Aramaic and then translated into Greek, based on John being a fisherman and uneducated and untrained (Acts 4:13), but fluent in Aramaic, his native tongue. I have read the arguments but am not convinced. The conservative majority view is that John’s Gospel was written in Greek, the common language used throughout the Roman Empire at that time, to spread the good news to as many as possible. Those interested can do their own research e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramaic_original_New_Testament_theory

Is Faith a Gift? (2 of 2)

(Contd. from yesterday)

Let’s move onto the second verse:

• Eph 6:23 (NASB) Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Unlike Eph 2:8, there is no ambiguity here. While 2 Tim 2:22 also talked about peace, love and faith in the same verse, there the initiative is on the Christian to pursue:

• 2 Tim 2:22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart,

Here the assertion is that faith comes from God. But what is not clear is what kind of faith is under consideration. Is it saving faith, mountain-moving faith, or some other kind? The text did not specify, so it could be faith in general. But one thing is certain. Since Eph 6:23 is addressed to “the brethren” i.e. Christians, the faith could not be saving faith, since the brethren are saved already, and there is no need to bestow saving faith on them in the benediction. However, the context of Eph 6 refers to faith to withstand attacks from Satan:

• Eph 6:16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

So fortifying faith could be in mind, but we just can’t be dogmatic.

The third verse is:

• Acts 3:16 (NASB) And on the basis of faith in His name, it is ^[a]the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

^[a]His name

The phrase “the faith which comes through Him” might give the impression that the Lord (Him) gave the lame beggar (him) faith to heal him. But closer examination reveals otherwise. When the beggar saw Peter and John, he began asking for alms (v 3). Even when they asked him to look at them, and he began to give them his attention, he was only expecting to receive something from them (v 5) i.e. alms. There is no indication that he had faith in Jesus. Peter raised him up and he began to walk. So, the faith referred to was not faith that the Lord gave him to restore him, but faith which the apostles exercised through Him that healed the cripple.

Note also that “comes” is in italics. This means that the word is not in the Greek text but supplied by the translators. Other translations e.g. English Standard Version, has this verse as:

• Acts 3:16 (ESV) And His name—by faith in His name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus^[a] has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

^[a] him

So again, a prima facie case for God giving saving faith turns out otherwise on close examination.

The last verse is:

• Rom 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Superficially, God has assigned or apportioned to each an amount of faith. What kind of faith are we talking about? The “each” to whom God has allotted faith corresponds to “everyone among you” at the beginning of v 3. Who are the “you”? The context in v 1 makes it clear, “Therefore I urge you, brethren …” “You” refer to brethren, brothers and sisters in Christ. So, the faith distributed by God was not saving faith which all brethren already have, without which they would not be Christians.

What could this measure of faith be? The context in Rom 12:3-8 is humble service in the Body of Christ:

• Rom 12:6a Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly.

So, measure of faith could be God allotting grace and different spiritual gifts to us for ministry.

This also fits with Paul’s use of the same Greek word “metron” for measure:

• 2 Co 10:13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.
• Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

2 Co 10 is Paul’s description of his ministry, while Eph 4 talks about Christ giving gifts to men (v 8). Both refer to God or Christ allotting us a sphere of influence enabling us to serve.

Let me conclude by summarizing our key findings:

Verse	Who?	What kind of Faith?
Eph 2:8	Christians, formerly dead in sins	Salvation is gift of God; faith only secondary
Eph 6:23	Brethren	Fortifying faith or faith in general
Acts 3:16	Faith of apostles	Faith in Jesus’ name to heal
Rom 12:3	Brethren	Faith/grace/gifts in ministry

Except in Eph 2:8, the subject under consideration was not saving faith, but faith in spiritual warfare, faith in Jesus name to work miracles, and faith in ministry. Even in Eph 2:8, we saw that faith is not the primary gift of God, salvation is; and faith is only a secondary gift as part of the salvation-grace-faith bundle. I have not read the book and can’t comment on how the author presented his arguments, only on the four verses you quoted. If they are the only proof-text offered, then I feel that he had not established his case (saving face is given by the Father) adequately. Feel free to point out deficiencies in my observations. Hope this helps.

Is Faith a Gift? (1 of 2)

Is the Gift of God Grace, Salvation, or Faith?

Q. I am reading a book titled “Preaching Another Gospel” and the author argues that faith is given to us by the Father, citing Eph 2:8, 6:23; Acts 3:16 and Rom 12:3 as proof. Where does faith come from? Any comments?

A. First, let’s define what we’re addressing. Since your book is about “another gospel”, the subject is salvation. So, I will confine my comments to “where does saving faith come from”, not faith in general.

Next, let’s read the verses cited by the author. On the surface, it does seem that his case – faith is a gift – is valid.

All from NASB:

• Eph 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
• Eph 6:23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Acts 3:16 And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.
• Rom 12:3  For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

However, the devil is in the details, so before we hastily jump to a conclusion let’s analyze each verse in more detail. I’ll start with Eph 2:8 in the NASB, the most literal (word-for-word) English translation:

• Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and ^[a]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Most cursory readers feel that the phrase “the gift of God” refers to faith, the nearest antecedent in the sentence. Often these readers are Calvinistic in their theology. But there a problem. Notice that there is a footnote to the demonstrative pronoun “that”, and the words “it is” are in italics. The footnote reads:

• Eph 2:8 i.e. that salvation

And the italics mean that the words are not in the original text but supplied by the translators so that the English read smoothly. This is done in the Authorized King James Version, the NASB, plus several contemporary versions. Since “it is” are not in the original text, the key boils down to the pronoun “that”. What does “that” refer to?

Why did the NASB footnote explain “that” refers to “salvation”, not “faith”? For that we need to know a little Greek. Unlike English, Greek nouns have gender and number. Greek grammar requires that pronouns agree with their antecedent in gender and number. Since most readers don’t know Greek, I quote Eph 2:8 using an Interlinear below:

The verse has 5 lines:

• Line 1 is each Greek word’s Strong’s number.
• Line 2 is the English transliteration.
• Line 3 is the Greek text.
• Line 4 is the English translation.
• Line 5 is where each Greek word is parsed.

Note that both nouns in the first part of v 8 – grace and faith – are feminine gender, singular. However, the pronoun “that” in the second half of v 8 is neuter gender, singular. There is therefore a mismatch, and grammatically neither grace nor faith could be the antecedent of “that”. In fact, no single word in the first half of v 8 would fit “that” in the second half! But there is another rule in Greek grammar – when a pronoun refers to a multi-word concept or phrase, the gender of the pronoun remains neuter, regardless of the gender of the antecedent (since there may be several words with different gender). Now what concept is under consideration in v 8 in context? Salvation! Notice the following:

• Salvation is by grace (v 8) – the source is from God;

A   Salvation is through faith (v 8) – the means of reception;

B   Salvation is not of yourself (v 8) – it is not because of us;

B   Salvation is the gift of God (v 8) – freely given by God;

A   Salvation is not of works (v 9) – not as a result of what we’ve done.

The chiastic structure (ABBA) shows very clearly that salvation is all of grace, through faith not works, not of our efforts but from God. The Amplified Bible puts v 8 like this:

• For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God;

So, under this interpretation, held mainly by Arminianism, salvation is the gift of God. Although I am not Arminian in theology, I need to be true to exegesis and conclude that Eph 2:8 does not identify faith as God’s gift. That is not to say “faith” and “gift” are unrelated, because as we have already demonstrated, salvation is by grace through faith. It is a package deal. Salvation is the gift, which includes faith as the means. It’s just that faith is not the primary focus in this verse, only secondary.

(To be continued)

Chosen in Christ

(Cont’d. from yesterday)

Q. I understand that when a person is chosen by God, he/she naturally has all the benefits promised by God. But what I want to know is, “is there any difference between being “chosen in Him” and just being “chosen” without any reference to Christ?” Does “chosen in Him” mean Christ chose us in love?

A. I hope I’ve understood your question correctly, but Scripture does not distinguish between classes of people the way you do. With respect to salvation, the Bible classifies people into two groups:

• Those chosen in Christ, the elect;
• Those not chosen in Him, the non-elect.

There is no third category of someone chosen but not in Christ.

The word “elect” appears only 8 times in the Bible, as follows:

• Mt 24:22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. (Also, Mk 13:20)
• Mt 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Also, Mk 13:22)
• Mt 24:31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Also, Mk 13:27)
• Lk 18:7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
• Rom 8:33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;

From Rom 8:33 ff you can see that the elect consists of those whom God justifies, for whom Christ died and loves. They are His chosen ones:

• 2 Thes 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
• 2 Tim 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

The non-elect consists of those whom God bypasses with respect to salvation. He did not choose them in Christ, the author of salvation (Heb 2:10). It’s either chosen in Christ or not chosen in Him. There is no third option of “chosen but not in Christ”.

Taking Advantage of God?

We shared the gospel with a senior. She hesitated, feeling that if she trusted in Jesus at her age, it’s tantamount to taking advantage of God’s kindness. She had tried to be a good person all her life, and moral by human standards, but readily admitted that she has her faults. However, if she takes up Jesus’ free offer of salvation by trusting in Him so late in life, wouldn’t it be like exploiting God?

We assured her that while she may feel that way, God doesn’t:

• Isa 55:8-9 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Jesus’ promise is:

• John 3:15-16 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Man’s way is based on performance. The premise of all religions is that if you try hard enough, if you work at it long enough, you earn your way into heaven. And if one life is not long enough, go through as many cycles of reincarnation as you need till you are good enough to deserve heaven, based on your merit. As much as this appeal to man’s pride, over-estimating his abilities to perform while under-estimating the sinfulness of his heart measured against God’s perfect requirements, it simply does not work. This is because no matter how hard we try, we can never be perfect. None of us are, or ever will be. We can never save ourselves.

God’s way, on the other hand, is based on faith. Performance is not a just system. Some are born with innate qualities and abilities that they start out in life not on the same footing. The world values intelligence, strength, speed, looks etc. While part of these can be developed, some are born smarter, stronger, faster, or more handsome or beautiful than others. To demand the same performance from all is not a fair system. However, everyone can believe, everyone can trust, regardless of whether you are young or old, smart or ordinary, strong or weak, fast or slow, pretty or plain. Because what’s important is not what you can do, but on what God had done for you in Christ. All God asks is that you put your faith in His Son, who sacrificed Himself to save you. Salvation is based on this trust relationship. You can accept or decline God’s free offer, and, depending on your choice, either Jesus pays the penalty for our sins, or we bear the consequences ourselves.

Let me close with a biblical example and an analogy. In John 3 Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus to ask about how to enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). As quoted in the Jewish Encyclopedia, “the qualifications of the members of the Sanhedrin are as follows: they must be tall, of imposing appearance, and of advanced age; and they must be learned and must understand foreign languages as well as some of the arts of the necromancer (Sanh. 19a). We can therefore infer that Nicodemus was learned, respected by his fellow men, and elderly. Jesus did not tell Nicodemus that based on his achievements, he can enter God’s kingdom. On the other hand, He told him, “You must be born again.” (John 3:7)

John 3 did not record Nicodemus trusted in Jesus at that time. But as we can deduce from John 7:50 and 19:30, he became a disciple subsequently, late in life. Those who trusted in Jesus early in life has many years to follow Him and serve Him longer. Those who trusted in Him late in life has a shorter time to learn from Him and serve Him, but He welcomes both. Whether you board the “Jesus plane” early or you got on at the last minute, you still arrive at the same destination. Don’t ever feel that trusting in Jesus is only for the young who can do a lot for God. It does not depend on work at all!

Is Forgiving Others a Condition for Salvation? (1 of 2)

Q. I have a Christian relative who tells people that they have to forgive everybody or they cannot go to heaven. She quotes Matthew 18:21-35, “if we don’t forgive others then God won’t forgive us.” She says God won’t forgive us means we will go to hell, and many Christians will end up in hell. I told her Jesus was talking about forgiveness, not heaven or hell, and nowhere in the bible does it say we have to forgive everybody as a condition to heaven. What did Jesus mean when he said God won’t forgive them if they don’t forgive others ?

A. This is a very good question. You are correct in observing that Jesus was talking about forgiveness, not heaven or hell. You are also right in indicating that the Bible does not make forgiving everyone a condition for salvation.

When the rich young ruler and the expert in the law who wanted to test Jesus asked Him “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”, our Lord did not tell them to forgive everyone. Instead, He told them to keep the commandments, something impossible for them to do, so that they will rely on God’s grace rather than their good deeds.

• Mk 10:17, 19 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” … “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” (Also Lk 18:18, 20)
• Lk 10:25-28 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

When the jailer asked Paul and Silas “what must I do to be saved?”, they answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus”, not forgiving others.

• Acts 16:30-31 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

So forgiving everyone is not a condition for salvation. Repentance from sin and faith in Christ is. Then what does Mt 18:35 mean? I think the key is in recognizing who that verse addresses, and how does God deal with them. Let’s analyze it to see what does it say.

(To be continued)