Salvation is Forever: Session 2 – Professors and Possessors

Notes:

Professors and Possessors    See Session Slides Here

  • What happens to those who have received Christ and then fall away?
  • Parable of tares. The seed that fell among stony ground had no root.
  • Christ is the root of true Christianity. ‘As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith’ (Col.2:6-7).
  • There is a difference between an awakened soul and a regenerated soul. Both are works of the Holy Spirit. An awakened soul is aware of its sinful state and need of Christ. Regeneration takes place only when one has truly trusted in Christ.
  • Not all who profess salvation possess salvation. ‘They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him’ (Tit.1:16). ‘…having a form of godliness, but denying its power’ (2 Tim.3:5).
  • Tares are counterfeit Christians. False brethren.

What about Judas? I believe he never was saved.

  • John 6:64. Many followed Him just for material bread. These disciples turned away from Jesus and did not continue to follow Him. Jesus uses these very people as an example of another person, Judas Iscariot, who never was a believer.
  • John 6:68-69. Peter spoke up for the Twelve, saying, ‘Lord, we are not like this crowd of people who You knew would not believe on you when they began to follow you; we are different.”
  • John 6:70-71. Jesus could not allow Peter’s statement to go unchallenged, because it was wrong. He says Judas was not a believer; he was Satan (diabolos), i.e. totally one with Satan.
  • Matthew had a problem with money. Simon was a zealot. Peter was a sinful man. But as Christ was revealed to them they put their trust in Him and were transformed. Judas didn’t.
  • John 12:3-6. Is this when Judas finally rejected Christ? Judas didn’t have anything to say until he complained about money “he was a thief” (Jn. 12:6). He was a covetous man, yet was never suspected by the others. A professional hypocrite. He was with Jesus for 3 years and when Jesus announced that one would betray him, no one suspected Judas.
  • John 13:10-11; 13:18-21. (compare Jn.1:11-12). Judas never received the Son of God!
  • John 17:6, 12. The word ‘perdition’ means eternal death. Judas would suffer eternal ruin because he was never truly saved. Antichrist is the only other person given this name. ‘Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition’ (2 Thess. 2:3).
  • Matthew 27:3. Did Judas repent? No. He repented to himself, not to God see  2 Cor.7:10.
  • Was he saved? No. Jesus called him a devil, a thief, a betrayer, the son of perdition. See Matthew 26:24. If he was saved why did Jesus say it would be better for him not to be born?
  • It is possible to be in close association with the true church, and yet not be in Christ. 1 Jn.2:19. ‘…he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry…’ (Acts 1:17). People can have a ministry and a position, but no spiritual connection to Christ.
  • Jesus reached out to Him in many ways. He warned him, taught him about the dangers of money and covetousness, loved him, washed his feet, handed the sop to him, even called him friend, right up to the end.  Jn. 12:3-6. But his mind was already made up.
  • He was the ultimate hypocrite – the person who can hide in the presence of Jesus and be filled with Satan.
  • We are not qualified to separate the wheat from the tares.
  • But: 1) You can tell whether you are saved. (John 20:31);  2) And God ‘The solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His”’ (2 Tim.2:19).


# Answers to this quiz are found in the notes above. Click on quiz to commence. Only correct spelling is recognised. A minimum 70%  correct is required to advance to the next session.