Inoculated Against the Faith
“Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.[1]
Though he enjoyed incredible privilege, not only because he walked with Jesus and received divine instruction from His lips, but also because he had a background that should have disposed him to readily recognise Jesus as the promised Messiah, the name of Judas Iscariot is forever synonymous with treason and lèse majesty. Judas was a patrician among the plebeian disciple band. He enjoyed stature sufficient for the disciples to ask him to serve as the treasurer for the band of men following the Rabbi. No one among the followers of Jesus questioned his suitability for service.
Throughout the years of my service before the Lord, I have observed an astonishing number of people who appear to have shared spiritual kinship with Judas. Often I have witnessed people who enjoyed great spiritual privilege, and who yet turned from following the Lord Christ. Many people seem to start well in the Christian life, only to turn aside at some point. Their defection often leaves others in a quandary, wondering what happened. A worrisome example of defection despite spiritual advantage is provided by the youth passing through our churches. It is easy to conclude that we have not necessarily done an adequate job of winning youth to faith.
How many young people have we seen pass through Sunday School programs in churches we have known? Many youth participate in our programs, we laugh at their cuteness during Christmas pageants, rejoice in the vitality of teen years, and wonder where they are after graduating from school. These are often kids that have grown up in Christian homes, sat under the preaching of the Word, participated in youth programs of the church, and at nineteen, they desert the Faith they once seemed to embrace.
The Barna Group recently published a disturbing study that reveals “six out of ten twentysomethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood.”[2] Though the studies were carried out in the United States, the data is no doubt relevant for Canada. What is evident is that many young adults, despite a presence in Sunday School and connection with a church during their childhood years, have little connection with the church.
I wonder if the reason post-teens are disinterested in the Faith of Christ the Lord is because we have effectively inoculated them against the Faith. We have attempted to make the worship of Christ “fun,” or “meaningful,” at the cost of veracity and power. We have taught youth that they are special, and when they arrive at mature years and are permitted to make their own decisions, they do not choose as we think they should choose, demonstrating the training we gave that they are the centre of their world!
Background for the Account — Who was Judas Iscariot? What do we know of him, other than his betrayal of the Son of God into the hands of those seeking to kill Him? Scripture reveals little concerning Judas; but what is communicated is important for understanding the thesis of the message. We know the Apostle became an apostate, and that he went to his own place [Acts 1:25].
Judas Iscariot is named 23 times in the New Testament. In the majority of instances, he is identified as the one who betrayed Jesus [e.g. Matthew 10:4; John 18:2], though he is sometimes identified as one of the twelve [e.g. Mark 14:10; John 6:71]. Whenever Judas’ name occurs in a list of the Apostles, it is last. Undoubtedly, this is because he betrayed Jesus.
Judas appears to have been the only Judean among the disciples; Iscariot is Aramaic, likely meaning “man of Kerioth,” referring to a town near Hebron.[3] He enjoyed privilege and respect among the disciples. He reclined in immediate proximity to Jesus when dining at the Last Supper. This indicates a position of privilege and rank [John 13:21-26]. He was chosen by the disciples to be treasurer, thought he was later exposed as a thief [John 13:29; 12:6]. The closing scenes of the Gospel accounts are shadowed by his treachery. When Mary anointed the Master with pure nard, Judas objected. He was incapable of seeing the beauty of this woman’s actions, but instead he saw only the money that could have lined his own pocket. Even this motive was cloaked under a specious plea that the money could have been used for the poor [John 12:3-6].
Added to character contaminated with avarice was a life riddled with deceit. He spoke untruthfully about his concern for the poor, and he delivered Jesus into the hands of those who were seeking to kill Him. Judas betrayed the Master, agreeing to identify Him with a kiss so those sent to arrest Him would be certain to seize the right person.
Why Judas betrayed the Master might be more difficult to answer. Certainly love of money played a part in his decision, for when he approached the chief priest, he asked, What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you [Matthew 14:16]. Perhaps there was jealousy of the other disciples, perhaps it was fear of the inevitable outcome of the Master’s ministry that drove him to imagine that he was saving his own skin, or perhaps there was an enthusiastic intention to force the hand of the Lord and make Him declare Himself as Messiah—all these motives have been suggested, but they really don’t matter. The Son of God declares that Judas was a devil [John 6:70], and ultimately the Bible is unconcerned with his motive for the betrayal of the Master.
Some are concerned about the psychological motive behind a particular action; we often imagine that circumstances mitigate responsibility. Though we may find ourselves moved with compassion by an individual’s situation in life, in the instance of loyalty to Christ—faith in Him and receiving the life He offers—there can be no mitigating circumstances. Either an individual believes the Master, or an individual does not believe. It is of no consequence whether a person had a bad experience in the past or whether an individual had a hard childhood, whether the individual was disappointed in some preacher or discouraged by the pressures of life, each person stands responsible before God for whether they receive the life of Christ or reject that life.
The Word of God is quite clear in declaring, Whoever believes in [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil… Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him [John 3:18, 19, 36].
Vernon McGee used to say that all humanity is divided into “saints and ain’ts.”[4] There are saints— believers in Jesus, and there are “ain’ts,”— unbelievers; either you are saved, or you are lost. Whether you have submitted to a rite or a ritual, or even whether you are a member of a local congregation, has no bearing on your eternal destiny. All that matters is whether you have faith in the Risen, Living Son of God.
Jesus called Judas to service. The Lord Jesus saw Judas as a potential disciple [Matthew 10:1-4]. The Master entrusted to Judas, as He commissioned each Apostle, authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. Readers can properly surmise that Judas likely had been near the Master at some point prior to his call, and that the Lord, as well as being known to the other disciples knew him. The offer of life was extended to this man, and yet, he is identified as a devil.
Jesus’ foreknowledge of Judas’ character in no way implies that Judas had no opportunity to believe the message he heard from the Master. There is no indication that Judas would inexorably become a traitor. Instead, we see a man who witnessed the work of Christ, heard the message of life, and chose not to believe what he saw and heard. He is never said to have called Jesus “Lord,” instead always referring to Him as “Rabbi” [Matthew 26:25].
Attracted by the winsome character displayed through the life of the Master, Judas somehow failed to believe the message Jesus delivered. How very similar to so many in this day who are attracted to preachers of the Word who declare with certainty and with conviction the message of life; and yet, those same seekers fail to seize the life offered in the Christ these godly preachers declare.
Judas was never really a follower of Christ, though he was invited to follow. Though he fell from apostleship, he never really had a relationship with the Lord. So, he remained the son of destruction [John 17:12] who was lost because he was never saved. Judas lives on the stage of Scripture as an awful warning to the one who knows about Jesus, but does not know Him. Judas is brother to one who follows Jesus, but does not belong to Him [Romans 8:9]; he leaves the Gospel story as a man doomed and damned because he chose it to be so, and God confirmed him in his dreadful choice.
Immediately preceding Jesus’ startling revelation, many disciples deserted Jesus. Asked if they also wished to depart, Peter acted as spokesman for the disciple band to offer a great confession, we have believed and come to know, that you are the Holy One of God [John 6:69]. Peter used the first person plural; it was unthinkable to Peter that any among the disciples would fail to believe Jesus to be the Christ. However, Jesus corrected Peter, Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil. “We believe,” said Peter; “One of you does not believe,” said the Master.
Knowledge of Christ Anticipates Transformation — One cannot help but be sobered by the account of the divine judgement of Nadab and Abihu, two sons of Aaron. They were priests of God, who, together with the Moses, Aaron and the seventy elders of Israel, were accorded the unique privilege of seeing the Living God. They had witnessed God, and that privilege caused them to exalt themselves against Moses and Aaron, leading ultimately to their own death [Exodus 24:9-11; Leviticus 10:1-11].
Whenever an individual has witnessed God, knowing His power and strength, and yet that individual fails to be transformed by the Spirit of God, that person has jeopardised his or her soul. Consider the warning the Master pronounced to Chorazin and Bethsaida. I direct you to the passage, which is found in Matthew 11:20-24. [Jesus] began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”
The greater the knowledge of God’s grace and power to redeem, the greater the responsibility to act on that knowledge. Jesus’ words in this instance are reminiscent of His warning that was pronounced as He sent out the Twelve to preach the Kingdom of Heaven. The passage detailing His warning is recorded in Matthew 10:5-15. Notice in particular the last verse in which Jesus pronounces a dire warning.
Jesus instructed the twelve, Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, for the labourer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Great knowledge imposes great responsibility. Yet, it is common for fallen people to imagine that they can do something for Christ’s sake, and that their actions will thus merit divine attention. How often have you heard someone dismiss the call to faith by presenting their supposition that when they appear before the Son of God He will “weigh” their good deeds against their bad deeds, and that their good deeds will outweigh their bad deeds? Other than the fact that such a hypothesis is utterly errant, the thought can undoubtedly be attractive to the unregenerate mind.
Those are indeed solemn and thought-provoking words that the Master spoke during the Sermon on the Mount. He said, not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” [Matthew 7:21-23].
Jesus does not call us to reform our lives; but rather He calls us to regeneration! He does not call us to clean up the way we live; but rather He demands saving faith. Too many of those associated with the churches have stopped halfway to salvation. They believe the message about Jesus, but they have never committed themselves to Jesus. Too many people are trying to be “good” without being transformed by the grace of God. Such people are lost; and their proximity to Christ must ultimately condemn them.
The principle is clearly stated as commentary concerning another parable that the Master related to His disciples on one occasion. In Luke 12:48b, the Lord cautioned, everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. The greater the degree of light one receives, the greater the responsibility imposed on that person. If you have grown to maturity in a land where the message of life has been readily available, where churches preaching salvation in Christ are in every town, and where the life of the Master has permeated the very fabric of society, you bear great responsibility to act on the knowledge you have.
The awesome thought of personal accountability often induces a rather pathetic response in some unthinking individuals found in the churches. Learning of the grave responsibility imposed by knowledge, these intellectually impoverished individuals determine that we Christians should disobey the Commission of our Lord and no longer deliver the message of life to those trapped in sin. These foolish individuals suppose that we should no longer send missionaries and that we should halt all church planting, because the message imposes such awesome responsibility upon all who hear it. They disguise their theological ignorance in a cloak of compassion, reasoning that if we don’t tell of Christ’s sacrifice, then God cannot hold sinners responsible for unbelief.
There is no salvation without the preaching of the message of life. The Word of God declares that it pleased God through the folly of what was preached to save those who believe [1 Corinthians 1:21]. Paul perceptibly asks, how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” [Romans 10:14, 15]!
Let me become more pointed still in pursuing this thought. Some listening to these words have yet to believe the message of life. You believe yourselves to be good people—you know that you have never murdered anyone and you would never steal. You are careful not to hurt the feelings of another, concerned how others may perceive your words. Yet, you are lost. Perhaps you have long attended the services of worship among the churches of our Lord, and you are even a member of this or another church. However, if you have not faith in the Living Son of God, you are under condemnation. Your participation in the services only increases your condemnation before God.
My plea for you is that you will cease playing church and become a Christian. My urgent appeal is for you to believe the Son of God, asking Him to take control of your life, believing that He died because of your sin and that He rose from the tomb to declare you free of all condemnation. In the busyness of your life, don’t neglect the business of faith. While exploring the Faith of Christ the Lord, do not permit yourself to slide into ever-greater condemnation through failure to believe the Son of God. We cannot know the soul of every member of the church, but we are certain that some who now wear the livery of faith will not be dressed in white raiment at His return.
Faith Must be Linked to Understanding — Judas is a mystery, just as evil is always a mystery, which is one of the things that makes evil attractive. Suppose right now I should say to you that I am holding two sticks. One stick is perfectly straight because it is a ruler; you can easily imagine how that ruler looks because it can be straight only one way. Then suppose that I say that I am also holding in my hand a crooked stick. If each of you drew a picture of how you think that stick looks, everyone would draw it differently. That’s because it can be crooked in a million different ways.
You see, many people believe Jesus existed. They even believe that He was a good man, and perhaps they even believe that He claimed to be the Messiah. However, faith that does not lead to knowledge is no faith at all. Faith leads us to certainty. Peter’s confession demonstrates the relationship of faith and knowledge. Peter, speaking for the disciples, said, we have believed and come to know, that you are the Holy One of God [John 6:69]. The order of the words is significant. The natural way is to know, and then believe. How often has someone said to the preacher, “If you can prove God exists, I will believe?” However, it is never that way in the realm of the spiritual; God reverses the order, requiring us to believe before knowing.
The author of the Hebrews letter attests that by faith we understand [Hebrews 11:3]. Jesus comforted Martha, did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God [John 11:40]? The Psalmist confessed, I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living [Psalm 27:13]! Divine truth is beyond us. God’s ways are not our ways. Therefore, we begin to know only as we believe. Understanding follows faith. We begin to know God only as we trust Him. Assurance, confidence, insight, understanding—these are the fruit of faith and not the seed.
God has strong words for those who will not believe His testimony about Jesus. God testifies through His servant John, If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son [1 John 5:9, 10]. Though this is a sweeping verse, it is important since it gives us insight into the character of God. He wants to be believed; and He wants to be believed because of who He is.
Clearly, each of us has faith. If we did not believe mere mortals, we would no longer visit our physician, drive a car, go to work, attend a concert, or sign a contract. All these activities require faith in another person, sometimes even when we do not know the other person! “Well,” says God, “if you can believe other people, you can believe Me. If you do not believe Me, you are dishonouring Me.” Even men and women so refined that they would never call another person a liar make God out to be a liar every day through unbelief.
The secret to arriving at the point of certainty in spiritual matters is to believe God—to believe all that God tells us. Having believed, we will discover that knowledge follows. Turning to the chapter preceding the text for the day, Peter spoke of certainty that Jesus was the Messiah promised by God. His certainty did not come because he had seen miracles—water turned to wine, healing an impotent man at Bethesda, multiplying loaves and fish, or walking on water. Certainty of Jesus’ identity came from hearing and believing the words of eternal life that Jesus, the Holy One of God had spoken [John 6:68, 69]. Just so, believing the message of life will give you confidence that Jesus is Lord.
Close Association with Jesus Does Not Assure Loyalty to the Truth — Judas betrayed the Master. He proved to be disloyal to the truth. Peter points out that Judas became a guide to those who arrested Jesus [Acts 1:16]. It is important to note one point of the text before us. Judas was not a devil when Jesus chose him, but at some point the devil entered into him. Shortly, reading John’s narrative of the life of the Maser, we see that the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot … to betray the Master [John 13:2].
Again, as we read John’s account of the Last Supper, the Apostle is careful to state that Satan entered into Judas [John 13:27]. It is as though we see a man moving steadily away from the truth and ever deeper into evil. Judas was called to goodness, but he continually slipped toward godlessness.
Similarly, seated before me at any service are men and women who are undoubtedly “nice” people, though they have never been transformed by the grace of God. Often, these nice people are young men and women whose parents have brought them to church. These nice people hear the message of life, but they never act on that message. In many instances, they have submitted to a baptismal ritual that permitted them to unite with the church, but they are lost because they have not believed.
My ministry spans a sufficient number of years that I have witnessed many who were briefly associated with a church, only to move steadily away from the Faith and toward utter self-centredness and condemnation. These people are not utterly wicked in that they became murderers and thieves, but they are condemned because they treated the Faith with disdain and have no time for the things of God. It is as though Satan entered into them, and they are prepared to betray the Master without forethought or reason.
Why does God permit such people, even for a brief time, to associate with the Faith? Indeed, why did Jesus choose Judas to associate with the Twelve? Certainly, one reason is that Scripture must be fulfilled [see John 17:12]. Jesus’ reference is most probably a reference to Psalm 41:9 that speaks of His close friend, whom He trusted and who ate His bread, betraying Him. Undoubtedly, there are other reasons for the Master to permit the unsaved to continue among the saints, even “choosing” them.
Arthur Pink is among the most thoughtful commentators on the Gospel of John.[5] His comments help us understand why Jesus would be so gracious. The choice of Judas furnished an opportunity for Christ to display His perfections. Though Jesus and Judas moved in the closest possible contact, Judas was the devil’s tool. Though He was undoubtedly hindered by the constant presence of wicked Judas, Jesus did the will of the Father. Likewise, Christians display the glory of the Father when they do what is right despite the presence of sinners—even among the faithful of God.
The choice of Judas provided an impartial witness to the moral excellency of Christ. His Father, the Baptist, His saved Apostles, all bore witness to Jesus’ perfections. But this unsaved man also bore witness of the excellency of the Master when he declared his own guilt before the High Priest for betraying innocent blood [Matthew 27:4].
Judas’ call gave occasion to uncover the awfulness of sin. He spent three years in the presence of Jesus. Imagine all that Judas saw in that time—demonstration of the love and compassion of God, deliverance from condemnation resulting from our sinful condition, and the goodness of Jesus. Now imagine betraying such a Person!
Judas’ presence supplies the sinner with a solemn warning. One may experience the closest possible association with Jesus, and yet be unsaved. One may walk in the light of the truth, and yet be unaffected by that truth. Merely growing up in a church does not make one a Christian, any more than being born in a garage makes one a Cadillac.
Judas shows that we may expect to find hypocrites among the followers of Christ. Any of the Twelve made great sacrifice to follow Jesus, leaving the comfort of home to share hardship. Judas made that same commitment—going without the certainty of shelter or food, weary while travelling long distances on foot, subjected to opposition and ridicule. Judas did these things so well that no one suspected him to be a hypocrite. However, Judas was no friend of Jesus, and eventually, he betrayed the Master.
Judas shows that a devil is to be expected among the servants of God. Scripture warns against false prophets [Mark 13:22] and false teachers [2 Peter 2:1], just as it also warns against false apostles [2 Corinthians 11:13] who masquerade as servants of righteousness. Tragically, the pulpit of our day has its share of devils wearing the livery of Christian clergy. Baptists are not immune to the plague of pretenders, exposed as fierce wolves [Acts 20:20]. Whoever would have expected to find a devil among the Apostles? Nevertheless, there he was! Let this be a solemn warning to us to be cautious about placing confidence in any man. Let this be a solemn warning that even a denomination leader, much less a professed preacher of the Word, is capable of deceiving.
Judas’ presence demonstrates how radically different are God’s thoughts from ours. “That God should appoint a ‘devil’ to be one of the closest companions of the Saviour; that He should have selected ‘the son of perdition’ to be one of the favoured twelve, seemed incredible. Yet so it was.”[6] Since our thoughts are not God’s thoughts, we must change our thoughts, learning to trust God in matters for which we can see no reason.
What message should we take home from the study of these verses? Let none of us presume against the grace of God. Mere association does not prove salvation. Membership in the church, important though membership may be, does not save. Receiving baptism, participating at the Lord’s Table, memorising Scripture—important though each of these acts may be—cannot make one a Christian. Faith in the Son of God is necessary for salvation. It is a good thing for each of us to assure our heart through ensuring that we believe the message of life, through building confidence that we have believed the Son of God.
I am not saying that we must speak ill of those who turn from the Faith or who wander away from service to Christ, but we dare not delude ourselves into thinking that simply because a child has been raised in the church, he or she has been saved. Each one must individually, personally receive Christ as Master of life. Each person passing through the door of the church is responsible to individually receive the message of life. This imposes on each of us responsibility to speak the words of life to each person, not presuming that they are saved simply because of long attendance at the services.
John says, they have gone forth from our midst, but they did not really belong to us; for had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they left us, that it might be manifest that professed believers do not all belong to us [1 John 2:19].[7] Failure to abide in the teaching of Christ is evidence that one has never known Christ [see 2 John 9].
Again, we must hold those who lead us in the Faith to a biblical standard. I am not recommending that we must live in constant suspicion of the elders and deacons of the church, but I do caution that we cannot depend on artificial standards such as ordination as evidence of the grace of God. Simply claiming to be a preacher does not make one a follower of Christ. Likewise, simply because an individual is a long-time member of the congregation, or because he has a long affiliation with the denomination, does not make that person a Christian. Faith in the Living Son of God is necessary for transformation.
Jesus taught that we would recognise people by their fruit [Matthew 7:15-20]. A minister that fails to keep his word demonstrates at the least that he is not at that moment following Christ. Likewise, a minister that tolerates a little bit of error reveals that he is not adhering to the Faith that was once for all delivered to the saints [Jude 3].
Dear people, listen to the message; watch the life. The two should adhere to the New Testament pattern; the life should follow closely that revealed by the Master. Certainly, the desire for righteousness should be present. The message must assuredly be true to that which we have received from the Saviour, not deviating at any point.
Lastly, for each one who is yet outside the Faith, know that so long as you have breath, it is not too late to turn to Christ for forgiveness of sin and acceptance into life. I am struck by the gentleness of the Saviour even when Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Judas, said the Lord, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss [Luke 22:48]? In other words, there was even at that late hour time to repent. Turning to Jesus, Judas would have received forgiveness and pardon, just as you may receive forgiveness and pardon. Repenting of your sin and receiving Christ as Mater of life, despite the evil of your past, you will be born from above, beginning a journey that leads ultimately to being conformed to the image of God’s beloved Son. What you are today does not need to set the pattern for tomorrow, if you will receive the grace of God in Christ the Lord.
Barclay relates a terrible story about an artist who was painting the Last Supper. It was a great picture and it took him many years. As model for the face of Christ he used a young man with a face of transcendent loveliness and purity. Bit by bit the picture was filled in and one after another the disciples were painted. The day came when he needed a model for Judas whose face he had left to the last. He went out and searched in the lowest haunts of the city and in the dens of vice. At last he found a man with a face so depraved and vicious as matched his requirement. When the sittings were at an end the man said to the artist: “You painted me before.” “Surely not,” said the artist. “O yes,” said the man, “I sat for your Christ.” The years had brought terrible deterioration.[8]
My prayer is that you will receive Christ as Saviour and as Lord of your life, believing this message of lie and receiving the forgiveness of sin. The Word of God promises life in Christ. We are promised, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved… It continues by attesting that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].
Believe and be saved. Receive the life of Christ. Do it now. May God bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him as one who believes this message and who is born into His family. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Most Twentysomethings Put Christianity on the Shelf Following Spiritually Active Teen Years (The Barna Group, http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=245, 11 September, 2006) accessed 19 September 2006
[3] Gerald Cowan, Judas (article), in Trent C. Butler (ed.), Holman Bible Dictionary (Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN 1991) 822
[4] e.g. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, 1 Corinthians through Revelation, Vol. V (Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN 1983) 289
[5] Arthur W. Pink, Exposition of the Gospel of John, Volume 1, John 1 to 7 (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 1945) 362-5
[6] Pink, op. cit., 365
[7] Richard Francis Weymouth, New Testament in Modern Speech (Kregel, Grand Rapids, MI 1978)
[8] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of John, Volume 1 (Revised Edition), (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA 1975) 229