“Disowning” Jesus—Matthew 10:33

Biblegems #202

Question: What does Jesus mean when He says in Matthew 10:33, “whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven”?

Down through the centuries these words of Jesus have caused so much disagreement in the church as to whether or a not a person can “lose” his or her salvation. Ironically, Jesus’ intent was to encourage His followers in just how deeply we are loved by our heavenly Father! The key to understanding verse 33 actually springs from this whole concept of God’s love for us and our love for God.

The word translated from the Greek as  “disown” or “deny” is “arneomai,” which means “to contradict,” to “disavow,” to “reject” or “abnegate” (i.e.: deny, refuse). The straightforward meaning of His teaching is clear: those who acknowledge Jesus, even in the face of persecution or death, Jesus will likewise acknowledge before His heavenly Father.

On the other hand, those who deny or disown Jesus because of persecution or the threat of death will be denied and disowned by Jesus in the presence of His heavenly Father. He will do this because the threat of suffering and death has demonstrated that such people love their earthly existence more than they love Jesus, the giver of eternal life.

The context of verse 33 is like an artist’s photo. Picture this in your imagination: the people Jesus referred to as “those who will kill the body” (v. 28) are like powerful river rapids in the photo that will dash people on its rocks without mercy. Those rapids represent people who would injure and even kill Christians for being followers of Jesus.

But the picture also shows that the rapids themselves plunge over a sheer cliff, and an underground canyon swallows up the entire river. This canyon represents God—“the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (v. 28). Even from just the photo it can be clearly seen that the drop into the canyon is far more terrifying and deadly than the rapids.

Then, running across the powerful waterfall, just below the edge of the falls, is a sturdy bridge. It is the bridge of God’s love in Jesus Christ. He will not allow any who belong to Him to be carried away into the inescapable depths. “Do not be afraid,” of the rapids, Jesus says (v. 28), because they are nothing compared to falls and the canyon. Stay on the bridge; remain in Jesus. God loves you. He knows you and loves you so intimately that He keeps track of every hair that washes down the shower drain. He has provided a way over the falls, even if the rapids sweep your body away.

In the foreground, in extremely sharp focus, verse 33 is a question in statement form: which do you love more, your body or Jesus? You will travel the path of that which you love most to its very end.

         John 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Losing Our Salvation?

Biblegems #123

Question: Does Hebrews 6:4-6 teach that it is possible for us to lose our salvation?

        

 Here is the passage in question:

         Heb. 6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

If we were to reduce these three verses to the very essence of the sentence, it would read this way: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened… if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance…” All the rest describes either what is meant by being “enlightened,” or else why “repentance” is no longer possible. But the statement of fact in this passage is that a person who “falls away” cannot be brought back to a place of repentance.

As dire and hopeless as this sounds, it is important to remember that the test as to whether someone has “fallen away” or not is whether the person is capable of repentance. Here is another way of stating the same truth: a person who can no longer repent has fallen away.

Christians fail, sin, backslide and commit all manner of un-Christ-like behavior. But God in His mercy and grace has covered our sins by the blood of His son, Jesus, on the cross.

         Eph. 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace…

That forgiveness is made a reality in our personal experience when we confess our sins and repent:

         1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 6:4-6 describes a person who has “fallen away”[1] to the point where he or she is no longer capable of being repentant.

But there is more. The author of Hebrews is writing as a pastor to his congregation, not as a professor explaining the fine points of theology. He says in verses 9-12 that he is “confident of better things in your case” (9), that God “will not forget your work and the love” (10), that “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end” (11), and “do not want you to become lazy” (12).

The chapter then concludes by pointing out that God Himself has sworn an oath (17-18)—and God cannot lie—that our salvation is secured by God’s sworn promise and purpose, not by our record of success or failure:

         Heb. 6:19-20 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

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[1] (Gk.: parapi÷ptw parapipto, par-ap-ip´-to; from 3844 and 4098; to fall aside, i.e. (figuratively) to apostatize: — fall away.) Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the new Testamnet)