What Must I do to be Saved?

Jeremiah 25:1-14, "You have not listened to me, declares the LORD." (06/24/19)

Why does God keep speaking through the prophets to people who don't listen? The key to that riddle is in vs. 6: "I don't want to harm you." That's why God sent Moses and the prophets and Jesus: so that we would come to no harm. God wants only good for us, but if we insist on alienating ourselves from God, eventually God is alienated.

Jeremiah 44:1-19, "We will not listen to you." (06/25/19)

At some point, many Jews had gone down to Egypt – probably before, during, and after the invasion of the Babylonians. Jeremiah was one of them, so it's not surprising that he continued to prophesy to the Jews in Egypt after the fall of Jerusalem. It's also not surprising that they didn't listen to him. They never have listened before, so why should they listen now? God's argument is that Jerusalem fell because they didn't listen to the prophets, so maybe they should change their ways! Their argument is, no, thanks, we're perfectly happy worshiping other gods.

Deuteronomy 9:1-24, "You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day I knew you." (06/26/19)

We saw yesterday that even after the bulk of the people of Judah were exiled to Babylon for rebellion and idol worship, the ones who escaped to Egypt continued to rebel and worship idols. So when did that start? During the reign of King Ahab of Israel, whose wife introduced the worship of Baal? During the time of the judges hundreds of years earlier, when the children of Israel worshiped the idols of the Canaanites? No, it was even earlier than that. As they are coming out of the desert to approach the promised land, Moses reminds the people that they had rebelled from the day they left Egypt, and one of their first actions was to build an idol! God has chosen these people to participate in his mighty plan of salvation, but every time God turns around, they are rejecting the plan.

Isaiah 65:1-12, "I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people." (06/27/19)

You may recall that I've mentioned once or twice that you need to read more than one translation. Fellow-reader Jim G. has told me half a dozen times how much he is enjoying the Contemporary English version, and I have to say that the CEV's translation of Isaiah 65:11 made my eyes pop open! Compare the Revised Version's "prepare a table for Fortune, and fill up mingled wine unto Destiny" with the CEV's "offering food and wine to the gods you call 'Good Luck' and 'Fate.'" The RV lets me remain hazy about my behavior, but the CEV forces me to examine how often I worship good luck and fate!

How fortunate are we among the peoples of earth that we belong to a God who answers when we do not ask, is found when we do not search, and who says "Here I am!" when we turn away.

Luke 10:1-16, "The one who rejects you rejects me." (06/28/19)

Toward the end of May we read Matthew 12:1-14, which shows the Pharisees' rejection of Jesus because he did a miracle of healing on the Sabbath. Vss. 10-16 of today's reading is similar. Jesus reminds the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum of the mighty works performed there, and then says their punishment for ignoring these miracles will be terrible. We reject the works of God at our own risk.

Ezekiel 2:1 – 3:3, "Speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear." (07/01/19)

Did your mom ever say to you, "You should have known better!" This means that you were told (and told again, probably), but you ignored what your mom said and did what you shouldn't have. Well, on Judgment Day, a lot of us are going to hear God say, "You should have known better!" God tells Ezekiel to go and deliver a message, in spite of God's suspicion that they aren't going to listen and will continue to rebel.

Ezekiel 12:1-16, "They have eyes to see, but see not, and ears to hear, but hear not." (07/02/19)

God tells Ezekiel that the problem is not that the people can't see, it is that they won't see. Will they get interested enough in the acted-out parable that they'll see in spite of themselves? Nope. They watch what Ezekiel is doing, but they don't even ask him why he's packing his stuff and leaving through a hole in the wall. They are determined not to listen to God's prophet, and their time is about up.

Mark 7:1-13, "You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men." (07/03/19)

Let us say that you have aged parents who need care, and let us say that you have a lot of money. Now, you could take care of your parents, as required by the Law given to Moses by God (Exodus 20:12) and by the New Testament (Matthew 19:19, John 19:26-27, Ephesians 6:2, Colossians 3:20, 1 Timothy 5:4). Or you could put the money into a trust fund that would go to your church when you die. Then whenever someone says to you, "Why aren't you taking care of your parents?" you could answer, "Oh, but that money isn't mine, it belongs to the church!" Thus you would reject God's plan in favor of your financial plan. The Pharisees allowed this, and I'm sure people still do it. And they do a lot of other things that are just as bad, although I'm that none of us would even think of such a thing.

Kings 9:1-9, 11:1-10, "If you turn aside from following me ... but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel." (07/04/19)

King Solomon started off well, asking God only for the wisdom to rule God's people wisely. Unfortunately, he kept marrying ladies who worshiped other gods, and then he let them build shrines to those gods, and then he went along to the shrines, and finally he ended up worshiping the other gods. So Solomon started out as a real believer in the only God, and later he rejected God's plan for him.

John 12:37-50, "The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge." (07/05/19)

You often read that someone says, "Lord, send me a sign!" Not me; my prayer is, "Lord, please don't send me a sign!" The people we are reading about had seen the signs and did not believe. Because they have no excuse for rejecting God's message, they seem to be in worse shape than if they have never heard the word at all.

Mark 8:27-33, "the Son of Man must ... be rejected by the elders and the chief priests ..." (07/08/19)

I've never been quite certain about the meaning of Matthew 8:31. Does it mean, to echo Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof, that it would "spoil some vast eternal plan" if Jesus were not to suffer, be rejected, and die? Or is it obvious to Jesus what's going to happen, echoing Bob Dylan's "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"? Either way, it's the most religious people of the time – the elders, chief priests, and scribes – who will reject God's plan.

John 6:47-66, "Many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him." (07/09/19)

When Jesus taught that he was the bread of life, some of his listeners took it literally (vs. 52) and were offended. Many of his disciples found the teaching so difficult that they couldn't understand it at all (vs. 60). (Remember that there were many disciples, of whom only twelve became apostles.) Sadly, some of the disciples decided to reject the teaching – and Jesus – altogether (vs. 66).

Matthew 17:22-23, 26:1-2, 26:24; John 13:10-11, 13:18, Judas Iscariot: A Case Study (07/10/19)

We are going to examine in detail the saddest and most decisive rejection of God's plan for individual salvation in the Bible, that of Judas Iscariot. As one of Jesus' closest followers, Judas was chosen as an apostle, but for reasons that we don't understand, he repudiated Jesus and everything he stood for. Now, if you or I even suspected that a friend was going to sell us to our enemy, we'd probably get rid of that friend as soon as possible. Jesus, however, knew that he would be betrayed and would take no steps to prevent it; instead, he gave Judas warnings (Matt. 26:24) and time to repent. There may be no clearer example of your option to reject God than this one; don't follow it.

Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16; Judas Iscariot: A Case Study (07/11/19)

Judas was listed as one of the apostles, even though he later betrayed Jesus. There is never any hint that his calling was not genuine:

All three Gospel writers say that he was a disciple and chosen as an apostle; and
Matthew and Mark say that all twelve were given the same power to heal and the same authority over demons.

Notice that he is not called "Judas the betrayer"; instead, he is referred to as "Judas, who betrayed him," just as Simon is called the one "to whom he gave the name Peter" and James and John are called the ones "to whom he gave the name Boanerges." "Who betrayed him" looks to me more like an identifying notation than a job description, especially since there is a second Judas, the son of James. I think Luke makes Judas's initial sincerity especially clear when he says that Judas "became a traitor."

Matthew 26:14-25; Mark 14:17-21; Luke 22:21-23, Judas Iscariot: A Case Study (07/12/19)

One thing that impresses me about the Gospels is their scrupulous honesty. It would have been easy to say in hindsight, "That Judas, didn't we all know he'd come to a bad end?" But there is none of that. Instead, the Gospel writers point out that his calling was just like that of the other disciples, that he was a full member of the group, and that he became a traitor.

Even at the last supper, none of them leapt to the conclusion that the traitor was going to be Judas. In recording the event, they could have glossed over their own misgivings, but instead they told the truth: every disciple, not just Judas, asked, "Is it I?" What this suggests to me for our current study is that the disciples recognized the possibility that any believer, even those closest to Jesus, could reject him.

John 13:1-17, "He ... proceeded to wash the feet of the disciples." (07/15/19)

I want you to notice three things about John's description of the foot washing:

First, Jesus washed Judas's feet, even though he knew Judas was already thinking about betrayal (vss. 10-11).
He tells Judas (of course the rest hear, but they are clueless) that he knows that Judas is thinking about betrayal (vss. 10, 17-18). It's as if he's saying, "Think it over, man! Do you really want to do this? All of Scripture is bound to be fulfilled one way or the other, but do you want to be the instrument of fulfilling this one?"
Third, back to the main point: even in this discussion of betrayal, Judas is clearly counted as one of the twelve disciples.

Matthew 26:42-50; Mark 14:43-45; Luke 22:3-6, 47-48; John 6:67-71, "Judas came, one of the twelve." (07/16/19)

Look today for the phrase "one of the Twelve." Now, we'd expect Judas to be called one of the twelve back when Jesus was asking whether his closest companions were going to leave along with many others who found his teaching too difficult (John). During the act of betrayal, maybe we could consider it an identifier (Luke), if we wanted to stretch a point. However, Judas is still called "one of the twelve" even after he has betrayed Jesus (Matthew and Mark). There is no question in the Gospels either about the initial genuineness of his calling or about his later rejection and betrayal of Jesus.

John 12:1-6, 13:21-30, Jesus had even given Judas extra responsibilities. (07/17/19)

Not only was Judas one of the apostles, but Jesus even gave him the special responsibility of taking care of their joint funds. John says that Judas was a thief, but even so, the disciples didn't suspect Judas when Jesus said one of the twelve would betray him! Apparently Judas didn't completely make up his mind about the betrayal until the last minute. Unfortunately he made up his mind in the wrong direction.

By the way, many translations say in vs. 6 that Judas "stole" or "used to steal" from the common purse. This may be implied by what John says, but it isn't what John says. (I checked the Greek.) The King James Version is correct in saying that he "had the bag, and bare what was put therein." Among the modern translations, God's Word, for example, says, "He was in charge of the moneybag and carried the contributions." You should read at least two translations.

John 17:1-12, "Not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction." (07/18/19)

John Wesley's comments on this passage are so good that I'm just going to tell you what he said. About John 17:2 he said, "This is a clear proof that Christ designed his sacrifice should avail for all: yea, that all flesh, every man, should partake of everlasting life. For as the Father had given him power over all flesh, so he gave himself a ransom for all." But sadly, Judas rejected this sacrifice, as we have seen, and Wesley commented on John 17:12 that "So one even of them whom God had given him is lost. So far was even that decree from being unchangeable!" God wants to give you salvation, but you can turn it down.

John 18:1-9, "Now Judas ... knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples." (07/19/19)

The story of Judas is a gloomy case study of our freedom to reject God's offer of salvation. The interesting part of this passage today, as least for our current study, is that by going to the regular meeting place, Jesus is giving Judas another chance to repent. Judas knew the place, knew where Jesus would be. He could have led the soldiers and police somewhere else, but he didn't. God gives us a lot of opportunities to repent, but it's up to us to take advantage of them.

Acts 1:12-26, "He was one of our number and had his place in this ministry." (07/22/19)

There seems to be very little revisionist history in the Bible. After Judas had betrayed Jesus, and even admitted his guilt by returning the blood money and committing suicide, it would have been easy for the other disciples to say, "That Judas! I knew he was scum the day I met him!" But no, even after all that, Peter said, "Judas was reckoned as one of our number, and a share in this ministry was allotted to him." Judas had every opportunity for salvation, and he rejected it.

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Matthew 27:1-10, Judas changed his mind, at least briefly, so maybe he repented after all. (07/23/19)

When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned to death, he changed his mind and tried to undo what he had done. Whether he repented of his betrayal and was forgiven, or whether he was merely upset that Jesus didn't miraculously change the course of events, isn't for us to say (although many people have said!). This is clear: sin has consequences. You may repent and be forgiven, but the earthly consequences are not going to go away; it's better not to reject God's plan in the first place.

John Wesley points out the irony of vss. 3-8. The High Priests and Elders are willing to condemn the innocent, but they aren't willing to put the blood money into the treasury.

Hebrews 6:1-12, Repentance is always possible, however unlikely. (07/24/19)

Bear with me for a study tip longer than the Bible reading, because this passage is usually either worrisome or outright misunderstood. My late Greek teacher, Glen Riddle, gave a lecture on this passage that I wish I had better notes on. He maintained that many translations are wrong in giving the first part of vs. 6 as "have fallen away" or "fell away" or even "abandoned their faith" or "deserted Christ." He said that using a past tense is an incorrect rendition of the Greek, because in fact, the form of "fall" is the same as the form of "crucify" and "hold," i.e., "falling," "crucifying," and "holding." Not only are these translations incorrect in saying "fell away," he said, but they directly contradict the illustration that follows, in which land is burnt, but then (not stated, but implicit) is suitable for good crops. Dr. Riddle's point is that while people are doing these things, you can't get them to repent, but if they stop doing them, repentance and salvation are possible.

In his sermon A Call to Backsliders, John Wesley discusses this and a few other passages that have been taken by many to say that your backsliding can be so bad that eventually God will not take you back no matter what. "These passages ... deserve our deepest consideration," he says. "And in order to understand them it will be necessary to know, (1.) Who are the persons here spoken of; and (2.) What is the sin they had committed, which made their case nearly, if not quite, desperate " [bold italics added for emphasis].

Wesley explains that the sin under discussion is complete, public renunciation of faith once held: it can't apply to unbelievers and it doesn't apply to anyone with a shred of faith left. In a later portion of the sermon, he says,

"If you had thus formally renounced that 'only sacrifice for sin,' there had no other sacrifice remained; so that you must have perished without mercy. But this is not your case. Not one of you has thus renounced that sacrifice, by which the Son of God made a full and perfect satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. Bad as you are, you shudder at the thought: therefore that sacrifice still remains for you. Come then, cast away your needless fears! 'Come boldly to the throne of grace.' The way is still open. You shall again 'obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.'" And if you never have been a believer, come anyway. God loves you.

Jonah 3:1-4:11, Repentance is always possible, however unlikely. (07/25/19)

Who should know better than we do that God is "gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster"? Jonah knew that, which is exactly why he didn't want to preach to Nineveh! He knew that they might repent, and if they did, God would forgive them! How unfair is that! Am I Jonah? Sure, because when some terrible sinner repents and becomes a Christian, I say, "LORD! You aren't going to let him in, are you?" And the LORD answers, "Shouldn't I love him as much as I love you?"

Ezekiel 37:1-23, Repentance is always possible, however unlikely. (07/26/19)

Point 1 of our study led us to read many, but not all, of the scriptures saying that God wants to save everyone. In Point 2 we've read many, but again not all, of the scriptures saying that you don't have to accept salvation. That's gloomy, so here's a third scripture saying that you can change your mind and accept salvation after all. If you can hear the word of the LORD, he can bring you back to life. As a transition to a brief break from our long study of salvation, here's a song about dry bones.

More of What Must I do to be Saved

Point 1: God Wants to Save Everybody

Introduction

God Wants to Save Everybody - Corporately

God Wants to Save Everybody - Individually

Sometimes It's Hard to Separate Corporate and Individual Salvation

Point 2: You Can Reject God's Plan for Your Salvation (Not Recommended)

Examples in Scripture

More Examples in Scripture

Point 3: God’s Plan for Your Salvation is Broader than You Think

God Wants to Save Your Physical Life and Health

God Wants to Save Your Physical Life and Health (continued)

God Wants to Give You Abundant Life

God Wants You to Have Eternal Life

Point 4: How the Bible Answers the Question

Love God and Your Neighbor

Sin No More, Do Good, Love One Another

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