Physical healing by the stripes and the blood of Jesus

Question: Do the stripes and the blood of Lord Jesus Christ physically heal us?

Answer:

The most common and most often committed error in interpreting Scripture is to take a particular passage or verse, or even a portion of a verse out of its context; then give it meanings and interpretations according to one’s liking or understanding; and then not only accept those erroneous meanings but also share those misinterpretations with others as ‘God’s truths’; even though those meanings do not stand up to the requirements of the context and the evidence of Biblical usage, therefore making them unrealistic and unacceptable. God’s Word, the Bible, in 2 Timothy 2:15 exhorts us to “diligently present ourselves approved to God (not to any man)” and to “rightly divide the Word of Truth”; and not fall for the trap of following teachers who instead of teaching sound doctrine, misuse God’s Word to only teach things that the audience want to hear (2 Timothy 4:2-4). To avoid falling for Satan’s ploys to misuse God’s Word (he had the audacity to do so even with the Lord Jesus – Matthew 4:1-11), we all need to take heed and obey 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Test all things; hold fast what is good”; and be like the Berean Christians, who have been commended in the Bible for first cross checking everything from the Scriptures and only then believing in what was taught (Acts 17:11-12) – even though it was the apostle Paul who was teaching them.

In context of healing by the stripes of Lord Jesus, the Bible verse often stated is Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” Peter too quoted from this verse in his first epistle – “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Incidentally, and quite interestingly, other than these two verses (essentially, only a single verse), there is no other verse in the Bible containing the both the terms “stripes” and “healed.” Also, in both of these verses we see that the ‘healing’ being mentioned is the spiritual healing from effects of sin; and not a physical healing of the body from any disease, or sickness, or deformity, or any other physical ailment.

Since in common usage, the word ‘healing’ is mainly associated with physical infirmities, and with ailments of the body, hence without giving it much thought, people take it for granted that the ‘healing’ mentioned in these verses is physical healing as well. Unfortunately, many preachers and teachers also would like to have us believe it to be so; therefore they continue to emphasize and teach the misinterpretation, basing it upon verse portions taken out of context and out of continuity with the actual text of the Scriptures. They neither themselves pay heed to the context and related things in interpreting the verse or passage, nor encourage and allow us to study the context and related things of the complete verse and its passage, before accepting or coming to a conclusion about it.

Another very pertinent fact to be considered is that nowhere in the whole of the Bible, have either of the phrases “by His stripes we are healed” and “by whose stripes you were healed” ever been used or alluded to in any form of miraculous healing, by any Prophet, Apostle, or Man of God – and there is no dearth of instances of physical healings in either the Old or the New Testaments. Let us consider a few examples related to physical ailments and healing from the New Testament:

·         Paul instructing Timothy says to him, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23). Clearly, Timothy was distressed because of some recurrent physical ailments, and Paul is asking him to use “a little wine” as a medicine – why has Paul not asked Timothy to use and claim healing on the basis of the stripes of the Lord Jesus?

·         Consider Paul’s own “thorn in the flesh” – Paul says “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me” (2 Corinthians 12: 7, 8). Why did Paul have to plead with the Lord to deliver him from the problem of the flesh; instead, why did he simply not claim the healing made available through the stripes of the Lord? And  too when the “faith” of Paul and Timothy in the Lord and the Lord’s ability to heal in answer to prayer cannot be doubted!

·         We see in the book of Acts that when Peter, in Acts 3, healed the lame from birth person sitting at the entrance to the Temple, he did not say to the lame man “by the stripes of the Lord Jesus you are healed and made whole;” rather, “Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk"” (Acts 3:6).

Is there any instance of physical healing through applying or claiming the phrase “by the Lord’s stripes you/we have been healed” recorded anywhere in the Bible? If not then, why is such a usage and interpretation being so enthusiastically preached, taught and accepted? More importantly, why are people being so gullible and not asking the purveyors of untruth to justify their stand from God’s Word about it?

The plain and simple fact of the matter is that surely though these verses are referring to the suffering Christ endured in our place, but for our sins, which He had taken upon Himself. Because of His taking up our punishment, His bearing those stripes for us, we have received deliverance from our sins, and also the healing that was required for our spirits broken down by sin (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18). The phrase “By His stripes we are healed...” is not referring to any physical healing from diseases and infirmities, but to being healed from the deleterious consequences of our sins.

Similarly, nowhere does the Bible say that the blood of Jesus heals us from physical diseases and infirmities. The blood of Jesus is said to be efficacious for many other things – all of them spiritual and related to our relationship with the Lord God, e.g. – our propitiation (Romans 3:25); our justification (Romans 5:9); bringing us near to God i.e. reconciling us to God (Ephesians 2:13); cleansing of our conscience from dead works (Hebrews 9:14) and giving us the boldness to enter the Holiest (Hebrews 10:19); our redemption (1 Peter 1:19); cleansing of our sins (1 John 1:7); washing away of our sins (Revelation 1:5). But there is no mention of any physical healing through the blood of Lord Jesus Christ, and neither have any of the Apostles or writers of the New Testament at any place claimed or taught the use of “Blood of Jesus Christ” for any healing or recovery from physical ailments.

Therefore teaching people that we ask for or claim some portion of the Bible, out of its context and usage in God’s Word, in a manner, or, for something that the Word of God neither teaches about nor asks us to claim, can in no way be accepted as being in accordance with the teachings of God’s Word. All such teachings and applications are extraneous to God’s Word; they do not stand up to the admonition of 2 Timothy 2:15, therefore they ought to be rejected on grounds of being quite unacceptable and erroneous.

How can I unobtrusively share Jesus in my surroundings and workplace?

 

If you sincerely desire to share your faith in the Lord Jesus with your colleagues in your work place, the first thing to do is to place this desire before God and ask Him to prepare and guide you about it. Ask Him to prepare you to recognize the possible opportunities that come your way, and to show you how to capitalize on them; to lead you to the people who are ready to receive the Gospel, or atleast listen to it, without getting into any unreasonable arguments about it (1 Corinthians 16:9). Ask Him to give you the required courage and the appropriate words and expressions to do this as best as you can (Isaiah 50:4), and to keep your opponents under check and control while you obey the Lord in this ministry.

The best way to “preach” unobtrusively and without inviting opposition, is to live it out and witness through your life (Revelations 12:11), since your life speaks louder and more effectively than any words you may say. Your witness is in two forms – firstly, your spoken word of testimony of how the Lord has changed your life, and keeps helping and working for you since the time He changed your heart, changed you from within; and secondly, the practical day-to-day testimony of your life that your colleagues and others observe – of your lifestyle, interests, speech, behavior, sincerity, work ethics and commitments etc. Through the former, you share about your personal experiences – you don’t tell any person what he should do or not do – that will invite antagonism and arguments; instead, you just share what the Lord has done in your life, and/or how the Lord helped you in a given situation. Since those are your own experiences, nobody can disprove them or negate them for you, and the Lord will use them to work in the heart of the other persons; to generate a curiosity or a desire to try it out in their life as well. Through the latter, i.e. the witness of your lifestyle etc. you let your life witness silently but practically, and whenever anyone raises a query about what they see in your life, you should be ready to share your faith and the gospel with them (2 Timothy 4:2).

Another thing that you can do is to go and pray with or for a person in distress, or in a problem, or in any adverse situation, or in any tension, or in need of any help or guidance. You can humbly and lovingly ask for their permission to pray with them, and if they consent to do so, then without any undue “preaching” in your prayer, just pray a short and simple prayer with them, asking God to help them out through their situation, and to let them experience God’s peace even in that troublesome situation. This can even be done through telephonic conversation. Make it a point to pray for your opponents, even if it is silently and without them being aware of it (Romans 12:14-21), till God at an appropriate time shows them how you have prayed for them despite their opposition to you.

But beware, Satan will not miss any opportunity to raise problems and oppositions, and to make you fall into various temptations (1 Timothy 4:1-2), so that your witness gets tarnished and is rendered ineffective. So be very careful and discerning about what you see (Psalms 101:3; 119:37), say (Ephesians 4:29), do (1 Peter 2:11-12), and how you live and behave (1 Corinthians 11:1). Always keep clinging to the Lord for all things, never relying on your own intellect and not doing or saying  anything without first praying to Him about it (Proverbs 3:5-6); else Satan will beguile you away into some temptation or error (2 Corinthians 11:3).

This does not mean that your efforts will always be taken positively and constructively, you will not face any opposition or problems, and life will be a “smooth sailing” for you – that cannot be – Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 3:12; there will always be some negative responses. Nevertheless, “But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5).

The sin that does not result in death

Question: In the Bible, in 1 John 5:16-17 what is the sin mentioned that does not result in death?

Answer:

           These verses have intrigued many people, and many explanations have been given by various Commentators. Therefore it may not be possible to have a clear explanation acceptable to everyone. When interpreting or understanding 1 John 5:16-17, it is quite common to start thinking in context of verses related to sin and it's damning effects, e.g. Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23, and other Bible verses with a similar application.

           But we need to keep in mind and consider the fact that at the time when John wrote this epistle, the New Testament had neither been compiled from the many writings available at that time, nor was it available to the people in the form we have it now. Therefore the people to whom John wrote this letter did not have those verses and the related teachings which we now have with us, on the basis of which we now try to interpret and understand these verses. Hence those people then could not see and understand what John had written to them, in a manner similar to how we commonly see and understand them today; nor could they apply any meanings from other New Testament teachings into these verses, as we presently do. Therefore to understand these verses, they should be seen and understood in the same context and manner as those initial audience did, when John had written to them. That is the primary and basic meaning of these verses/statements; any other meanings and interpretations that are ascribed can be supplementary or complimentary to this primary meaning; but the other meanings cannot ever replace this primary meaning.

           On reading the initial chapters of John's letter it seems that amongst the audience to whom this letter was addressed, though some were 'children' in the Christian Faith, but most of them were of a good standing and maturity, and knew the facts related to righteousness and their faith (1 John 2:7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 24, 27). Therefore it is quite likely that they had some knowledge and understanding about the Law given to the Israelites through Moses in the Old Testament. For those who believed in God Jehovah, their understanding of what sin is and what it is not was according to that part of the Scripture which we know as the Old Testament today; and from it mainly according to the Law. When we see on the basis of the Old Testament righteousness and Law, we see in the Law there are some sins mentioned for which there was no repentance and atonement provided, only the death penalty had been decreed for them; for example see: Exodus 28:43; Leviticus 22:9; Numbers 1:51; 3:10; 3:38; 18:7; 18:22; 18:32; etc. In Leviticus 10:1, 2 we see that Nadab and Abihu were given no time or opportunity to repent, nor was anyone given any opportunity to intercede and pray, or offer any atonement for them, they died immediately. The people who were aware of the righteousness of the Old Testament, they knew that in the Law some sins are mentioned that have the death penalty prescribed for them, with no provision of repentance, atonement, and forgiveness having been made for them; therefore, even if forgiveness were to be asked for them, there is no possibility of any forgiveness being granted for them.

           Secondly, in 1 John 5:16 twice a sense of "petitioning or praying" has been used; once as "ask" and second time as "pray". For these two instances, two separate words have been used in the original Greek language.  The word used for the first instance is ‘aiteo’ which means ‘to ask’, or, ‘to request’; whereas the word used in the second instance is ‘erotao’ which means ‘to interrogate.’ When we see the various English Versions of the Bible, then too the same thing becomes apparent that not all translators render these words as "pray" in the sense of putting forth a petition or making a request. Therefore, we can paraphrase 1 John 5:16 as follows “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he can ask [‘aiteo’ - request God], and He will give him life for those who commit a sin not leading to death. There also is a sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray [‘erotao’ – interrogate, or be inquisitive] about that.” Here the "pray" used in the latter part of the verse is not in the same sense, as we commonly understand it to mean as asking or petitioning God for something to seek His favor or benevolence.

           Here a note needs to be made of two very significant things in the verse that have a direct bearing on its interpretation and on understanding its meaning. The first is, as stated at the beginning of the verse, John is saying this about "his brother" i.e. another Christian Believer; or about a person who, by coming into faith in the Lord Jesus and having received forgiveness from sins by the grace of God, has entered into eternal life (John 1:12-13). Being a Christian Believer, he is now outside the purview and requirements of the Law and its compulsions; the requirements of the Law have no hold upon him (Romans 7:6; Colossians 2:14), and he can neither be evaluated under the provisions of the Law, nor held guilty and penalized under the Law.

           The second is, that the verse ends by saying “...There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that” and this is the sentence that has caused the uncertainty and confusion related to this verse. The important thing to be noted here and to be understood is that John has not said “since those sins of that person will not be forgiven so I am not asking you to pray for them” – but generally that is the understanding and meaning that is assumed and accepted while reading this verse; whereas that is not what is written here. Instead of "pray" if we use the literal meaning of the original Greek word ‘erotao’ i.e. ‘to interrogate’, then the sentence becomes “...There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should 'be interrogated' about that”, or, “...there is sin which leads to death as per the Law: but there is no need for anyone to interrogate or be inquisitive about it.” Reading this with the first factor - "brother" in mind, now the meaning of what John is saying becomes, that, when the Lord has forgiven that person who could not have been forgiven through the Law, and has included him in His Church and made him a member of His family as a child of God, then why should some person be interrogating about his sins; what need does anyone have of inquiring about his sins? He may have committed a sin which is unforgivable according to the Law, but you have nothing to do with the person's sins being forgivable or not, therefore there is no need for you to interrogate or inquire about them.

           If we see this verse, 1 John 5:16, in context of its preceding verses, then too this interpretation fits in with what is being said in those verses. In 1 John 5:13-15 John is explaining to his readers that through faith in the Lord Jesus they have not only received eternal life, but they also been given the confidence to ask of God, and that if their petitions are in accordance with the will of God then having heard their petitions, He will also fulfill them. Since, as per John 3:16 it is God's will to provide eternal life to those who believe on the Lord Jesus, and now since the Law and it's penalties are no longer applicable upon us because of our being in Christ Jesus, therefore they can unhesitatingly ask for pardon and for eternal life being granted to even those, who were not worthy of this on the basis of the Law, and the Lord will grant eternal life even to them.

           It may be possible that on the basis of the Law, some people may have been hesitant and may have doubted that when God has already decreed the death penalty for some sins in the Law, then how can we ask God to go back on His word and change His Law? Here John is encouraging them, that even if someone has committed a sin, which according to the Law is to be punished by death, even then the way has been opened for him, and through the Lord Jesus he has the opportunity to receive forgiveness and eternal life.

Seeking Worldly things from Church Congregations

Question: Is it Biblical for Church Pastors, or Elders and Leaders to ask for worldly things from the Church members, and that too of a superior quality?

Answer:

           In the New Testament, for those who are known as Pastors, or Church Leaders, or Elders, or God's Servants today, the word used in the original Greek language, literally means "Shepherd", or "Care-taker". In the initial Church for this service, and for other responsibilities related to managing the functioning of the Church, it was God who appointed the appropriate persons (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). In those days neither were there any Bible Schools or Colleges, nor was there any necessity of any Theological or Religious educational degree as pre-requisites for taking responsibilities in the Church. God used to raise up and appoint people for working in His Church according to His own standards, and based on the person's sincerity and commitment to the Christian faith. This entrusting of responsibility by God was not on the basis of the person's worldly status, educational qualifications, standing in the society, age or seniority and experience, or any other worldly considerations. As the Gospel spread and the Christian Believers continued to mature and grow in faith, God too then passed on the responsibility of appointing the Church Leaders or Care-takers to those faithful and committed persons whom He had initially appointed as leaders; but they were to do so based upon the standards and criteria that God had provided to them for this purpose, (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-7). Depending upon the needs of the given Church, these Elders or Leaders, could be one or more than one (Philippians 1:1). The current trends, firstly of becoming a leader or an Elder in the Church by virtue of some educational qualification, worldly status, or through garnering votes in an election, and secondly the belief that looking after the Church and working for it’s progress is the responsibility of only a few individuals, are neither from God nor Biblical; rather they are a corruption of God’s ways that has been brought in by unregenerate men.

           Moreover, another very important aspect to be noted and seriously pondered upon is that the appointment of certain people to positions of responsibility in the Church does not mean the exclusion of the rest of the congregation from being involved in Church and Faith related responsibilities. From the very beginning, all Christian Believers have been called "a Royal Priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9), and "Priests" to God (Revelation 1:6), drawing upon the Old Testament terminology and office of being appointed to serve God and convey God’s Word and instructions to people in general. Therefore it is evident that to be a "Priest" of God in the Church of God is not just the responsibility of an Elder or Pastor; rather, in God's eyes, each and every one of His Born Again children is a "Priest" and has to function so. And just as for the Old Testament priests it was essential not only to be committed to God, but also to be rooted and established in God's Word, similarly today each Christian Believer too should not only be committed to the Lord but also be rooted and established in God's Word. Actually speaking, being rooted and established in God's Word, i.e. loving God’s Word, is the one and only sign of a person’s being committed to the Lord and of loving Him, as stated by the Lord Jesus (John 14:21, 23-24); other than this no other sign of recognizing a person’s commitment to the Lord has been given in the Bible (1 John 2:3-6). Give it a thought, if every child of God diligently spent time and effort in learning and being rooted in God’s Word as a “Priest” to God, would any false teacher or “leader” be able to beguile and mislead God’s people through false teachings and wrong doctrines, as is so often happening today? And, how strong and effective would the Church then become!

           Since all Christian Believers are also God’s Priests, therefore, God has kept some service or the other for each and every one of His 'Priests', i.e. the Christian Believers (Ephesians 2:10); so that through that service not only the Believer but also the whole Church may get benefited. To enable every Believer to carry out and fulfill his appointed service, every Christian Believer has been given some talent or gift by God (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11), so that by putting that gift to good use the Church may progress, the people of the Church may be effective witnesses for the Lord, and the Gospel may spread. Hence for the growth, functioning, managing of Church affairs, and fulfilling the various needs and responsibilities in the Church, every “Priest” i.e. every Christian Believer should be actively involved in the Church.

           In the early Church the Elders and Leaders of the Church were not placed there for ruling over the Church or for using the Church for personal gains, instead they were there to serve the Church. Peter in his first letter, has called the Lord Jesus the "Chief Shepherd", and has instructed those appointed as "shepherds" over the Church to serve the people: “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade awayy” (1 Peter 5:1-4). It is evident from this section that the Elders or shepherds of the Church were to be those who served the people of the Church, not those who received services from the people of the Church. The Elders or Care-takers in the Church ought to give the people of the Church true and factual teachings about God's Word and spiritual living, they should be a model for the people to emulate, they have to help and guide the people in learning and following the truth. The Elders or Leaders should neither exercise authority over the congregation, nor domineer over them for personal gains and benefits, nor use them as a means of acquiring worldly possessions. A true Elder or Care-taker is one who follows the instructions given by the Lord and takes care of his flock in the fear of the Lord; not to earn worldly possessions through them but to fulfill his God given responsibilities, with the realization that one day he surely will have to give an answer to the Lord about the state and welfare of his flock, because the Lord will summon everyone to receive an account (Matthew 25:19), no one will escape their accountability.

           It is the responsibility of the people of the Church as well to ensure that those who have been appointed for Church related services over them, and are also fulfilling their responsibilities, are properly looked after and their needs are met without any reluctance or hesitation by the congregation (1 Corinthians 9:1-14; Galatians 6:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Hebrews 13:7, 17). An important point to be noted in each of these references from the Bible is that it is either stated or implied here that the first responsibility is of the Care-taker to provide an appropriate and proper fulfilling of his responsibilities towards the Church; and in response to that service, the people of the Church have been asked to look after that Care-taker and meet his needs. In other words, it is first the responsibility of the Elder or Leader to give to the Church – his time, his utilization of God given talents and abilities, the understanding and knowledge of God's Word granted to him, etc. to serve the people. Only then, in accordance with his services rendered should he expect the people of the Church to look after him and meet his needs. But at no place in the Bible, not even in the Old Testament, has it been stated or shown that the Care-taker can make demands on the people, or can compel the people of the Church to do something for him.

           In the Old Testament the tribe of Levi had not been allotted any land in Canaan; the descendants of Levi, i.e. the Priests and Levites met their needs from the offerings and donations brought by the people to the Temple, to offer to God, in form of animals, crops, tithes and other things (Numbers 5:9; 18:24; Deuteronomy 14:29). It had been decreed by God that those who brought their offerings to the Temple, whether it was animal or crops, had to bring them of a good quality (Leviticus 22:18-25; 22:22). No defective animal or object could be brought as an offering; to do so was to insult God (Malachi 1:8). Therefore, the idea has developed that things of a good quality should be brought for the Church Elder or Care-taker. But there is far more to it; God had not only decreed that only good things be brought for His offerings, but had also decreed what was to be brought, how much had to be brought, when it was to be brought, and how it had to be offered. The Levites or the Priests were not the ones to decide about these things, they could only act upon and accept that which had been decreed by God. In Jesus’ time, since the Temple officials had corrupted God’s instructions, we see that the Lord Jesus severely reprimanded them (John 2:13-16; Matthew 21:13). But the basic fact was that whatever was brought, was brought to be offered to God; it was never brought with the intention of giving to the priest. Even though the Priest was the end recipient, still whatever was brought to the Temple as an offering was provided to the Priest only after it had first been offered to God. We see in the Bible that when the sons of Eli transgressed God’s commands regarding this, they as well as their father, all had to pay a very heavy price for their misdemeanor (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25, 30-34). In addition, the Priest, as God’s spokesman, was also under and obligation to teach the people the Word of God correctly (Malachi 2:7). In other words, undoubtedly, while the Priest was deserving of good quality physical things from the people, he was also equally responsible to impart good quality spiritual services and teachings to the people.

           As stated above, in the Old Testament times the gifts and offerings brought to the Temple were brought to fulfill the Law; not to give to the priests but to offer to the Lord; and only once they had been offered to the Lord could they be distributed to the priests. Whereas now, in the New Testament there is no instruction to bring any such offering into the Church; although not forbidden, but doing this is voluntary, not compulsory, nowadays. This is a very significant difference between then and now, and it cannot be overlooked or ignored. Presently, whoever is giving anything to a God’s servant is doing so voluntarily, he is under no compulsion to do so. Neither is it in any way necessary that the thing given to the Elder should be considered as something offered to God, or that the thing should first be offered to God and only then be accepted by the Elder. In the New Testament Churches, unlike offerings of the Old Testament, the giving of any offerings is entirely dependent upon the person wanting to give it (2 Corinthians 9:7). To compel any person to make an offering in the name of God, and to thus use the people for providing the desires of the Church leader is a misuse of God’s name and His Word.

           If any Elder or leader of the Church expects to receive good quality things from the people of the Church because in the Old Testament times the Priests, Levites and those serving in the Temple received the good quality things, then that Elder or Church leader should also, like the Priest or Levite of the Old Testament, refrain from possessing worldly things especially related to possessing land, and they should also fulfill their responsibilities towards the House of God and the Word of God just as the Priests and Levites used to do at that time. Therefore, that Elder or Church leader, instead of acquiring worldly possessions and physical abundance from the people of the Church, should first strive to be a spiritual model and mentor for the people of the Church. Hence, he should spend time diligently studying and learning the Word of God from the Lord, and providing factual and correct teachings to the people. We also see that when the priests and Levites did not fulfill their responsibilities as per the instructions of the Lord, then the Lord also penalized them (Ezekiel 34:7-19; Malachi 2:1-9). Similarly, those Elders and Church leaders who desire to receive good quality things from the people on the basis of the instructions given to the Old Testament people of God, should also be careful to see that if they do not serve the Church as per the instructions of the Lord, then they too will be penalized just as the disobedient priests and Levites had been penalized.

           Today it is expected from the servant of the Lord serving as a Care-taker of the Church, to be diligent in his primary responsibility of serving the Church of God, as Paul has taught from the example of his own life. Study 1 Thessalonians, chapter 2; here in verse 9, Paul is writing that in his missionary services of preaching and Church planting, he never became a burden upon anyone; he used to labor to earn to provide for his needs, and while doing this he also taught the Word of God diligently and devotedly (also see Acts 18:3; 20:34-35; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9). Also, after teaching that the Church should look after and provide for the needs of those working for the service of the Lord amongst them, Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:15 goes on to clearly and emphatically refuse seeking for or accepting anything from the Church in lieu of his spiritual services rendered to them; so much so, that he prefers to die rather than take something from the Church for his work amongst them. If today an Elder, or a Care-taker of the Church, on the basis of examples and instances from God’s Word desires to receive some physical and worldly things from the Church, then why should he make the Old Testament the basis for this? Why don’t they take Paul as an example and model from the present day applicable New Testament teachings, and learn from him, emulate him (1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:9)?

           Quite sadly, nowadays, such desired and expected commitment to God’s Word and work is rarely seen. This is because in nearly all the Churches, the instructions and decrees of God for the people and leaders of the Churches have been replaced by denominational laws, rules and ways that have been decided by men in the name of God, and applied to be followed in the Churches. And while these Church managers have no hesitation or remorse for their breaching and disobeying God’s Laws for His Churches; yet they are very particular and rigid in their stand that their given rules and laws should not be breached or neglected, else dire consequences will follow. To fulfill the responsibilities related to the functioning of the Church people are now appointed not according to God’s standards and instructions but according to standards, qualifications, criteria and methods determined by men. Therefore the Leaders and Care-takers of the Church hardly ever see it as a God given responsibility, but more often they see this responsibility as a “job” to which they have been appointed by certain men, in a certain Denomination or Sect. And since this “job” has been given to them based on certain man determined criteria, qualifications, and “abilities,” therefore most of the Care-takers of the Churches live and work to please not God but their denominational human officials and superiors who not only have appointed them, but can also influence not only their continuing in their “job” but also their future prospects, promotions, and their welfare in the denomination where they are employed – what a striking contrast to Paul’s statement of Galatians 1:10. So it is no surprise that though they use the name of God, they have no fear of God, no sense of accountability to God, and only a perfunctory concern for their congregation; their primary concern is to serve and satisfy their officials, and fulfill their own needs and purposes through the congregation. None of them dares to point out or speak up against anything wrong, unethical, or unBiblical being asked or done by their superiors (compare with Galatians 2:11-18); rather, while perfunctorily serving in the name of God they aspire and strive to reach those positions of authority and superiority by any means – fair or foul, so that they too can enjoy the worldly benefits of that position (compare with Colossians 3:1-5). God’s name and service has become a means to serve their own bellies for them (Romans 16:18; Philippians 3:19), and their commitment and sincerity has come to be directed not towards God and His Word but towards their worldly, human officers and superiors – Paul has called them “enemies of the Cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18).

           It is the God given responsibility of the Church congregation as well as of the Care-takers of the Churches that both sides fulfill their God ordained obligations towards each-other and meet each-other’s physical and spiritual needs; always bearing in mind that one day they will have to answer to the Lord for the fulfillment of their responsibilities. No one can escape having to give an account to the Lord, nor can anyone escape receiving due rewards – good or bad, for what they have done, or not done. Be ready; the day of reckoning is coming soon.

Purpose of the Sufferings of Job

Question: Why did Job have to suffer, though he was righteous?

Answer:

We should look at Job’s story in the light of two verses from the New Testament: Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”; and James 5:11 “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”  James 5:11 is a validation of Romans 8:28 for Job – all the troubles that Satan brought upon Job, were eventually turned by God into a blessing, not only for Job but also for his friends, who had the opportunity of learning about God and His righteousness, firsthand, through an unforgettable experience and lesson.

As we read the first chapter of the Book of Job, we are made aware of two very important things about Job. One is that Job’s righteousness (Job 1:1), though vouched for by God (Job 1:8; 2:3), was actually a righteousness of “works” (Job 1:5), which was also affirmed by his friend Eliphaz (Job 4:6); and second, Job’s fear of God was motivated more from a sense of averting personal harm to him and his family members, than from a sense of actually worshiping God for who God is (Job 3:25). Job himself confesses this while he recounts the good works that he did towards other people, “For destruction from God is a terror to me, And because of His magnificence I cannot endure” (Job 31:23). By virtue of his works, Job was righteous in his own eyes (Job 32:1; 34:5) – a potentially fatal flaw which could have destroyed him through pride. God intended to correct this state of Job’s fallible “righteousness of works”, and bring Job around to the ever-enduring state of “righteousness of faith” that would never falter, never diminish, and against which Satan could never ever have any hold or strength.

God did this by using Satan’s desire to test Job for his reverence and integrity. Through Satan, and the accusations of his friends, God allowed Job to be emptied of all his physical resources, wisdom, capabilities, and temporal status, in which he could have gloried or boasted. Once that had been done, instead of answering any of the questions that Job had asked about his woes, or said for justifying Himself God before, or raised about God's allowing Satan to trouble Job, God confronted Job with His magnificence and creative power, with God’s unfathomable wisdom, and abilities, whereby He governs, regulates, and takes care of everything in the whole of universe. Thereby God brought Job to the realization that despite Job’s insignificance in the universe he was still personally and intimately known by and cared for by God. God also brought Job to the realization of the worthlessness of the righteousness which Job gloried in and tried to maintain and protect through his attempts to appease God – in a sense, Job had been trying to manipulate and use God to serve his selfish ends.

Now, having come to realize God’s stature, irreproachable wisdom and abilities, Job immediately realizes how foolish he was to claim any righteousness of his own through his works and his trying to use God for the same. Job therefore immediately confesses his being vile (Job 40:4-5). And as God continues to further confront him, Job confesses his foolishness and repents (Job 42:1-6) – the very thing that God had intended (James 5:11) and had been driving him to. As Job acknowledges his actual status before God and repents for it, God forgives him (1 John 1:9), and not only restores Job’s losses, but gives him twice as much (Job 42:10) – Romans 8:28 realized for Job; and through Job gives a lesson in righteousness to Job’s friends as well (Job 42:7-8).

So, in fact, Job’s woes were not actually woes, but the Master Craftsman – the Lord God, through the ploys of Satan, was chiseling away the redundant bits, rubbing off the sharp and abrasive parts, and polishing to a glorious shine one of His masterpieces, to give Job a form, stature, and beauty that would ever remain secure and would never be tarnished by anything that Satan may have planned against Job, and would also serve to teach rich spiritual lessons to God’s children down the ages.

Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Death

Question:

Why did God forbid man to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? Did God lie in saying that you will die on eating the fruit? 

Answer:

To comment upon, and for an expository study of God’s Word the Bible, and to understand or explain them, certain essential principles ought to be followed, so as to have a proper understanding, and to be able to correctly explain or teach the things from the Bible. One of these essential principles and a basic fact is that God never lies, and since “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1), therefore, the Word of God too will never be untruthful or fraudulent, and therefore will never contradict its any other part or portion. The Lord God who claimed that He is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6) can He be considered a liar? Therefore, if there is any error or contradiction in the understanding of any part of God’s Word, then it is absolutely certain, that the error or contradiction is in our understanding or exposition of the Word, and not in the Bible. Therefore, instead of accepting that error or contradiction we should deeply and prayerfully study that portion of God’s Word, re-consider its interpretation and ascribed meanings, ponder over them, and correct our understanding and exposition of that part of God’s Word, instead of trying to correct the Word of God.

In doing this some things have been very helpful for me; whenever I have a doubt about the meaning or exposition of any of the words of the Bible, to have a correct understanding and meaning of those words I pray about it to God, and I prayerfully look at their original Hebrew (for the Old Testament) or Greek (for the New Testament) language words used. I do not know either Hebrew or Greek, but the details of the words and their translation into English, their usage and various meanings is readily available through the internet for everybody. Simultaneously I also look at that portion in various translations of the Bible to see how the different translators have presented the meaning or thought behind those words. While doing this I make it a point to see Young's Literal Translation (YLT) which gives a literal translation of the word from the original language, instead of the possible meaning as determined by the translators. If there still remains any doubt or confusion only then do I go to different Commentaries to see what the commentators have said about that word or that portion. I very rarely need to use this last recourse; very often in answer to prayers, God clears up the confusion as I look at the various meanings and usages of that word in its original language, and if still some doubt or confusion remains, then it usually gets clarified by reading it up in the various translations.

  Therefore before approaching this topic it is essential that we get rid of the notion that God spoke a lie – it is an insult to God to say, believe, or imply any such thought about God and His Word.

  Now, let us consider the two questions; First, why did God not want that man should eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? This is quite commonly seen in all our families that not everything in the house is for the use of every member of the family, and usually children are forbidden from using many things in the house. Those children are a part of the family, they have a right to those things as part of their familial property and inheritance, but they are not permitted to use them till they attain a certain age, ability and understanding regarding the use of those things. For example take the things commonly and very often used in the kitchen of the house e.g. knife, or matches, or some electrical equipment; or some machinery used by adults e.g. motorcycle, car or any other machinery. As the children grow up, learn to use those things carefully and properly, develop an understanding regarding the appropriate and inappropriate ways of using those things, learn about the precautions to be observed while using those things, they also get the permission to start using those things. Adam and Eve were created as adults, but in context of the things of the world and of using them, they were still not experienced enough! God had never said that they would never ever get to eat the fruits of those two trees (Genesis 2:9). God had forbidden it in the beginning; but it was possible that after some time, once they had reached a certain maturity God might have permitted them to eat the fruits; but by letting the serpent beguile them they destroyed everything. When God created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, had kept that tree in the Garden of Eden, and had asked Adam to tend the garden (Genesis 2:15), a clear indication that at some point God would have permitted them to partake of the fruit (1 Corinthians 9:9, 10, 13). Therefore to believe that God did not want it to happen, is to fall for Satan’s same ploy and commit the same mistake as Eve; and this mistake will then provoke to disobey and then sin against God. Before accusing God, it is better to study His Word thoroughly and correct our own misconceptions.

  Now let us look at the second question: Death because of eating of the fruit is stated in Genesis 2:17. The YLT says for this verse – “and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it--dying thou dost die” – In the original Hebrew language it is not said that “you will die as soon as you eat it” or that “you will die immediately on eating it.” Even the English translations commonly say “you will surely die” meaning, “you most certainly will die”, but not what is commonly and often understood, that “you will immediately die.” There is a world of a difference between these two meanings. ‘Immediately’ means ‘at that very moment’; whereas ‘surely’ means that ‘it is inevitable’ that you will die – but it is not being stated or indicated when this will happen, the only thing said is that you certainly cannot escape death; death will inevitably come upon you. The translation given in YLT – “dying thou dost die” means “in the process of dying you will eventually die;” in other words, from the moment you eat of the fruit you will begin to die, the process of your eventual death will be set into motion, and eventually you will surely die – does not every person begin to die from the moment he is born? But here in the Bible, nowhere is it said when and how this process of dying will come to completion. When we see the subsequent events we see that this is what actually happened – Adam and Eve (and then all their progeny) died at an age (and are continuing to die). God had said ‘you will surely die’, and they surely did die – here the word ‘immediately’ has been inserted by the (mis)interpretors and (mis)expositors, it has not been stated by God. So, now, is their any lie or falsehood in what God had actually said? Is it justified to accuse God of a lie because of people misinterpreting what He actually said?

  Before accusing God of of a wrong we would do well to repeatedly and thoroughly examine the basis of our accusation, pray about it and tell God clearly and unhesitatingly “I am unable to understand, or accept this thing, please clear my doubts about it” and He will do so (James 1:5). But please don’t ever accuse God of wrongdoings, it has very serious एंड deleterious consequences.

True Gospel versus False Beliefs and False Doctrines

Question: Can we learn the truth about the Lord Jesus and His Gospel from false doctrines and beliefs? How can we identify the true Gospel?

It is a common occurrence and a well-known fact, that to sell fake copies of some well-known product, the deceivers try to make the outer appearance or the presentation of the fake product as near to the genuine product as possible so that people are deceived into accepting and procuring that fake copy, in the belief that it is the actual product. It is only when people make use of that fake product, they realize that it is not what it was actually claimed to be – it’s qualities are not the same as the qualities of the actual product, neither is it as efficacious as it ought to be.

The same holds true for the true Gospel and teachings of God given in the Bible. Satan, to deceive the people, has brought into circulation many different varieties of fake copies of the Gospel and the Word of God. These fake gospels sound like the true Gospel, but they always have some errors and deviations from the true Gospel, which may not be immediately evident, but does come to the fore sooner than later. Also, to accept the contention that God warns us through false religions and false doctrines, is to say that God approves and uses falsehood and untruth to convey His message of “…the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6) – a patently false and untenable assertion, that contradicts the character and attributes of God, and is absolutely contrary to the teachings of God’s Word the Bible. In support, consider a few passages from the Bible in this context:

In Acts 16:16-18 we see that Paul casts out an evil spirit from a girl, even though the evil spirit through the girl kept saying that "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17) – a fact, but coming through someone unacceptable to God.

James says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13); and “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

The Apostle John in his first epistle says, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).

The Bible over and over again, emphasizes God’s absolute truthfulness, unwavering honesty, irreproachable integrity, impeccable justice, i.e. a behavior and character way above any reproach or doubt. There is no way that God has, or will use false doctrines and religions to spread His Word, when He already has given His true and Living Word to mankind, and has also given His people His Holy Spirit to teach them His Word (John 14:26; 16:13-15; 1 Corinthians 2:11-14). The Lord Jesus, after His resurrection and before His ascension into heaven, in His Great Commission to His disciples has asked them to go and teach to the people of the world nothing contrived or from human wisdom, but that which is His Word (Matthew 28:18-20).

But Satan, to make his lies, false teachings and wrong doctrines etc. to be acceptable, makes his ploys appear and sound like God’s Word, cleverly disguising the wrong things behind a veneer of religiosity and seeming acceptability (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Colossians 2:4-8; 16-23). Therefore it is imperative that we firmly ground ourselves in God’s Word, and use the Bible and the Bible alone as the standard to check and judge all teachings, religions and doctrines (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). Anything that is not according to God’s Word, or contradicts it in any manner; or any teaching or doctrine that does not satisfy or does not fully go along with all that is said regarding any issue or topic; or anything adopted from and incorporated from ways of the world and/or from the wisdom and practices of men (Matthew 15:3-9) into the teachings and practices of Biblical Christianity, is a false doctrine, a false religion, something displeasing and unacceptable to God, and is to be discarded, disregarded.

The true Gospel, is stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15 is the ‘Gospel chapter’ of the Bible – study it to see and understand the various truths related to the Gospel). Please take note, the true Gospel is according to the Scriptures and is not of human ingenuity; in other words, there is nothing in the true Gospel that has not already been stated in the Scriptures.

Understand this from the Bible itself:
Hebrews 10:5-9 records the statement of the Lord Jesus just before He left heaven to come down to earth; it says: “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- In the volume of the book it is written of Me-- To do Your will, O God.' " Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law), then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second.” The Lord Jesus is specifically stating that His work has already been recorded “In the volume of the book ” and in carrying out that which has been written, He will be fulfilling the will of God; in other words, it is already recorded; Christ Jesus did not devise anything new.
When the Lord Jesus met the two disciples returning from Jerusalem to Emmaus after His resurrection, and engaged in conversation with them, “And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27) – another affirmation that all that the Lord did, had already been recorded in the then available Scriptures, even before He was born or started His ministry.
The Apostle Paul too, after accepting Jesus as his savior and Lord used the Scriptures – the Old Testament texts to speak about and prove the Lord’s ministry: “vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” and “he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening” (Acts 18:28; 28:23). Therefore, since there is nothing in the true Gospel that has not already been recorded in God’s Word, hence anyone preaching or teaching anything that does not already exist in the Scriptures, in the garb of the Gospel; anyone adding some new features or so called ‘new revelations’ to the Gospel is actually perverting the Gospel and is not to be believed or accepted.

Perversion of this Gospel had started straightaway, in the first century itself, and such was the attraction of these perversions, that within the time period of the Apostles and their ministry, the Christian Believers were already getting deceived and were falling for the wrong teachings. All the writers of the New Testament deal with these issues of wrong teachings and deceptions and Satan’s lies and deviousness in their writings, over and over again. All the epistles in the New Testament were written, and are meant to correct misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding Christ’s teachings, and to confront and nullify the wrong teachings being spread by the devil.

Once we know the characteristics of the true Gospel, we can always use them as the standard to compare every other doctrine and determine whether or not it is genuine. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul gives us some pointers to identify the wrong Gospel in Galatians 1:3-9, and warns us that other than the Gospel already stated, even if Paul himself or an angel tries to modify it or re-state it in a different manner, it is not to be accepted. 

The text of Galatians 1:3-9 is as follows:

Galatians 1:3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

Galatians 1:4 who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Galatians 1:5 to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,

Galatians 1:7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

Galatians 1:9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

We can glean the following facts and characteristics regarding the true Gospel from this passage:

Verse 3. The true Gospel brings God’s grace and peace with it; it is not a source of differences, contentions or strife. Any teaching that does not place God and the Lord Jesus as the source of all grace and peace in our lives, instead if it emphasizes on any kind of human efforts and works to attain God’s grace and peace, or asking to do something to “earn it” instead of receiving it by faith through the grace of God, is not the true Gospel. Since the peace of the Lord Jesus is already granted to every disciple of His (John 14:27; 16:33), so why would anyone have to make any efforts of his own to obtain it?

Verse 4. Any teaching or doctrine or religion that speaks of anything other than, or of anything in addition to the accomplished work on the Cross of Calvary by the Lord Jesus, to save us from our sins and to justify us before God, is a false Gospel, a false doctrine, a false teaching; and ought to be rejected outright. Nothing, absolutely nothing, not even things like Baptism, participation in the Lord’s Table, Confirmation, or any other ritual or practice can in any way supplement or supplant what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for the salvation and redemption of mankind.

Verse 5. Adherence to and following the true Gospel always glorifies God and the Lord Jesus. The true gospel never ever glorifies man; rather, it exposes the sinfulness of man, provides the grace of God as the remedy to sin, and causes the redeemed and saved by God’s grace to glorify God rather than exalt or venerate any human being in any manner, for anything related to salvation, Kingdom of God, and restoration to fellowship with God. That which glorifies any human being, or in any manner takes away from God’s glory, is not the true Gospel.

Verses 6, 7. The ‘different gospel’’ is different because instead of emphasizing and presenting the ‘grace of Christ’ as something of first and foremost importance, leads people away from this primary requirement for salvation - grace. The ‘different gospel’’ may emphasize on things like ‘good works,’ ‘pious or holy living,’ ‘working of miracles’; it may focus on worldly gains and prosperity rather than accumulating heavenly gains (Colossians 3:1-2); on alms, penances, pilgrimages, veneration of saints and other humans; on philosophy, Bible knowledge, status in Church hierarchy, etc. but the one crucial thing missing in that ‘different’ or false gospel will be the emphasis and sole necessity of the grace of Christ for being right with God, for being acceptable to God (Colossians 2). The false Gospel will eventually lead to problems, strife, contentions, hurt and broken relationships, one-upmanship, ego problems, desire and efforts for gaining temporal status and things, etc. instead of the grace and peace of God, as stated in vs. 3.

Verses 8, 9. The Gospel that has once and for all times been delivered is immutable, and cannot be added to or subtracted from, but has to be diligently defended from Satan’s devious ploys (Jude 1:3). No one, not Paul, not any angel, not anyone – howsoever accomplished or worthy of honor he or she may be, can ever make any changes or modifications to the Gospel delivered once and for all times at the beginning of the first Church (Acts 2:37-40; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Anything not found in this primary Gospel, is a ‘different gospel’ – a perversion of the true gospel that has come from the devil, and is not to be accepted or given any credence, let alone be followed. God’s Word calls the purveyors of this false or ‘different’ gospel as ‘accursed’ and it would be patently false and naïve to expect anything blessed from someone or something accursed from God.

By following Paul’s exhortation “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), and subjecting all teachings and doctrines related to God, salvation, and Christ Jesus to the above criteria (and of teachings from 1 Corinthians 15; Colossians 2 & 3), and through the help and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit the genuine can readily be separated from the false.

Will Back-Sliders go to Heaven?

Question:

Once a person is saved, if he back-slides, then will he go to heaven?

Answer:

Whosoever has been saved, i.e., voluntarily and with a true heart, has repented of his sins, accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior, has asked for forgiveness of his sins from Him, and has submitted his life to Him, only that person will go to heaven by the grace of God – but only God knows the actual spiritual condition of man, therefore it is only God who can decide on who will go to heaven, and who will not.

According to God’s Word, the Bible, it is very clear and firmly established that salvation is forever, i.e. is eternal. The writer of the epistle to Hebrews, writing about the Lord Jesus Christ’s work to provide salvation to mankind writes, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” (Hebrews 5:8-9). The Lord Jesus also said that He will give eternal life to all who believe in Him (i.e. an endless and indestructible life for all eternity, eternal life) and at the same time also assured that no one will be able to take the saved ones out of the Lord’s, or God’s hands (John 10:27-29) – this statement of the Lord has very serious and extremely important implications. On the basis of this promise from the Lord, to lose one’s salvation implies that, somehow Satan has been able to snatch away the saved persons from the Lord’s, or God’s hands, and taken possession of them again. If at all somehow this were to be possible, it would mean that three impossibilities have become possible – first, that Satan is more powerful than God; second, that the Lord Jesus spoke a lie, He gave a false assurance that no one will be able to take away a saved person from the hand of the Lord or of God; and third, that the Lord does not know about Satan’s power or His own power, or God’s power; He is just saying things without any basis! Since any and all of this is an absolute impossibility and can never happen, therefore it is evident that any person who has been saved, on the basis of John 10:27-29 can never ever lose his salvation. And since those who are saved are no longer under any condemnation (Romans 8:1), therefore those who are actually saved, will most certainly enter heaven, whatever be their state of maturity in faith and standing in spirituality.

But it is only the Lord God who knows, who is an actual Christian Believer and who is not. For example, take Judas Iscariot; he was called to be a disciple by the Lord, he stayed in fellowship with the Lord, he learnt from the Lord, he too went for preaching in the power and instructions from the Lord, along with the other disciples, and along with the disciples he too preached the gospel, he too did miracles, but in the end he was called ‘the son of perdition’ and ‘the only one lost’ (John 17:12), and went into eternal destruction. The Lord Jesus towards the end of His Sermon on the Mount had said that not everyone who calls Him ‘Lord’ will enter into heaven, even though they may have abundantly preached, worked miracles and done other remarkable works in the Lord’s name – the Lord called all such works as ‘iniquity’ – and made it clear that only they will enter heaven who are obedient to God and work according to the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23). Therefore on the basis of the evident behavior, preaching, and works of any person we can never say for sure that all those who claim to believe in the Lord and everyone who preaches or works in His name, is actually a saved person! Paul also cautioned and exhorted that Satan and his angels come as angels of light and apostles of Christ to deceive people (2 Corinthians 11:3, 13-15). Therefore it is only God who knows the fact of a person’s being saved, and only He can decide, and does decide, about a person’s being saved or not.

The Bible also says that there will be Christian Believers who truly repented and came to the Lord with a true heart, they were really saved, but they did not do anything that could be considered worthy of being rewarded by the Lord. At the time of judgement when their works are evaluated, they will surely enter heaven because they are saved, but will enter empty handed, without any rewards, and remain so forever for all eternity (1 Corinthians 3:9-15). Like for everyone else in the world, even the Christian Believers will face judgment on the basis of their works, rather, the beginning of judgement will be with the Christian Believers (1 Peter 4:17-18), but the judgement of the Christian Believers will not be for their salvation, but for giving them eternal rewards based on the evaluation of their works – salvation is not based upon works, but rewards are based on works. Salvation is only by the grace of God through repentance from sins and coming to faith in the Lord Jesus; not through any works of any kind, nor by fulfilling any traditions, or rituals, or carrying out religious observances of any kind (Ephesians 2:1-9).

There are many such people who after coming into the Christian Faith, for some reason or the other, back-slid or fell away from the Faith, but the Lord in accordance with His promise (Hebrews 13:5) did not leave or forsake them. Sooner or later, through some way, Lord brought them back into the Faith, and subsequently they were used mightily for the Lord, and through their witness and example of returning back into the Faith they became a source of encouragement and courage to others who were weak in, or had fallen away from the Faith. If we look at it from our current context, then the time when the Lord Jesus had taken the penalty of the world’s sins upon Himself, at that time we had no physical existence. Also, nowhere is it written in the Bible that the Lord took upon Himself and suffered the penalty of only those sins of the people which they had committed before coming to the Lord – i.e., the sins they had committed before being saved; and the Lord has left the remedy of their sins committed after their being saved in their own hands, by virtue of their works – this is an impossibility – how can a part of salvation be dependent upon the grace of God, and the remaining part be based on the works of a person? 

The Lord has paid in full, the penalty for all the sins of all the people committed in their entire life-time, at whatever time in the history of the world they have existed. He has made available not a just partial but the complete way out from the deadly consequences of every person's entire sin burden of their entire life-time; now there is nothing left for any person to accomplish by his own efforts to live a saved life. When the Lord has taken upon Himself all the sins of every person, from their birth to their death, has paid in full for them, then which sin is left that will hinder the person from entering heaven? Is his sin of back-sliding or falling away from the Faith not a part of the sins of his lifetime, the price for which has already been paid in full by the Lord? 

And if, supposing, having been cleansed on being saved, a person is able to maintain his life pure and sinless by his own efforts, works, and abilities, then he could have done the same before being saved as well – then the Lord's coming has been in vain; rather, the sinful, mortal man, actually has become greater than the Lord God! Since if this were possible, then man merely by his works, can accomplish that for which the Lord had to leave heaven and come down as a man to earth, suffer ignominy and torture, and had to sacrifice His life – this is an absolutely inconsistent and impossible contention! Moreover, which saved person can in all honesty say that since salvation, he has never – physically, mentally, or in thoughts, ever committed any sin? The Apostle John says: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, 10) – take note that though he was a saved person and an Apostle, yet, through the use of the word "we" he is including himself amongst the sinners referred to in this verse. Therefore what difference if any is left between those who have back-slid or fallen away from the Faith, and those who haven't? The one falling away has also sinned, and those who are still in the Faith, they too have sinned or do sin – and since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), therefore both of them are in a similar situation, and both are justified before God not by their works of any kind, but solely by the grace, forgiveness, and love of God, and both are made acceptable for entry into heaven through the grace and forgiveness of God.

Therefore for those who have back-slid or fallen away from faith, instead of criticizing and condemning them, we should pray for them; and we should leave their returning back into the Faith and being useful for the Lord in the hands of the Lord, to be accomplished according to the time and plan of God.