Did God get it wrong about Donald Trump?

In the months leading up to the Presidential election, numerous Christians claiming to have the gift of prophecy predicted that President Trump would be re-elected. Among these were:

 

·         Pat Robertson (The 700 Club)

·         Kris Vallotton (Bethel Church, Redding, CA)

·         Jeremiah Johnson (Jeremiah Johnson Ministries)

·         Sid Roth (host of “It’s Supernatural”)

 

Many other lesser-known Christians took to social media to share their own prophecies of a Trump victory. Well, today, on Inauguration Day 2021, we can say clearly that these prophecies did not come to pass. What are to make of this observation? If so many prophets agreed in their prediction yet the prediction was not accurate, a disturbing question arises: did God get it wrong about Donald Trump?

 

Perhaps we should ask a different question: are claims of modern-day prophecy actually legitimate?

 

It is this second question that I want to address in this post, because I believe the answer to that question is “no.” I do not believe that the gift of prophecy is still in operation today. (This position is called “cessationism” since it affirms that spiritual gifts like prophecy, healing, and speaking in tongues ceased at an earlier time in church history. The affirmation that such gifts continue is called “continuationism.” We didn’t get very creative with our titles in this area of theology!) In light of the very public prophecies made by those named above (among others), I invite you to consider with me just what has happened here, and that the problem actually lies with a mistaken belief in the continuation of the gift of prophecy.

 

(NOTE: To their credit, both Kris Vallotton and Jeremiah Johnson have now publicly apologized for their recent prophecies of a Trump win. See https://religionunplugged.com/news/2021/1/12/charismatics-are-at-war-with-each-other-over-failed-prophecies-of-trump-victory)

 

I always approach posts like this with a bit of unease since I am now publicly declaring a disagreement with some people whom I respect and care about. On this issue, that group would include personal friends as well as respected continuationist theologians like Wayne Grudem, Gordon Fee, and Craig Keener. I have been blessed by the ministries of the men just named, so I don’t take disagreement with them lightly; nevertheless, it is where I stand.

 

Since this post seems destined to be rather lengthy, let me give you the outline so you can scroll ahead to later sections if you wish:

 

Why address this question?

1.      The world has heard these prophecies and taken note of their failure

2.      Failed prophecies can weaken the faith of believers

3.      The question of modern-day prophecy has big implications for a local church

 

Why I don’t accept the validity of modern-day prophecy

1.      The fact of failed prophecies

2.      The conviction that Scripture is all we need for doctrine and behavior

 

Why address this question?

 

1. The world has heard these prophecies and taken note of their failure.

 

Do a simple Google search for “failed prophecies about Donald Trump” and you’ll find blog posts, letters to newspapers, and other articles in which non-Christians are gloating over the failure of these prophecies. I fear that serious damage has been done to the credibility of Christianity in the eyes of those who don’t believe.

 

It’s one thing to play the role of pundit and get it wrong. In that role, you are only claiming to have keen personal insight; it is only your reputation that’s on the line. But when you play the role of a prophet, you’re putting God’s reputation on the line as you claim to speak for Him. The esteem that others have for Him will correspondingly take a hit when a prophecy is proven false. I grieve when I read the condescending words of those who mock the Christian faith after observing those who mistakenly think they have heard a prophecy from God.

 

2. Failed prophecies can weaken the faith of believers.

 

I also grieve as I consider what those who believed these prophecies must be thinking. Whenever someone expects God to do one thing but He does another, that person’s faith can be shaken to its core. Sometimes a person’s faith doesn’t survive the disillusionment.

 

A failed prophecy can raise all kinds of faith-weakening questions. Did God not know enough to make the right announcement to His prophets? Did He have a plan in mind but He just wasn’t powerful enough to bring it to pass? Is He not wise enough to communicate to His prophets in an unmistakable way? Any of these questions will lead to a diminishing of God if you let them take root in your mind—but they are all strongly implied in a failed prophecy. If you let them run to their logical conclusion, you end up with a God who doesn’t inspire worship, so consequently, some people just stop worshipping Him.

 

I fear that many believers today just don’t appreciate how serious a claim it is to claim to speak in the name of God. It is a serious business with potentially everlasting consequences. If you claim to give someone a message from God and set them up to have false expectations, you may unwittingly become an accomplice to the unraveling of their faith.

 

3. The question of modern-day prophecy has big implications for a local church.

 

Every local congregation of Christians has to answer the questions, “What should we teach?” and “What should we do?” As a pastor, I want to teach my congregation everything that God has truly revealed. I grieve just knowing that some of my people have never read the entire Bible—if I thought we were missing out on new revelations from God through modern-day prophets, I would be beside myself! Man does not live by bread alone, according to Christ, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt 4:4). If God is truly speaking through modern-day prophets, there is no question what a church should do—it should catalogue and study these revelations just the same as we study the words of the prophets of old. A church would be unfaithful and irresponsible to do anything else.

 

The question of modern-day prophecy also has big implications for how a church makes decisions. Imagine the potential difficulties if one part of a congregation expects God to lead the church by means of only one source (the written Scriptures) but another part of the congregation expects God to lead the church by means of two sources (the written Scriptures and modern-day prophets). What happens when the modern-day prophet speaks? How could a church take unified action in that case?

 

Think of it like this: imagine two Colonels in the Army out in the field together leading troops. One Colonel believes the General will only communicate with them through a personal messenger; the other Colonel believes the General may communicate with them through a personal messenger or over the radio. If a message comes over the radio purporting to be from the General, how can the two Colonels take unified action? One of them doesn’t even believe the General intends to communicate that way!

 

You can see how this whole question of communication can present quite a quandary. Thus, it is really a vital question for a church—vital enough that a church really can’t avoid taking a side on the issue. People are claiming to speak new revelations in the name of the Lord, and we have to decide if we’re going to believe them or not.

 

Why I don’t accept the validity of modern-day prophecy

 

1. The fact of failed prophecies

 

These failed prophecies concerning Donald Trump are just the latest failed prophecies from those who claim to have the gift of prophecy today. Interestingly, most continuationists do not dispute that predictions from modern-day prophets have at times failed to come to pass. These instances are usually explained away through appeals to a non-literal interpretation of the prediction, interference with the fulfillment from the demonic realm, or a misunderstanding on the part of the prophet. At least one continuationist theologian (Wayne Grudem) has, since the late 1980’s, attempted to defend the idiosyncratic view that the genuine gift of prophecy in the NT yields prophetic statements that might be a mixture of truth and error! (For an excellent though somewhat technical critique of Grudem’s position, see https://www.tms.edu/m/tmsj2h.pdf)

 

This simple observation about failed prophecies puts modern-day prophecy in very hot water when we consider the test for a true word from God in Deuteronomy 18:21-22:

 

“And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’--

when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”

 

That final statement—“you need not be afraid of him”—must refer to future predictions from this so-called prophet. If the prediction under consideration has already failed to come to pass, then it is obvious that we do not need to heed that word. It would be redundant for God to state what the people would have already learned for themselves.

 

Thus, God was telling the people that they need not fear any later predictions from this person. This observation creates a standard of 100% accuracy for a true prophet of God. If a person claims to be delivering a revelation from God but makes a false prediction even once, he or she is disqualified from being a genuine prophet. This standard is one that modern-day prophets demonstrably have not met; thus, I conclude that the genuine gift of prophecy must not be in operation today.

 

2. The conviction that Scripture is all we need for doctrine and behavior

 

Historic Protestantism has always taken its stand on sola Scriptura—Scripture alone as our authority for doctrine and behavior. This claim about Scripture’s sufficiency for such needs seems only proper in light of statements like 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

 

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete [other translations: adequate, thoroughly equipped, thoroughly furnished], equipped for every good work.”

 

If the written Scriptures are enough revelation to make us adequate and thoroughly equipped for every good work, what need is there for further revelation through prophets today? A defense of continuing revelation can only amount to an affirmation that Scripture is not all the revelation we need to learn what God wants us to know about Him and His plans; that Scripture is not sufficient to allow us to make wise decisions about how we should behave. As I mentioned earlier, if modern-day prophets possess the genuine gift of prophecy, we should be hanging on to their every word in the same way that we seek to hang on to every word of the written Scriptures.

 

If you’re reading this and you’re Protestant, please consider two observations. First, you should already be comfortable with the claim that God ceased to give new revelations during at least one period in the past—the Inter-Testamental Period, those 400 years between the time of Malachi and the ministry of John the Baptist. If God ceased to give new revelations during that time, it should not be shocking to consider that He may have ceased again after the New Testament was completed.

 

Second, consider that many of the doctrinal differences that you as a Protestant have with other groups stem from claims of ongoing revelation. Progressive/Liberal Christians view the Scriptures not as a unique, once-for-all revelation from God but as a time-bound, historically-conditioned record of encounters with God that can still be expected to happen today (and that might correct erroneous viewpoints that Christians held in the past). The Roman Catholic Church teaches that God might still give new, binding, authoritative revelations to the faithful through the Magisterium of the Church. This belief is the source of distinctive Roman Catholic viewpoints on Mary and the saints, among other issues. Then of course there are the pseudo-Christian cults that rely on post-biblical writings or modern-day prophets as sources of revelation. So historic Protestantism has been unique in its emphasis on the sufficiency of Scripture, and I believe this emphasis must be sounded again to correct the misunderstanding of those who would promote a continuation of the gift of prophecy.

 

I realize that what I have written here is not all that could be said on this subject and it won’t settle the matter to everyone’s satisfaction, but this much at least needs to be said in this moment. You may have believed the prophecies about Donald Trump and might be very disillusioned today. Rather than allow your disillusionment to color your thoughts about God, I urge you to consider that what I have said is true—that the fault for failed prophecies lies not with God, but in a very unfortunate misunderstanding about the continuation of the gift of prophecy. 

Hearing From God Through the Bible--Life with God Series

            When I graduated from high school, I walked across the stage with people who were my best friends in the whole world. Some of them I had known since I was in kindergarten, and I had so many great memories with them. On that day, I couldn’t have even imagined that just one year later, I would have very little contact with most of those people.

            That’s how it goes for many people with their high school friends, and it’s all because communication dies off. When you were in school together, it didn’t take any effort at all to communicate. You saw them every day, you were in the same classes and activities together, and so you were always communicating.

            But after graduation, you may have gone to different schools; you now lived in different places. All of a sudden, communication took effort. You didn’t just run into each other anymore, so now you had to initiate communication if it was going to happen. And for many people, that communication with their high school friends slowly fades away, and the depth of those relationships goes with it.

            This is a principle that’s as certain as death and taxes – if you don’t communicate with someone on a regular basis, the depth of your relationship with them will disappear. Communication is the heartbeat of a relationship, and when that heartbeat grows weak, the relationship will atrophy and eventually die.

            A lack of communication with God is likely the main reason why many Christians do not enjoy the close bond with God that they would like to have. Now last week, we learned that the main way in which God has made himself known to us was by sending Jesus into the world. And today, the way that we get to know Jesus is by reading about his teachings and actions in the Bible. So God’s channel of communication to us today is the Bible. If we want to communicate with God, we must hear what he has to say in the Bible.

            Today, I’d like to show you what kinds of ideas and information God communicates to us in the Bible. We have a great summary of these ideas in 2 Timothy 3:16, and alongside that verse I’m going to bring in numerous statements from Psalm 119—a psalm that is all about the Word of God.

What kinds of ideas does God communicate to us in the Bible?

            2 Timothy 3:16 is one of the most important verses you will ever read about the Bible. It is the Bible’s testimony about itself, we might say, and the last part of the verse gives us a helpful word picture for understanding what it is that God communicates to us in the Bible. Let’s read this verse, and then we’ll focus on each of the four parts of this word picture [READ 2 Tim. 3:16].

            The picture here is that in the Bible, God reveals to us the proper path to follow in life. He also alerts us if we get off that path and shows us how to get back on the path. Finally, he instructs us in how to stay on the path from that point forward. Let’s look at each of these ideas in turn.

Teaching

            In its teaching function, the Bible shows us how to think and how to act in the proper ways. It tells us the true story of how we got here, why we are here, and what we are supposed to do in life. In this way, the Bible shows us the path that we should follow in order to live out God’s will.

            Psalm 119 describes this teaching function in verses 9-11: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

            Notice the emphasis at the end of verse 11 – if I want to stay on the right path and avoid sin, my heart has to be a warehouse for the word! I have to store up God’s message in my heart so that I can then distribute it to my mind, my emotions, and my will. Otherwise, how will my mind know the proper ways to think? How will my will respond in ways that are proper for me to act? Yes, I can always look up God’s teachings in the Bible when I have a question about them, but that’s a far cry from having those teachings tucked away in my heart to where they become part of me.

            College basketball coaches often talk about how young players think too much when they’re out on the court. The plays aren’t yet like second nature for them; they’re not yet familiar with their teammates’ tendencies, and so young players tend to make a lot of mistakes because all of that information hasn’t yet been internalized. They have to slow down and think about a lot of things, but the game doesn’t slow down for them, and so it forces them into a lot of mistakes.

            Isn’t that just how life comes at us? We have to make 100 decisions off-the-cuff every day! Life has no pause button, so when your toddler throws a fit and your temper flares up, you don’t have the opportunity to say, “Stop! Let me go to Bible Gateway and look up 10 verses on anger.”

            The Bible gives us God’s teachings, and we need to internalize those teachings in order to know them and obey them. Even if you never memorize very many verses word for word, you have to know the essence of God’s message – the gist of it – so that you’ll know how he wants you to think and how he wants you to act.

But we don’t always stay on the right path, so God also uses the Bible to express another kind of idea.

Reproof

            A reproof is a statement of correction; it’s a declaration that you have done wrong. That’s not always the kind of thing we want to hear, but if we have in fact done wrong, we need to know it! God is very kind to provide reproofs and rebukes for us as we read the Bible. He has accomplished this by naming sinful attitudes and actions in the Bible, so as we study the Word, we discover instances where some of our own behaviors are labeled as being sinful.

            Though it’s not always pleasant to be told that you’ve done wrong, it is necessary and it is very beneficial for us if we will learn from it. The author of Psalm 119 recognized this. In verse 67, he wrote, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” He repeated that thought just a few verses later in verse 71: “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”

            So reproofs are to the soul what physical pain is to the body. Pain tells us that something is wrong; something about our physical condition needs to be addressed before we have greater and greater problems. Reproofs give us that same kind of alert about our spiritual condition, and so they are very good for our souls if we will respond to them properly.

Now God, in his grace, doesn’t just tell us that we’ve done wrong – he also tells us how to correct the situation. And so, we find that the Bible expresses a third kind of idea.

Correction

            In the Bible, God also explains to us how to get back on the right path after we have wandered off of it. And so, we read about actions like repentance, which is a change of mind about what we have done. When we repent, we move from thinking that our actions were okay to deciding that they were not acceptable – and in fact they were sinful.

            We also read about an action like confession, in which we express our change of mind to the Lord. When we confess our sins to him, we lay aside any justifications or excuses that we may have had for our actions, and we acknowledge that he is right to call our actions sinful. God encourages us to confess our sins by giving us a promise like that in 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

            How wonderful it is that God has given us that promise! When we come to understand that we have sinned, we may be devastated by that realization. We can then echo the words of Psalm 119:28 – “My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!” It is the promise of God that gives us reassurance and comfort after we have gone astray, as the psalmist acknowledges in Psalm 119:58 – “I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.”

            So once we have repented of our sins and confessed them to God, we are ready to get back on the right track. If we have harmed anyone else by our actions, the Bible also teaches us how to ask for forgiveness and pursue reconciliation with others. So we can leave that bad detour behind us and get going again down the proper path.

As we get heading in the right direction again, our desire is to avoid taking any more disastrous detours, and so the fourth kind of idea that God communicates to us is training in righteousness.

Training in Righteousness

            As God trains us, he shows us how to stay on the right path even when we might be tempted to go astray. Training in any endeavor is meant to teach us how to successfully accomplish the task that is set out for us. Training on the job is meant to show you how to do what you’ve been hired to do, and so you learn the computer systems that you might have to use or the techniques for your job, and you also get some instruction in how to troubleshoot problems that you may encounter. Training in a sport is meant to teach you the skills that you need to be successful and to train your body and mind for the demands of the game.

            God’s training gives us the “how to” of the Christian life. How do we follow the commands that he has given us? In the Bible, we learn about the resources that we have – like the power of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual gifts that he has given to us, and the bonds of support and encouragement that we have with other Christians.

            God’s training also answers the “why” question about our motivation for obeying him. In the Bible, we learn that even little creatures like ourselves can bring tremendous praise to God as we obey him. We can also gain rewards from him for faithfully obeying his commands. By learning about these things, we come to see that we have tremendous motivation for walking down the path of obedience.

            As we learn about the how and the why of obedience from the Bible, we can learn the attitudes of the psalmist in Psalm 119. We can learn how to obey despite opposition from others – “Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes (v. 23).” We can learn to honor and adore the Lord as we see his promises carried out – “Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared (v. 38).” We can learn to love and delight in the word of God – “The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces (v. 72).”

            God communicates with us through the Bible, so make it a point to regularly read what God has to say in the word. Read it or listen to an audio Bible; memorize it or ask someone else to read it to you. Whatever it takes, get familiar with God’s teachings in the Bible, then continue to learn them until they become part of you – until they control the way that you think before you even think about it; until they direct your will before you even realize it. If you will devote yourself to hearing from God through the Bible, you will find the deep friendship with God that you desire.

"But What About..."--Eternal Security series

Over the last few weeks, I have presented what I believe is a strong case for the belief that a Christian can never lose his or her salvation. Along the way, I’ve mentioned a few times that there are Christians who disagree with me over this issue, and I’m sure many of you knew that before we ever started this series. People whom I consider brothers and sisters in Christ have come to a different conclusion about this subject, and I think our disagreement is sad and unfortunate, but nevertheless, it is the reality that we face today.

Now, as I’ve mentioned this disagreement, perhaps you’ve thought to yourself, “What’s led to all of this? Why do Christians disagree about whether or not we can lose our salvation?” Well, to put it simply, as we read through the Bible, we encounter verses that seem to give us every reason to believe that our salvation is secure, but we also encounter verses that give us strong warnings about the possibility of losing something through disobedience or unbelief. Let me show you what I mean through the words of a few of the authors of Scripture:

From Jesus

• John 6:37—“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

• John 10:27-28—“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

• John 15:6—“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

• Matthew 10:33—“Whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

From Paul

• Romans 8:38-39—“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor power, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

• 1 Corinthians 9:26-27—“So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”

From Peter

• 1 Peter 1:4-5—“…to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

• 2 Peter 3:17—“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.”

You can probably see for yourself why there have been disagreements over the question of eternal security. Most of the time, people gravitate toward either the “security” verses or the “loss” verses. We tend to emphasize one set of these verses, and then we try to pretend like the other verses don’t exist because they make us uncomfortable!

Various attempts have been made over the years to reconcile the security verses and the loss verses. On the one hand, some of those who believe that we CAN lose our salvation have said that all of the security verses should be read with an unspoken condition in our minds. That is to say that God will never cast us out of His family unless we choose to leave; then, under that condition, He would choose to cast us out. I said last week, however, that I don’t think an unspoken condition does justice to the security verses because their wording is so emphatic.

On the other hand, some of those who believe we CANNOT lose our salvation have said that the loss verses are merely hypothetical. In other words, God is telling us how terrible it would be if He ever cast us out—even though He will never do it! I can’t agree with that solution, however, because I don’t think it does justice to the loss verses. I think the loss verses are meant to warn us about a real danger, and they would lose their power to motivate us if they were only hypothetical. If I tell my daughter someday that I will hypothetically ground her if she doesn’t listen to me, I don’t think that warning will be very motivating for her!

So how can we reconcile the security verses and the loss verses? It will not do to minimize or ignore one set of verses because they are both in the Bible. So how can we reconcile them? By remembering an easily-forgotten observation from Scripture.

1. There is more to our future destiny than heaven or hell!

So often, when we think about our future destiny, our thoughts turn immediately to heaven and hell. That’s understandable in a way, because we all want to be really, really sure that we don’t go to hell. Once we’re sure that we’re not going to go to hell, we kind of breathe a deep sigh of relief and then forget to ask whether there’s anything more to our destiny than escaping hell and going to heaven.

But when we study Scripture, we find that there is more to our destiny than simply escaping hell and going to heaven. In fact, as believers, there is a period of time that we will all go through before we settle into our eternal home in heaven, and that period of time is known as the Millennium. This is a period of time in which Jesus will return to the earth to set up a kingdom over which He will reign for a thousand years. The Millennium and our eternal home in heaven are both described at the end of the book of Revelation.

Revelation 21-22 describes our eternal home in heaven, but before we arrive there, we as believers will go through the events of Revelation 19-20. Revelation 19 describes an event known as the marriage supper of the Lamb, which will be a celebration of the union between Jesus and Christians, because Christians as a group are described in the New Testament as the bride of Christ.

After this, Revelation 19 says that Jesus will return to the Earth—with all of us in tow—to fight against an alliance of armies that will be gathered against the Jewish people at Jerusalem. This is the battle known as the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus will destroy this alliance of armies, and then according to Revelation 20, He will establish a kingdom on this earth that will last for a thousand years. Other prophetic passages tell us that this kingdom will usher in a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity in the world.

We are also told in other passages that we have the opportunity to serve as officials in Jesus’ government if we are faithful to Him in our lives today. However, we are also warned that we can lose the opportunity to reign with Christ if we are unfaithful to Him. In my opinion, this observation is the key to reconciling the security verses in Scripture and the loss verses in Scripture. I believe these verses are talking about two different aspects of future destiny. The security verses are talking about our eternal home in heaven, because that is a gift from God. He gives us that blessing as a gift when He forgives us, as we learned a few weeks ago. But the loss verses, on the other hand—at least the vast majority of them—are talking about the danger of losing the privilege of reigning with Christ during His earthly kingdom. This privilege is never described as a gift in the Bible—it is always described as a reward for faithfulness, a prize that we can win by living for Christ today.

Let me direct your attention to a small set of verses which summarize these two different aspects of our future destiny. Turn with me to 2 Timothy 2:11-13.

2. A summary of the Christian’s life and destiny

Follow with me as I read vv. 8-13 [READ vv. 8-13]. Many translators and interpreters have detected a poetic feel in vv. 11-13 which has led them to believe that these verses may have been part of a hymn that first-century Christians sang, or perhaps some kind of creed that they recited prior to baptism. Whatever they may have been, they give us a concise summary of the Christian’s life and destiny in just four statements.

A. The promise of life with Jesus

The first statement says, “If we have died with him, we will also live with him.” Notice that the words “have died” are in the past tense. They are referring to the spiritual unity that we have with Christ and His death when we accept Him as our Savior. As Colossians 3:3 taught us last week, “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

So our lives are now hidden in Christ, which gives us the assurance that we will live with Him in the future, as this verse says. And notice that the only condition for living with Jesus in the future is dying with Him, which happened to us spiritually when we accepted Christ. So if you have accepted Christ, you have the assurance that you will live with Him. However—notice that there is more to our destiny than just living with Christ!

B. The prize for living for Jesus

The second statement says, “If we endure, we will also reign with him.” In addition to living with Jesus in the future, we have held out to us here the opportunity of reigning with Him in His kingdom on earth. But notice that this privilege will be ours only if we endure, which refers to faithfully living for Jesus through the ups and downs of life. In our lives, we face many difficulties from temptations, the sins of others, and world events in general. Here we have the promise that if we will endure all of these things as faithful representatives of Jesus, then He will allow us to represent Him in His future kingdom as well.

But as you can see, this privilege is conditional, and it is based upon whether or not we are faithful to Christ. So what happens if we are unfaithful to Him? That’s the point of the third statement.

C. The penalty for denying Jesus

The third statement says, “If we deny him, he also will deny us.” At first glance, we might think that “denying Christ” refers to totally rejecting Him. But this word is used in the Gospels in the story of Peter’s denials of Christ, which were not a complete rejection, but unfaithfulness in the face of temptation.

I think that’s what we’re talking about here, especially since this statement is contrasted with the statement about enduring. So if we do not endure, if we don’t remain loyal to Christ in the face of temptation, then the last part of the statement says “he also will deny us.” Here, at first glance, we may ask if this is talking about the loss of our eternal home in heaven, but I think the first statement and the fourth statement prevent us from drawing that conclusion. I think this third statement is just the opposite of the second statement—if we are faithful to Christ, we will be allowed to reign with Christ; if we are not faithful to Him, He will deny us that privilege.

But if we are unfaithful to Him, how will He respond in light of His promises to us? That’s the subject of the fourth statement.

D. The promise of faithfulness from Jesus

The fourth and final statement says, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” The second and third statements have raised the possibility that we may not be faithful to Jesus in our lives in the face of temptation, so what then? Will He back out on His promises to us?

The fourth statement assures us that He never will. He cannot be unfaithful to the promises that He has made to us. We may lose the reward, but we will never lose the gift. The reward is the right to reign with Christ in His earthly kingdom; the gift is the life that we will enjoy with Jesus during His kingdom and on into eternity.

So how are we to deal with the loss verses in the Bible? By remembering that there are two aspects to our destiny—the place that you will spend eternity, and the role that you will play for Christ during His earthly kingdom. In my opinion, this is the only way to make sense of both the security verses and the loss verses. If we try to relate both the security verses and the loss verses to our home in heaven, we will have contradictions in our doctrine that can never be solved. In that case, its no surprise that Christians disagree about this subject, because we’re simply picking sides of a debate that has no solution to it! But if we remember that there are two aspects to our destiny, then as our AWANA theme verse puts it, we can rightly divide the word of truth and thus be a worker who does not need to be ashamed.

Now some people would say that this solution to the subject of eternal security does not do justice to the loss verses that I have mentioned. They would say that the loss being described is far too great to simply be the loss of a privileged role in Christ’s future kingdom. But consider this—when God put human beings on this planet, he put us here to reign! He told Adam and Eve to “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen. 1:28). We were made to reign over this planet as God’s representatives. Jesus now holds out to us a second chance—an opportunity to share in the authority that He will one day have over this world. But if you and I are unfaithful to Him today, we could miss out on a chance to do the very thing that humanity was created to do. In my opinion, that is a bitter, bitter loss—one that should not be underestimated.

Our life with Jesus is secure, but our role for Jesus is being determined every day with every choice that we make. Don’t let the reward slip out of your grasp!