This is a re-formatted version of this chapter in the book So You Think You're Chosen?
TWELVE
THE APOSTLES PAUL AND JUDAS
Back to CONTENTS
The apostles Paul and Judas Iscariot are opposites
in the New Testament. One is known as a faithful
teacher whilst the other as a betrayer, but they both
started out in a different role to the one they are
now known. Judas was perceived as a follower of Jesus
and Paul as an enemy of Jesus. It is this observation
which makes each of them useful as illustrations of
unconditional predestination (allegedly). I wish to show
the bible reveals them as not having changed in their
heart or root purpose.
In unconditional predestination teaching Paul
is said to have been transformed and changed into
someone he himself was not desirous to be: it is
understood by implication that Paul never wanted or
asked for this. Hence in this way he is seen as a useful
illustrator of God’s unconditional choice to salvation.
Conversely Judas is understood as not having use of free-will for if he had, as is understood, how could he
have fulfilled his ‘role’ as betrayer: would that not have
put God’s plans or foresight in jeopardy? He is thus
used as a pointer to the total inability of man especially
in the realm of free-will.
These understood considerations, believed in this
way, make both these characters worthy of attention
and I aim to show the biblical record testifies that the
way both these men turned out was in fact the direction
they were inclined and wanted to go in the first place:
the true state of their heart’s desire from the beginning
did not change throughout their life as it is recorded.
The Apostle Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot: was he a child of God and fell, or was
he not a true child of God from the beginning?
Did Jesus pick him, as one of his apostles in the
knowledge that his heart was not honestly towards God,
or that it was, but that he would turn away from God?
The scripture tells us that Jesus knew what was
in man and therefore had no need that anyone should
testify of man (to Him)1. This is not to say he knew
everything about every heart of man, but that Jesus
was familiar with every kind of heart and how to
discern them. We know this does not refer to any
supposed omniscience on the part of the Son of God
(on earth) since he would then never have asked
‘Who touched Me?’ as he did2.
So Jesus was conscious of how to recognise all
men3in that he was familiar with the signs and evidence for what was in them4. John the writer of the gospel
who tells us this also wrote some letters. In one of
these he says ‘. . . even now many antichrists have
come . . . They went out from us, but they were not
of us, for if they had been of us, they would have
continued with us; but they went out that they might
be made manifest, that none of them were of us’5.
Jesus called Judas Iscariot ‘the son of perdition’6
and the Antichrist of prophecy is given that name also
in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. It is to John also that we are
indebted for the record of the fruit of Judas Iscariot’s
life: following expensive ointment having been poured
on the feet of Jesus, Judas complained that this could
have been sold for three hundred denarii and given to
the poor7. However, John then tells us: ‘this he [Judas
Iscariot] said, not that he cared for the poor, but
because he was a thief, and had the money box;
and he used to take what was put in it’.
Now we know that Jesus said he who was unjust
in little was unjust in much8. And since he had good
vision as to recognise what came out of the heart, I
believe it was on purpose, that the scripture might
be fulfilled that, after some time with a number of
followers, Jesus picked 12 men and one of them he
already knew the heart was not toward God: Judas
Iscariot9.
. . . Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
John 6:64
Luke mentions that after continuing all night to God
in prayer Jesus chose 12 whom he also named apostles10.
But John also tells us that Jesus lost none of those
whom the Father had given him11: Because as he states
in his letter, Judas was not in his heart of hearts ‘one
of them’.
The fruit of Judas’ life is told us by John in the
midst of the context that Jesus as The Logos, is the
Light that gives light to every man who comes into
the world12. Every person who takes hold of this light
by believing in it (no outside assistance is mentioned
in the text at this stage whatsoever) is then given the
right (after taking hold of the light for themselves
assistance is then given) to become a child of God13. It
is these whom the Father draws to Jesus14. Because
just as Jesus explained by quoting from the prophets
in the following verse ‘“they shall all be taught
by God.” Therefore everyone who has heard and
learned from the Father comes to me’ (John 6:45).
Here we find Jesus explaining what he has just stated
earlier. God is in the business of teaching about
spiritual truths and those who learn these things come
to Jesus. “All” are taught, but only those who receive
[take hold of for themselves] this teaching, are thus
then drawn to Jesus. They are the ones mentioned in
John 1:12 as receiving Him who are then given the
right to become children of God.
But, as John put it in his letter Judas Iscariot had
never been one of them as evidenced by his practise
of evil (1 John 2:18-19). This practise Jesus tells us in John 3:20 is evidence that someone does not believe
in the light (i.e. the Name of the only begotten Son
of God15 and is not therefore born of God [i.e. again]
– see The Meaning of Born Again in my book Will
there be Non-Christians in heaven?
So Judas Iscariot was a recognised ‘plant’ by
Jesus and he allowed it that the scripture might be
fulfilled and be a valuable lesson to the 11. Nevertheless,
Jesus loved Judas (even called him ‘friend’ as he was
kissed/betrayed), but was not going to impose upon
him, His own real desire for him (i.e. that he might
be saved – e.g. 1 Timothy 2:4). The works of Jesus was
testimony enough etc... But Judas ‘loved darkness
rather than light, because [his] . . . deeds were evil’16.
Just as Abraham said to the rich man in hell, they
have Moses and the prophets as a witness and even if
one should rise from the dead they would still not
believe17– as was indeed confirmed by the Pharisees
and the Jews against Jesus who knew of Lazarus’
resurrection (the other Lazarus), yet did not repent18.
They had already chosen to love darkness and were by
this not given authority to see (cause and effect) lest
they should repent (due to inherent capacity to do
so as shown by the constant parable purpose ‘That
“. . . hearing they may hear and not understand; lest
they should turn, and their sins should be forgiven
them”’19. Jesus recognised it was Judas Iscariot’s choice:
to love darkness – and this is why I believe he was
picked to fulfil the scripture.
Paul the Apostle
Paul mentions in the book of Romans that he had not
known sin except for the law20; if it was not for the
law he would be ignorant of sin. He also mentions
that there is ‘law’ which is written in the heart21.
This internal law, when violated, results in conscience
accusing the offender22. Thus Paul advocates for doing
what you know to be right. He is also aware that
you can do wrong without knowing that what you are
doing is wrong23: by doing an act in ignorance that it
is in itself not right.
Paul’s own persecution of the first Christians is a
clear case in point. Paul did this in a time of ignorance:
without knowledge that this was wrong. To him, at
that point in time, not to persecute the Christians was
to allow the name of his God and his religion to be
defiled. His conscience as it was at that point would
not be clear if he did not persecute Christians. The
law and thus the knowledge of wrongdoing in this
activity, this was not present in his heart and mind:
Which is why he can tell us after having become
a Christian, and an apostle of Christ at that, his
conscience has been clear before God and man (up)
to that day.
. . . I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
Acts 23:1
There was no envy in his heart out of which he
persecuted Christ unlike the way the Pharisees and religious leaders had done24. Which is why Jesus said
to him ‘it is hard for you . . .’25 He was already God’s
man for this was his honest purpose ‘before God’. He
had not violated any law that he knew of concerning
what was wrong. The moment that he learned and was
no longer ignorant concerning the fact that persecuting
Christians was in fact attacking the very Lord he was
trying to serve, he was no longer free by conscience
to do this act against the law. The law he had now
learned. Of course by using the word law I use the
same expression that Paul uses, but in modern day
thinking the word truth may be more appropriate.
The moment Paul had gained the truth that acts against
Christians was acts against God his conscience would
no longer be clear were he to go on fighting them.
However, until that truth was real to him, his
belief was that not to persecute Christians was to allow
tainting of the religion of his fathers. The God of the
Torah was blasphemed by the followers of ‘the way’.
So his heart which was zealous for God would not
permit him to rest whilst this ‘heresy’ was propagated.
Paul said that ‘where there is no law there is no
transgression’26 and that ‘sin is not imputed [taken
account of] when there is no law’27. So it can be seen
that until Paul learned the truth that his persecuting
acts were wrong, until he understood transgression
was involved, though he was committing sin, God who
knew his heart motive was not holding it against him.
That sin was not taken account of until there was
knowledge of the truth that it was wrong.
Paul’s heart was so much for his God that his
heart’s prayer was to be able to follow God. God saw
this and he thereby arranged,
1. |
Paul to go away from Jerusalem by his trip to Damascus and away from those persecuting Christ with the wrong motives |
2. |
Paul to be challenged on the road to Damascus and thus, |
3. |
Paul to be set free and healed to follow God more fully just as his heart desired28. |
For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Matthew 13:12
NOTES
_____
1 John 2:24-25 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
2 Luke 8:45 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
3 John 2:24 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
4 John 2:25, 3:20-21 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
5 1 John 2:18-19 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
6 John 17:12 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
7 John 12:1-8 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
8 Luke 16:10 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
9 John 6:64 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
10 Luke 6:12-16 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
11 John 18:9 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
12 John1:9 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
13 John 1:12 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
14 John 6:44a Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
15 John 3:18 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
16 John 3:19 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
17 Luke 16:19-31 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
18 John 11:1-44 then 45-47 and 12:9-11 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
19 Mark 4:12 quoting Isaiah 6:9, Matthew 13:13-15 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
20 Romans 7:7 & 3:20 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
21 Romans 2:15 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
22 Romans 2:14-15 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
23 1 Timothy 1:13 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
24 Matthew 27:18 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
25 Acts 9:5 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
26 Romans 4:15 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
27 Romans 5:13 Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
28 See the previous chapter on Romans 8:28 in Context Click here to return to associated (same) part of text.
Copyright © Jacques More 2008
First published in Great Britain 2008
The right of Jacques More to be identified as
the Author of
The Work has been asserted by him
in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Unless otherwise stated Bible passages are taken from
The Holy Bible,
New King James Version
Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983
by Thomas Nelson, Inc.