WAS JUDAS FORGIVEN?

WAS JUDAS FORGIVEN?

Friday, February 20, 2015

Luke [GW] 22:21-22  [At the last supper Jesus said] “The hand of the one who will betray me is with me on the table. The Son of Man is going to die the way it has been planned for him. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays him."

Original DT text: “Yesterday [Sunday], Judas (betrayer of Christ) came up in our text book and it said God forgave him.  (I will get you the exact quote I'd you would like.).  Several students totally disagreed.  So we had a small discussion about him and his character.  Everyone had different opinions.  I told the group leader that Scripture says Satan entered Judas.  The leader said no....Judas was not possessed.  So I let it go.  However, my take away from this discussion is that most people (leaders in today's churches) do not like to think that a disciple could have been influenced by Satan.  What's up with that?

Love In Christ, Diane (NE) [Diane included Luke 22:3 in 21 parallel translation.]

The responses:

My question is why does that church allow that person to teach?  I would have pushed on which is right the teacher or the Word.  Whichever is found to be right tells you where you really are.  Wayne (Loc.?)

[Note above that it was taught as doctrine from that church provided manual. EBB4]

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There's multiple questions here:

1) Did Satan enter Judas?

2) Was/could Judas have been forgiven?
3) Can a disciple be influenced by Satan?  If so, why?

  The answer to 1) is clearly yes.  Looking at the Scriptures Ed provided leaves no room for doubt or debate.  I'm not sure what the group leader's reasoning was in saying that Judas was not possessed but I hope for his group's sake that he is open to admitting and amending his error.

  The answer to 2) is a bit more complex but still very answerable.  Could Judas have been forgiven?  Absolutely.  Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:32:"Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

  People usually focus on the second half of this verse but the first half states that even a sin directly against Jesus will be forgiven.  Granted, the verse references a spoken word which goes against the Son of Man as opposed to an act of betrayal but I think it is taking the verse (and Scripture as a whole) out of context to say that Judas couldn't have been forgiven.

  The next question though is was Judas forgiven.  We won't know the for sure answer to this question this side of heaven.  Luke 24:47 says:"It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.'"

  Whether or not Judas truly repented before hanging himself is the real question, and again we won't know this for sure in this life.

  In regards to 3) a true disciple can be influenced by temptation and experience hardship, as Jesus promised his followers in John 16:33:"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

  Paul says in Galatians 5:16-18:So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[a] you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

  Because we have the Holy Spirit in us we have no need to fear possession or temptation because Christ has already overcome it.  The Holy Spirit lives inside us and is stronger than anything Satan can throw at us.  Thus, with all this considered in addition to 1 John 2:19 (below), Judas was not truly a believer at the time he betrayed Christ even though he was with the Lord frequently.  This leads back to the real question being did Judas truly repent before killing himself. 

"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."

David (NE)

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First and foremost, Satan did enter into Judas, but Judas had a willing heart to let him in.  Judas was already going down that road so he is not a victim here.  Judas chose to betray Christ and Judas repented of his decision afterwards.  He couldn't go to the synagog and ask for forgiveness for this betrayal since the religious order was the one to whom he had betrayed Christ.  There was no place for him to get forgiveness.  If he could have just waited a view days and not hung himself until Christ's return, he would have been able to have that sin forgiven but we people are in such a rush to fix things, aren't we?
   Judas, the son of Perdition, was prophesized like this...It would have been better if he'd never been born.  Now, if redemption had occurred, this would not have been the forecast for him.  So, the odd's of Judas' redemption are pretty slim.  Still, all things are possible through Christ.    If it were me writing this and - oh, it is; I would leave it like this.  Upon Christ's resurrection, the disciples asked him who had betrayed him (as they were not yet aware of Judas' suicide).  Christ said, if it be that he tarries until my return, what is that you thee?...  He basically told that that it wasn't any concern of theirs and that they needed to stay focused on their own walk with the Lord.  They lived the rest of their lives as shining examples of Christianity.  Judas stood as a dire warning of choosing your own path.  Both ways can serve the Lord but I think I'd rather be the shining example.  Penny (NE)

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I don`t believe Judas was forgiven. I go along with what the Bible Commentary has to say regarding Matt. 27:3-4.: " Realizing his sin in betraying innocent blood, Judas offered the money back to the chief priests and elders. These arch conspirators who had co-operated so eagerly a few hours ago now refused to have any further part in the matter. This one of the rewards of treachery. Judas was remorseful but this was not a godly repentance that leads to salvation. Sorry for the effects which his crime brought on himself, was yet unwilling to acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior."  JIm G. (NE)

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I hate to think of the consequences if Judas had freaked out of his assignment.  He was forced to act in order for the scripture to be full filled.  It is entirely possible that God did forgive him for carrying out the portion assigned to him.  Bill (NE)

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I think Judas was religious, not forgiven. Tom

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If he confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness, yes.  1 John 1:9 srf (NE)

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  Was forgiveness possible for Judas? In the light of 1John 1:9, yes it was possible.

  Did Judas ask for forgiveness? He was remorseful, but there’s n concrete indication he repented and asked for forgiveness.

  From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: “After the betrayal, Mk, Lk and Jn are silent as regards Judas, and the accounts given in Mt and Acts of his remorse and death vary in detail. According to Mt, the actual condemnation of Jesus awakened Judas' sense of guilt, and becoming still more despondent at his repulse by the chief priests and elders, “he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.” With the money the chief priests purchased the potter's field, afterward called “the field of blood,” and in this way was fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah (Zec_11:12-14) ascribed by Matthew to Jeremiah (Mat_27:3-10). The account given in Act_1:16-20 is much shorter. It mentions neither Judas' repentance nor the chief priests, but simply states that Judas “obtained a field with the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out” (Act_1:18). The author of Acts finds in this the fulfillment of the prophecy in Psa_69:25. The Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) rendering, “When he had hanged himself, he burst asunder,” suggests a means of reconciling the two accounts.“

EBB4