Tag: Salvation

Can a Christian commit Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

“31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.” Matthew 12:31-32

Many Christians fear that they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and will not go to heaven when they die. Is it possible for a Christian to commit this sin? Let us look at the context of this passage in Matthew 12:22-37 to determine first, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirt, and second, who can commit this sin. 

After Jesus healed a “blind and mute” demon-possessed man “the multitudes” asked if Jesus could be “the Son of David,” the descendant of king David who would be their Messianic King (12:22-23). The Pharisees could not deny that Jesus performed a miracle, so they attributed the power by which He cast out this demon to “Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (12:24). The Pharisees knew Jesus performed this miracle by the power of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 3:2), yet they offered a different explanation so that the multitudes would not conclude that Jesus was their Messianic King.  

Jesus responds to this charge of the Pharisees by giving three reasons why it is false:

  1. Satan would not empower Jesus to cast out a demon because that would divide his kingdom and bring it to destruction (12:25-26).
  2. Since the Pharisees believe that Jewish exorcists cast out demons by God’s power, it is inconsistent for them to charge Jesus of casting out demons by Satan’s power (12:27). The Pharisees knew that “If” Jesus casts out demons “by the Spirit of God” (and He does), then it means “the kingdom of God has come upon them” (12:28). 
  3. Before a robber can enter a strong man’s house, he must have more power to subdue the strong man, meaning if Christ can cast out a demon He must be stronger than Satan (12:29). But Satan would not give Jesus more power than his own. So Jesus refutes this false charge of the Pharisees on three counts.

Jesus invites the crowd to decide to either be “with” Him or “against” Him (12:30). Then He acknowledges that a God-Man (“Son of Man”) living among people may not be fully understood so He says, “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him” (12:32a). It is possible for a non-Christian to blaspheme (“slander, defame, speak against”) Christ and later seek His forgiveness as in the case of Saul (Acts 9:3-5; 26:9-11; Philippians 3:6, 9; cf. Luke 23:34). However, “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit…will not be forgiven” (12:32b). 

“Blasphemy” (12:31) has the idea of uttering false charges which defame or damage another person’s reputation. In this historical context, blasphemy of the Holy Spirt involved attributing to Satan the works which were knowingly performed by the power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. The religious leaders of Israel, the Pharisees, knew that what Jesus did was the work of the Holy Spirit. They knew Jesus was from God because no one could perform the miracles that He performed unless “God was with Him” (John 3:2). Yet they knowingly attributed the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus to Satan. 

Notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven by God or is impossible for God to forgive. No, He says blasphemy of the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven men…will not be forgiven him” (12:31b, 32b). God is willing and able to forgive any all sins (cf. Psalm 103:2a, 3a; Isaiah 38:17; Micah 7:19b). He is also willing and able to forgive those who seek His forgiveness (Psalm 86:5; Acts 10:43). The form of the Greek statement in Matthew 12:32 is not saying that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven. It is saying that there is no case or example of forgiveness for this sin “in this age or in the age to come” (Matt. 12:32). So instead of referring to blasphemy of the Holy Spirit as “the unpardonable sin,” it is more accurate to refer to it as “the unpardoned sin.” 

Can a Christian commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Absolutely not, because the Word of God clearly teaches that anyone who believes in Christ receives at that moment a positional forgiveness for all of his sins – past, present, and future (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 1:7; Col. 2:13-14). This forgiveness is perfect, complete, and permanent (Heb. 10:10-18). Therefore, a non-Christian who later believes in Christ for eternal life is not capable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit because he seeks and obtains God’s unlimited forgiveness when he believes in Jesus for His gift of salvation (Acts 10:43; Ephes. 2:8-9). It is also impossible for a Christian to commit this sin because he not only has permanent positional forgiveness of sins the moment he believed in Jesus (Acts 10:43), but he also has available to him when he confesses his sin, God’s daily fellowship forgiveness (I John 1:9; cf. Matthew 6:12, 14-15). 

What causes the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? In Matthew 12:33-37, Jesus teaches that a person’s words reflect the condition of his heart. The words of the Pharisees were a manifestation of their hardened hearts (cf. Matt. 15:19 which says “blasphemies” arise out of an evil “heart”). It takes a hardened heart to recognize the power of the Holy Spirit and then knowingly attribute that power to Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus was from God (John 3:2), yet they attribute the power of the Holy Spirit working through Him to the devil. Although the Pharisees had been given an enormous amount of light from Jesus who is “the Light” (John 1:4-9; 8:12), they deceitfully attribute it to the kingdom of Satan. The Pharisees knew Jesus healed the demon-possessed man by the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they offered a different explanation to deceive the crowds from moving toward faith in Jesus as their Messianic King. So instead of Jesus being recognized as God in human flesh (John 1:1, 14), He was regarded as the incarnation of Satan!

Any individual or religious system that attributes the power of God in and through Jesus Christ to Satan will not be forgiven because his heart (or their hearts are) is too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, any individual or religious system that denies that “Jesus is the Christ,” the Messiah-God in human flesh who is equal with God the Father, is “antichrist” (I John 2:22-23). 

In summary, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? It is knowingly attributing the work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ to Satan. Who can commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Non-Christians whose hearts are too hardened to seek God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 10:43). 

If you are afraid of having blasphemed the Holy Spirit, ask yourself, “Am I willing to seek God’s forgiveness for this? Do I believe in Jesus Christ alone to give me eternal life and complete forgiveness of all sins (John 3:16; Acts 10:43)? If so, according to Jesus Christ, you will go to heaven. Sometimes Christians are overly introspective and miss out on the joy of being forever secure in Christ. Doesn’t that sound like the work of the devil who has “come…to steal…kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10a) the joy of believers being secure in Jesus Christ? Dismiss the devil’s lies and embrace the truth that you are forever secure the moment you believe in Jesus for His gift of everlasting life (John 3:16; 6:35-40; 10:28-29).

The problem of Sin

“But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” Numbers 32:23


When the children of Gad and Reuben requested to settle in the land east of the Jordan River (32:1-19), Moses agreed to let them settle there if they first kept their promise to help the other tribes defeat the inhabitants in the land of Canaan (32:20-22). He warned them, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” (32:23).


Although this warning is directed toward God’s people, it is true for all people – “Be sure your sin will find you out.” All people are guilty of sin whether they admit it or not (Rom. 3:23). And we cannot hide our sin from God because He knows and sees everything we do, say, and think. He is aware of our deepest thoughts and secrets. Jesus said, “For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known” (Luke 12:2).


Because God is holy and perfect, He must judge our sin. The Bible says, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).


There are only two possible people to pay the penalty for your sin – either you or Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (I Pet. 3:18). Jesus took the punishment we deserved when He died in our place for our sins and rose from the dead.


Christ now invites us to believe or trust in Him alone for His gift of everlasting life: “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Those who do not believe in Christ for His free gift must pay the penalty for their own sin by suffering in the Lake of Fire forever, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15; cf. John 3:36).


(Adapted from EvanTell’s 2014 Evangelism Study Bible, p. 172).

A sweet aroma to the Lord

“You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the Lord: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish.” Numbers 29:2

To prepare the new generation of Israelites to enter the land of Canaan, God gave instructions concerning all the “offerings” or sacrifices that the priests were to make in a year for the whole nation (28:1-29:40). One of the main emphases found in these instructions is that the animals to be sacrificed must be “without blemish” (28:3, 9, 11, 19, 31; 29:2, 8, 13, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 36) as “a sweet aroma to the Lord” (28:2, 6, 8, 13, 24, 27; 29:2, 6, 8, 13, 36).  

This is a beautiful foreshadowing of the perfect (“without blemish”) sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18) who was and is fully God and fully Man (cf. John 1:1, 14). His death on the cross was “a sweet aroma” to God the Father whose holy demand to punish sin was satisfied (I John 2:2) so that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

But you may say, “I’m religious…I go to church… I’m a good person…I help the poor… I don’t do anything that’s really bad.” These are all good, but good living, going to church, helping the poor, or any other good thing you might do, say, or think, cannot get you to Heaven. The Bible says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). God looks at the good things we do, such as attending church, being baptized, confessing our sins, and persevering in good works and sees they are all stained with sin. None of these “good things” can take away our sins. We must believe or trust in Jesus alone, and God will forgive all of your sins (Acts 10:43) and give you everlasting life (John 3:15-16).

If up till now, you have been depending on your good works or on Christ plus your good works to get you to heaven, Jesus now invites you to depend on Him and His finished work on the cross alone to get you to heaven (John 3:15-16, 36; Ephesians 2:8-9). The moment you trust in Him alone, He gives you eternal life which can never be lost (John 10:28-29), He saves you from Hell forever (Acts 16:31), and He places you in God’s family forever (John 1:12; 6:37). Jesus will also come to live inside of you through His Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Galatians 2:20) to give you the power to live a life that pleases Him (Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 5:15). 

Look and Live

“So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Numbers 21:9

As the people of Israel were on their way to the Promised Land, they complained against God and Moses because they were dissatisfied with the manna He sent them to eat (21:4-5). To discipline them, God sent poisonous snakes among the people, resulting in many physical deaths (21:6). Moses then prayed to the Lord (21:7) and God told Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten when he looks at it, shall live” (21:8). This invitation to look at the bronze serpent was given to “everyone.” How did the people respond? We then read, “So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived” (21:9). One look of faith at this bronze serpent delivered the bitten person from physical death.

Jesus refers to this passage when He talked with Nicodemus (John 3:14). In a similar fashion, all of humanity has been struck down by sin (Rom. 3:23). Sin has sunk its fangs into our spiritual souls and the venom has made its way to our hearts and we are dying in our sins. But God saw our hopelessness and lifted up His Son on the cross to die for our sins (Rom. 5:8). To be born again and experience eternal life, Nicodemus needed simply to “look and live,” just as in Numbers 21 a bitten person had to “look and live.” Jesus explained their “look” as simply believing in Him:

“14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). 

Just as the dying Israelites had to look at the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole, so all people who are dying in their sins must look in faith to Jesus who was lifted up on a cross to die for their sins. To Nicodemus, the admonition to look and live would have been both personal and effective. Having fasted, prayed, faithfully attended the synagogue, observed the feasts, and honored the Sabbaths, he was tempted to look at what he had done to give a him a right standing with God. Instead, now he discovered he must simply look to Christ alone for eternal life. He must believe in Him.

Have you been born again by believing in Jesus for His gift of eternal life? It doesn’t matter if you are a child who is nine or an adult who is ninety. It matters not if you are a morally good person or if you have spent more time inside a jail than outside, you must believe or trust in Christ alone to save you. Perhaps you can identify with Nicodemus – you have always believed the way to heaven was by living a good life or by believing in Christ plus something else. But now you understand you were mistaken, and you want to trust Christ alone as your only way to heaven. Again, the promise is “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (3:15).  “Look” to Jesus alone in faith and you will “live” forever with Him in heaven when you die.

What is the Gospel?

What is the Gospel? In Mark 16:15,  Jesus cast a huge vision for Christians: “Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people”[GNT]. Obviously if this vision is going to be fulfilled it must be understood. It is not too difficult to understand going throughout the whole world and preaching to all people. But what about the gospel? What is the content of the gospel? What do we tell non-Christians about Jesus Christ?

Many diverse opinions exist today among Christians on what the gospel is. For example, a gospel singer gave his testimony on the radio and said, “I was unloved, rejected, alone, and lonely. I suffered from an inferiority complex. I struggled with insecurity. Then I heard the gospel. I heard God loves me. God’s love changed my life.” Is that the gospel? 

A well-known Christian leader said, “A presentation of the gospel is simply this: you are calling on someone to turn from their sin and follow Jesus Christ. That’s it!” Is that the gospel? The World Council of Churches in Nairobi (1975) said, “The gospel always includes… the responsibility to participate in the struggle for justice and human dignity, the obligation to denounce all that hinders human wholeness.” Is that the gospel? 

If we are going to be effective in evangelism we must know what to tell non-Christians – i.e. we must know what the gospel is, so they can avoid Hell and get to Heaven. The gospel we are to preach today is the gospel of the grace of God. The apostle Paul states, “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Paul defines the “gospel of the grace of God” in I Corinthians 15:1-8. 

In I Corinthians 15, Paul is addressing the issue of the resurrection of Christ. Some of the Corinthians denied the bodily resurrection from the dead. Paul understood that if there is no resurrection, there is no good news to preach. To begin his discussion of the resurrection, Paul emphasized the importance of the gospel. Paul “declared”the gospel to the Corinthians (15:1a). He said they “received” or embraced this gospel as being true (15:1b). Then he says they now “stand” or are absolutely convinced of this gospel (15:1c). 

Then Paul says, “the gospel which I preached to you…by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (15:1b-2). Is Paul doubting their salvation from hell? Is he saying if you backslide or fall away from the Lord you lose your salvation, or you are not saved in the first place? He is not doubting their salvation because he already affirms they “received “the gospel message (15:1b). Nor does he doubt that they hold fast to the gospel because he affirms that they are standing in it (15:1c). Nor is Paul doubting their future assurance because once you receive eternal life, you can never lose it or it isn’t eternal life.

So what is Paul saying here? When Paul says, “Unless you believed in vain” (15:2c), he is saying they would have believed in vain if in fact the gospel they received was not true. If Christ did not rise from the dead then both Paul’s preaching and the Corinthian’s faith were in vain (cf. 15:12-14). If Christ is still dead, then our faith is vain. It is empty. A dead Christ cannot save us. So if they do not hold fast to the gospel, i.e., if their current denial of the resurrection is correct, then Christ did not rise, which in turn means that they did actually believe in vain. If they are right about there being no resurrection, then everything is a lie, and they stop existing as believers altogether. 

Paul then assures them that they did not believe in vain when he writes, “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received” (15:3a). The word “received” is the same word Paul used in Galatians 1:12, “I didn’t receive it or learn it from a human. It came through a revelation from Jesus Christ” [CEB]. Paul is saying, “I did not learn this gospel from having lunch with a pastor yesterday nor did I discover it at a Christian bookstore. The gospel I’m about to define came straight from God, to me, to you.” Let’s look now at the definition of the gospel (15:3-8). 

Paul uses four verbs to define the historical elements of the gospel by which we are saved. Let’s look at each one. “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (15:3b). The word “for”means “instead of” or “in place of.” Christ died as our Substitute. Had He not taken our punishment, we would all bear it ourselves. Our sin deserves to be punished, but Jesus loved us so much He took our punishment.

Years ago there was a woman crossing the hills of South Wales on foot in the midst of a blizzard. She never made it to her destination. When they found her frozen body they did not understand why in that climate she was not wearing a heavy winter coat until they lifted up her body and found her coat wrapped around the body of her infant son, who remained alive and well. Her son, David Lloyd George, became the Prime Minister of Great Britain, one of the greatest statesman Britain has ever known. In other words, she died in his place. She saved him by dying for him. The Bible says when Jesus Christ came into the world He took your sin and my sin, placed it upon Himself, He died in our place and rose again the third day so that through trust in Him we could enjoy the gift of eternal life.

In verse 3 it says Christ died for our sins according to what? Yes, “according to the Scriptures.” Where in the Old Testament was Jesus’ crucifixion predicted? One place is Isaiah 53:5: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” Paul wants us to know that Jesus’ death is exactly what Isaiah predicted hundreds of years earlier. You have not preached the Gospel if you do not preach Christ died for our sins.

The second verb is seen in the first part of verse 4: “And that He was buried” (15:4a). The proof thatJesus died was that He was buried. We do not bury a living person. We bury a dead person. Some religions deny that Jesus really died on the cross. But the biblical text tells us that professional executioners (Roman soldiers) determined Jesus was already dead when they did not break His legs to speed up His death (cf. John 19:32-33). But to add further evidence of Jesus’ death, “one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:34). So the proof of Jesus’ death was His burial.

The third verb used to define the gospel is in the last part of verse 4: “And that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (15:4b). The idea in the Greek language (perfect tense verb) is that Jesus arose, and He is still living today. In other words, you will never hear a news report from Jerusalem saying they have found the dead body of Jesus Christ. He arose, and He is still alive today.

Notice the phrase “according to the Scriptures” appears again (15:4b). Where in the Old Testament was Jesus’ resurrection predicted? Psalm 16:10 says, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” After quoting Psalm 16 in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter said, “29Let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David…31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:29, 31-32). You have not preached the Gospel if you leave out the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The fourth verb that Paul uses to define the gospel by which we are saved is in verses 5-6: “5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep.” The proof that Jesus rose from the dead was that He was “seen” by over five hundred eyewitnesses! What’s the strongest testimony you can have in a court of law? Yes, eyewitnesses. Paul says, “Come into the courtroom and I’ll introduce you to all the people who saw Christ” (15:5-8). Stop and think about this for a moment! These were not people who did not know Jesus and therefore, might have mistaken Him for someone else. These were people who knew Him personally. So Paul is saying, “Christ arose. The proof is, He was seen.”

So the the Gospel by which we are saved from Hell is that Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. What God asks non-Christians to believe is defined and expressed in I Corinthians 15:1-8. The Good News is Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.

When we communicate the death and resurrection of Christ to a lost person, we then must invite them to believe or trust in Christ alone for His gift of eternal life. Jesus said, “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16; cf. 6:40, 47; 11:26-26). When the Greek word for “believe” relates to salvation, it means to “trust” or “depend upon.” When we explain the death and resurrection of Christ to the unsaved who are facing an eternity separated from God, they must then believe or trust in Christ alone and His finished work on the cross to save them from hell and give them everlasting life (John 3:15-16, 36; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Now that we know what the Gospel is, so what? Let me share four implications taken from Larry Moyer’s book Free and Clear (1997, pp. 18-19):

1. The Gospel is objective. It focuses on what Christ has done, not what we may want Him to do in our lives. What happens when we become subjective and focus on our own desires? We try to convince the lost to come to Christ based on what they have seen in Christians. But what happens when they realize Christians sin, too? You may have heard someone say, “Christians are hypocrites.” Christians are to make the gospel attractive, but they never make it credible. Even if believers or churches lived near-perfect lives, people would still go to hell when they died. The gospel is that Christ died and arose. That is what makes Christianity credible. Christ asks the lost to trust Him based on His perfect behavior, not the imperfect behavior of Christians. The gospel has nothing to do with Christians, it has everything to do with Christ. 

2. The Gospel is finished. Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. It is finished. Jesus has already sacrificed Himself in our place. There is nothing left for you or me to do to pay for our sins. Only a holy sacrifice could be acceptable to God. We could never achieve that holiness on our own. So Jesus took our place because only He was the perfect and holy sacrifice. All that’s left for people to do is receive eternal life as a gift by believing in Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:15-16).  

3. The Gospel is proven historical Fact. Christ’s death and resurrection are a part of history. History tells us that Jesus was born, grew up, had friends, became a teacher, performed miracles, died on a cross, was buried, rose from the dead, and was seen. No other religion can claim a God who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead. This is unique to Christianity and it is proven.

4. The Gospel is never-changing. Regardless of the time or culture, the message remains the same. But make sure you are telling the right message. If you tell people in New Delhi, India, that if they believe or trust Christ alone, their lives will be better, they will most likely think you mean they will never know poverty or starvation. Is that true? No. What is true? The clear Gospel – that Jesus took the punishment for their sins on the cross and rose again, so they may enjoy eternal life. They will come to understand that no matter how tough life is on earth, they can be with Christ forever in eternity if they believe or trust in Him alone for eternal life. If we lose the meaning of this objective, finished, proven, never-changing Gospel, the emphasis of our message changes. Why did Christ die on the cross? To mend broken marriages and fulfill individuals? No! These things can happen when people trust Christ, but broken marriages and unfulfilled lives are symptoms of a bigger problem – separation from God (Romans 6:23a).

Christ died on the cross for one reason – to bring everyone who believes or trusts in Him into a right standing with God. If we lose sight of that, we may neglect to tell people what they need most and not lead them to Christ at all. God could not have given us a simpler message: Christ died for our sins and arose! Keep it clear and simple and God will save people from Hell and take them to Heaven.

Must I Hold Fast to the Gospel to be Saved from Hell?

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel … by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.” I Corinthians 15:1a, 2

I was reading in I Corinthians 15 today and was drawn to verses 1 and 2 which say, “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel … by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.” A cursory reading of that verse can lead one to conclude that being saved from hell is conditioned upon holding fast to the gospel message. But that understanding would be contrary to the many verses that say only believing in Jesus for eternal life or salvation is all that is necessary to be saved from hell (cf. John 3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 11:25-26; 20:31; Acts 16:31; Romans 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; I Timothy 1:16; I John 5:13; et al.). 

To resolve this apparent contradiction, it is important to understand the argument of the entire book of I Corinthians. This will help us to properly understand I Corinthians 15:2. All of the failings of the Corinthians – their divisiveness, pride, insensitivity to immorality, idolatry, taking each other to court (1:11; 3:1-3; 5:9-6:20; 11:21-32) – each expressed a tendency to pollute God’s truth with human wisdom. This tendency is again evidenced in I Corinthians 15 by some in the Corinthian fellowship who were doubting the future resurrection of believers from the dead (15:12). 

It is no mistake that Paul both begins and ends this epistle with arguments concerning the content of the gospel. In 1:18-25, he showed that their divisions were caused by a misunderstanding of the gospel. Human wisdom said that the message of Christ crucified was foolishness; Paul countered that while the gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, it was God’s power for those being saved (1:18). At that point in his letter, he only focused on Christ’s crucifixion (1:17, 18, 23; 2:2). 

Now, he addresses the questions of some concerning the bodily resurrection of believers, again pointing to the gospel message, focusing here on the resurrection of Christ – to show the error of their thinking (15:1-19). Again, Paul points out that mixing human wisdom with the gospel message, does not result in clarity, but in confusion. In this case, it is the blessed future hope of resurrection that is sacrificed on the altar of human wisdom. The historical bodily resurrection of Christ was central to the gospel message the Corinthians believed. The Corinthians knew the gospel; in fact, they received it, and were standing firm in it (15:1). What Paul really wants to make known to them is that by denying the doctrine of the bodily resurrection of all believers, they are actually denying the resurrection of Christ, and thus the gospel! This had escaped their notice. 

To do this Paul must first remind them of “the gospel which I preached to you…by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain” (15:1b-2).  When Paul says “by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you” he was not doubting the salvation of his readers because they “received” the gospel message he preached as truth to them (15:1b). Several times he affirms his readers had faith in Christ ( 2:5; 3:5; 15:11, 14, 17; 16:13). Nor does he doubt that they “hold fast” to that gospel because they are “standing” in it (15:1c).

Neither is Paul seeking to raise doubts concerning the future assurance of his readers’ salvation because eternal life, once gained, can never be lost, or it is not “eternal” life (cf. John 3:16; 5:24; 6:35, 39-40, 47; 10:28-29). Even though they were plagued with divisions, envy, drunkenness, and immorality (1:11; 3:1-3; 5:9-6:20; 11:21, 30), Paul did not question their salvation from Hell. He refers to them as “the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1:2). They “were washed…sanctified…justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (6:11). He called them “babes in Christ” (3:1) whose “body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” (6:19). In 15:2, Paul wants these born-again believers to “hold fast” to and not be moved away from the gospel which he preached to them. 

The good news (euangellion) of Jesus’ death and resurrection (15:3-4) is foundational to healthy Christian living. Christians cannot live a victorious life for Christ if they stop believing in any aspect of the good news, especially Jesus’ substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection, His soon return, and their own bodily resurrection and acquisition of glorified bodies. In 15:2, Paul says that the present salvation of the believers in Corinth was conditioned on their “holding fast” to his gospel. Note in 15:2 that Paul said they already “believed.” The reason he says “unless you believed in vain” is because their faith in Christ would be “empty” or worthless if there is no resurrection from the dead (15:14, 19). Unlike Ephesians 2:8-9 where Paul uses the perfect tense, “you have been saved,” in I Corinthians 15:2 he uses the present tense, “you are [being] saved.” 

The salvation in I Corinthians 15:2 is not new birth because new birth is not conditioned upon holding fast to the gospel. It is conditioned upon believing in Jesus Christ for eternal life (I Corinthians 1:21; 3:5; cf. John 3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 6:40; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9; I Timothy 1:16). In light of Paul’s use of the word “save” in I Corinthians 5:5, this salvation is being saved from further judgment by the Lord Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat of Christ (I Corinthians 3:15; 4:5; 9:24-27). It has to do with being spiritually healthy at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Believers can only be spiritually healthy now if they hold fast to Paul’s gospel. They will only be spiritually healthy at the Judgment Seat of Christ if they were holding fast to the gospel when they died or were raptured by the Lord Jesus. 

The Lord Jesus never said that once a person comes to Him in faith that he is forever “approved” by Christ. Jesus said we are only His friends if we do what He commands us (John 15:14). In the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27), Jesus revealed that at the Judgment Seat, He will tell the believer who served Him wholeheartedly to the end of his life, “Well done, good servant,” and will give him authority over ten cities (Luke 19:16-17). But to the believer who was half-hearted in his service, yet persevered to the end, He will only say, “You also be over five cities” (Luke 19:19). To such a believer He doesn’t say, “Well done,” and He doesn’t call him “good servant.”  However, to the believer (this is a Christian because he is a “servant” with the same “master” as the other two servants) who does not persevere in his service for Christ to the end, to the one who buries what He gave him, He will say, “Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant” (Luke 19:22). This type of believer receives no cities to rule over and no commendation. He is rebuked by the Lord and called a wicked servant. But he is still a servant of his master. 

So Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15:2 should not surprise us. They are consistent with Jesus’ teachings. Only if a believer holds fast to the good news message can he be spiritually healthy at the Judgment Seat. Only a persevering believer will be found “holy… blameless, and above reproach” at the Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. Colossians 1:22-23, 28-29). No wonder Paul concludes I Corinthians 15 by saying, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (15:58). Jesus will reward the faithful believer who holds fast to the gospel. 

Do All Religions Lead to God?

“I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.” Isaiah 43:11

God created Israel to worship and serve Him alone. He said, “Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior” (43:10-11). Among “all the nations” of the world (43:9), only Israel’s God could deliver His people and know their future and be in control of all things.

We live in a world today that teaches there are many different ways to God. Many people insist that all religions lead to the same God (Universalism). Is this true? The God of the Bible has told us Himself  that “besides Me there is no savior” (43:11). If God had said there are many ways to Himself, then, yes, there are many ways to Him. But He has not said that. He says that He alone is the “savior.” 

In addition, God became a human being in the Person of Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14, 18), so we can believe what Jesus says about this issue. Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).Jesus did not say that He is “a way…to the Father,” implying that there are many different paths to God. No, He said He is “the way” to the Father. According to Jesus Christ, there are no other ways to God the Father.

You may ask, “What right does Jesus have to make such an exclusive claim?” The Bible affirms that Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power… by the resurrection from the dead”(Romans 1:4). The proof that Jesus rose from the dead was that He was seen alive after His death by over five hundred eyewitnesses (I Corinthians 15:5-8).

The resurrection of Christ is the most attested fact of history. Thomas Arnold authored a three-volume history of Rome and was appointed to Oxford’s Chair of Modern History. Concerning the evidence behind the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he said, “I have been used for years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than that Christ died and rose from the dead” (see EvanTell’s tract, “How Can I Believe in Christ, When I Don’t Even Believe The Bible”). 

The early followers of Jesus made it clear that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”(Acts 4:12)other than Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 4:10-11). The Bible, God Himself, and His followers teach that there is only one way to God and that is through the Lord Jesus Christ. To believe or teach something else means you must deal with the authority of the Bible and the credibility of Jesus Christ (see EvanTell’s 2014The Evangelism Study Bible, p. 776).  

If you have never understood and believed this, listen to what God says in Isaiah 45:22: “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” God the Son, Jesus Christ, now invites you to believe or trust in Him alone to save you from eternal death and give you His free gift of everlasting life.  Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). When you believed in Jesus, the Bible says you can “know” you have eternal life. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life”(I John 5:13).

How can a Loving God Allow Pain and Suffering?

This is a question asked by many in the wake of Hurricane Florence in the USA and Typhoon Ompong in the Philippines as they see innocent children swept away in a landslide or drowned during a hurricane. While I cannot claim to know all of God’s reasons for allowing tragedies to take place in our world, I do want to provide some biblical answers to some basic questions about the topic of pain and suffering. 

Q1: Did God create the world with sin and suffering in it?

A1: No, God created the heavens (universe) and earth without sin as He concluded that what He originally made was “good” and “very good” (Genesis 1:3, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This includes all the angels created by God (Colossians 1:16). However, Lucifer, God’s highest-ranking angel, rebelled and sinned against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19) prior to tempting Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-6). Lucifer, or Satan, also led one third of God’s angels to join him in his rebellion so that they (fallen angels and/or demons) now oppose God and His people (Ezekiel 28:16, 18; Revelation 12:4, 7-10).

Q2: When did sin and suffering begin on the earth?

A2: When Adam and Eve sinned against God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-6; Romans 5:12). Their decision to sin also adversely effected creation (Genesis 3:14-19) which now “groans  and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:18-22).

Q3: Does God cause sin and suffering in the world today?

A3: No, the Bible 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). Temptations come from our own sinful flesh, the world, or from Satan (cf. Matthew 4:1-11; James 1:14; I John 2:16). God’s love gives each human being the ability to choose. If people could not choose between good and evil, that would not be love. Much suffering takes place in the world today because of circumstances beyond our control. Some suffering is because of our own sinful decisions or the decisions of others.

Q4: When people suffer, how do they know that God is in control?

A4: When Job suffered greatly, he asked God why He had even allowed him to be born (Job 3:11). Job cried out to God. “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, I have no rest, for trouble comes”(Job 3:25-26). God chose not to reveal His motives for allowing Job to suffer. He never told him why, but He did answer him. He answered Job by describing Himself as all powerful and in control (Job 38:1-41:34). So, we know that God is in control in the midst of suffering because He has told us in His Word (cf. Romans 8:28). 

Q5: How does God feel about those who do suffer?

A5: When people suffer, God wants them to know that He cares. He is concerned about every pain and tear. He encourages us to “cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you”(I Peter 5:7). Sometimes God demonstrates His care by not removing our suffering but by comforting us in the midst of it (2 Corinthians 1:3-11). God will help us through whatever suffering we face, if we look to Him. It is with this kind of suffering that God helps us through but He does not necessarily remove it.  However, there is a kind of suffering that God wants to eliminate which is eternal. 

Q6: How can God love people if He sends them to hell to suffer forever?

A6: First of all, God does not send anyone to hell. People send themselves to hell when they refuse to believe in God’s Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-19; Revelation 20:15) who suffered and died in our place on the cross and rose from the dead (I Corinthians 15:1-6). After all, God is holy and hates sin, and must punish it (Psalm 5:4; Isaiah 6:1-5; 59:2; Romans 3:23; 6:23b). The Bible tells us that all people must face God as their Judge – “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment”(Hebrews 9:27). So, whether we have sinned once or a thousand times, sin’s consequences are forever. 

Q7: How can people escape eternal suffering?

A7: Their eternal suffering can be removed, not by any works or words they do or speak (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), but by accepting what God did for them on the cross. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”(Romans 5:8). God now invites all people to believe or trust in His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, for His free gift of everlasting life. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Our good works and religious efforts will not save us because they are all like “filthy garments”in the sight of a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). We must trust in Christ alone as our only way to heaven. The moment we do, God gives us eternal life as a gift and we are His forever (John 10:28-29). 

A day is coming when all those who have believed or trusted in Jesus alone for His gift of everlasting life will be with Him in heaven where there will be no more suffering. The Bible says, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying…”(Revelation 21:4). Those who have believed in Christ recognize that there is suffering in this life, but they take comfort in God’s promise that one day all suffering will be gone forever. Those people will not suffer eternally. 

If you have never understood and believed this, why not trust in Jesus Christ alone right now as your only way to heaven? Here is how you could tell God in prayer what you are doing.

Dear God, I come to you now as a sinner. I know my sins deserve to be punished forever. But I now understand that Jesus Christ died for me and rose from the dead. I am now placing my trust in Christ alone as my only way to heaven. Thank You for the gift of forgiveness and eternal life I just received. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

When you believed in Jesus, the Bible says you now have everlasting life (John 3:16) and you can “know” it. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life”(I John 5:13). God now wants to use you to tell others this good news. As you learn to follow Jesus, He can show you how to tell others how to escape eternal suffering before it is too late for them (Matthew 4:19).

What happens when you believe in Jesus for everlasting life?

Every month thousands of Filipinos are coming to faith in Christ. What happens the moment you believe in Jesus for everlasting life?

1. God became your Father in Heaven and you became His child forever (John 1:12).

2. You were saved forever from Hell (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9).

3. Jesus gave you everlasting life which can never be lost (John 3:16; 10:28-29).

4. You are guaranteed never to be judged for your sins in the future (John 5:24).

5. Rivers of living water (the Holy Spirit) now flow out of your heart to be a blessing to others (John 7:38-39).

6. Jesus and God the Father now hold you in their hands and no one is strong enough to snatch you out of their hands (John 10:28-29).

7. You now have never ending life and are guaranteed a future resurrection when you will receive a glorified body that is free from sin and death (John 11:25-26; I Corinthians 15:35-57). 

8. God forgave all of your sins – past, present, and future sins (Acts 10:43; Colossians 2:13-14).

9. You were declared totally righteous before a holy God (Romans 3:22-26; 4:5).

10. You now have peace with God (Romans 5:1).

11. You are now under grace, not the Old Testament Law, so that you can trust Christ to give you victory over sin (Romans 6:14).

12. You are Christ’s bride, not His hostage (Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2). 

13. Jesus now lives inside of you through His Holy Spirit and He promises never to leave you (Romans 8:11; Hebrews 13:5).

14. Your physical body is now a temple of the Holy Spirit and is to be used to glorify God (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

15. God gave you one or more spiritual gifts to be used to serve Him and others in His body, the Church (Romans 12:4-8; I Corinthians 12:1-14:40; Ephesians 4:11-13; I Peter 4:7-11).

16. You were placed in the Body of Christ, the Church, by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13).

17. You have a new motivation to live for Christ now, not for yourself (2 Corinthians 5:15).

18. You have a new mindset now to see others as Christ see them – as people whom Jesus loves and wants to save (2 Corinthians 5:16; cf. I Timothy 2:3-5).

19. You have a new ministry now to preach the gospel of Christ to the lost so they can be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

20. You are now an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

21. You were crucified with Christ so that He can live His life through you (Galatians 2:20).

22. You are now a “saint” (set apart from your sin and shame to serve God) at the core of your being, not a sinner (Ephesians 1:1; cf. Romans 1:7; 8:27; I Corinthians 1:2; 14:33; Ephesians 1:15; 3:8, 18; 4:12; 5:3, 6:18; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2; I Thessalonians 3:13).

23. You are totally accepted by God in Christ (Ephesians 1:6).

24. You were “redeemed” or “purchased” off the slave market of sin so that now you do not have to sin (Ephesians 1:7).

25. You were “sealed” by the Holy Spirit who will safely and securely deliver you to heaven when you die or when Jesus removes the church from the earth (Ephesians 1:13-14).

26. You are now the “inheritance” of God the Father (Ephesians 1:18).

27. You are seated next to the exalted Lord Jesus Christ in the heavenly places above all enemies of God, including the devil (Ephesians 1:20-21; 2:5-6).

28. You are now God’s masterpiece, not a mistake (Ephesians 2:10). 

29. You now have direct access to God’s throne of grace (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 4:15-16).

30. You are now a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 3:20). 

31. You have been delivered from the power of darkness to one day reside in the future kingdom of God’s Son on earth (Colossians 1:13; Revelation 20:4-6).

32. You have been reconciled to God through Christ (Colossians 1:20).

33. You are now complete in Christ, lacking nothing before God (Colossians 2:9-10).

34. You have been made perfect forever in the sight of a holy God according to Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the Cross, not your own performance (Hebrews 10:14). 

God’s Grace in the Garden

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings… Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” Genesis 3:7, 21

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they tried to remedy their sense of fear and shame by covering themselves with “fig leaves” (3:7). But this covering did not remove the effects of their sin. Since that first attempt to remove the consequences of sin through human effort, people have been trying to remove their own guilt and shame through their own accomplishments. Various religions have been created by people trying to remedy their sin problem. But all man-made religions fall short of God’s solution to our sin problem. 

In Genesis 3:21, God graciously provided the proper covering for Adam and Eve. He “made tunics of skin” through the death of an innocent animal. Blood must be shed. Imagine how Adam must have felt to see one of the animals he had named and cared for being killed on his account! Never had Adam and Eve known death. This was serious business and this was to be God’s way of dealing with sin throughout the ages. By providing a covering with animal skins, God provided forgiveness through the “shedding of blood” (Hebrews 9:22). God later provided forgiveness through the Old Testament sacrificial system. 

Those animals were shadows of the Babe who was born on that first Christmas morning. He would be called “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Like that first animal that was sacrificed for Adam and Eve, Jesus Christ would also be innocent and without sin because He was and is God (John 1:1, 14, 17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 3:18). And like that first sacrificial animal, Jesus was born to die for the sins of others (John 1:29; Romans 5:8; I John 4:9), that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Like Adam and Eve, our human efforts or works cannot remove our sin and shame (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9). Religion cannot take away our sins. Only Jesus Christ can take away our sins (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This is called grace. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve. We do not deserve forgiveness or everlasting life. But because of God’s grace, He offers us His forgiveness and everlasting life freely. Will you trust in Him alone to do for you would you could never do on your own? He is waiting for you to come to Him in faith just as You are and then He will forgive all your sins and give you everlasting life (Acts 10:43; John 3:15-16). Praise God for His magnificent grace!