A friend recently texted me a podcast where somebody was giving a so-called “thought experiment” about whether Judas betraying Jesus was actually positive and whether Judas repented. The guys were fairly sloppy in how they talked about it. My friend asked my thoughts. Thought you might be interested in what I wrote to him:
You are right, Judas Iscariot is an interesting biblical character. Comparing and contrasting Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial has always fascinated me. There is a lot of detail in the biblical narratives to study.
What these guys are discussing is an old gnostic theory, even though they don’t seem to know that. This was pushed more recently in The Da Vinci Code and other fictional writings. These are all fabrications that are out of step with the biblical canon.
The Gospels use fairly harsh language for Judas. Judas is never viewed sympathetically or as a victim or in a positive light in the slightest. The Lord Jesus says that Judas was a devil. The Gospels say he was a thief during Jesus’ ministry (a man of selfish and immoral character) and that he was possessed by Satan to betray Jesus. It seems that Judas was possessed by Satan because he opened the door to that evil. So, the New Testament is clear the Judas did not do what he did for righteous ends. A Christian reading of the New Testament does not allow for Judas is a hero or good guy.
Judas definitely regretted what he did, but regret is not the same as repentance. The narrative seems to portray his suicide as motivated by overwhelming grief rather than godly sorrow. True repentance is both a turning away from sin and turning to Christ in faith.
Acts 1 makes it clear that Judas had done evil and was never restored.
What is a Christian?
A Summary of the Sermon: What is a Christian?
1. Someone who has repented of his/her sins.
2. Someone who believes in Jesus Christ.
3. Someone who is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
4. Someone who has been born again from above.
5. Someone with a single-minded devotion to Christ.
6. Someone who picks up his/her cross to follow Christ.
7. Someone who obeys all that Jesus has commanded.
For an explanation of each of these items, listen to the full sermon here:
https://archive.org/details/whatisachristian.2024
Devotional Thoughts on the Second Commandment
Notice that God only spoke to them out of the midst of the fiery mountain. The people did not see God. The same is true of Moses when he said, “Show me your glory.”
Example: Golden calf (the people wanted to see).
This was a blatant disregard of the second command.
Your sins of commission (the things that you do) and your sins of omission (the things that you neglect to do that you should do) have an impact on the lives of others, especially your own children and grandchildren.
Alcoholism is often passed from one generation to the next. Overburdening oneself with debt is usually passed from one generation to the next. Poor marriages are passed from one generation to the next.
And yet. . . .
*Generational sins can be prevented through covenant loyalty with God.
*The cycle of sin can be broken through repentance.
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