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A commonly asked question people raise when eternal salvation is mentioned is, “If salvation is eternal and can’t be lost, what then do we say about Judas? Did he lose his salvation? Is he currently in heaven?”

“God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth [1 Timothy 2:4].”

I keep repeating this particular above scripture in this series because as believers or unbelievers, it is not enough to get saved, you must come to the knowledge of the truth. You must know the truth. You must spend time in the word of God and know what is true and what is false. Why? Because the truth sets us free [John 8:31-32] or you risk living a life of fear even as a believer.

Knowing the truth makes your faith and convictions even stronger and firm day by day.

If we know the truth, we won’t live our lives in fear of someday losing our salvation if in truth we believe in Jesus Christ.

Now, let’s read the bible passage below before we talk about Judas Iscariot.

John 6:60-70

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

The above bible passage is very easy to understand and I believe it fully answers our question today.

Did judas lose his salvation?

No! He didn’t lose his salvation because he had no salvation to lose.

We have made certain in this series that we are saved when we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus [John 3:16, Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4].

However, according to Jesus’ own words, as we just read in John 6:64 above, Judas did not believe even though Jesus spoke words that were full of spirit and life to his disciples daily and told them things about himself that others knew nothing about. He explained numerous parables to them for their understanding. Yet, the scripture said, “Jesus had known from the beginning which one of them did not believe and would betray him.”

But then you might say or ask, “Wasn’t Judas a disciple of Jesus? Wasn’t Judas part of the 12 that Jesus sent to cast out demons?”

Let’s answer those two questions.

Wasn’t Judas a disciple of Jesus?

True! Judas was a disciple but he was not a believer. He didn’t truly believe or know Christ despite the time spent with him.

If you read our main scripture again, in John 6:66, some so-called disciples left and stopped following Jesus because of a hard truth he said which they couldn’t accept or believe.

In John 6:67, “Jesus asked the twelve disciples too, do you also want to leave?”

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Peter made a distinction between an ordinary disciple and a believer of Christ Jesus in his statement, he is saying, “Lord, we are not just following you and listening to your teaching because we think you are cool, we actually believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. You have eternal life, where else shall we go?”

Hence, a believer of Christ Jesus is and should be a disciple of Jesus. But a disciple of Christ is not always a believer of Christ.

After Peter made his statement, Jesus buttressed it further to make it plain that it is not all twelve of them that do believe and know him as Peter might have assumed.

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

A believer cannot be called a devil at the same time. Judas walked with Jesus, followed Jesus and listened to his teaching but he never believed in Jesus as the son of God.

“While I was with them, I was protecting them by your name that you have given me. I guarded them and not one of them is lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture may be fulfilled [John 17:12].”

No-one who believes in Jesus will be lost. He guards his own.

Wasn’t Judas part of the 12 that Jesus sent to cast out demons?”

 “And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction [Matthew 10:1].”

Notice that it bible verse said that Jesus gave them authority. They were graced for the journey. It was not by their own power, strength or authority. It is important for us to know that someone can be involved in a lot of Christian activities, perform various signs and wonders and still not be a believer.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ ²³ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers! [Matthew 7:21-23].”

The name of Jesus by itself is powerful. It is after all the name above every other name. At the mention of the name of Jesus, every knee must bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father [Philippians 2:9-11].

You can hang out with Christ but not be a part of his body.

But the shepherd knows his sheep and they know him. He called them by name and they follow him because they know his voice and the voice of a stranger they will not follow [See John 10: 1-6]. God knows his people.

So, did Judas lose his salvation?

No! You can’t lose what you never had.

Have you heard or read of the notion to fall away from the faith or depart from the faith? Oh well, in the next part we will explore, “What it means to fall away from the faith.”

God Bless You.

You are Eternally Loved.