QUESTION # 12:
Does Luke 12:45-48 teach that Christians can lose their salvation if they
decide to reject God’s will and start living for themselves?
ANSWER: According
to verses 41-48 in this chapter, two groups of servants are mentioned here:
“faithful and unfaithful servants.” (See also Matt. 24:45-51).
We see in verses 42-44 “The Faithful Steward Rewarded;
however, in verses 45-48 we see “The Unfaithful Steward Removed.” It is
important to keep in mind, that this parable is one among a number of parables
that speaks of our Lord’s Coming. Let us
take a closer look at who these stewards are in these two groups.
1. The Faithful Steward Rewarded (12:42-44): The wise servant is the one who is
watchful and does the will of God by faithfully caring for the Lord’s people.
For such a one will be called “blessed”
(v.43), for when “the master” (v.46)
returns and finds him doing His will, He will reward his faithful servant with
greater responsibilities by making him “ruler
over all that he has.”
(v.44). Now who is this “faithful and wise servant” (v.45) that
the Lord Jesus is talking about? According to noted writer Dave Hunt, the word
“servant” in this parable carries a double meaning. He writes:
“It is apparent that Christ’s
words here have a double meaning that can be applied both to Jews and Gentiles.
Abraham’s physical descendants are by birth potentially children of the Davidic
kingdom and can thus be called “servants” in a way not true for Gentiles. But
unless they have the same relationship with God through faith in Christ that
Abraham had, they will be lost forever.”[1]
So the question may be asked: Can the term “servant” in this
parable be applied to Christians? Yes and no, depending on the context in which
it is mentioned. Yes, in verses 42-44 reveals the fruit of a true believer in
Christ who lives in the blessed hope of his “Lord’s” return. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know
them.” (Matt. 7:20, 16). No, for we do not read this about the “servant” (Luke 12:45). For in verses
45-47 the “servant” demonstrates by his very attitude and actions that he is
not watching for the Lord’s return. We see this truth in our second point.
2. The Unfaithful Steward Removed (12:45-47):
Though Luke 12:45 does not clearly distinguish between which “servant” it is referring to; it gives
the impression that it is still referring to the “faithful and wise servant” mentioned in verse 42; hence, the
confusion. However, the confusion is easily removed when the reference for this
same parable in Matthew 24:48 clearly identifies that “servant” as an “evil servant.” True born again
believers are never mentioned in the Holy Scriptures as being “evil,” only
unbelievers are; though true believers still sin from time to time (See 1 John
1:7-10), they are “free” from its
diabolical power (See John 8:32, 36) and one day will be removed from the very
presence of sin at the rapture (See 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
This “end time” parable does not teach us that true
Christians can lose their salvation. When the term “servant” refers to the
saint in this parable, it is never used in the context of a true believer in
Christ losing his or her salvation. What verses 45-47 reveals is that not all
who profess to be Christians are genuine. For there will be many false
believers among God’s people who will claim to know Christ.
The beloved devotional writer, William MacDonald says it best in these words:
“The servant professes to be working for Christ, but actually he is an
unbeliever. Instead of feeding the people of God, he abuses them, robs them,
and lives in self-indulgence. (This may be a reference to the Pharisees.) The
Coming of the Lord will expose his unreality, and he will be punished with all other unbelievers. The expression “cut him in two” may also be
translated “severely scourge him” (AV margin).”[2]
No comments:
Post a Comment