Jesus, the Christ, Died for All

A BIBLE STUDY BY FRED KENISON

Revised and Edited by Merrill Douglass

The scriptures clearly show that Jesus died for everyone. Matthew 1:21, says, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” This was part of the message Joseph received from the angel before the birth of Jesus.

The question, of course, arises as to just who were “his people?” Does this mean only those who believe on him? Is it just the Israelites of his own time here on earth? Or, is there a broader meaning intended? Other scriptures dealing with this subject will provide the answers to these questions.

John 1:29 broadens the view of just who were “his people.” “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

The word world comes from kosmos, what we would call the cosmos. This means all sins, for everyone. Too many times this scripture is interpreted to mean that only the sins of believers were taken away, and not those of unbelievers.

Taketh away comes from airon, which means, “to remove the guilt and punishment of sin by expiation, or to cause that sin be neither imputed not punished” (Thayer, p.17).

John said that sin will be neither charged to man nor punished; that the guilt and punishment had already been removed. Considering this fact, all the preaching to the contrary must be in error. Either John did not know what he was saying, or those who preach that God is now judging your sins, or will judge your sins in the future, do not know what they are talking about!

According to John 1:29 Jesus either bore all the punishment and all the guilt, or he only bore part of it. The scriptures say all. If they heard this more often, more people might turn rejoicing to God with a better understanding of what the words “love” and “grace” mean. Instead, many people are mortally afraid of God and his punishment for their sins, or they feel a needless burden of guilt for their sin.

God demonstrated his love and grace to men in the passion of Jesus. It was not a partial fix, but a complete forgiveness of all sins of all men. Nothing any man can say or do will alter this fact one way or the other. Men’s sins were all forgiven, not when they ask, or pray, or believe; but when God, before the foundation of the world, gave his son to cover men’s penalty (see Romans 5:18 and Ephesians 1:4).

Jesus was the perfect sacrifice to bring about his Father’s will. Luke 2:10 says, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

Notice, it says all people.

Luke 2:13-14 continues: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

This settled the judicial aspect of sin, once for all. God will never again act as a judge toward men’s sin; he will act only as a Father. Whether we believe this or not does not change the fact of what Jesus did for us, nor will it change the manner in which God regards us.

John 3:17 says, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

The words might be saved, come from soothe (aorist subjunctive passive), which means that the world absolutely will be saved. The word might, in this case, does not mean maybe, as it often does in English.

Notice, too, that in these scriptures God is not dealing with any man on an individual basis, but is dealing with the whole world, or all men, on a corporate basis.

In John 4:42, the Samaritan men told the woman at the well, “Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

Men may believe individually, but God saved them as a group. Salvation is not because we believe, but because God loves us.

John 6:51, in telling what this salvation of the world entails, gives another element of salvation: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life (zoe) of the world.”

Spiritual life, zoe, for all those in the world has been bought by the sacrifice of Jesus because of God’s love for all mankind.

I John 2:2 says that Jesus, “is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus was the satisfaction for our sins, and it was done for us, not for God. Many believe the holiness of God required a sacrifice for sins, but that wasn’t it at all. Jesus’ sacrifice was done for us, that we might have “no more conscience of sins.” (Hebrews 10:2).

The next verses, written by John, confirm that God expended his judgment on Jesus. John 5:22-27 says, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”

For those who believe that Jesus is the same as God, this passage is reduced to meaningless nonsense. Some maintain that judgment was only shifted from God’s right hand to his left hand, so to speak, and that God is still doing the judging. However, that is in direct opposition to the plain teaching of this scripture.

The doctrine of the trinity which claims that Jesus is God complicates the easy understanding of this scripture. The trinity is not, and never has been, a scriptural doctrine. It was only a theory developed by some men to supposedly help explain the complexities of God to men even more ignorant than themselves. God is not now judging any man, but has given life, zoe, to every man.

[For a detailed study on the trinity, see Monographs 10-14 in our book, What Scripture Says About Salvation. The full text of this book is available free at www.biblestudybooksfree.com.]

Paul also spoke about zoe, spiritual life, and said that the death of Jesus, the Christ, was for all men. In Romans 5:6 he wrote, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Notice it says the ungodly, not just believers.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

Romans 5:18 says, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

It is not unusual to hear that all men were condemned because of Adam’s sin, but it is very unusual to hear that all men received the free gift of life because Jesus died. Most seem to agree about Adam, but have difficulty agreeing about the part Jesus played in regard to all men. If the sin of Adam brought condemnation to all men without their participation, then it is only logical to say that the righteousness of Jesus accomplished redemption for all men without their participation.

Paul reiterated this same theme in II Corinthians 5:14-21. “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

The words might be made, ginometha (aorist subjunctive middle deponent), means that men will become righteous. This does not mean maybe, as the English would indicate. Being a middle deponent means that men participate in the end results, the righteousness.

Hebrews 2:9 says that, “we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

Every man comes from pantos, which could also be translated as “every thing.” Apparently the results of Jesus’ death affected more than just men. This alternate translation might also help explain Romans 8:18-23. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Jesus evidently died to redeem all of creation, not just men only. In that case, would the other parts of creation have to believe in order to be redeemed, as some teach that men must do?

I Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

Again, the word all comes from pantos, which may also be translated as every. No word follows pantos, so the translator must supply what the all, or every, means. Is it all men or all creation that Paul is talking about? Whether men or creation, Jesus is a ransom for “all,” not just for those who believe.

I Corinthians 15:45 says, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

The last Adam, or Jesus, was made a zoe kind of spirit, or life giving spirit. Just as men received soulish life from the first Adam, so have men received spiritual life from the last Adam, Jesus.

In Romans 11:15, Paul explained the meaning of Israel’s fall in relation to the Gentiles and God’s purpose in allowing it to happen: “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?”

Notice that Paul said that through Israel and its failure to believe that Jesus was messiah, the world was reconciled to God.

The word reconcile means to receive one into favor. The whole world was received into favor through the fall of the Israelites because God then turned to the Gentiles to get a name (people) for himself. The basis for God reconciling the world to himself was his love, as demonstrated by the death of his son, Jesus.

Paul was not talking about whether or not the Israelites would go to hell, but whether they would lose their inheritance in the next age, the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven. When Paul spoke of people being lost, or out of the way, he did not mean they were condemned to hell. He simply meant they would not spend the next age reigning with Jesus, but would spend it in outer darkness instead.

On the other hand, when Paul spoke of people being saved, it was always in relationship to entering the kingdom. “Going to heaven” was not part of his vocabulary. To him, salvation meant entering the next age, the kingdom of God, in a place of blessing with Jesus.

In Colossians 1:5, Paul told about the hope which is in the gospel or the truth of the gospel, not just any gospel. “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel. Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth.”

Much that is called the gospel today is not what the Bible calls the gospel. Paul referred to the hope laid up in heaven as something that is the truth of the gospel, something they heard about. The hope was not created because they believed it. It was something done by God and made a part of the good news. It was there to be heard by everyone. Its purpose was, and still is, to bring forth fruit in those who hear and come to understand the grace of God.

Notice, too, that hope does not come by the works of men, but by the grace of God, which is an unmerited favor, or something given to those who are undeserving.

Why don’t preachers simply tell people about the salvation God has already provided? Why do they insist on telling people what they must do to be saved, or go to heaven? If people must do something (accept, believe, ask forgiveness, etc), then they are under law again.

When asked, “How do you know you are saved?” most people talk about what they did: believed, were baptized, were confirmed, received the holy spirit, experienced the second blessing (as if there were only two), gave their hearts to Jesus, confessed their sins, or whatever else any specific denomination may require.

One of the more insidious aspects of organized religion is in convincing men that they must become deserving of this grace by what they do, or do not do. Grace is not only unmerited, it demands nothing in return. It does not even include the words, “Now that you are a Christian, you must do....”

Look carefully at what Paul said in Colossians 1:20-22. “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard.”

Paul never left the concept of grace, but went on to say that all things, both those on earth and those in heaven, were reconciled to God by the blood of the cross. He told the Colossians that they were included in the results of Jesus’ death.

As for the part faith plays, Paul said that if they continued believing the good news and were not moved away from it, they would be presented holy and unblameable and unimpeachable before him. A little study will show that this presentation will be at the return of Jesus, the messiah.

Faith retains, or keeps, what God has given to all men by grace, but faith never creates it. God is not changed when you believe; you are changed when you believe. Colossians 1:27-28 says, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

Faith only unlocks the power of holy spirit which is already among you (en humen). When Jesus lives and works in you through the power of holy spirit it is his works, done through you, that make you pleasing to God. That was what Paul meant when he said,“Christ is all (things) and in all.” (Colossians 3:11).

I Timothy 4:8 says, “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” I Timothy 4:10 says, “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men.”

Note this carefully! God saves (preserves) all men, not just believers. Paul also brought out again the hope of zoe which “now is, and...is to come.” At this time, men have only an earnest, or a down-payment, of the fullness yet to come.

Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

This scripture shows that God expects those who believe the gospel to change the way they live. It says nothing at all about God changing towards people when they become believers, or of doing anything for them that he has not already done. The gift of Jesus was for the salvation of all mankind.

Just in case people got the idea that their faith had saved them, Paul wrote the following in Ephesians 1:3-7: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

This is the good news! Before the foundation of the world, God chose everyone to be adopted through Jesus. Paul wanted them to understand what God had already done for them, that their salvation was of God.

Everything necessary for salvation was accomplished before the foundation of the world, which was a long time before anyone ever believed. We were chosen in him, and this was done at the good pleasure of his will, that men might give praise to the glory of his grace. Men’s sins were remitted by his grace. Truly men do have zoe, spiritual life, by the grace of God.

John 1:4 puts it this way: “In him (Jesus) was life (zoe); and the life (zoe) was the light of men.”

John 1:9 adds, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

In the Greek, a definite article “the” before a subject and a predicate noun (the life was the light of men) means they are reversible quantities. This means that we could say just as truthfully that “the light of men was the life.”

Because this is true, then every man was not only given light when he entered the world, but that light was also spiritual life (zoe). We begin to appreciate and experience the spiritual life when we believe, but we have had it ever since we came into the world. Our belief did not create it.

In light of the foregoing scriptures, the following two conclusions are valid. First, we either believe what God has already done, or we believe that God does something when we believe. The first case is the work of God through Christ. The second case is a synergistic type of salvation which demands that we do something, which becomes the basis of all denominationalism.

Second, people become lost, or out of the way, when they rebel against God who has already saved them. We become lost by choice, not saved by choice. Truly, salvation, which is life, zoe, is of God.

To summarize:

· The sin of Adam brought condemnation to all men without their participation.

· The sacrifice of Jesus brought redemption to all men without their participation.

· Jesus died to redeem all of creation, not just men only.

· Jesus was a ransom for “all,” not just for those who believe.

· Just as men received soulish life from the first Adam, so have men received spiritual life from the last Adam, Jesus.

[For more on this subject, see our book, What Scripture Says About Salvation. The full text of this book is available free at www.biblestudybooksfree.com.]

Understanding Born Again

John 3:3-8 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”


“Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The word verily comes from amen, which was commonly used to express approval of a statement or message. It meant that what was said could be depended on to be the truth. Ordinarily, verily was stated at the end of a statement. However, when Jesus taught, he reversed the order and used verily at the beginning of his statements. This meant that what followed was absolutely true and dependable. Nicodemus undoubtedly caught the significance of using amen at the beginning of his statements.

Jesus stated in advance that he spoke only truth. Quite a statement, is it not? Perhaps Jesus was “raising the ante” on his conversation with Nicodemus. Earlier, Nicodemus had said he knew that Jesus was a teacher sent from God (John 3:2). By using amen, Jesus was stating he was not only a teacher, but one who always spoke truth. He could say that of himself by placing the word amen at the beginning of his statement instead of waiting for someone else to confirm it after he spoke, which was the normal custom.

In the phrase, “I say unto thee,” the word say comes from legō, a present-indicative-active verb. The present usually means continuous action, but often when used with the indicative it comes closest to the English present tense, “I am now saying to you.” Of course, the present tense in the Greek always retains some sense of continuous action.

The word you, from soi, is singular. Jesus was speaking only to Nicodemus; there was no one else present. This could be interpreted in modern vernacular as telling Nicodemus to, “listen up…I am speaking to you.”

What exactly was it that Jesus wanted Nicodemus to accept as an important truth? It was this: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Except comes from ean, a Greek particle which is a composite of two words, ei and an.

An equals uncertainty, and is therefore used as a subjunctive, something which has not yet happened, or something of which there is uncertainty about whether it will happen. Ean, except, is often translated as unless, and determines the rest of this dependent clause.

The word man comes from tis, an indefinite pronoun meaning anyone. Man is too specific; anyone is more general, and would have been a better translation.

The word born comes from genethē a subjunctive-aorist-passive. The subjunctive matches it with the earlier word “except” or “unless,” which indicates uncertainty. This word born has the same meaning as in English, i.e., that of being physically born as a son, or progeny, of someone.

The word born is also modified by the word again, anōthen, which may also be translated as anew, or, from above. Both “again” and “from above” are legitimate translations of this word, which is why one may find it translated either way in different Bible translations.

This statement about being born again has been so mishandled that it has lost the original meaning which Jesus must have intended for Nicodemus. For example, many churches teach that “born again” is something which happens when a person accepts Jesus as their personal savior. Of course, this is completely wrong. The reason is that this has the subjunctive “can” in the dependent clause (protasis), and another type of verb in the independent clause (apodosis). This makes it a third-conditional sentence which refers to the future, not the present.

Let us examine the independent clause, the apodosis. If anyone has not been born again, or from above, then he “can not see.” Can comes from dunatai, and not comes from ou, the absolute negative, without qualifications. Dunatai could also be translated as able.

This brings us to the word see, idein, an aorist-infinitive. The infinitive is used to express either purpose or result: “he is absolutely not able to see the kingdom of God,” which would show result, not purpose. In other words, the result of not being born again would be the inability to see the kingdom of God.

Being a good Israelite, Nicodemus would have recognized the kingdom of God (or the kingdom of the God, as it is written in the Greek) as being the next age under the rule of the messiah, or the christ.

Nicodemus, supposedly a spiritual leader of Israel, asked a very carnal question. “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother=s womb and be born?” Jesus answered him by saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” This was a similar statement as verse 3:3, but this time Jesus added a clarifier. The new addition was the phrase, “born of water and of spirit.”

Again, the word for “be born” is passive, indicating that this is something that is done for someone, not something they can do for themselves. No baby is born by its own efforts. Its mother is the one who goes through the contractions of childbirth that the child may come into this world. The same is true of the spiritual birth. People cannot do this for themselves; it is something done for them.

Here, Jesus told Nicodemus about being born “of water and of spirit.” If water had been preceded by the definite article and spirit remained without it, then the two would be considered as being one birth with two aspects, or qualities. However, there is no definite article before either water or spirit, hence they are two separate entities.

The grammar here indicates two different births that are required in order to enter the kingdom of God. Some argue that the word water means that baptism is the means of receiving the spirit. However, Jesus was answering the question Nicodemus had asked. Jesus told him that one must be born once of water (udatos) and once of spirit (pneuma).

Jesus was not telling Nicodemus about two natural births from his mother’s womb. One natural birth was enough. Water refers to the water contained in the sack which carries the fetus until birth. That is the natural birth.

Being born of spirit is another matter. This refers to a spiritual birth, which will occur when Jesus returns with the shout of an archangel, and all those who are in the graves shall come forth, some to everlasting life and others to judgment.

The birth of spirit refers to the resurrection, indicated by crafting the sentence in the third condition which puts “see the kingdom of God” in the future. Jesus said that without both these births, he ou, absolutely cannot, enter into the kingdom of the God. Without both water birth and spirit birth, it is utterly impossible. [For more on this subject, see our book, What Scripture Says About Salvation, which is free at www.biblestudybooksfree.com.]

Jesus also explained to Nicodemus the condition, or characteristic, of someone who had been born again, or anew, or from above. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.” Jesus did not want Nicodemus to miss the meaning of the new birth. Yet, in spite of his words, multiple millions of so-called “born again believers” continue to miss his point.

Jesus explained the condition of being born again in explicit terms by comparing it to the wind. The wind could come and go, but no one could tell where it came from or where it went. In other words, we do not see the wind as it comes or goes. “Thus is everyone that is born of the spirit.” Thus comes from houtōs, which, “by virtue of its native demonstrative force it refers to what precedes; in the manner spoken of; in the way described” (Thayer, p. 468).

In other words, Jesus was telling Nicodemus anyone who has been born of the spirit can come and go like the wind, and no one can tell where they come from or where they go.

Jesus described a litmus test for determining whether or not people have been born again: Can they come and go as the wind? I have never seen anyone who fits this description, thus I have serious doubts about those who claim they have been "born again." When they can enter a closed, locked room, as Jesus did after his resurrection, then we can conclude that such people have been born again. So far, only Jesus has received a spiritual body enabling him to come and go like the wind. The rest of us will have to wait for the resurrection.

The contemporary “born again” syndrome is similar to the Gnostic teaching which Paul warned his followers about. There were some who were teaching that the resurrection was already past (II Timothy 2:18). Paul knew that such teaching destroyed any hope in the future resurrection which was still to come, and therefore he warned people about it.

If Paul were here today, he would warn people about the Gnostic-like teaching of the “born again” doctrine that is so common in many churches today. It destroys the hope of truly being born again at the coming of Jesus Christ and the resulting entrance into the kingdom of God.

Ten Simple Rules

A friend’s father died this week. He was a remarkable man, and a successful man. He lived by what he called, “ten simple rules.” Here they are.


1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make an idol for yourself.

3. You shall not take the name of your God in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not commit murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

This remarkable man based his life on the fact that God is love. He advised his sons to always look for the good, and not to dwell on what is bad. We would all do well to remember his advice.

Salvation Explained

There is a lot of nonsense out there concerning salvation. Most of what the church teaches is simply not scriptural. So, what is salvation, and how do we get it?

Here are several verses you might want to ponder.

Habakkuk 2:4
The just shall live by his faith.

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith.

John 1:4
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

John 1:9
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Galatians 2:16
A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1-2
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.


All people have salvation at birth (John 1:4, 9). This is salvation past. Salvation is the right to enter the Kingdom in a place of blessing. The question is not how to achieve salvation, but how to retain the salvation we already have. Our names were written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world, but they can be blotted out (see Book of Life post). Retaining our salvation (salvation present, or experiential salvation) requires yielding ourselves to God so that holy spirit will guide us. As we yield to the guidance of holy spirit, God works through (salvation present) us to produce righteous works which will enable us to enter the Kingdom (salvation future).

We cannot do anything to make ourselves righteous, only God can do that. Striving to make ourselves acceptable to God is futile, and brings about separation from God. The key is to accept what God has already done, stop striving, and turn ourselves over to him. As we do so, holy spirit will develop within us, and we will be able to do all that God requires of us.

So simple, and yet so difficult.

What is the Book of Life?

A BIBLE STUDY BY FRED KENISON

The phrase “book of life” occurs only eight times in the Bible, and seven of them are in Revelation. In addition, there are four instances in the Old Testament that refer to God having a book.

This book of life has been the subject of many misleading ideas which are not scriptural. For example, evangelical preachers often use the book of life with an emotional appeal, urging people to accept Jesus as their personal savior so their names will be written in the book of life and they will go to heaven when they die. Of course, there are several things wrong with this. For instance, there is no place in the scriptures which tells people to accept Jesus as their personal savior, to ask him to come into their hearts and save them. Neither is there any place in scripture which says that if they do, their names will then be written in the book of life.

The first mention of God having a book in which names were retained or blotted out, is found in Exodus 32:30-34. “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.” [Note: All verses quoted are from the KJV.]

There is no mention of when or how names are written in the book, only that God has such a book and that he reserves the right to blot out the names of those who sin against him.

The next mention of a book is in Psalms 69:21-28: “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Let their table become a snare before them: and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, that they see not; and make their loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded. Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into thy righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”

In this scripture, a new element was added. The book has now become the book of the living, or the book of life. David said that those whose names are blotted out will not “come into thy righteousness” which was his way of saying they would not enter the Messianic Kingdom, or the thousand year reign. [For more details on the Kingdom of God, see our book What Scripture Says About Salvation, Monograph No. 7].

The next mention of a book is in Psalms 139:13-16. “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

This passage says that God actually wrote David’s name in his book before David was born. Evidently, faith has little to do with having your name written in God’s book. David certainly claimed no righteousness of his own to justify having his name being in the book; he gave all the credit to God. Having our names in the book of life appears to be another element of God’s grace.

Daniel 12:1-3 says, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”

These verses mention deliverance into the Kingdom as a blessing for having your name in the book. When tribulation comes upon the earth, those whose names are in the book will be delivered from that trouble. They will also be resurrected to everlasting life, or the kingdom, or into the righteousness of God.

Another blessing is that those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the brightness of the firmament. Notice it does not tell us to “save souls,” but to turn people to righteousness. Neither does it tell us to have people ask Jesus into their hearts, or to accept him as their savior. It simply says, “to turn people to righteousness,” which is the essence of repentance, the same message preached by John the Baptist.

The phrase “book of life” was used by Paul in Philippians 4:3. “And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” Paul evidently believed that the names of those laboring with him in the gospel were still written in the book of life.

All the other scriptures pertaining to the book of life are in Revelation. The first is Revelation 3:5, where Jesus said, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” The word confess comes from exomologesomai, which means to acknowledge that someone is in agreement with you, or with someone who serves your cause.

What a promise! The names of the overcomers will not be blotted out of the book, and Jesus will confess their names before the Father. However, this verse clearly says that there is a definite possibility that sin in our lives can result in our names being blotted out of the book. Notice, too, that it is Jesus who is in charge of blotting out names.

Revelation 13:8 says, “whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 17:8 says, “whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.” These verses indicate that the names were written in the book of life from the foundation of the earth. It is clear that people’s names are not written in the book of life as a result of anything they do. Rather, their names were written in the book of life before they were ever born, from the very foundation of the world!

Revelation 20:12 is the next scripture in which the book of life is mentioned. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” According to the previous verse (20:11), this is called the great white throne judgment. Those who enter the Kingdom, the overcomers, will rule and reign with Jesus during the 1000 years. Those who did not enter the Kingdom will spend the 1000 years in outer darkness and, along with those born during the reign of Jesus, will have their works judged at the great white throne judgment (see Revelation 12:4-5).

Overcomers during the 1000 year reign will not participate in the great white throne judgment as it occurs after the 1000 year reign. The works of people living now will be judged at the second coming of Jesus. However, non-overcomers will face judgment at the great white throne.

Revelation 20:15 says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 21:27 says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” These two verses show the destination of those whose names are not written in the book of life.

The final mention of the book of life occurs in Revelation 22:19 which indicates the penalty for altering what John wrote. “And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

To summarize, scripture establishes that, (1) God has a book; (2) the book is the book of life; (3) it contains the names of those who will enter into God’s righteousness, or the Kingdom, at the coming of Jesus, the Christ; (4) the names were written in the book from the foundation of the earth, before anyone was born; (5) those whose names are in the book will be delivered into the Kingdom of God; (6) Jesus is in charge of blotting out names; (7) those whose names are blotted out will wind up in the lake of fire.

Given this, our task should not be trying to get God to accept us; he has already done that. Rather, our task is to retain that acceptance so our names will not be blotted out of the book of life. Ironically, we do this best when we stop striving to please God, and simply yield ourselves to God, allowing him to use us.

Lake of Fire and Brimstone

A BIBLE STUDY BY FRED KENISON

The concept of hell is a major foundation belief in Christian churches. Many churches teach that the lake of fire, or the lake of fire and brimstone, is the same as Hell, a place where people will be tormented forever, if they do not get into heaven. But, is that really what the Bible says? What do the scriptures mean when they speak of the lake of fire and brimstone, or hell, or outer darkness?

In the New Testament, three verses mention a lake of fire, one verse mentions fire and brimstone, and two verses mention a lake of fire and brimstone.

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 14:10 the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Jesus spoke about this. For example,

Matthew 5:29‑30: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 10:28: And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 18:7‑9: Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

In all of these references, hell comes from the word gehenna, which is the valley of Tophet, also known as the valley of Hinnom. Thayer (p. 111), commenting on gehenna, or hell, said that the original name gehenna comes from a Chaldee word meaning, “the valley of the son of lamentation.” He went on to say that:

“Gehenna, the name of a valley on the south and east of Jerusalem which was so called from the cries of the little children who were thrown into the fiery arms of Moloch, i.e. of an idol having the form of a bull. The Jews so abhorred the place after these horrible sacrifices had been abolished by king Josiah, that they cast into it not only all manner of refuse, but even the dead bodies of animals and of unburied criminals who had been executed. And since fires were always needed to consume the dead bodies, that the air might not become tainted by the putrefaction, it came to pass that the place was called geena tou puros.”

Based on Thayer’s definition, we can see that gehenna would literally mean the valley of fires.

Luke provided further enlightenment about the lake of fire and brimstone. Jesus was teaching that a person cannot serve both God and Mammon. Then he talked about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. He said that Lazarus was laid at the rich man’s doorstep and begged for just the crumbs from the rich man’s table; however, he was ignored, probably because he was a leper. The first part of his name, lazar, is Greek for leper; he was “full of sores.”

Luke 16:22‑26 says, And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell (hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

What Jesus called gehenna and hades, John called the lake of fire and brimstone. Gehenna, as used by Jesus, emphasized the suffering and lamentation, or the emotional quality of the people therein. Hades emphasized the boundaries of the place of suffering and lamentation. The Jews looked upon hades as the abode of departed spirits, both the good and the evil. Therefore, both Lazarus and the rich man were in hades. To Lazarus it was a place of blessedness, but to the rich man it was a place of torment.

Although hades was described as a place, the emphasis was not on where the rich man and Lazarus were, but on their situation, or condition, while there. One condition was blessedness, but the other was torment. Matthew’s parable of the marriage feast described the same conditions. Those with the proper marriage garments stayed in a condition of blessedness, while those who were not clothed in righteousness were put into a condition of torment called “outer darkness.”

During the 1,000 year reign, the blessed will be given glorified bodies as a reward, while the tormented will be resurrected in a fleshly body; and, because of this, they will “weep and gnash their teeth.” The blessed will go out among the tormented to minister to them; and, as they rule with a rod of iron, they will require obedience to God’s law. Therefore, both those who minister, and those who are ministered to, will be in the same place, but in a different condition while there.

Revelation 14:10 said that those who had received the mark of the beast, and who had worshiped the beast and his image, would be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the angels and of the Lamb. Again, the blessed and the tormented will be together, but their conditions will be different.

Revelation 17:8 said the beast would ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition. John used a prolepsis to skip to the end of the next age when this beast was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. This provides a scriptural identification of perdition, the final destiny of the devil.
The hades that Jesus taught about before his death and resurrection is the outer darkness of the kingdom of God, or the 1,000 year reign. At the end of the 1,000 year reign, it was called the lake of fire and brimstone. Both the blessed and the tormented are in this lake of fire and brimstone, but in different conditions.

Earlier comments said that the wicked would be thrown, or cast, into the lake of fire and brimstone, which will be made up of the glorified saints, for the purpose of restoration. Everyone is finally where the Lord died to bring them: in the presence of God, in the lake of fire and brimstone. Remember, God was reconciling the world unto himself through christ. Now, they are finally here: heaven and hell are united.

Being in the presence of God will be the “heaven” the saints have yearned for, but it will also be “hell” to the wicked. The location is the same, but the result is different. The chasm in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus was not a chasm of space, but of condition. The blessed cannot change their blessed condition, and except by the further grace of God, neither can the wicked change their condition. John has finally answered the puzzle presented by the different teachings about “heaven” and “hell,” and closed out the history of mankind.

Outer Darkness
So, where does “outer darkness” fit into all this? There are three verses in the Bible which refer to outer darkness; all three found in Matthew.

Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Many church denominations consider “outer darkness” as synonymous with “hell.” According to them, this is where evil people go after death, presumably to be tormented forever. Such an interpretation does a gross injustice to scripture. However, if outer darkness is not hell, then what is it?

The term outer darkness definitely refers to an undesirable place, used three times in Matthew to describe the fate of wrong-doers. It is where the person who came to the wedding feast without a wedding garment was cast (Matthew 22:13); it is where the slothful servant was cast (Matthew 25:30); and it is where even the children of the kingdom will be cast (Matthew 8:12). All three verses describe it as a place where, “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The literal meaning of outer darkness is the darkness outside the lighted palace. All three instances in Matthew refer to people being removed from a desirable place and being cast into a non-desirable place. In other words, they lose something that they once had. That something is salvation, the right to enter the kingdom, which all received as a result of Jesus’ life and death. However, if we do not work to retain our inheritance, we will lose it, which is the point of these three verses.

Each of these illustrations in Matthew refers to all the people who will be judged as unfit to receive a glorified body when Jesus returns. They will not be allowed to enter the kingdom in a place of blessing, to rule and reign with Jesus. Instead, during the millennial reign, they will be ruled over, and ministered to, by Jesus and his glorified saints.

Outer darkness, then, refers to a person’s position during the kingdom. There will be those on the inside, and those on the outside. The people on the outside will be in outer darkness. They will not be there by choice; they will be there as a result of failing the judgment of Jesus.