BIBLICAL CONTRADICTIONS REGARDING SALVATION

I ran across a whole series of “problem passages” on the internet having to do with the subject of salvation. First off, it is important to note that this important issue brings up a host of related controversial subjects such as free will vs. predestination, baptism, faith, repentance, persisting in the faith, chance of apostasy, God's foreknowledge, public confession, God's ideal will vs. permissive will, hardening of hearts, conscience, the future of Israel, etc., etc. And a given passage may emphasize one aspect of the subject only while another scripture may act as if only another aspect is of importance. The only prudent course for a believer is to consider the whole counsel of Scripture rather than trying to encompass the whole subject around one particular concept or proof-text.

With those generalities in mind, let us briefly look at the following pairs of Scripture on the subject as they are described on the internet.

    Repentance is necessary – Acts 3:19; Luke 3:3

    Repentance is not necessary – Romans 11:29

The first statement is not in doubt here, but the second one is way off base. It nowhere mentions repentance in either a pro or con context. And we need to recognize that the whole passage of Romans 9-11 specifically concerns the ultimate fate of the nation of Israel. It is a controversial subject with sincere believers on each side. One side feels that it is an indication that some, but not all, Jews will come to repentance in the future in greater numbers than at present. But I also recognize that there is another extreme school of thought for some believers in dispensationalism which feels that during a particular time in the future God will miraculously “zap” all the Jews left on earth and turn them into “on-fire” Christian evangelists. But even this highly unlikely scenario does not preclude the possibility that mass repentance of all of them will precede that action.

    Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved – Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13

    Not everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved – Matthew 7:21-23

Both Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 are quotations of Joel 2:32. But Romans 10:13 is really a summary of the passage beginning with v. 9, and those preceding verses make it clear that “calling on the name” includes a confession that Jesus is Lord and the belief that God raised him from the dead.

Concerning Acts 2:21, Marshall points to the framework formed with Acts 2:39 in which the same promise is made to “all whom the Lord our God will call.” Thus, we see the necessary interplay of man's free will and God's predestination/foreknowledge at work.

Turning then to Matthew 7:21-23 and the similar passage in Matthew 25:11-12, the exact phrase “call on the name of the Lord” is not employed. This one distinction from the previous two passages may hint at one way to resolve the difference between the three: “calling on the name of the Lord” has the implication of relying on the power of the name to save rather than relying on our own works to bring us to salvation. In stark contrast, note that those crying “Lord, Lord” at the time of judgment are those who were still relying on their own works to get them into heaven (Matt. 7:22) while neglecting to do the will of God earlier (7:21,26). We see this also in the case of Matthew 25:11-12: those crying out to be admitted to the wedding banquet were those who were negligent in their assigned duties.

Here are some quotations from the scholarly literature dealing with Matthew 7:21-23:

    “Those who cry 'Lord, Lord', are the false prophets of verses 15f. This identification is suggested by the context as a whole and by the use of the work 'prophesy' in verse 22.” (D. Hill)

    “The people whom Jesus condemns are branded as false because in their case life and lip had not been in harmony. Their exclamation 'Lord, Lord' had been deceitful. By means of it they also now, on this day of the Great Assize, present themselves as Christ's loyal servants; yet in their previous life they by their actions had constantly been claiming lordship for themselves.” (W. Hendricksen)

    “'Doing the will of my Father in heaven' is not a merely ethical category: that will also includes to know and be known by Jesus the 'Lord.' A professed allegiance to Jesus falls short of that...” (France)

    “Verses 21-22 enumerate some of the ways in which individuals can masquerade as Christians. They may verbally affirm that Jesus is their Master, perhaps even with great joy and enthusiasm, but such claims must issue in lives of obedience [an important qualification of Rom. 10:10-13]...It is also interesting that prophecy, exorcisms, and miracle working all characterize 'charismatic' activity which has a tendency, by no means universal, to substitute enthusiasm and the spectacular for more unglamorous obedience in the midst of suffering. But these external demonstrations prove nothing. The question is whether one's heart has been cleansed inwardly (v. 15) or whether apparent acts of ministry still serve only self...” (Blomberg)

Simon Magus is a good example of this sort of Christian in name only (see Acts 8).

    Jesus said he would not cast aside any who come to him – John 6:37

    Jesus said that many who come to him will be cast aside – Matthew 7:21-23

This contradiction is closely related to the previous one. However, there are two additional distinctions between the two passages which can be mentioned: (1) John 6 specifically addresses those who come to Jesus as disciples during his own life on earth and not necessarily later believers as addressed in Matthew 7 and (2) the whole of John 6:37 give this promise to those “the Father gives me” as well as those “who come to me.” So as in Acts 2:21 above, it is not just those who profess to be believers who will be saved, but those whom God in his omniscience knows will be saved.

    Jesus says all men will be saved – John 3:17

    Only 144,000 virgin men will be saved – Revelation 14:1-4

This is probably the most laughable “contradiction” in the lot. John 3:17 only states that because of God sending Jesus to earth, the world might be saved. In other words, that action opened the door for anyone in the world to be be given the opportunity for salvation, not that everyone would take advantage of that offer.

And it is ludicrous to take the 144,000 “virgin” men as being the only ones to be saved. They are probably the very same 144,000 people “sealed” from the tribes of Israel who appear in Revelation 7:1-8, and may also be identical to the innumerable people who have come out of the great tribulation and are found worshiping before the throne in the subsequent verses (7:9-17). No matter who they are, the number 144,000 is obviously meant to be taken symbolically (as a multitude chosen from both Jews and Gentiles) in the same manner as all numbers and most images in this often cryptic book are to be understood.

    Jesus wants all men to be saved – I Timothy 2:3-4; II Peter 3:9

    God does not want all men to be saved – John 12:40

Yes, as the first set of NT passages states, it is His ideal desire that all would come to Him for salvation. The passage from Isaiah concerning the blinding of eyes and hardening of hearts quoted in John 12:40 and elsewhere in the NT has been explained numerous times by scholars in terms of a Hebrew idiom. Thus, when unbelieving people reject Jesus (as they do in John 12:38) despite the fact that he performed miracles in their very presence, they are already too far gone to ever seek salvation from Him. So in reading the Isaiah passage, we should understand the underlined words in “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart lest they should see with their eyes and perceive with their heart,” not as the reason they refused to believe, but as God's subsequent action of judgment as the result of their disbelief in the first place.