I invite all my followers to read this thread between me and one of my Protestant brothers in Christ.
Alex with respect, your reading of this passage creates all kinds of contradictions that no amount of interpretive gymnastics can resolve.
Itâs so clear. Look at what you just did with verse 13, turning a warning into a guarantee. Even according to Protestant commentators âHe remains faithfulâ means He remains faithful to His own word which includes the warning in verse 12. He cannot contradict Himself. His faithfulness doesn't nullify the âif we deny himâ it confirms it. This passage is directly addressed to Timothy (an ordained bishop). In trying to escape the problem of having to call Timothy someone who was never saved to begin with (along with the rest of us, because Paul includes himself when he says âif WE deny Him, He will also deny usâ), you now affirm that someone who is faithless, someone with no faith at all, can still be saved!
Your reading creates another problem if verse 12 only means losing rewards, then a person can openly deny Christ and still receive eternal life (which is nowhere written in any of the context whatsoever and is eisegesis to the extreme). Jesus in Matthew 10:33 says denying Him means He will deny us before the Father. I donât know how much more plain Our Lord can be. I canât tell you how many times Iâve had John 3:18 quoted to me: âWhoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.â Amen, but hereâs your version of it:
âWhoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already EXCEPT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BELIEVED BUT BECOME FAITHLESS EVEN IF YOU DENY HIM WHILE JESUS ALWAYS REMAINS FAITHFUL AND THIS ONLY MEANS A LOSS OF REWARD BUT NOT ETERNAL LIFE, because he believed in the name of the only Son of God and once saved always saved.â
John 10:28 is beautiful and true. His sheep shall never perish. His sheep are those who hear His voice and FOLLOW Him (John 10:27).
Respectfully, the if in 2 Timothy 2:12 does not mean a genuinely saved person can lose salvation-it distinguishes salvation from reigning-reward for faithful endurance. Pauls very next line says, âif we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himselfâ Are you reading that Matt? Verse 13, so our security rests on Christâs faithfulness, not perfect perseverance; and Jesus does not merely say no one can snatch His sheep awayâHe says He gives them eternal life and they âshall never perishâ(John 10:28). Timothy was saved, but Paul was urging him to endure faithfully rather than forfeit the privilege of reigning with Christ. Itâs so clear man!