Judas' Kiss of Death: Did His Works of Being Sorry & Returning Silver Earn Him a Ticket to Heaven?
Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2 cf.1 Corinthians 4:6; Ecclesiastes 7:16).
Rob Zins' incoherent ramblings regarding the origin of sin are heretical and are likely to confuse rather than help his hearers. (2 Timothy 2:16). It would have been better for Zins not to have given us the dubious benefit of his own opinions. (Jude 1:1; 2 Peter 2:12).
Zins: "If sin does not exist and God authors it, how can it be a sin when it doesn't exist?"
Zins: "To author sin is not to sin.. sin doesn't exist until you author it."
The so-called "certainty of defection" is often discussed in Reformed circles in the context of the flawed five points of Calvinism, i.e. Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints (TULIP).
The scriptures do not present God as the author of sin. Scripture consistently affirms God’s holiness and righteousness, while also teaching that He permits sin within His sovereign plan without being its direct cause or agent. God's holiness is emphasised in various passages. Whereas God ordains all that comes to pass (Ephesians 1:11), He does so in a way that does not make Him morally responsible for sin.
Zins' suggestion that God is the author of sin even contradicts Calvinist theology. The Reformed Westminster Confession of Faith denies that God is the author of sin.
Westminster Confession of Faith (3.1): "God from all eternity did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass: yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established."1
The tension between God's sovereignty and human responsibility is a deep mystery. Some attempt to emphasise God's total control, which portrays Him as the author of sin, while others emphasise human free will, which deemphasises His sovereignty. Inevitably, when teachers go beyond their remit and go beyond what is written by teaching their preferred theories as fact, heresy and division result. The consistent biblical witness is that God remains holy and blameless and that he is never the author of sin.
You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? (Habakkuk 1:13).
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. (James 1:13).
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. (James 1:17).
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5).
Sin or evil as the absence of good
Sin, as the absence of good, is the philosophical/theological theory that evil is not a created entity, but rather it is the absence of good. This theory describes sin metaphorically in terms of light and darkness. If we move away from light, then inevitably we move into darkness. According to this view, evil manifests when beings with free will choose to deviate from God's perfect design. I tend to resonate with this view, and I reject Zins' heretical speculations.
There are some clues to the mystery of evil in the narratives describing the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28:12-17 and Isaiah 14:12ff. The title "O Day Star, son of Dawn" has been linked to Lucifer, whose name means "light-bearer" in Latin, reflecting his original state before his fall. This connection is made in part due to the Vulgate's translation and later theological interpretations 2
The mystery of iniquity or lawlessness
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. (2 Thessalonians 2:7).
Vincents Word Studies: "Mystery of iniquity (μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας)
Better, of lawlessness. The phrase is unique in N.T. and olxx. Mystery is found in various combinations, as mystery of the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 13:11 : of God, 1 Corinthians 2:1 : of his will, Ephesians 1:9 : of Christ, Ephesians 3:4 : of the gospel, Ephesians 6:19 : of faith, 1 Timothy 3:9 : of godliness, 1 Timothy 3:16 : of the seven stars Revemlation 1:20 : of the woman, Revelation 17:7. A mystery does not lie in the obscurity of a thing, but in its secrecy. It is not in the thing, but envelops it. Applied to a truth, it signifies a truth once hidden but now revealed or to be revealed; a truth which without special revelation would be unknown. It is almost universally found in connection with words signifying publication or revelation. See on Matthew 13:11. The mystery of lawlessness is the mass of lawlessness yet hidden, but which is to reveal itself in the person and power of Antichrist. The position of the word is emphatic, emphasizing the concealed character of the evil power."3
Better, of lawlessness. The phrase is unique in N.T. and olxx. Mystery is found in various combinations, as mystery of the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 13:11 : of God, 1 Corinthians 2:1 : of his will, Ephesians 1:9 : of Christ, Ephesians 3:4 : of the gospel, Ephesians 6:19 : of faith, 1 Timothy 3:9 : of godliness, 1 Timothy 3:16 : of the seven stars Revemlation 1:20 : of the woman, Revelation 17:7. A mystery does not lie in the obscurity of a thing, but in its secrecy. It is not in the thing, but envelops it. Applied to a truth, it signifies a truth once hidden but now revealed or to be revealed; a truth which without special revelation would be unknown. It is almost universally found in connection with words signifying publication or revelation. See on Matthew 13:11. The mystery of lawlessness is the mass of lawlessness yet hidden, but which is to reveal itself in the person and power of Antichrist. The position of the word is emphatic, emphasizing the concealed character of the evil power."3
Topical Bible: "The phrase 'the knowledge of good and evil' first appears in Genesis 2:9, 'And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil'
By eating the fruit, Adam and Eve assert their own judgment over divine command, leading to a rupture in their relationship with God. This act is seen as the original sin, which has affected all of humanity, as articulated in Romans 5:12: 'Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned'".4 Zins goes on to regurgitate old Calvinist erroneous arguments about Pharaoh and Esau.
Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac. Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan so election might stand, not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! For He says to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. (Romans 9:10-18).
What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! For He says to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden. (Romans 9:10-18).
Zins: "In Romans 9, (Pharaoh) is a vessel of wrath raised for a particular purpose.. What Paul is saying here is that God prepares vessels of wrath prepared for destruction in order that he might show the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy." Zins goes on to say that Esau's fate was determined before he did anything good or bad. (15:00 mark)
It is a mistake to take Romans 9 in isolation and out of the context of the larger narrative. The book of Romans emphasises faith as the cornerstone to gaining God's acceptance. (Romans 1:17,3:22,26-28,30,4:1-3,5:1; Hebrews 11). And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). Faith and righteousness are intrinsically bound together with God's mercy. Zins has replaced faith with God's sovereignty, and in doing so, he distorts the character of God into a monstrous caricature.
Zins never mentions God's foreknowledge. (1 Peter 1:2). God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He knows the future just as if it had already happened. God hardened Pharaoh's heart only after he had hardened his own heart. (Exodus 8:15,32). Esau consistently disdained his inheritance and sold his birthright. Additionally, these verses concern nations and not just individuals.
And the LORD said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23 cf. Genesis 25:29-34; 26:34-35; Malachi 1:1-5).
Zins: "The potter has the right over the clay. That's another illustration. So He can do what He wants."
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you heara my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’ (Jeremiah 18:1-11).
The metaphor of the clay is misrepresented by false Calvinist teachers. The vessel “became marred”. The flaw is not due to the potter’s incompetence but to something intrinsic within the clay. This is an illustration of Israel’s stubborn sin. (Jeremiah 17:9). Despite being in the hands of the divine potter, Israel has become marred due to disobedience and idolatry. This reflects the historical context of Jeremiah's ministry, where he prophesied during a time of great apostasy and impending judgment. The flaw is not due to the potter's skill but the clay's resistance, symbolising human rebellion against God's will. This concept is echoed in Romans 9:20-21, where Paul discusses God's right to shape His creation as He sees fit. This passage includes a call to repentance and clearly puts responsibility on the clay (Israel).
Romans 9 concludes with the reason for Israel's rejection. They did not pursue righteousness by faith, but rather they pursued it by works of the law.
What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:30-33 cf. Titus 3:5).
I have demonstrated Zins' incompetence as a bible teacher in my previous post regarding his train crash eisegesis of 2 Peter 3:8-9.5 Tragically, Zins and Wessels appear to be unteachable and are holding onto their distorted view of God despite many proofs to the contrary. The plight of being unteachable and closed to correction is injurious to oneself and to others. (Proverbs 12:1; 15:32-33; Matthew 15:14). Zins' years-long habit of refuting Roman Catholic error and replacing it with Calvinist error is something he will have to answer for. (1 Timothy 1:7; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 3:1). Teachers should refute error with truth. (Titus 1:9). Unless they repent, Zins and Wessels should anticipate meeting the monster God they have publicly maligned and misrepresented all these years. (Matthew 25:26).
2. Isaiah 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations.
3. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 Commentaries: For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
4. Topical Bible: Knowledge of Good and Evil
5. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: MY RESPONSE TO HARDCORE CALVINISTS ROB ZINS & LARRY WESSELS