Was Judas Saved

1. Judas was an unbeliever from the beginning of his apostleship to its end. John 6:64, 68a, 69a, 70, and 71 records the words of Jesus in regards to Judas:

“But there are some of you who do NOT believe. For Jesus KNEW from the beginning who they were who did NOT believe, and who it was that would BETRAY Him...Simon Peter answered Him...’and we (apostles) have believed.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?’ Now He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.”

The context of these verses show that Judas, in vs. 64, is clearly referred to as an unbeliever AND a betrayer. Peter, however, says all the apostles “believe” in vs. 69, but the all-knowing Jesus contradicts Peter, since Jesus knew Judas was a devil, and He says so. No devil was ever saved.

2. Judas perished and went to “his own place”. Jesus says in John 17:12:

“While I was with them, I was keeping them in Thy name which Thou has given Me; and I guarded them, and no one of them perished but (or except) the son of perdition, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.”

All true Bible scholars agree that the “son of perdition” was Judas. The word “perdition”, according to Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, #2 entry says “perdition” means “eternal death”. Jesus also uses the word “perished” in referring to Judas, which is the past tense of the SAME word used by Jesus in John 3:16, where Jesus clearly infers that to “perish” means to go to hell.

Judas went to “his own place”, not heaven. In Acts 1:20, Peter quotes Psalm 69 and Psalm 100 which directly predicts Judas’ demise and destiny. In Acts 1:25, Peter, referring to Judas, says, “Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” No where else in Scripture is that phrase, “go to his own place” used to describe anyone going to heaven.

3. Judas will be woefully punished for all eternity. In Matthew 26:24 & 25, Jesus says:

“The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had NOT been born.” And Judas, who was betraying Him answered and said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said it yourself.”

Why would it be good if Judas had not been born, as Jesus stated? Because for a person to be born, to live, and finally to die and go to hell is the greatest disaster, horror and loss that can happen to a human being. But NOT to be born, at least, exempts one from eternal death.

Thus Jesus says it is better not to be born at all, than to be born and to end up in a state of eternal woe with unending pain and torment. Such was the end of Judas, and all the unsaved dead, who betrayed Jesus by unbelief.

4. Judas had not been “given” to Jesus by the Father and therefore was not saved. However, Jesus “appointed” Judas as an apostle, even though the Father had not “given” Judas to Him.

John 18:7-9 explains what it means to be “given” by the Father. Jesus says:“Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; if therefore you seek Me, let these (apostles) go their way, that the Word might be fulfilled which He spoke, Of those whom Thou has GIVEN Me I lost not one.”

But in John 17:12, Jesus said that the “son of perdition” DID perish. Obviously, Judas was NOT included in the previous verse, John 18:7-9, and that Jesus is referring to the eleven who were saved and GIVEN. Not the twelfth, Judas, who was lost and not “given” by the Father. So, what does it mean to be “given” by the Father? John 10:28 & 29 says:

“and I give eternal life to them, and they shall NEVER perish...(but Judas DID perish, John 17:12, and that’s how we know Judas was never saved)...My Father, Who has GIVEN them to Me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”

If Judas had been “given” to Jesus by the Father, he wouldn’t have perished, but since Judas did perish, the Father never gave him to Jesus. And since vs. 29 says that no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand, Judas perished because he never was IN the Father’s hand.

John 10:28 & 29 prove that “Once Saved, Always Saved”. Once you are in the Father’s hand through gospel salvation, He will NEVER let you go, even if you sin, backslide or never repent of your sin. You may, however lose your earthly life prematurely as punishment for tempting God. (Hebrews 12:13, 25 & 29)

Thus we see that unless the Father “gives” the persons to be redeemed to Christ by means of the gospel, they will not be saved. Since the Father has the foreknowledge to KNOW who will come to the Son by believing in order to be saved, (and also the Father KNOWS who won’t believe on the Son unto salvation), this foreknowledge allows the Father to know who all the future believers and unbelievers are, based on their free will choice or rejection of the Son (1 John 5:12). With this foreknowledge, the Father then “gives” these believers to the Son, as it is written:

“My Father, who has GIVEN them to Me...”

Since Judas therefore, was never “given” by the Father to His Son, Judas was never saved, perished and went into perdition (eternal death).

5. Judas did NOT repent to God for his sin, but only repented to himself only. (Matthew 27:3, KJV)

2 Corinthians 6:10 says:

“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Some people have said that Judas repented and therefore got “re-saved”. Nothing could be further from the truth. According to the previous verse, if Judas had truly repented to God (instead of to himself), he would have had no regret or remorse. In Matthew 27:3, however, we find Judas DID have regret and he only felt bad to himself, not to God. If he had really gotten “saved” at that moment, he should have been joyful; but what did he do?He committed suicide. He chose death, since all he had after betraying Jesus was the sinful conviction of an unbeliever. He was filled with the “sorrow of the world” (2 Corinthians 6:10) and because it was not true repentance, he killed himself.