The challenge in Christianity is not to love Jesus, it's to love Judas.

[Ronald Nolette]

To doubt the interpretation of men does not mean you doubt the Word of God. You’ll hear that often, how if you don’t agree with -an interpretation then you don’t believe the Word of God. for instance Judas is burning in an eternal hell forever because his repentance wasn’t really remorse. I’m not doubting Judas repented as it is written. Who really is doubting a man like Judas could repent? I’m only asking if the decision on what “repent” meant regarding a man who took the money back to those who paid him to betray Jesus and told them “I have sinned against innocent blood” where they said “what’s that to us?” …is it possible what repent translated regarding Judas can be traced back to the first men who got together and decided they didn’t want Judas to have genuine saving remorse? The same ones who regurgitate “we are just filthy sinners not deserving of Grace”? You don’t ever see the many contradictions? It’s not about doubting the Word of God. It’s doubting what we have done to the Word of God to back our (own) opinions.

Well t hen please tell me what interpretation of men you are doubting. I must have missed the part where you were pointing out mens opinions and not the Word of God.

 

[Pearl]

That has a nice ring to it. But is it true?
How is that measured? Loving Jesus.

[

We love Jesus by taking him to our hearts and living our lives to please him. Just as we show our love for our spouses by taking them to our hearts and living our lives to please them.

 

[Magdala]

No one here has the the slightest opportunity to "love Judas" considering no one here has over known Judas. He is long gone. You can pretend to "love" your fictionalized idea of who you think Judas was, but let's be real. No one can love someone they've never even known. This so-called challenge makes a mockery of love, as if it's just some idea in the mind, or sensation in the soul, about some inner imagination.

Much love!

Jesus loved Judas and we are to follow His example by loving the other Judases in the world the way that He did.

 

[Magdala]

We love Jesus by taking him to our hearts and living our lives to please him.

How do we live to please Jesus? By obeying Him. What is one of the ways that we do that? By loving our neighbor, which includes our enemies, and other Judases in the world in the ways that He did.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Well t hen please tell me what interpretation of men you are doubting. I must have missed the part where you were pointing out mens opinions and not the Word of God.

I thought I did. We were talking about the usage of Judas repented. You pointed out it wasn’t the saving kind of remorse. (Only because the Pharisees and Sadducees said it had nothing to do with them.) I simply don’t have knowledge on how words originally get their meaning. I asked if men who had the opinion that Judas is burning in hell, were they swayed to say their opinion of which “repent” pertained to Judas? Does that make sense? It does say Judas repented. That I don’t doubt. What I do doubt is who decided which repent it was? does doubting the translators or if they had an already formed opinion, equal doubting the Word of God? Men say yea. To Doubt us, ia to doubt the Word of God.

The nearest example I can find for the two kinds of remorse in the Word is:
2 Corinthians 7:10 For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world works death.

Judas sorrow was that he had sinned against innocent blood. If anyone had worldly sorrow it was those religious men who had paid Judas to betray innocent blood and to save face(their own image not after the image of God) they turned Judas away when he came to return the money confessing he was guilty of betraying innocent blood. Instead of restoring a brother caught in a hideous transgression like in Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted(tempted to what?). [2] Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Instead when Judas went to return the money and confessed openly he saw Christ was innocent and he had betrayed innocent blood …notice above to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” they had no interest in fulfilling that law of Christ. How many Today are eager to pronounce Judas as cursed forever? Instead they told Judas when he said “I have sinned against blood”, “what’s that to us?” Notice their only concern in fulfilling the Word of God was, was it lawful to put to silver for the price of innocent blood in to the treasury? Yes! The silver is their brother whose returned confessing “I have betrayed innocent blood!l My opinion is Judas was (the price of innocent blood…who paid the Price?) which was lawful to put in the treasury. God does not desire money nor sacrifice but God desires Mercy? Those standing in the temple as gods had an opportunity to restore one caught in a transgression. Will God burn Judas in hell for their refusal? It being “lawful” to restore a brother caught in a transgression to the treasury of God, the living sacrifice. The true treasure of God in their fulfilling the law of Christ in ‘Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.’

So much so that Luke 19:41-42 And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, [42] saying, "Would that you, even you, (if you) had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Sorry I do think Judas who even betrayed Christ, will enter in confessing he betrayed innocent blood—before those religious leaders who claimed to be spiritual but refused to help their own brother confessing instead “what’s it to us” which means they themselves betrayed a brother caught in a transgression. In betraying a brother caught in a transgression, they betrayed Christ. Rejection of a brother caught in a transgression, For whom Jesus Christ died.

 

[VictoryinJesus]

Love Judas? Are you kidding? You can't do that!

You've never met Judas, he's no longer alive, so you do not have the opportunity to love Judas. You can purport to "love" a fictionalized image of Judas you imagine in your mind, but that has nothing to do with loving a person.

In this case, the person is long gone. Whatever are you thinking?! I guess it sounded good on paper?

Much love!

True Judas is no longer alive. But the spirit to boast against how rotten Judas was and how God won’t forgive that is very much alive today. To me that is the significance in looking closely at Judas. In perspective of all the songs we sing concerning God’s mercy reaches further and deeper than men claim solely for themselves. Making us walking contradictions. Rejecting all the Judases of the world. I’m sorry but haven’t you noticed how pompous we get even confirming Judas is roasting in hell, but of course we are chosen as the spiritual ones. It has to do with today. Because our desire to prove Judas is roasting confirms all those today who are only the chosen, and validates our saying “what’s that have to do with us?” If those who refuse roast? Who is refusing who?

 

[marks]

Who is refusing who?

Whether you walk in pride or humility, it's got nothing to do Judas. Yes, you are right, the real issue is whether we are loving those around us today.

This whole Judas thing is a straw man, a literary device intended to be used however the writer wants to. It's not real. Loving people around us, that's real.

Much love!

 

[marks]

"Say what?"
"Love Judas? We hate Judas!"
"He betrayed our Lord! Why would we love Judas?"

Learn to love Jesus, and leave Judas to history.

You neither love Judas nor hate Judas, you've never even met the man. All you have is a handful of ideas about him, and you can pretend to "love" that fictional concept, but it's a crock. Just another manipulative and deceptive thread to litter this Christian forum with.

Much love? Is that love? To manipulate and deceive? No it is not.