On Denials

A couple of weeks ago, we studied the passage about Peter’s denial. Some people approached me with a question about another Scripture passage that also addresses the topic of denial – 2 Timothy 2:12. Now should we understand this verse in light of Peter’s denial and repentance, especially when this text speaks of God denying us? Are these passages in harmony with each other?

To answer this question, we need to consider the context.  The passage does not refer to temporary failures on faith but to a deliberate, systematic, and final rejection and denial of Christ. We reach this conclusion by closely examining  the entire  paragraph (2 Tim.  2:8-13):  “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is  trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

Let us focus  on the fact that this passage speaks about the suffering, challenges, and struggles believers endure on their way to eternal glory.

Verse 10 is particularly important because it reveals the purpose of this struggle. Paul endures suffering for the sake of the elect so that they may obtain salvation. He  is not  striving for them to “earn” salvation, but rather to receive it fully—that is, to reach the final salvation and deliverance by entering into eternal glory and the presence of the Lord. Paul is not talking about unbelievers who need salvation but about believers who have already been saved and must persevere to the end.

This aligns with the next verse (v. 11): “The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died to with him, we will also live with him;”

Then we come to a challenging statement: “If we deny him, he also will deny us.” Some confusion may arise due to the next phrase: “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

This verse speaks of human unfaithfulness toward God, but God’s faithfulness is NOT directed toward people in this context. Rather, God remains faithful to Himself. That is why the explanation follows: “for he cannot deny himself.” God does not change—He is constant in His purpose and character! He will always act consistently and remain true to the principles He has  revealed in Scripture.

What  conclusion can we draw from the context? The inheritance and eternal glory of believers are promised and guaranteed by Jesus  Christ (v. 8), but  not without suffering  and hardship (v. 9), not without perseverance (vv. 10, 12)—both from ministers on behalf of the saints and from believers themselves—and certainly not without steadfastness and faithfulness (v. 12).

2 Corinthians 4:17 states: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

This verse reiterates the same idea—eternal glory is promised, but not without struggle! Mark 13:13 says: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

What happens to those who deny and fall away? God remains true to Himself and acts according to His established order: believers inherit eternal life, while unbelievers face eternal punishment and rejection. Scripture repeatedly warns that people may be part of the believing community for years while possessing a faith that resembles the faith of demons (James 2:19)—a faith that does not save and cannot sustain a person through trials and suffering. When such individuals eventually turn away from God, they reveal that they never had the promise of eternal life.

We cannot ignore the passages that speak about those who abandon faith, God, and the church. These individuals may have been among us, but they were never truly believers.

1 John 2:19 states: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

How should we understand Peter’s denial? The same way we understand David’s fall, when he lived under the influence of sin for several months. This was a very dangerous and tragic decision, but it was not a final or complete rejection of the Lord!

What should we, as believers, do? How should we think and live? Allow me to draw two key conclusions from everything we have covered:

1) Jesus Christ is our advocate (1 John 2:1-2). He intercedes for us just as He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail (Luke 22:32). Therefore, we must place our trust  in Jesus Christ—His perfect work on the cross and His ongoing intercession before the Father.

2) Our salvation and eternal glory are promised to us (Rom. 8:30), but they are achieved through struggle, perseverance, suffering, and faithfulness (2 Tim. 2:8-13). Thus, we are called to rely on God’s power, endure, and remain steadfast to the end!

¹⁵ For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, ¹⁶ I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might ²⁰ that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places

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