Contradictions or Predestination

March 20, 2009, 7:36 am by dc-agape.

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Codex 1, Tractate 2, 13:25-16:30

This will end my posts on the Apocryphon of James.  I plan to return to the Holy Qur’an after this post.  I will follow some logical advice that I received from one of my commenters about starting with the last Surahs and reading toward the front of the Qur’an.  Before I return to the OT, there are a number of Dead Sea Scrolls that I want to take a look at.  Many of the Scrolls are either commentaries on the OT Books or additions to the OT Books.  Many things occurred in the Book of Genesis and the Dead Sea Scrolls expand upon those stories.  So before I return to the OT and start reading the Book of Exodus, I will be looking at Books like the “The Words of Levi”, “The Last Words of Judah (3Q7)”, “A Sermon on the Flood (4Q370)”, and “Lives of the Patriarchs (4Q464)”.

The final section of the Apocryphon of James starts with Peter asking a question to Jesus.  Peter was confused by Jesus’ remarks about becoming closer to the kingdom of heaven and then later casting them away from the exact same kingdom.  Jesus did that wishy-wash twice so I can completely understand Peter (the Rock) being confused.  It was a confusing reading for me as well.

Jesus told Peter that it was ok to be elated at the thought of eternal life.  But that it was ok to also be sorrowful when receiving instructions on how to receive that life.  He went on promise them that they had received eternal life.  Here is a passage that today’s “Christian” will eat up:

14:14-19 Verily I say unto you, he who will receive life and believe in the kingdom will never leave it, not even if the Father wishes to banish him.

This is definitely in contrast to Barnabas’ (Paul’s) or Apollos’ teachings:

Heb 6:4-6 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

So the big questions is: are the author(s) of Hebrews teaching the “true” Word of God, or are they not?  Jesus says you can’t fall away, the Book of Hebrews says that you can.  Which is right?  And if Jesus is right, which most will agree with, and then what does that make the Book of Hebrews?  Does that not make that Book a false teaching?  Should it be in the Word of God?  Why is it in the Word of God, if it contradicts Jesus’ own teachings?  Every Christian should look at these questions in the most serious manner possible.  Their salvation may depend upon it.

Then Jesus began to teach them about his leaving.  During this lesson Jesus describes how those who came before him and prophesied about him were blessed.  It again, gets into predestination of “they who were proclaimed by the Son before they came to be”. 

When Jesus left, James and Peter did follow him for a short period of time.  They saw:

15:9-13 We heard with our ears, and saw with our eyes, the noise of wars and a trumpet blare and a great turmoil.

Ain’t heaven grand?  They continued upward, and heard and saw angles signing, benedictions, and rejoicing.  But when they attempted to reach further “to the Majesty” they were interrupted by the other disciples. 

They had to tell the other disciples that Jesus had left, only the two seeing this, which is in contrast to this verse:

Acts 1:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

In this verse Luke makes it clear that all the disciples saw Jesus ascend.  So the question must be asked again, this time of the Book of Acts!  Which story is accurate?  Is Luke, who might have been a companion of Paul correct, or is the brother of Jesus correct?  Is the Book of Acts the Word of God?  Remember, in Acts Jesus only stayed for 40 days.  In the Apocryphon of James, Jesus stayed for 150 days.  The question must again be asked, did a fait accompli occur in the first century Church?  Where are the teachings of the actual apostles?  Why are almost all the Books of the NT written by people who had never been taught by Jesus?  How accurate can 2^nd hand information be, especially when it was not recorded for hundreds of years and had many scribal errors and changes?

Returning to the last few lines of the Apocryphon, James and Peter have worse news for the other disciples.  There will be more generations of Christians, and the apostles were only saved for the sake of these later Christians.  James then claimed that he dispersed the apostles to different areas, while he stayed in Jerusalem.  At that point, he was still in doubt that he was saved:

16:9-10 But I myself went up to Jerusalem, praying that I might obtain a portion among the beloved, who will be made manifest.

James ends with directions to the recipient (Cerinthus?).  These directions included the need to strive to be part of those that had life.  But he ends with more predestination:

16:26-30 We do, indeed, proclaim a portion with those for whom the proclamation was made, those whom the Lord has made his sons.

Indeed, it is Jesus (or YHWH) who makes the decision as to who will be his sons.  And that would make both 14:14-19 and Heb 4:4-6 then not be contradictions.  Only if predestination occurs can both passages be in harmony.  Only when YHWH is the chooser can the concept of never losing salvation and the possibility of losing salvation be unified.  So in the end, a loving creator has chosen who will be separated from him for all eternity.  How loving is that?

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