In the first two parts of this three-part series, we looked at why it is vital to stay with “our calling” and the “Way of Life” to which we have been called.   Nothing less will do.  To repeat the key Scripture in this review, once again, it is in Matthew 24:13: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

But what about those who have succumbed to the dreadful disease of dementia?     We will now address the dementia question for those Church members and their families who are affected.

We quote briefly below from the following sources to show what a traumatic time this can be for those families who have to deal with this problem.

The Biblical Counselling Coalition gives this description of dementia: “In brief, dementia is a cognitive disorder. The affected person’s thinking ability gradually deteriorates. It interferes with judgment and memory and also can create confusion, fear, and irritation. There are several types of dementia. The best known is Alzheimer’s, which was experienced by former president, Ronald Reagan.”

According to the website verywellmind.com, there are seven stages of dementia from “no cognitive decline” to “very severe cognitive decline.”

“Stages 1 to 3 are the pre-dementia stages; whereas Stages 4 to 7 are the dementia stages. Clinicians typically compare the person’s symptoms to the criteria listed for each stage and use their judgment to determine which stage the patient is at.  

“In the final stage, the brain appears to lose its connection to the body and becomes incapable of telling it what to do. The person is likely to progressively lose their motor skills as well as the ability to speak. They may only be able to utter unintelligible sounds or words, if at all. They will need assistance with all personal care tasks such as eating, walking, and using the bathroom.”

The Alzheimer’s Society has this to say on their website:

“The word ‘dementia’ describes a set of symptoms that over time can affect memory, problem-solving, language and behaviour. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia.

“People with dementia often experience memory loss. This is because dementia is caused by damage to the brain, and this damage can affect areas of the brain involved in creating and retrieving memories.

“For a person with dementia, memory problems will become more persistent and will begin to affect everyday life. This can be difficult to cope with, both for the person themselves and for the people around them.”

John Dunlop, a medical doctor, wrote the following about dementia: “Dementia can inflict its victims with memory loss and render them unable to care for themselves. It can cause them to wake up every morning not knowing where they are or who is feeding or bathing them. People with dementia often want to say something but are unable to organize their thoughts or even form the words.”

Many of us may have come into contact with those who are struggling with this alarming, distressing and grievous health problem.  It is a very fair question to ask what happens when a Church member develops these symptoms.   Does this affect their salvation in any way when they can no longer remember their calling and commitment to God’s Way of Life that will result in them being in the Family of God for eternity if they endure to the end?

An obvious but important point to make is that God is fair, unlike our adversary, Satan the devil. 2 Peter 3:9 is instructive: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Also, in 1 Timothy 2:4, we read that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

God does not want anyone to fail, but God would like to see that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. However, He knows that some will be rebellious and turn down the opportunity.  Those refusing God’s offer will be thrown into the lake of fire, as Revelation 21:8 confirms: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Further proof of God’s mercy that He will give everyone an opportunity for salvation is in the message of the Last Great Day, which directly follows the Feast of Tabernacles.   On our website is our Statement of Beliefs where we read under the “Observation of God’s Commanded Holy Days” the following information:

“The Last Great Day which immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles, once a year. This day symbolizes a 100-year period called the “Great White Throne Judgment,” during which all persons who have ever lived and who were never called by God for salvation during this life, will have their first opportunity to accept Christ as their Savior (Leviticus 23:36; John 7:37; Revelation 20:11-12). At the end of that period, there will be a judgment during which all people who have ever lived and who have refused to accept Christ as their Savior, will be finally condemned to eternal death and destroyed in Gehenna fire (Revelation 20:13-15).”

This shows God’s great compassion for human beings – would He be any less compassionate for those who were faithful until the time of their reason and brain functionality was taken away?   Of course, the answer must be no as He is supremely fair to all.

In the first part of this Q&A, we mentioned 2 Timothy 4:7-8 where Paul said that he had finished the race – he had endured to the end of his life and his life’s work.  It is worth repeating here to make a further point.   The passage reads:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

It is very well worth noting that Paul was still alive when he said this!  Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers observes that “the tense of the Greek verb—the perfect—’I have fought,’ is remarkable. The struggle had been bravely sustained in the past, and was now being equally bravely sustained to the end. His claim to the crown (2 Timothy 4:8) was established.”

Those faithful Church members with dementia will have run their race until they were prevented from continuing to do so.   When is the end of the race?   For those with dementia, it may be at the stage where they no longer remember their “calling” and “Way of Life,” when their personal mental control and memory ceases to function.

God does not want anyone to fail.

In the final analysis, God determines the outcomes in such cases as He knows the hearts of all people.

There is the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, when he lost his mind [compare Daniel 4:16, saying that his heart of man would be replaced with the heart of an animal] – but regained his mind after seven years through a miracle from God.   However, there is no indication that this was anything other than punishment from God for His arrogance. 

Today, dementia sufferers don’t recover and regain all the faculties that they lost. The website of bigthink.com states that “Dementia involves the loss of memory, cognition, and speech. It’s caused by changes in the brain due to injury or disease, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and it’s progressive, meaning the symptoms get more severe over time.” 

In Philippians 1:6, Paul writes: “… being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Barnes Notes on the Bible explains: “Will perform it – Margin, ‘Or, finish.’ The Greek word – ἐπιτελέσει epitelesei – means that he would carry it forward to completion; he would perfect it. It is an intensive form of the word, meaning that it would be carried through to the end.”

God will have begun a good work in the lives of those called by Him who have faithfully lived the true Christian Way of Life, and not even such a crippling disease as dementia will change that reality.

Further encouraging words can be read in 1 Corinthians 1:6-9:

“… even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We read on the website ncbi.nlm.nih.gov the following information about a sickness, which affects so many in the world and some few in the true Church of God:

“Dementia is a progressive condition which affects over 55 million people worldwide, with nearly 10 million new cases every year.  The term ‘dementia’ indicates not a single disease, but rather a spectrum of different conditions with different clinical phenotypes, which can be caused by a multitude of pathologies that cause changes in the structure and chemistry of the brain. While the most common cause of dementia-related symptoms is a neurodegenerative disease, other causes do exist (e.g., chronic inflammatory disease, alcoholism…). The exact pathological cascade of events which causes the development of symptoms is still unknown, but overall it is thought that a combination of genetic and environmental factors results in the abnormal accumulation of misfolded, toxic proteins in the brain, which then triggers both chemical imbalance and neuronal loss in the brain (a process called atrophy), ultimately leading to the hallmark clinical symptoms that eventually impair the daily functioning of affected individuals.” 

When someone has given themselves faithfully to the true Way of God from the time of their calling and a disease such as dementia removes understanding and recognition of previous learning later in life, Scripture reveals that God will honour that person.

And 1 Corinthians 9:25 reveals that it is “for an imperishable crown.”   It is great news for those who suffer from dementia and for all of God’s faithful people!

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

In the first part of this series, we looked at the need to not give up on our calling, and we will continue to review further information, which applies to Matthew 24:13, and which is to the point: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”   Perseverance is vital for true Christians.

As mentioned in our Q&A “Once Saved, Always Saved?”: 

“In Hebrews 2:1 we read: ‘Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.’ Proponents of the ‘once saved, always saved’ concept try to minimise what disqualified really means but in 2 Corinthians 13:5 we read: ‘Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you are disqualified (adikomos).’  Therefore, if you are disqualified, Jesus Christ is not (any longer) in you which is something that must be, in order to be a true Christian.”

Anyone who becomes disqualified will not “endure to the end” (compare Matthew 24:13).

The Expositor’s Greek Testament comments that “The implied truth underlying this test is that there will be ample time for a full curriculum of trial testing character and sifting the true from the false or temporary Christian.”

A number of Commentaries mention that the end, referred to in Matthew 24:13, can mean the destruction of Jerusalem but some allow that this can be also for a Christian’s life-span.

The Pulpit Commentary states “the end” means primarily the destruction of Jerusalem, and the salvation promised is safety in that day of peril. It is believed that no Christians perished in the siege or after it (see ver. 16). But τέλος, being here used without the article (differently from verse 6 and 14), must not be restricted to one allusion, but must be taken more generally, as indeed a universal axiom, equivalent to ‘finally,’ as long as endurance is needed.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible has this to say: “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved – The word ‘end,’ here, has by some been thought to mean the destruction of Jerusalem, or the end of the Jewish economy, and the meaning has been supposed to be ‘he that perseveres in bearing these persecutions to the end of the wars shall be safe. God will protect his people from harm, so that not a hair of the head shall perish.’ Others, with more probability, have referred this to final salvation, and refer the end to the close of life.”

From other warnings in God’s Word, it is clear that we have to stay firm to our calling until the end of our life and not just for a temporary period of time.

In Matthew 24:9-12, Jesus talks about the signs of the times and the end of the age, and in verse 13 we read about the trials true Christians will have to endure with the requirement of staying firm until the end:

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:9-13).

In Colossians 1:21-23, we read about the apostle Paul reminding the brethren, both then and now, that we have to continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and that we must not be a lukewarm “Christian” who has strayed far from the course that God intends that we pursue earnestly. It reads: 

^“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

The book of Hebrews has a number of references which we all ought to heed.

In Hebrews 3:6 is an admonition to our continuance to the end: “… but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.”

This continues in verses 12-14, where it talks about the possibility of Church members departing from the living God, but that they need to be steadfast to the end:

^“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,”

Later, in Hebrews 6:15, when talking about Abraham, we read: “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Had Abraham not patiently endured, he would not have obtained the promise. Endurance is vital.

And in Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”  Wavering is not an option, but endurance is, as we read in verse 36: “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.”

We further read: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1).

The challenges that the early Church and its members had to overcome were to remain faithful to Jesus Christ despite the persecution that would follow and has followed down through the ages until the present time where there will still be great challenges in the future before Christ returns to earth to set things right.

In 2 John 1:8 we read: “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.”   That can only happen if we are faithful until the end of our life or until Christ returns, if we are still alive at that time.

There are several promises to the churches in the book of Revelation, which should be encouraging to us (our emphasis by underlining): 

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).   Faithfulness to God is a requirement, and the only conclusion from this verse is that those who were being saved, but weren’t faithful unto death, would not receive the crown of life!

“And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations” (Revelation 2:26). The very obvious indication here is that those who don’t overcome and don’t keep His works until the end will not be in the Kingdom of God and will not have power over the nations.

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (Revelation 3:10-11).  It is a command of God to persevere as the Scripture here clearly reveals.

The real Christian life is a life of overcoming, of spiritual growing. The concept of “once saved, always saved” is clearly wrong and unscriptural as we have previously proved, and we need to persevere with the Way of Life to which we have been called and make sure that we are faithful to God to the end—that is death or to the return of Christ if we are still alive at that time.

We read in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first: Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

This verse states quite categorically that “the dead in Christ shall rise first”; that is, they will be part of the firstfruits. They will then together with those who are still alive at that time and who will be changed into immortality “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:50-52), meet Christ in the air.  No one is included in this list who has not remained faithful to his Christian calling as they would not “be in Christ,” thus totally negating any false notion that this would include those who had not been faithful to the end.

Anyone who has been called, baptised and received the gift of the Holy Spirit and who does not remain steadfast to the end will not make it into the Kingdom of God.   We may get discouraged and depressed at times, but this must be overcome, or we will be spiritually aborted, with no future to look forward to.   Any current discomfort is but for a time, and the future that we are aiming for is eternity with our great God.   There is no comparison between the two, and we should always remember this at any time when we might waver in our Christian commitment.

We can see so much evidence in the Word of God that we have to be persistent in our love for God and the Way of Life that He has set out for us to live.   Our continual emphasis on this matter is because the ministry has a responsibility to guide and direct God’s people in the direction towards making it into the soon coming Kingdom of God.  We have quoted Matthew 24:13 about enduring to the end, but in the previous verse (verse 12) we read “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”

In the final paragraph of our Q&A entitled “How can there be a “Great Falling Away in the Church of God prior to Christ’s return?”, we read: 

“We must continue to be zealous, steadfast and committed to God and His Word until the very end (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Hebrews 3:14). If we do, then God will protect and save us from the deceptions around us, so that we will NOT drift away (Hebrews 2:1), turn away from God and depart from Him (Hebrews 12:25; 3:12), fall through disobedience (Hebrews 4:11) and lose our salvation (Hebrews 2:3; 10:26-31).”

For us who are Christians, enduring to the end is not an option but an absolute must.  Pain, problems, discouragement and depression are problems that are temporary, but quitting lasts forever.   Let us always keep that in mind!

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

This is a good question, and it is an important issue that needs attention as it can have eternal consequences when it is not rightly understood.   It can be misleading for those who believe the concept that “once saved, always saved” is biblical.

One commentator, promulgating this erroneous concept states that, “If salvation can be lost, this requires a reversal of regeneration. This means the born again must become unborn again. And if they subsequently repent, then they must become born again again. Can a man also be born again again again? Where does it end? Is regeneration really so transient?”

The simple basic flaw in this argument is that its supporters believe that they are born again now.   It is also often the case that such a belief goes hand in hand with going to heaven at death.

The true Church of God has consistently taught that we are begotten in this life and will be born again at the resurrection.

It is interesting to note that, many years ago, a well-known British entertainer said that when he became a Christian, he asked what this would entail.   He was told that he would not have to change anything in his life but to just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Many have been fed that lie over the years, and it goes hand in hand with the “once saved always saved” approach.

We have consistently written about what becoming a true Christian really entails.   When someone “gives his heart to the Lord,” there is usually no reference to Acts 2:38 which states: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’  Repentance, baptism by immersion and receipt of the Holy Spirit are the beginnings of conversion, plus living the rest of one’s life pleasing in the sight of God by keeping His Commandments.

Interestingly, Mr Michael Link wrote an editorial, “Once Saved, Always Saved” in 2014, and he made these very relevant comments about staying faithful to the end of our lives or Christ’s return:

“And in Revelation 2:10 Christ tells us to ‘be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’

“What is given to us can also be taken away.  When we turn back, we will lose what had been offered to us. Only when we overcome until the end, will we be saved (Matthew 24:13; Revelation 2:26).  This is a lifelong process that God requires of us: to be faithful continuously, to pray continuously, to be vigilant and strong continuously, to give comfort and love to one another continuously, to put ALL trust and confidence in Him continuously, and to obey Him continuously.  When we continue to do all of that until the end, then we will be saved.” 

In addition, we published a two-part series a few years ago showing that the “Once Saved Always Saved” concept believed by many in mainstream Christianity is a false erroneous belief.  We will quote briefly as appropriate from these Q&A’s, and they can be retrieved and reviewed in full via the following links:

https://www.eternalgod.org/q-is-it-correct-to-say-once-saved-always-saved-or-can-true-christians-lose-their-salvation-part-1/   and 

https://www.eternalgod.org/q-is-it-correct-to-say-once-saved-always-saved-or-can-true-christians-lose-their-salvation-part-2/

We give this explanation: 

1.  We are saved now.   After we repent and are baptised, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).   At that point, we are saved from the penalty of death from our past sins.   However, it doesn’t mean that we are finally saved and that we could not lose the salvation which we did receive.

2.      We are being saved – it is a process of growing in grace and knowledge.

3.      To be finally saved, we must endure to the end.

For very good reason, we continue to stress the necessity to remain faithful to “The Way” to which we have been called to live to the end of our lives, or to the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.   Nothing less will do.  Matthew 24:13 is a very important verse that some may feel is not particularly relevant as they believe that once someone is “saved,” they are “always saved”.   Nevertheless, this is vital information that we ignore at our peril: “ But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

However, there is a consideration which we will also address in part three of this series about when dementia strikes and many can lose their memory and don’t recognize any longer their calling.

In Revelation 3:11, is further evidence that we must not give up on our calling: “Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” This verse clearly shows that we can lose out and can lose our crown.

It has been said that pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever.   Never could this be more so than in the life of a true Christian.   Doesn’t that truly sum up what we have to avoid at all costs? 

Everyone reading this Q&A will, no doubt,  have had their fair share of trials in life; perhaps many are still struggling with difficulties, maybe some life-threatening problems, but we know that God will not test us more than we are able to bear as it states in 1 Corinthians 10:13 which reads in full: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

What does quitting mean, and why is it something that so many have done down through the ages?   Doesn’t that truly sum up what we have to avoid at all costs?   Quitting lasts forever, especially in the Christian life!  This has happened to those who have been baptised in the Church of God right down through the ages and we may all have seen this in more recent times.  But however low we may feel at any time, quitting this Way of Life is not the answer.

Discouragement at times happened to some of the great men in the Old Testament, for example, Moses, Job, Elijah, David, Jonah and Jeremiah.  Such discouragement was temporary, something that we can all feel at times, but they all picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and got on with it, as we must do if we ever find ourselves in such a situation.

In Matthew 26:55-56 we read that “In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “’Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.” Not just some of the disciples but ALL of them fled.   They must have been massively discouraged, but the Scriptures show that this was temporary and that they didn’t quit. Perhaps in their heart of hearts, they fully understood that quitting does indeed last forever.  It was not the disciples’ finest hour but they regrouped to do the Work that was laid out before them, and didn’t quit.

These examples were about temporary discouragement that we can all feel, but they realised that this was the way to go, and they spent the rest of their lives thoroughly involved with the Work that they were instructed to pursue.

We just cannot afford to quit, whatever our circumstances.   Let us review just some of the verses that show that if we do quit, we can lose our opportunity in the Kingdom of God.

In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, we read a passage of Scripture where Paul shows that he could miss out or be disqualified:

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.  And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

The sub-heading of this passage in some Bibles is “striving for a crown,” showing that the apostle Paul was still striving until the end of his life and did not intend to quit before the finish line.   This shows that he knew the reward was an eternal gift that was worth all of the effort needed now.

This clearly shows that we are in a race, but it is not a sprint or a short race. It is more like a marathon where we spend the rest of our lives, from genuine repentance and baptism at the outset, to passing the winning post at the end of our lives in order to receive an imperishable crown. 

Putting this in comparison with our calling, athletes give themselves completely to their physical race as we should do with our spiritual race.  The analogies, that is a comparison of two otherwise unlike things based on resemblance of a particular aspect, can be helpful and serve as an aid in understanding and comprehension of any given situation.  It is certainly an excellent comparison that is reliable to all of us.

We have to live the Way of Life to which we have been called, renouncing the world and its ways and not being diverted in any way from our chosen path.   As athletes untiringly pursued their course, so must we.   We must not grow weary over the years; particularly, when we have the winning line in our sights.

We read further about this giant, Paul, in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 4:6-8 with the sub-heading this time in some Bibles being “Paul’s Valedictory” which means “bidding farewell”:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Paul said that he had finished the race. He had been faithful to the end. He had made it, showing that it was necessary to do these things throughout his life – even to the very end.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale

In the first part of this Q&A, we started our review about why God continually condemns arrogance.  We mentioned that the words arrogance, arrogant, proud, and haughty are mentioned over 200 times in the New International Version, and that they are all interconnected in their meaning.   God resists the proud, as we read in 1 Peter 5:5: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”

In the Book of Psalms are found many references to those traits that God does not approve of.   Psalm 5:5 reads: “The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.”   Boastful, that is self-praising, boasting and bragging, exhibiting self-importance, reflects arrogance that God totally disapproves of; therefore, His people should steer clear of any such behaviour.   This is further supported by Psalm 75:4: “I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.’”

Further such injunctions are found in Psalm 94:4: “They utter speech, and speak insolent things; All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.”   Also, Psalm 119:21 reads: “You rebuke the proud—the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.”

Being arrogant, proud, boastful and haughty are traits, that, if not repented of, will ensure that we will not be in the Kingdom of God as God hates these characteristics.   The world and its ways can rub off, even on the people of God, so we had better be very careful about the way we live our lives and ensure that we are not guilty in such matters.

Of course, some even accuse true Christians of arrogance. One such accusation on a forum stated that “Religions in many ways are indistinguishable from fascism, where one’s value comes not from oneself, but from your status as part of something much greater. As such, it encourages and rewards extreme arrogance: nothing so deadly as a righteous man.”

Maybe that could apply in some cases, and we all have to be careful that, because God has called us out of this world, we don’t have such a mindset.  If we are one of God’s people who follow His instructions on how to live His Way of Life, that accusation could not be made against us as we would be guilty of doing that of which God disapproves and would disqualify us as one of God’s people anyway.

Further criticism against God is that He was arrogant when He spoke to Job, as we read in Job 38:4: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,” and in the rest of the chapter, God “revealed His Omnipotence to Job,” as the chapter heading in some Bibles reads.

Barnes Notes on the Bible observes: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? – The first appeal is to the creation. The question here, ‘Where wast thou?’ implies that Job was not present. He had not then an existence. He could not, therefore, have aided God, or counselled him, or understood what he was doing. How presumptuous, therefore, it was in one so short-lived to sit in judgment on the doings of him who had formed the world!”

The allegation that God was arrogant is made null and void when we see the context and know that God is love which is the very antithesis of arrogance (compare 1 John 4:8,16).

Another criticism is that Christians believe that theirs is the only true religion.   What about all of the other faiths – aren’t they equally important?   And isn’t it arrogant for Christians to believe that they are the only ones with the truth?   It is interesting that since the dawn of civilization, man has gravitated towards pagan gods of stone and there are many instances of this.   One such is the example of Solomon as we read in 1 Kings 11:4-8: “For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David.  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.  Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David.  Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon.  And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

Even Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived (except for Jesus Christ), resorted to idol worship, and it can be guaranteed that the master of deception, Satan the devil was at the heart of such behaviour.   After all, he is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4; Authorized Version) and the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

We further read in Acts 4:12: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved,” which clearly tells us that all the other religions in this world are false.   Is it arrogance to believe that?   It is, surely, just a matter of believing what the great Creator of the Bible states in His Word, which can never be construed as arrogance.

Having arrogance is a deeply unlovely trait, and when we hear someone displaying this characteristic, it can, and it must be, something that reinforces our belief that in no way must we behave in such a manner.

It should be obvious to readers of the Bible that God approves of behaviour that is in line with what He is – God is love as was mentioned before.  We read in 1 John 4:7-8: “ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born (begotten) of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

God the Father Who created us all is perfect.  The second member of the God Family, the Logos or Word and Who became Jesus Christ, is also perfect.   As perfect beings, they make no errors or mistakes and are the epitome of love as the above Scripture reveals.   We can be the same through the power of the Holy Spirit which we are given after repentance and baptism.   We read in John 1:12: “ But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

We have taken the long route to answer the question thoroughly, although there may be those who think that this is not necessary for the people of God.   However, because we have the knowledge of God’s Way which most people discard or ignore today, there could be a tendency, if we’re not careful, that this might give us a superior feeling or arrogance which would be dangerous.   We must not forget that the religious people in Jesus’ time did make considerable mistakes in this area.   We read in the first part of this two-part series, in Luke 18:9-14, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector where superiority and arrogance were shown by the outwardly religious man but who seemed to feel superior to everyone else.

Wherever self is mentioned, we had better be very careful, but one area that is vitally important is that of self-assessment.   In 1 Corinthians 11:27-28, we are instructed as follows: “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”  In verses 23 to 26 of the same chapter is the institution of the New Testament Passover and the necessity to examine ourselves before taking it.   In 2 Corinthians 13:5 is a further instruction to examine ourselves: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.” Therefore, this self-assessment or investigation is a vital and necessary part of our Christian lives.

Apart from this pre-Passover requirement (which should be ongoing throughout the year) is the requirement of fasting on the Day of Atonement.  We read the following in our booklet “The Meaning of God’s Fall Holy Days”: “Leviticus 23:27 gives the following command on the Day of Atonement: ‘… It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls….’   The Hebrew word for ‘afflict’ is ‘anah.’ It means, literally, ‘to lower’ or ‘to humble.’  Deuteronomy 8:3 sheds more light on the meaning of the Hebrew word, ‘anah.’ We read: ‘He humbled [‘anah’] you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna…’ We should note here the connection between being humbled and abstaining from food. Psalm 35:13 adds: ‘I humbled [‘anah’] myself with fasting.’”

Humbling oneself is the opposite of arrogance.  When fasting, arrogance is usually a trait that can disappear quite quickly, if it was there in the first place.   It is difficult to demonstrate an attitude of arrogance and superiority when you are being deprived of one of the basics of life – food. 

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, we read about a time of stress during the last days: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”

We have been warned!  The arrogance and haughtiness displayed by those outside the Church are traits that we must dismiss and not let any of this sort of behaviour rub off on us.   Love cannot exist where arrogance prevails as the two are completely incompatible.

Because continually exhibiting arrogance as a Way of Life is not the way that will lead to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. We all need to ensure that such a trait is one that we cannot be accused of.   If we have problems in this area, it is imperative to remove them as soon as possible; otherwise, we could fall short of what is required by God.

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)

Why is arrogance so condemned by God?   After all, some may think that it is merely an extension to self-confidence and we all need to be self-confident, don’t we?

On the website powerofpositivity, we read the following:

“A rather fine line exists between arrogance and self-confidence, separated only by empathy. An arrogant person feels they must assert their ego always to feel superior, while a self-confident person knows their worth without having to prove it. Arrogance points to low self-esteem because you feel threatened by other people and believe you must defend yourself. Confident people don’t have anything to show because they know their value.”  

They then quote Stewart Strafford as follows: “Confidence is when you believe in yourself and your abilities, arrogance is when you think you are better than others and act accordingly. You could say that arrogance is false confidence and that the person displaying it is overcompensating for their inner inadequacies.” 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines arrogance as “having a feeling of superiority that shows itself in an overbearing attitude.”  

Many people look to self-help books, and to writers who have little or no knowledge about the Bible, and seek ways about how best to live and to improve their lives.  The Bible is not a book that most people will immediately refer to in such cases and will, therefore, miss out on the Godly wisdom that it has to offer.

Many people in the Western world today are aware of the story about Sodom and Gomorrah which is related in Genesis 19, and this rightly refers to the sin of homosexuality, naysayers notwithstanding, and we have covered this a number of times in our writings.   However, these inhabitants were guilty of other sins, as we read in Ezekiel 16:49: “Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”

In Proverbs 8:13, we read: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.”  Pride and arrogance are complementary to each other and are traits that God hates. As a brief side issue, pride is the word used in connection with wrong sexual practices: Wikipedia points out: “LGBT pride is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to shame and social stigma, is the predominant outlook that bolsters most LGBT rights movements.”

We are addressing in these two Q&As the wrong kind of pride—that of arrogant pride. We understand that there is also a right kind of pride (compare our Q&As on “Is Pride Always Condemned in the Bible?,” Parts 1 and 2). https://www.eternalgod.org/is-pride-always-condemned-in-the-bible-part-1/ and https://www.eternalgod.org/is-pride-always-condemned-in-the-bible-part-2/ )

In Proverbs 16:5, we read in the Amplified Bible: “Every one proud and arrogant in heart is disgusting, hateful and exceedingly offensive to the Lord; be assured – I pledge it — he will not go unpunished.”

Many websites state that the words arrogance, arrogant, proud, and haughty are mentioned over 200 times in the New International Version, and such statements emanating from God are not given approval.

Just a few examples in the Word of God will show what God thinks of an arrogant attitude.

We read in 1 Samuel 2:3 the prayer of Hannah after the birth and weaning of Samuel. Hannah exclaimed, by addressing the people: “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed.”  Arrogancy, that is “claiming more than one’s due,” “assumption,” and “pride” are definitely not approved.

We know that King Nebuchadnezzar had a particular problem with arrogance and pride.   We read in Daniel 4:30: “The king spoke, saying, ‘Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?’” Immediately, he heard the following: “While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!’” (verse 31).    Punishment was immediate, and we read his fate in verses 32-33.   However, after his punishment, he praised the Most High God (verses 34-37).  Arrogance is the total opposite of godliness as it promotes self above all others, even against God.    How apropos is the instruction in Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” “Haughty” is commonly defined as “arrogantly, superior and disdainful.”

In Isaiah 13:11, there is further information about arrogance and haughtiness: “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” The Pulpit Commentary observes: “I will punish the world for their evil. Here the prophecy certainly goes beyond the destruction of Babylon, and becomes a general warning to the wicked of all countries. Each country is to feel that its turn will come. Punishment will fall especially on the unjust, the proud, and the haughty (comp. Isaiah 1:28; Isaiah 2:11-17, etc.).”

Jeremiah 48:29 reveals pride that is ungodly: “We have heard the pride of Moab (He is exceedingly proud), Of his loftiness and arrogance and pride, And of the haughtiness of his heart.”   Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible states: “…(he is exceedingly proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart; a heap of words to express the same thing, suggesting that the instances of his pride were many, and that it was exceeding great indeed: these many words were little enough; and indeed words were wanting fully to declare it” (our emphasis).

We further read in Proverbs 21:24: “A proud and haughty man—’Scoffer’ is his name; He acts with arrogant pride.”   Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary observes: “Pride and haughtiness make men passionate; such continually deal in wrath, as if it were their trade to be angry.”  

Self-promotion, which is bragging or otherwise attempting to make oneself appear greater, carries with it an attitude of superiority and arrogance. Proverbs 27:2 has the precise answer to such behaviour: “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.”  Further confirmation of this principle is found in 2 Corinthians 10:17-18: “But ‘he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’ For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”   Glorying in the Lord removes any arrogance or superiority and ensures that credit is given to the right source!

In the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector in Luke 18:9-14, we read that the right Godly attitude is rewarded rather than the arrogant, self-serving one: “Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.” And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

We read in Romans 12:3 that further instruction is given by the apostle Paul: “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”   Thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think is arrogance.

In the book of James, we read about forward planning but there is no mention of God being involved: “But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:16).   Planning is a good thing to do and God’s involvement removes arrogant or self-serving attitudes: “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)