A Free Grace Translation of John 1:12-13

I would like to share my personal translation of John 1:12 from the Greek New Testament. I have also included verse 13 to give some additional context. 

What I found interesting when I translated verse 12 is that the English word "received" (Jn. 1:12, KJV) is from the same Greek word used in Revelation 22:17, where it is translated as "take": "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:17, KJV). 

The Greek word translated "received" in John 1:12 is elabon, the aorist tense of lambanō, meaning "took" or "received". So John 1:12 could be translated: "But as many as took Him (the Word), He (God the Father) gave them the right to be called children of God, even to those who believe in His name". This means (in contrast to what some Calvinists teach) that "as many as" actively "take" Christ by faith will be saved! 

In my translation below, I have given expanded definitions for some of the words (e.g. "took/received"); italicized words have been added.

My Translation of John 1:12 (1:12-13)

12 ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ,

But as many as took/received Him, He gave to them the right to be children of God, to the ones who believe in His name, 

13 οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκὸς οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρὸς ἀλλ’ ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν. 

who were not born from a natural bloodline, nor from the will of the flesh [i.e. "trying to be better," as Dr. Ironside has explained it], nor from the desire of a man/male/husband, but from God.

Does John 1:13 support Calvinism?

Calvinists like to interpret John 1:13 to mean that God unconditionally elects certain people to salvation, apart from a person's will. But that's not what verse 13 is saying at all. The Greek word for "man" (Jn. 1:13, ESV) is andros, which in this context would be better translated as "a man" or "a husband". This is exactly how several of the English Bible translations render it (for example, see John 1:13 in the NET Bible). So John 1:13 doesn't support the Calvinistic notion of unconditional election to salvation, but is instead saying that the new birth is not a physical birth, i.e. it is not the result of a husband's desire for his wife, but it is instead a spiritual birth (cf. Jesus' words to Nicodemus in John chapter 3).

"Who will take the son?"

The following story illustrates the truth of John 1:12 that "as many as took Him [the Son], to them He [God the Father] gave the right to be children of God, even to those who believe in His name":

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam war broke out the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son. 

About a month later there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art. The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." 

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. 

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?" 

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" 

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"  

—Author unknown.

 

Of course, eternal life cannot be bought with money. The Lord Jesus paid for it with His own precious blood (1 Pet. 1:18-20), and therefore eternal life is a "free gift" (Rom. 6:23). So the story is not an exact picture of salvation. But it does illustrate the wonderful truth of John 1:12 that as many as took the Son, to them, God the Father gave the right to everything!¹

So in contrast to what Calvinism teaches, John 1:12 makes it clear that saving faith is not a "golden egg" dropped on the heads of the chosen few (the "elect"), but it is instead the choice of every person to accept (or take) the Son! 

ENDNOTE:

¹ See 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.

What's Behind the Curtain of Lordship Salvation?

“Of course, Lordship Salvation advocates deny they are teaching salvation by works, and anybody who claims they are promoting legalism, has an inaccurate assessment of their teaching. However, their teaching, writing, and conclusions speak volumes against salvation by God’s free grace.”[1] 

* * *

I usually hear the phrase “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1) used in connection with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church because the connection is obvious: “they forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from eating certain foods” (1 Tim. 4:3). But is there a connection between “doctrines of demons” and Lordship Salvation that is perhaps more subtle, though nonetheless dangerous? I believe that in at least one sense, the phrase “doctrines of demons” also applies to the teachings of Lordship Salvation! Like Roman Catholicism, Lordship Salvation is similarly corrupted by legalism — not in regards to food but in regards to faith! Here's what I mean: Lordship Salvation redefines saving faith so as to make it include various works of self-righteousness such as surrender, commitment, and obedience. Of course, proponents of Lordship Salvation are careful not to call these things "works of self-righteousness" because they also say they believe in justification by faith alone.[2] This is one of the areas in which they supposedly broke away from the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. But the problem is that proponents of Lordship Salvation redefine saving faith in such a way so as to make it include good works. For example, proponents of Lordship Salvation define saving repentance (which they agree is an essential part of saving faith) not simply as a change of mind and heart about sin, salvation, and the Savior, but in their view saving repentance must also include a turning from every sin in order to be saved (or at least a willingness to do so), accompanied by a deep sorrow for sin and a radical change of life for the better. So although proponents of Lordship Salvation say that salvation is not by works, yet in practice they require works for salvation — which would be expected if indeed Lordship Salvation teaches “doctrines of demons”! It's a very deceptive false teaching (cf. 2 Cor. 11:1-4, 11:13-15; Gal. 1:6-10; 1 Tim. 4:1). 

What got me thinking about the subject of “doctrines of demons” in connection with Lordship Salvation was the following statement by Amir Tsafati of the Behold Israel ministry, when he said: 

“I also have to make sure that people understand, we talked about the fact that a characteristic of a false teaching is diluting the whole essence of sin and the fact that there is Hell and its real, and all of that. But I also want to remind people that also stealing the aspect of grace is false teaching, to the point that when they say, ‘Don’t eat this, don’t eat that, don’t marry her, don’t this—’ when the don’ts are there, many times this is also doctrines of demons themselves because you are creating your own brownie points here, collecting [brownie points], as if you stayed away from this, and you stayed away from that, so you are holier and better.”[3]

Based on what the proponents of Lordship Salvation are teaching and preaching, Lordship Salvation is guilty of “stealing the aspect of grace” from salvation. In fact, since at least 2014, they are now saying that the teaching of “believe only” for salvation is false![4] Is this the true gospel? Is this how a person is saved? What does the Bible say about it? 

The Bible says that we are saved “not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5), but rather by God’s “free grace”! I like how the Amplified Bible Classic Edition brings this out in its translation of Ephesians 2:8-9: 

For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

Don’t be deceived by “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). Instead, preach “free grace” like the Apostle Paul writes about in Ephesians 2:8-9!

Addendum:

The following quote by Antonio da Rosa of the Free Grace Theology blog is worth repeating, as it highlights how Lordship Salvation is actually works-salvation. Antonio da Rosa writes:

Although Michael Horton is no friend to Free Grace theology, as he is in the Lordship Salvation ‘camp’, he does make some interesting comments about John MacArthur: 

“MacArthur adds W. E. Vine’s definition of faith as including even ‘conduct inspired by such surrender’ (173-74). [In context, W. E. Vine is explaining 2 Corinthians 5:7, not adding conduct as a requirement for salvation.] If we are justified by faith and if faith is surrender, obedience, and conduct inspired by such surrender, then we are justified by works. The logic seems unavoidable: We are justified by faith alone. Faith is surrender, obedience, and conduct inspired by such surrender. Therefore, we are justified by surrender, obedience, and conduct inspired by such obedience” (Michael Horton, Christ the Lord, pg. 44). 

Horton uses logic to assess MacArthur’s position, and comes to the same conclusion we all should: MacArthur’s position teaches works-salvation.[5]

So Michael Horton (a Calvinist) likewise concludes that MacArthur is preaching works-salvation! This is significant because Horton isn’t even in the Free Grace camp, so it’s not like he’s being biased against Lordship Salvation. Horton is simply pointing out the obvious: John MacArthur is preaching works-salvation! 

 

See the following resources for more information:

• Assurance of Salvation: False Gospels by John Ricci (YouTube) 
  

• A Return to Rome: Lordship Salvation's Doctrine of Faith by Paul Holloway

• Lordship Salvation: A Forgotten Truth or a False Doctrine? by Manfred E. Kober

References:

[1] Pastor Kelly Sensenig, “The Errors of Lordship Salvation,” p. 2.

[2] Wayne Grudem (a Reformed theologian and proponent of Lordship Salvation) says that “we are justified by faith alone (faith is the only response that God requires from us), but the faith that justifies is never alone (because it never occurs by itself, but is always accompanied by—or includes—repentance from sin”. (Grudem, “Free Grace” Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel [of Lordship Salvation], p. 38.) How does Grudem define repentance? Grudem gives this definition: “Repentance is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.” (Ibid., p. 42.) So according to Grudem, saving faith always “includes” these things. I want to emphasize that Grudem is not saying that these things follow or should follow saving faith; rather, he’s saying that saving faith “includes” these things! All these things are included in Grudem’s definition of “justification by faith alone”. In other words, it is “justification by faith alone” in name only. In reality, Grudem’s definition of “justification by faith alone” includes much more than faith alone! But according to the Bible, saving faith is simply receiving Christ (see John 1:12, 3:16, 4:10; Rom. 3:24, 4:4-5, 6:23, etc.), not making a commitment that I’m going to walk in obedience—that’s works! 

[3] Amir Tsarfati, “Amir Tsarfati: Bible Prophecy Roundtable with Jan Markell and Barry Stagner” (Jan. 2, 2021), YouTube time stamp: 24:40 min. - 25:30 min. 

[4] See my blog post titled: “The Moody Handbook of Theology: Then and Now” (FGFS, July 22, 2023). Editor’s note: This article was originally posted on January 13, 2019. It has since been updated and reposted.

[5] Antonio da Rosa, “John MacArthur is ‘Hard to Believe’” (Free Grace Theology blog, January 2, 2006). http://free-grace.blogspot.com/2006/01/john-macarthur-is-hard-to-believe.html

A Free Grace Translation of Romans 10:9-10

The Roman Colosseum

I would like to share my personal translation of Romans 10:9-10 from the Greek New Testament. It is written from a Free Grace perspective. I have also translated verses 8 and 11 to give some additional context to verses 9-10. Italicized words are not in the original Greek. Brackets have been added in some places to clarify the text. Following my translation, I have also included my commentary on each verse.

A Free Grace Translation of Romans 10:9-10 (10:8-11)

8 ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; Ἐγγύς σου τὸ ῥῆμά ἐστιν, ἐν τῷ στόματί σου καὶ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· τοῦτ’ ἔστιν τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν. 

But what does it say [in the Old Testament]? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.’ This is the word of faith which we preach, 

 

9 ὅτι ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς ἐν τῷ στόματί σου Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ·

that if you confess/profess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

 

10 καρδίᾳ γὰρ πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν. 

For with the heart a person believes unto righteousness [i.e. justification], but with the mouth he professes unto salvation [i.e. sanctification]. 

11 λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή Πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.

For the Scripture says, Everyone believing on Him will not be disappointed. [Isa. 28:16.]

A Free Grace Commentary on Romans 10:9-10 (10:8-11)

10:8 Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 30:14.

10:9 When Paul says “you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9), what does he mean? I understand it to mean salvation in all three tenses: justification, sanctification, and eventually glorification. 

 

10:10 In verse 10, Paul explains what he’s talking about in a little more detail: believing with the heart results in first-tense salvation, i.e. justification; whereas confession with the mouth results in second-tense salvation, i.e. sanctification. Notice the contrasting conjunction “but” (Gr. de) in verse 10. Most English translations read “and” not “but”. However, see Henry Alford’s notes on Romans 10:10 in his Greek NT. Alford’s translation of v. 10: “For with the heart faith is exercised unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Alford, Greek NT, vol. 2, p. 395, bold his.) Alford goes on to say: “Clearly the words dik. [‘righteousness’] and sōt. [‘salvation’] are not used here, as De W., [et] al., merely as different terms for the same thing, for the sake of parallelism: but as Thol. quotes from Crell., sōt. [‘salvation’] is the ‘terminus ultimus et apex justificationis,’ [that is, ‘the ultimate end and apex of justification,’] consequent not merely on the act of justifying faith as the other, but on a good confession before the world, maintained unto the end.” (Ibid., p. 395.) Compare also Wycliffe’s translation of verse 10: “For by heart me believeth to rightwiseness [Forsooth by heart men believeth to rightwiseness], but by mouth acknowledging is made to health.” Also see Stuhlmacher’s translation of v. 10 in his commentary on Romans: “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.” (Peter Stuhlmacher, Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Commentary, p. 153.) Paul here is making a contrast between justification and sanctification. Paul is saying that a person is justified (declared righteous by God) by faith, but we are sanctified by working out our faith (cf. Phil. 2:12). Godet in his commentary on Romans explains Paul’s point excellently. Godet writes: “Ver. 10. The idea of salvation is analyzed; it embraces the two facts: being justified and being saved (in the full sense of the word). The former is especially connected with the act of faith, the latter with that of profession. Paul, in expressing himself thus, is not swayed, as De Wette believes, by the love of parallelism. There is in his eyes a real distinction to be made between being justified and being saved. We have already seen again and again, particularly in chap. 5. [vv.] 9 and 10, that justification is something of the present; for it introduces us from this time forth into reconciliation with God. But salvation includes, besides, sanctification and glory. Hence it is that while the former depends only on faith, the latter implies persevering fidelity in the profession of the faith, even to death and to glory. In this ver. 10, Paul returns to the natural and psychological order, according to which faith precedes profession. This is because he is here expounding his thought, without any longer binding himself to the order of the Mosaic quotation [from Deut. 30:12-14]. And to put, as it were, a final period to this whole passage, the idea of which is the perfect freeness of salvation, he repeats once more the passage of Isaiah which had served him as a point of departure (9. 33).” (Frederic Godet, Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, pp. 383-384.) John Murray also sees some distinction between “righteousness” and “salvation” in Romans 10:10. Commenting on verses 9-10, he writes: “The effect of this confession and belief is said to be salvation—‘thou shalt be saved’. We are not to regard confession and faith as having the same efficacy unto salvation. The contrast between mouth and heart needs to be observed.” (Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, vol. 2, p. 55.)

10:11 In verse 11, Paul goes back to the key issue, which is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 16:31; Rom. 1:16-17).

For more information see the following books and articles:

“BELIEVE AND CONFESS CHRIST” by Lewis Sperry Chafer (in volume 3 of his Systematic Theology, pp. 378-380).

“Romans 10:9-13 Our Living Lord” by Zane C. Hodges (chapter 15 of his book Absolutely Free!). Please note: This is not a full endorsement of everything in Hodges’ book. But I think his comments on Romans 10:9-13 are pretty good. 

“Why Confess Christ? The Use and Abuse of Romans 10:9-10” by John F. Hart (originally published in the Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, vol. 12 [Autumn 1999]: pp. 3-35. To view the PDF, click here.)

“If I Don’t Confess Him, Do I Possess Him?” by Larry Moyer (chapter 8 in his book Free and Clear)

Great Quotes on the Gospel

St. Paul in prison.
Wood engraving. By Gustave Doré.

In the mid-part of the first century, the apostle Paul wrote the following words to Timothy, his spiritual son in the faith:

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:1-2, NASB 1977)

The following quotes on the gospel are from “faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” 

* * *

William R. Newell (1938):

“The gospel is all about Christ. Apart from Him, there is no news from heaven but that of coming woe! Read that passage in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5: ‘I make known unto you the gospel which I preached unto you: that Christ died, Christ was buried; Christ hath been raised; Christ was seen.’ It is all about the Son of God!”[1]

“this good news concerning Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and appearing, ‘is the power of God unto salvation unto every one that believeth.’ There is no fact for a preacher or teacher to hold more consistently in his mind than this.”[2] 

“Again we repeat that it is of the very first and final importance that the preacher or teacher of the gospel believe in the bottom of his soul that the simple story, Christ died for our sins, was buried, hath been raised from the dead the third day, and was seen, IS THE POWER OF GOD to salvation to every one who rests in it – who believes!”[3] 

“Paul’s preaching was not, as is so much today, general disquisition on some subject, but definite statements about the crucified One, as he himself so insistently tells us in 1 Corinthians 15.3-5.”[4] 

“This story of Christ's dying for our sins, buried, raised, manifested, is the great wire along which runs God’s mighty current of saving power. Beware lest you be putting up some little wire of your own, unconnected with the Divine throne, and therefore non-saving to those to whom you speak.”[5] 

“Therefore, in this good news, (1) Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (2) He was buried, (3) He hath been raised the third day according to the Scriptures, (4) He was manifested (1 Cor. 15.3 ff),—in this good news there is revealed, now openly for the first time, God’s righteousness on the principles of faith. We simply hear and believe: and, as we shall find, God reckons us righteous; our guilt having been put away by the blood of Christ forever, and we ourselves declared to be the righteousness of God in Him!”[6] 

Merrill C. Tenney (1963):

“The cardinal tenets of Christian doctrine which Paul himself illustrated or stressed belonged to the comprehensive body of truth which the church proclaimed. His letters include occasional references to the substance of the message which he preached in pioneer territory. Paul epitomized the substance of his message in his first letter to the Corinthians church. ‘For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; and that he appeared…’ (I Cor. 15:3-5a). He concluded this capsule statement with the words ‘So we preach, and so ye believed’ (15:11). He claimed that his gospel was accepted by the entire church (Gal. 2:6-10) and that there was no distinction between him and the other preachers, except that his ministry was directed chiefly to the Gentiles, whereas theirs was for the Jews.”[7]

“Paul, writing to the Galatian churches, stated that Christ gave Himself for our sins that He might free us from this present evil age (Gal. 1:4). He summarized the essence of the gospel for the Corinthian Christians by saying, ‘Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;…he was buried;…he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures; and…he appeared…’ (I Cor. 15:3-5). The apostle emphasized the theological significance of Christ’s death, stating that He ‘who knew no sin he [God] made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him’ (II Cor. 5:21).”[8]

F. F. Bruce (1976):

“The things of first importance are four in number: (a) Christ died, (b) he was buried, (c) he was raised, (d) he appeared in resurrection to many. Whatever differences there might be in primitive Christian faith and preaching, there was evidently unanimity on these fundamental data.”[9]

To be continued....

ENDNOTES:

[1] William R. Newell, Romans Verse-By-Verse, p. 6, comment on Romans 1:3-4.

[2] Ibid., pp. 18-19, comment on Romans 1:16.

[3] Ibid., p. 19, comment on Romans 1:16.

[4] Ibid., p. 20, comment on Romans 1:16. 

[5] Ibid., p. 21, comment on Romans 1:16.

[6] Ibid., p. 24, comment on Romans 1:17.

[7] Merrill C. Tenney, The Reality of the Resurrection (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1963), pp. 68-69, ellipsis his. Note: This book was also published in Chicago by Moody Press, 1963.

[8] Ibid., ellipsis and brackets his. 

[9] F. F. Bruce, 1 And 2 Corinthians (London: Oliphants, 1976), p. 138, bold and italics his; cf. F. F. Bruce, The Epistle of Paul to the Galatians, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1982), p. 88, where he discusses 1 Corinthians 15:3 "with regard to the saving events of Christ's death, burial, resurrection and subsequent appearances".

Did the Ninevites Have Saving Faith?

The Bible tells us that the Ninevites “believed God” (Jonah 3:5). Was this saving faith or something short of it? While the Bible does not give us all the details, it seems that the Ninevites did turn to Jehovah God in true saving faith. The same expression is used of the faith of Abraham when the Bible says that “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3; cf. Gen. 15:6). Commenting on the phrase “and the men of Nineveh believed God” (Jonah 3:5), one Bible commentator objects and says: “this phrase does not carry the same significance as the modern understanding of ‘in God,’ denoting a conversion to faith.”[1] In other words, the commentator is saying that the Ninevites did not have saving faith. But that conclusion cannot be supported from the text, which uses virtually the same wording to describe both the faith of the Ninevites in Jonah 3:5 and the faith of Abraham in Romans 4:3.[2] B. H. Carrol (the founder and first president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) affirms: “‘Believed God’ in 3:5 is equivalent to ‘believed on God’ and is saving faith, as with Abraham. Fasting and sackcloth are external evidences of repentance.”[3] Commenting on Jonah 3:5, John Phillips similarly states: “‘So the people of Nineveh believed God.’ After one day’s preaching a million people turned to God. This was a genuine evangelical revival. The Ninevites were soundly saved—not just saved from national overthrown, but saved in a spiritual sense. They ‘believed God.’ Paul told us that ‘the father of all them that believe’—that is, Abraham—‘believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness’ (Romans 4:11, 3). If Abraham was saved when he ‘believed God,’ why should not the Ninevites have been saved when they ‘believed God’?”[4]

Jonah preached that the city of Nineveh was about to be destroyed (Jonah 3:4), so where is the message of grace? This is where it is important to read the whole story in context. Are we really to believe that the city of Nineveh, the greatest and most cultured city in the then-known world, had no knowledge of the Hebrew God, nor of the Jewish writings? Commenting on Jonah 3:5, T. T. Perowne affirms: “What they [the Ninevites] knew of the Hebrews and their God (for doubtless they recognized in Jonah a Jewish prophet) may have contributed to the result.”[5] But as John Phillips has said: “The prophet’s most eloquent message was himself. He was a living epistle known and read by all men (see 2 Corinthians 3:2). The people of Nineveh listened to him and looked at him. The effects of his sojourn in the belly of the fish made him a horrifying sight to behold. ‘God punishes sin,’ they surely said. ‘Look at the man. He is livid.’ But the fact that Jonah was alive at all probably caused them to add, ‘God pardons sinners.’”[6]

It’s important to understand that Jonah’s preaching was not only a message of judgment. Rather, it was a message of grace (cf. Jonah 4:2) and then judgment. Notice what he cried out and said: “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). God’s grace is evident in the phrase “Yet forty days”. This opportunity to repent is similar to how when God preached through Noah, he gave that wicked generation time to repent while Noah built the ark and preached to them (Gen. 6:3; 1 Pet. 3:20). Also in the book of Revelation, God gave the wicked woman Jezebel “time to repent” (Rev. 2:21), but she did not want to repent. Commenting on Jonah 3:4, B. H. Carrol affirms:  “The ‘yet’ here indicates God’s attitude toward a sinner. Though he thunders the law of Sinai over the sinner’s head, it is only that the sinner may be prepared to hear the voice from Calvary. ‘Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown,’ but the ‘forty days’ furnish space for repentance.”[7] And so we see God’s grace in Jonah’s message to the Ninevites.

I want to conclude with a few thoughts by Warren Wiersbe (1929-2019), former pastor of Moody Memorial Church. He writes: “How deep was the spiritual experience of the people of Nineveh? If repentance and faith are the basic conditions of salvation (Acts 20:21), then we have reason to believe that they were accepted by God; for the people of Nineveh repented and had faith in God (Jonah 3:5). The fact that Jesus used the Ninevites to shame the unbelieving Jews of His day is further evidence that their response to Jonah’s ministry was sincere (Matt. 12:38-41).”[8] 

In the book The God Who Loves, John MacArthur similarly writes: “Some have suggested that the ‘faith’ of the Ninevites stopped short of true, saving faith. But I do not share that view. It seems obvious from our Lord’s own testimony that for multitudes in Nineveh this represented an authentic saving conversion. In fact, Jesus cited Nineveh’s repentance as a witness against His own generation: ‘The men of Nineveh shall stand up with this generation at the judgment, and shall condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here’ (Matt. 12:41; Lk. 11:32). An entire generation of Ninevites was thus brought into the kingdom of God solely by His loving grace.”[9]

I’m not a fan of John MacArthur because he promotes the false teaching of Lordship Salvation, but I believe what he says here is true: “An entire generation of Ninevites was thus brought into the kingdom of God solely by His loving grace.”

ENDNOTES:

[1] Billy K. Smith, Frank S. Page, The New American Commentary: Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Volume 19B (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 1995), p. 261.

[2] Notice how the phrase “believed God” reads in each of these verses in Greek. Jonah 3:5 reads: “καὶ ἐνεπίστευσαν οἱ ἄνδρες Νινευη τῷ θεῷ” (Jonah 3:5, Brenton’s Septuagint), which can be translated: “And the men of Nineveh believed God” (Darby Translation). Similarly, Romans 4:3 reads: “Ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ” (Romans 4:3, Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550), which can be translated: “And Abraham believed God” (Darby Translation). The point being that the Ninevites had the faith of Abraham, “the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well” (Rom. 4:11, ESV).

[3] B. H. Carroll, An Interpretation of the English Bible, The Prophets of the Assyrian Period, The Book of Jonah.

[4] John Phillips, Exploring the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1998), pp. 150-151.

[5] T. T. Perowne, The Cambridge Bible for Schools: Jonah (Cambridge: The University Press, 1879), p. 43, emphasis his. Note: The Roman numerals in the original statement have been updated to their corresponding numbers (e.g. “Luke xi.30” has been updated to “Luke 11.30”, and “Matthew xii. 38-41” has been updated to “Matthew 12.38-41”). 

[6] John Phillips, Exploring the Minor Prophets, pp. 150-151. 

[7] B. H. Carroll, An Interpretation of the English Bible, The Prophets of the Assyrian Period, The Book of Jonah.

[8] Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament (Colorado Springs, David C. Cook, 2007), p. 1448, commentary on Jonah 3.

[9] John MacArthur, The God Who Loves (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2001), p. 53.