I ran across a verse the other day that made me pause…

Matthew 8:12

12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (ESV)

What’s this? The sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness? How is that even possible? Is this a refutation of “once saved, always saved”?

Well, if you read that verse just by itself, it is indeed troubling. But let’s take a look at it in the larger context…

Matthew 8:5-13

5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. (ESV)

Ah, now we see the real full meaning of the verse. You see, the “sons of the kingdom” does not mean “believing sons of the kingdom of Heaven“, bur rather “unbelieving sons of the kingdom of Israel.” Christ is providing a contrast – between the Gentiles (specifically the centurion and generally the many who will come “from east and west”) and the Israelites who will be rejected because of their unbelief.

No threat to the doctrine of perseverance after all…

And a wonderful illustration of why Gregory Koukl advocates never reading a Bible verse.