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Do Romans 3:8, 13:2, 1 Corinthians 11:28-29, and 1 Timothy 5:12 Teach Works Salvation?

Romans 3:8

8 And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

Romans 13:2

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

1 Corinthians 11:28-29

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

1 Timothy 5:12

12 Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith.

The above passages all use the term "damnation" (in the King James Version), to apply to what could potentially happen to believers. Does this mean that a believer may be sent to the "damnation of Hell" (Matthew 23:33)?

Condemnation

This use of "damnation" is a translation choice by the King James translators. It is the same Greek word often translated "condemnation". Their relationship in English can even be seen phonetically in the etymology of "condemnation" - "con-damnation".

The Greek word used in all four of the passages in question is "krima". It appears 28 times in the New Testament, and is translated in the KJV as:

  • "Judgement" - 13 times
  • "Damnation" - 7 times
  • "Condemnation" - 6 times
  • "Law" - 1 time
  • "Avenged" - 1 time

Because each of the passages in question deal with believers, a better way to render them in modern English is definitely "condemnation" or "judgement". This is how virtually every modern translation renders all four of these passages.

The New King James Version, for instance, renders the passages in question as:

Romans 3:8 (NKJV)

8 And why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"? - as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

Romans 13:2 (NKJV)

2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

1 Corinthians 11:28-29 (NKJV)

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.

1 Timothy 5:12 (NKJV)

12 Having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith.

Now, with this basis in mind, what kind of "condemnation" or "judgement" is in view here?

It is not eternal condemnation, as we are told that believers not only "are not condemned" (John 3:18), but also "shall not come into condemnation" (John 5:24).

Instead, looking at the context of one of the passages in question, we can see that what is in view is a temporal condemnation, in accordance with the chastening of the Lord on disobedient believers:

1 Corinthians 11:28-32

28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

As can be seen above, this chastening of the Lord on His children, done on children of His that He loves (Hebrews 12:6), can result in "sickness", "weakness", and even "sleep" - a euphemism for death (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

In other words, this is the "destruction of the flesh" (1 Corinthians 5:5) that will happen to believers walking in the flesh, because "if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die" (Romans 8:13).

This has no affect on the new birth, which is "incorruptible" (1 Peter 1:23), as is the subject of this article. It's a temporal judgment on a believer's Old Man, as a result of walking in the Old Man.

Conclusion

While the "damnation of Hell" (Matthew 23:33) is certainly a "condemnation", it is an "eternal condemnation" (Mark 3:29), whereas the judgment of God on believers is only ever temporal. The unfortunate rendering of "condemnation" as "damnation" in the KJV in these passages can lead to confusion, as this eternal condemnation is what many have in mind when hearing that word. It is simply a translation choice, and the judgment being spoken of does not refer to eternal condemnation, in any of the passages in question.