261 Who is on Probation? The Answer Will Surprise You Part 2

As we conclude this series we consider was Jesus under probation? Did Jesus teach divine probation? The we look and John's focus on grace and truth and the implications for probation. Jesus miracles and the implication for probation. In the end we conclude that God is the one that is on probation and we have put him there. He has never put us on probation. It is necessary to be on probation for a probation to close. So we have no need to fear that probation will ever close.

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SHOW NOTES

6. Was Jesus under probation?

Since Jesus was born under the law (Galatians 4: 4) he was on probation by men and by angels. Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-11) meant that he believed Jesus could have failed. Jesus’ life onearth was not a theophany, pretending to be man, but an incarnation, he became fully man subject to temptation and failure (Hebrews 4:15). His death was the result of his having failed his probation in the eyes of man and Satan. His resurrection demonstrated that in God’s eyes and the loyal angel’s eyes he had

more than triumphed over his probation. The praise anthems in Revelation are the evidence (Chapters 4 & 5).

7. Did Jesus teach divine Probation?

Judgment and probation are related since probation means condemnation or justification (innocence). We consider the relationship between Jesus and judgment which will illuminate his relationship with probation. We need to discern between judgement as condemnation or as justification or innocence.

Judgment means one of these two is being referred to. When John claims “the Father judges no one” he means the Father condemns no one.

John 5:22 NLT In addition, the Father judges (condemns) no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge

So, the question then becomes, “What is Jesus’ judgment?”

John 3:17 NLT God sent his Son into the world not to judge (condemn) the world, but to save the world through him.

Jesus clarifies that his salvation is not dependent on obedience

John 12:47 NLT I will not judge (condemn) those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.

Jesus response to Peter’s question about forgiveness and probation is startling. Apparently, according to Jesus, there is no probation for forgiveness.

Matthew 18:21-22 NLT Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

Jesus is implying that God never gives up on forgiving since “seventy times seven” is a symbolic number based on unbelievable completeness from Daniel 9:24. This is what the cross revealed. At no point did Jesus say, “This far and no further.” He drained the cup of surering we subjected him to.

The LORD’s prayer appear to be a contradiction to God’s unlimited forgiveness.

Matthew 6:12, 14-15 NLT and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus is stating that God’s forgiveness can only be negated by our refusal to forgive others. In plain English this means when we refuse to forgive others, we will eventually be unable to believe that God has forgivenus. Our sins are then unforgiveable in our minds. This is our reality not God’s reality. Here is another teaching by Jesus on this matter.

Luke 15:28-32 NLT “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

This is Jesus’ story crafted to illustrate his Father’s grace towards us. In the two sons he captures all of mankind. The older son represents those who have some knowledge of God and have a relationship with him. Jesus has the Father beg the older son to come to the party. He refuses with many self-righteous reasons.

This is the problem. The older son has his father under probation. He has expectations of his father that his father has failed in his eyes.

8. John’s focus on grace and truth implies there is no probation from God.

The literal occurrences of grace in John are restricted to the Prologue, serving as the lens through which the rest of the Gospel must be read:

John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

John 1:16 (First Mention): "For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace."

John 1:16 (Second Mention): "For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." (Note: Many modern translations like the NIV render this phrase as "grace in place of grace already given.")

John 1:17: "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (AI)

John 1:18 explains the meaning of John’s coupling of truth with grace.

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

John is stating that the grace of God is the truth about God that Jesus, the only eyewitness of God, has revealed by his life, death and resurrection.

9. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles will describe the universal grace of God made visible in Jesus Christ as having no probation.

This means there is no probation for man or angels from God’s perspective of

grace. This does not mean there are no inherent consequences for our choices. It does mean that God is NOT punishing men or angels when they do not follow his lifestyle:

“Love does not demand its own way “ (1 Corinthians 13:5).

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Salvation becomes our reality when we “believe” or grasp God’s grace. God saved us before the creation of the world. In his eyes we are saved (Ephesians 1:4-5). Jesus came in part to convince us of this reality.

He created us so he could love us (John 3:16) and serve us (Matthew 20:28; Luke 12:37). He did not create us to do work for him and to praise him ceaselessly under probation.

Titus 3:3-7 NLT Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But— When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight (innocent) and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.

From the above two passages it is clear God’s Grace has no probation. If ever grace has a time limit or an imposed law limit it is not grace. Because of God’s grace, to be lost one must purposefully and persistently reject grace, and this is not easy (Matthew 11:28-30).

10. The miracles of Jesus which blessed people irrespective of their gender, race, ethnicity or moral performance confirmed grace (love and acceptance) for all people by Jesus Christ.

Ten times in the gospel of Matthew Jesus accomplished mass healings (4:23; 8:16-17; 9:35-38; 10:1, 8; 11:5; 14:14-15; 14:34- 36; 15:30-31; 19:1-2; 21:12-14). These miracles were to give credibility to Jesus’ teachings concerning the grace of God. No one was turned away because their probation had closed. The only ones not healed were those who refused to come.

11. Other grace-based actions of Jesus which confirm the grace of God and the absence of probation are at least the following.

These are in addition to the miracles Jesus performed.

Jesus restored Peter after he had denied him three times after his arrest (John 21:15-19).

Jesus washed Judas’ feet when he knew Judas had already initiated the betrayal process (John 13:1-11, 21-30)

Jesus forgave his executioners who did not demonstrate any need for forgiveness (Luke 23:34).

When Jesus says to the Jewish leadership, “Your house is left desolate” (Matthew 23:37-39) he implies that God’s protection has been forced away by the rebellion of his people (Revelation 7:1- 4). Jesus was not closing their probation. Many priests became believers after the resurrection which indicates their probation had not been closed (Acts 6:7).

Jesus’ words to the shame filled, guilt ridden disciples after his resurrection were: “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:9-10; Luke 24:36-38) and “Peace be unto you.”(John 14:27; 20:19, 21, 26). This is evidence that God does not close probation for anyone. The disciples, after living and ministering with Jesus for three and a half years betray him, sleep when he needs them, abandon him and deny him. They are filled with shame and guilt and do not want to see him. But before they can beg for forgiveness Jesus is loving on them. This is evidence for those who have ears that we cannot stop God loving us.

To suggest that God has a point at which he says, “That’s it. I cannot go on loving these ungrateful people anymore, ” is to claim that God has placed humans under probation. This is a denial of the cross. The human rejection of Jesus Christ, revealed by his torture and execution at our hands, demonstrated that we could not stop God loving us. The worse we treated him the better he loved us. We did our worst and he loved us best (1 John 4:7-9).

The Resurrection at end of Millennium (Revelation 20:5) indicates that probation has not closed from God’s perspective. This is referred to as a judgment because the accuser, Satan, is there to accuse God. The wicked are raised, not to be condemned since God does not do condemnation (John 3:17; 5:22; 12:47) to experience the love of God. They can then make an informed choice about God. All the false information is stripped away and if anyone repented after this second resurrection Jesus would be the first to meet them at a pearly gate (Matthew 6:14-15; 18:22). God never stops loving angels and humans. They may reject him but his love for them is unconditional.

It springs from his heart not from angel or human performance. Parental love for a newborn child is perhaps the closest humans come to this divine arection for saints and sinners alike.

12. Conclusion

The good Samaritan helped a wounded Jew after 500 years of hatred from the Jews (Luke 10:25-37).

The prodigal son was welcomed home, identified and loved as a son and treated as if he had never left and squandered his inheritance in wild living! (Luke 15:20). The eldest son was begged to come into the party.

In God’s eyes he has saved all of us (Romans 5:15-19).

Jesus came to save sinners not saints (Romans 5:8). It is sinners who are under probation in our eyes but not in God’s eyes as Jesus demonstrated by associating with Prostitutes and Tax Collectors (Matthew 21:31-32).

If God is for us who can be against us? (Romans 8:31-39).

God’s love and grace have no probation. They are free, unmerited favour. They are unconditional and unlimited in time and scope (Ephesians 2:1-8; 1 Corinthians 13:5). This is the heart of God (1 John 4:8).

God’s salvation, as revealed by Jesus, is by God’s grace and not by our performance (Ephesians 2:9).

God’s forgiveness is extravagant, unilateral, timeless and universal (Ephesians 2: 1-4; Colossians 2:13- 14). It has no caveats or requirements which must first or ever be met.

Forgiveness is only the beginning of grace. It is not grace in its purest sense. Grace is far, far better and more comprehensive thanforgiveness. Grace includes innocence and adoption into God’s intimate family. Gold does not rust or

oxidize. Grace does not fail at any point. It is purer than gold.

Ian Hartley, July 2026