
A Severe Warning for Every Generation
As we face real threats to our Christian faith, our foremost duty is to live consistent, balanced, God-honoring lives. This requires guarding our relationship with the Lord even as we point others to how they can know the Lord as well.
Transcript
I remember several years ago sitting in a car with a missionary couple at an intersection in downtown Toulon, France. We were at a red light when, suddenly, a young man on a motorcycle raced through the red light without even slowing down. Moments later, another young man on a motorcycle hopped up on the sidewalk and also roared across that same intersection without even slowing down to see if other cars were coming. I said out loud how incredibly dangerous that was. My friends told me that happens all the time. They said that when a young man begins riding a motorcycle, he has a lifespan, on average, of less than five years. Even knowing that statistic, they told me, these young men ignore all the traffic signs and never even pause at stop lights.
Well, the book of Jude is a stop sign for the church today. It is a dangerous thing to ignore this little letter—for your own life and for the life of your local church.
Jude is giving us a divine warning here. There are people within the organized church who are teaching error; they want to draw people away from the truth of Christ as they twist Scripture to allow for sinful and immoral lifestyles. Jude’s description of them is a courageous and honest portrayal. We need to be on the lookout if we hope to avoid a collision in the traffic patterns of our lives.
As we set sail one more time into the book of Jude, the final portion of his letter tells us how to respond to apostate teachers.
First, Jude tells us that we need to keep a biblical perspective on these apostates.
Remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” (verses 17-18)
In other words, do not be discouraged, but do not be surprised either. The Lord’s apostles predicted it. Paul and Peter warned of it (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Peter 3:3-4). Think about this: the fact that apostates show up actually affirms the accuracy of Scripture.
So, here is the biblical perspective: God knew attacks and apostasy would plague the church. God warns us of them so we can be prepared for them. This is yet another reminder that God is in control—even over the appearing of apostates.
Second, we need to maintain a biblical priority for ourselves. There is always a danger of becoming so focused on the darkness around us—on the content of false teaching, on the greed and immorality of false teachers—that we ignore our own spiritual development. So, Jude turns the focus back on us in verses 20-21:
But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
In this sentence there is only one primary imperative, or command: “Keep yourselves in the love of God.” The other three phrases describe how to do that: “building yourselves up,” “praying,” and “waiting.”[1]
Let us think about this command first. “Keep yourselves in the love of God,” Jude says. Back in verse 1 and, as we will see, again in verse 24, the author says we are kept by God. And the apostle Paul ends that great eighth chapter of Romans by declaring that nothing can “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (verse 39).
So, what is Jude saying? If nothing can separate us from God’s love, why do we need to keep ourselves in it? What Jude is highlighting here is responsibility. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves in the sphere of God’s love—that is, in the place where we can fully enjoy the benefits of His love.[2] He is not going to make you go to church. God is not going to set your alarm so you can get up and read His Word. He is not going to drive you to that Bible study.
Remember the prodigal son Jesus spoke about in Luke 15? That prodigal’s father never ceased loving that boy, but his son had removed himself from the sphere of his father’s love and ended up in the pigpen.
This command matches so many other commands in the New Testament to make it a priority to stay in close fellowship with the Lord. Jude now describes three ways to do that.
First, it is done by “building yourselves up in your most holy faith” (verse 20). This pictures building yourself like you would build a house—on a solid foundation, which is “your holy faith.” “Faith” here refers to the body of truth, delivered to us in the Bible.
Second, we keep ourselves in His love “by praying in the Holy Spirit.” This refers to regular communion with God through prayer. There is nothing mystical or magical here. Praying in the Spirit is not some special practice. Genuine prayer is motivated by a real person, the indwelling Holy Spirit. Prayer is not mindlessly reciting something somebody else prayed or repeating something over and over again, as if God is suddenly impressed the thirtieth time around. Praying in the Spirit speaks of a personal relationship with God through honest, transparent conversation called “prayer.”
Then Jude adds a third way to keep ourselves in the sphere of God’s love—in close fellowship with the Lord. We do it by “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (verse 21). As believers we have already received God’s mercy. What Jude speaks of here is waiting for the culmination of God’s mercy at the return of Christ, our Lord.
In a larger sense, then, this is how we maintain a biblical priority for ourselves.
Finally, Jude gives us a third way to contend for the faith—to defend the gospel. We must maintain a biblical concern for others.
False teaching and apostasy are constant dangers. And we cannot abandon those who have been poisoned by it. We should try to reach them and help them.
In verses 22-23 Jude describes three different groups of people who are in danger and how we should reach out to them.
First, he says, “Have mercy on those who doubt.” Doubts have been created in the minds of these people by false teachers. Let us be merciful and patient with them.
Second, he writes in verse 23, “Save others by snatching them out of the fire.” This describes those who are acting on their doubts. They are giving serious thought to following some apostate deceiver into justifying some sinful action. Jude writes with urgency here. It is like their house is on fire, and we need to sound the alarm.
Third, Jude writes, “To others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” This pictures those who are now committed to false teaching. They might even be the false teachers themselves. Do not ignore them. Show them mercy, but be very careful. Avoiding their stained garment simply means you do not want to get too close, lest they influence you as well.
Now you might get to the end of Jude and be so afraid of deception and false teachers and the battle for the truth that you might be tempted to just stay in bed.
Jude anticipates that, and he ends this letter with one of the greatest assurances of God’s sovereignty in our lives that you will find in all of Scripture.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (verses 24-25)
Wow! What a promise from God’s Word.
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