Matters of Faith

Jude 1:3-4, 16-22 NKJV

³ Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. ⁴ For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁶ These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. ¹⁷ But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: ¹⁸ how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. ¹⁹ These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²² And on some have compassion, making a distinction; ²³ but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

There were people in the early church who were so disruptive that they caused the leaders to edit their intended sermons just to address them. An example of this is found in the epistle of Jude. Jude was the brother of James and the brother of Jesus. He told his readers that he wanted to write to them about the salvation they all shared, but he was compelled to write to them about some ungodly people who had crept or wormed their way into the church. Although they were in the church, they denied God and the Lord Jesus Christ, teaching that God’s Grace permitted them to live immorally.

Jude’s initial intent was to address the common salvation of all believers, but the negative influence was so severe that he had to address it to set the house in order. He was blunt and told the church that some ungodly people crept their way into the church, looking like sheep, but were in reality unthinking animals, doing whatever they were instinctively inclined to do. He said they defied authority, scoffed at angels, and were as bad as the followers of Cain who killed his brother Abel; as bad as Balaam who deceived people for money; and like Korah, who fought against Moses and died in the wilderness. He compares them to dangerous reefs where ships crash, and shameless shepherds who cared nothing about the sheep, only themselves. He says they are like dark clouds that bring no rain, dead trees that bear no fruit, and wondering stars that are  hopelessly and forever shrouded in darkness.

It may not have been what the people wanted to hear, but it had to be said. Jude was not being derogatory or using vindictive words because he was angry. Jude was telling his congregation how to identify the ungodly among them. But, he did not use spiteful or unkind words that could incite dehumanizing actions against those who had crept into the church. What I like about Jude is that he understands that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” He understands that the Lord desires that “no man perish, but that all have ever lasting life.” He tells his readers what they are to do with and for these creeps. They are to build each other up in their most holy faith, to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and wait on the mercy of Jesus Christ.  

“On some,” he says “have compassion, making a distinction,” which is to say, make a notable difference. He then says, “but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” Imagine that, Jude tells them to brave their fear of the creeps and get down into the fire if necessary to rescue them. He tells them to “hate even the garment defiled by the flesh.” I interpretthat to mean they are to love the person but hate their evil deed.

Because they were unable to be blunt with love without help, Jude closes his epistle by encouraging  his readers with what I consider to be the most inspiring benediction in scripture. Jude says, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

What gets the house in order is that both the faithful and the creeps were directed to Jesus Christ, the architect of love. If we keep His ability to keep us from falling in mind and in our spirit, we will be able to encourage the faithful, and identify, minister to, and lead, even the creeps in the church  to salvation.  

Be Blessed!