The
main topic of Jude, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, is to beware
of false teachers. He explains the reason and gives their
characteristics.
False
teachers
C1 Can teach close to orthodox but live secret lives ruining some
believers. Think of molesters and sexual predators.
C2 Can teach a passage but interpret it differently than the plain,
normal sense. They spiritualize, allegorize, redefine, explain away,
use reams of paper to mold us to their personal view (
eisegesis),
etc.
D1 Since Yahweh is omnipotent and omnisapient, He communicates
perfectly. What He says or records in Scriptures is the truth. If it
is to be symbolic, it will be recorded as such.
D2 We need to read the Scripture as, “What does this passage mean?”
Many read and interpret Scripture as, “What is this saying to me?”
C3 Have a goal for power, money, and sex. Sometimes just one goal,
sometimes two, or sometimes all three.
Jude
1:3-4 WEL Beloved, I was in the process of promptly writing to you
about our common salvation, when I had to write to you and exhort you
that you must passionately defend the faith which was once for all
[time] committed to the saints.
4
For certain people slipped in unnoticed who were written about in
advance for condemnation, ungodly people, changing the grace of our
God into a lack of moral restraint and disowning the only Lord God
and our Lord Jesus Christ.
C1 Passionately defend the faith.
D1 The Greek
word
for passionately is ἐπαγωνίζομαι epagōnízomai. It
means to be intensely motivated and giving effort to preserve truth
and expose evil.
C2 The faith here in context and similar usage in the NT refers to
the Gospel, doctrines, worldview, and lifestyle of God and His
kingdom. It is the whole of Christian faith as taught by the Lord
Jesus and His apostles and prophets.
D2 A false Gospel of faith plus various manmade rules necessary to be
saved as in Colossians 2:4-8.
C3 Note that they slip in, that is, they do not openly disclose what
they really believe and who they really are.
C4 We have been warned by the former prophets and prophetesses.
D2 See also Matthew 7:15, Matthew 10:17, Matthew 16:6.
D3 And Jeremiah 29:8, Matthew 24:5, 24:11, and 24:24.
C5 They change God’s grace into a lack of moral restraint. Some
possibilities are
D1 Since we are saved, we have freedom. An excuse has been used of “I
can do all things through Christ.” They selectively isolate the
passage from the context. Romans 6:1 NET What shall we say then?
Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?
D2 They excuse their hard conscience by keeping everything secret.
For example, Ezekiel 8:8-9, 12-13 NET He said to me, "Son of
man, dig into the wall." So I dug into the wall and discovered a
doorway. 9 He said to me, "Go in and see the evil abominations
they are practicing here." ... 12 He said to me, "Do you
see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in
the dark, each in the chamber of his idolatrous images? For they
think, 'The LORD does not see us! The LORD has abandoned the land!'"
13 He said to me, "You will see them practicing even greater
abominations!"
D3 They feel no guilt. “I am a woman of faith. God loves me.” (I
actually heard this once). Proverbs 30:20 NKJV This is the way of
an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I
have done no wickedness."
C6 Disowning:
D1 That He is Lord: 1 John 2:22 NKJV Who is a liar but he who
denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the
Father and the Son.
D2 Abandoning the faith: See 2 Peter 2:1, Matthew 10:33; 1 Timothy
5:8.
D3 The way they live is ungodly, thus, denying Jesus being Lord.
These do not obey His commandments, because they do not love Him as
shown in their actions. Titus 1:16 NKJV They profess to know God,
but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and
disqualified for every good work.
Jude
1:5-7 states that God has punished in the past, and He WILL punish in
the future. It is a warning to each and all.
Jude
1:8-14 teaches us
C1 Dreamers
D1 These are those who have trances, dreams of “revelation,”
visions, etc.
D2 Another translation: Jude 1:8 NASB Yet in the same way these
men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and
revile angelic majesties.
D3 The Greek
word
is ἐνυπνιάζομαι enypniázomai. It is defined as dreams
E1 Vocabulary Of The Greek Testament: The importance attached to
temple visions and dreams in Egypt
E2 These teachers claim that God has revealed things to them via
dreams. The message consists of 3 things that these false teachers
claim God revealed, that is, defiling the flesh, rejecting authority,
and revile (literally blaspheme angelic beings).
E3 Some understand dreams to refer to literal, revelatory
dreams, or the dream world of unreality, or delusions, or lying about
having dreams to give their teachings credibility.
C2 Jude 1:11 WEL Woe to them! For they followed the way of Cain,
ran greedily after the error of Balaam, and were destroyed in the
wicked challenge of Korah.
D1 An attitude of rebellion
D2 A lusting for power, control, and money
C3 A love feast is the fellowship meal associated with the Lord’s
Supper.
C4 Note how these teachers have no morals, no guilt, no concern for
anything or anyone but themselves.
C5 We must avoid these types, put them out of church, and warn people
of them. That is part of contending for the faith.
C6 These people are totally void of any fruit or characteristic of
God. They are twice dead, that is, completely dead.
C7 They have no shame in what they do or say. Even if they know it is
wrong, they do not care. Romans 1:32 NET Although they fully know
God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve
to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice
them.
C8 They have a booked reservation for blackness, that is, not light,
no comfort, no peace, no rest for eternity. Matthew 25:30 BSB And
throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
C9 The Lord Jesus will return and judge. Note, He comes with
His saints.
Christ
comes to judge
C1 He is judge and will judge.
D1 John 5:22 LEB For the Father does not judge anyone, but he has
given all judgment to the Son,
D2 Hebrews 10:27 GW All that is left is a terrifying wait for
judgment and a raging fire that will consume God's enemies.
D3 Revelation 20:15 LEB And if anyone was not found written in the
book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
C2 These people are described as
D1 Having ungodly actions, so break all the 10 Commandments in
thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. So stubborn are they. Compare:
Revelation 16:11 ULB They blasphemed the God of heaven because of
their pain and sores, and they still refused to repent of what they
had done.
D2 Verbal abusers, false accusers, blasphemers, gas lighting
bastards, etc.
D3 Complainers, that is, about God’s way of life, worldview,
beliefs, decisions, etc.
D4 Find fault, that is, their way is true and everything else is
false.
D5 Follow their own desires instead of God’s desires. Is this
following our heart?
D6 Are arrogant.
D7 Are flatters, love bombers, etc. to influence and control others.
D8 They mock God, His promises, prophecy, etc.
D9 They cause divisions, that is, pitting people against each other.
They enjoy such activity, then they offer to solve the problem. Their
solutions are poison.
D10 They hate spiritual things as prayer, reading & studying the
Bible, fellowship, etc. unless it gives them prestige.
The
proper response
C1 Grow in the faith. We do this by studying and reading the Bible,
praying, fellowshiping, etc.
C2 We are to remain in God’s love. Compare
Jude
1:6 those who did not keep.
C3 We are to be concerned for each other’s faith. We want all
believers to stay true, steadfast, and faithful to the end.
C4 Doubting is not a sin. It is an opportunity to search for the
truth. We have a reasonable faith.
C5 Some of the believers might fall into sin. We must go to them and
plead their precarious position and actions whether doctrinally or
lifestyle.
God
protective ability
C1 He is able
C2 He wants to protect us
C3 He wants to present us as being blameless with JOY!!
C4 Praise God!!!!!
Jude
1:25 WEL To the only wise God our Savior, [be] glory, majesty,
supremacy, and complete authority, both now and forever. Amen
