WHAT TO DO IN A TIME OF ERROR
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on August 15, 2018 under AM Bible Study |
AM Bible Study Group: August 15, 2018 from Jude 20-23
Theme: Jude tells God’s people how to respond to the presence of threats to the faith.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
We have covered much ground in this small New Testament letter. In verses 1-4, we learned about how Jude declared an emergency. The faith that was once for all time given to the saints was in danger. False teachers had crept in unnoticed, who were threatening to distort the gospel message into something that it never was. And Jude called his believing brothers and sisters to ‘earnestly contend’ for that faith.
In verses 5-19; we saw how he alerted his readers to the nature of these false teachers by giving a detailed description of them. In verses 5-7, he told us of their ultimate judgment; in verses 8-10, of their rebelliousness; in verses 11-15, of their character; and—most recently—in verses 16-19, of their practice. By the time Jude is through, he has given us what we need to know to be on the alert against these apostates, and how to recognize the danger they present.
But what do we do in the face of such false teaching? What do we do to protect ourselves from their damaging impact—or to protect others in the body from the harm that they may cause? Jude now answers that question in verses 20-23; where he describes our duty as believers in the face of such error.
It would be important to point out that, even though the danger that these false teachers may cause is great, they cannot ever ultimately undo the truth of the gospel that God has passed on to His people. This is illustrated to us in Jesus’ conversation with His disciples in Matthew 16. We’re told;
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:13-17).
Peter’s divinely-granted answer to our Lord’s question gives us—in just a few words—the great doctrinal truth on which the church stands. It is the greatest of all ‘professions’. Jesus affirmed it as a message from God.
And then, note what else He goes on to say;
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (vv. 18).
The gates of hell may try to prevail against this ‘rock’—and when it serves God’s purpose, He may even allow the gates of hell to, for a time, seem to prevail. But it will never ultimately do so. Jude’s words are not meant to tell us, then, that unless we defend the faith, it will be forever lost. But in all the efforts of hell to prevail against that faith, many people will be harmed along the way. And so, what do we do to protect ourselves? How do we so look to ourselves, as John puts it in 2 John 8, so that we do not lose the things we have worked for, but that we may gain a full reward?
In verses 20-23, Jude writes;
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh (Jude 20-23).
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Note that in these words, Jude expresses his heart toward his readers. He calls them ‘beloved’. This is the third time in this tiny letter that he calls his readers by this affectionate name (see also verses 3 and 17). He has a genuine yearning that his beloved brothers and sisters in Christ do the hard work of defending the faith, and this is for their good; and for the good of others in the body of Christ.
These words of exhortation can be divided up into two considerations. First, Jude tells us …
I. WHAT TO DO FOR OURSELVES INDIVIDUALLY (vv. 20-21).
First, note that he tells them that we must actively build ourselves up on the faith. He writes; “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith” (v. 20).
There are a couple of ways that this can be understood. Does he mean for them to build themselves up in their own experience of faith in the gospel? Certainly, that is always a good thing to do. But rather, does he mean that they are to build themselves up on that faith for which they were urged to ‘earnestly contend’? That is the most likely meaning. After all, he refers to it as their ‘most holy faith’; and that is a fit description of ‘the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints’.
Sadly, may try to defend the faith as a thing in and of itself without allowing themselves to be well-grounded upon it and growing in it through personal experience. They treat it as a philosophy to be abstractly argued for—but not as a life to be lived personally. Paul once wrote to the Philippian believers;
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God (Philippians 1:27-28).
A faithful living-out of the gospel in real, everyday experience, is one of the greatest arguments we could ever present to the world for the truth of it. And so, we should labor hard in our defense of the gospel to ‘build ourselves up’ and be edified in it.
Second, Jude writes that we should pray in the Holy Spirit. We should build ourselves up in it, “praying in the Holy Spirit” (v. 20). Our contention for the gospel should be exercised in the context of sincere, devoted dependency upon the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through us. Paul spoke also of this. At the end of his description of the saint’s ‘armor’ in Ephesians 6, he added;
(p)raying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:18-20)
In contending for the faith, our battle is not against flesh and blood. It is against spiritual forces in high places. It is a battle that cannot be waged by fleshly weapons! We must pray in the Holy Spirit!
Thirdly, Jude writes that we must keep ourselves in the love of God. He tells them, “keep yourselves in the love of God” (v. 21); and in our contention for the faith, that is a vital strategy. In fact, grammatically, that is the main command of this passage.
Note carefully that Jude does not say, “keep God loving you.” We don’t ever have to try to do that; because He has already ‘first loved us’. Rather, the call is for us to keep ourselves in that love which has already been given us in Christ. False doctrine has the tendency to divide the saints over such things as ‘religious works’ or ‘special knowledge’ or ‘privileged abilities’—making us think that our worth before God depends upon such matters. But to keep ourselves in the love of God is to affirm that we are already 100% accepted by Him in Christ; and that nothing that any false teacher or false doctrine could ever offer us could make us more worthy of His love—or make Him love us more. That is perhaps why he calls his readers ‘beloved’ three times!
It could also be that Jude means for his readers to keep the love of God forefront in their relationship with each other. True, genuine, Christ-focused love for one another is a great defense against falsehood. The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers and told them;
may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, … so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).
And in keeping with that promise of the Lord’s return, Jude also adds this as one more thing we must do in our defense of the faith; and that is to look to the mercy of our Lord unto eternal life. We take our stand for the faith, “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (v. 21).
The phrase “looking for” suggests a forward anticipation of something. The hope of our Lord’s return—and the glory that will be ours on that day—ought to make us strong in our defense against falsehood and against wandering off the path. Paul encouraged Pastor Titus to remind the people who were under his care of this hope. He called it ‘the blessed hope’, and told him;
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:11-14).
So; there are four words of instruction from Jude concerning how we are to live in a time of falsehood. We stand for the defense of the faith effectively when we build ourselves up in it, pray in the Holy Spirit for its defense, keep ourselves in the love of God for us that is declared in it, and keep our hopes in the mercy of our Lord that will be revealed at the day of His return.
But what about those who struggle? We are not just in this battle by ourselves. We must lock arms with one another and uphold each other. And so, in verses 22-23, Jude tells us …
II. WHAT TO DO TO HELP THOSE WHO STRUGGLE (vv. 22-23).
It’s not stated in so many words—but rather by implication—but the first thing he tells us with regard to those who struggle is to vary our method according to the need. In giving these instructions, he says, “And on some …” and he then tells us what to do for them. And then, he says, “but others …” and then tells us what to do in their case. Each struggling believer needs to be treated differently—according to their unique need, and according to their unique struggle and temptations. We shouldn’t treat every struggling believer in exactly the same way. What an important principle this is! And yet, how easily we forget it!
In writing to the Thessalonian believers, the apostle Paul wrote;
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
Notice how Paul tells them to vary their ministry to those in need. It’s not right to ‘comfort’ the ‘unruly’; nor is it kind to ‘warn’ the ‘weak’. Our support of one another needs to be varied according to the unique needs. That, of course, means that we must be united in love and work hard to truly know each other.
So; with that in mind, notice next that Jude says to show compassion to those who doubt. He writes; “on some have compassion, making a distinction” (v. 22). That could be interpreted in such a way as to suggest that we should have compassion on some—but that we should be careful and selective to whom we show such compassion; that we should be discerning in our compassion. And certainly, that may be true. But it is also possible to understand the single word translated “making a distinction” as a description of the inner-heart condition of the one who needs our compassion. This same word is used in James 1:6; where we’re told to ask in faith
with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind (James 1:6).
In a time in which false teachers and apostates are deceiving and confusing people, some will struggle with doubts—“making distinctions” in their hearts; wavering and tossed as it were. That’s not a time to come down hard on such people. They need compassion and mercy.
But when it comes to some others, more desperate action is needed. Jude also encourages us to take action to rescue those who are about to perish. He writes, “but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire” (v. 23). This isn’t speaking merely of someone who is struggling with doubts. Rather, it speaks of someone who has actually turned away from the truth and is wandering down the deceptive path of sin and destruction. When someone is about to fall off the ledge in their doubts and struggles, and is about to tumble into the flames, that’s not a time to simply speak softly and show action. Rather, it’s time to grab them and rescue them—even if you might offend them in the process. Pastor James speaks of this when he writes;
Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).
Oh; that we might have the wisdom from God to know when to show compassion to doubts, and when to—instead—grab hold and rescue from the flames!
And finally, Jude gives one more piece of counsel regarding our care for others. He tells us to do all of this with a healthy fear of sin. If we compare the different translations of verse 23, we find that different versions render it in widely different ways. But the main point that they all seem to agree upon is expressed best in this way; that we are to minister to one another in a time of false teaching and apostasy “with fear … hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (v. 23).
If we rightly recognize that it is hell itself that seeks to prevail against the faith that has been entrusted to us, then we would consider the danger we place ourselves in when we seek to help a wandering brother or sister back into the fold. To do this “with fear” suggests that we must have a healthy recognition of our own weaknesses and frailties. And to hate “even the garment defiled by the flesh” suggests that we consider that the same allurements that drew our brother or sister away may attract us if we are not careful.
Paul once wrote to the Galatian believers and told them;
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted (Galatians 6:1).
Sadly, many who have thought themselves ‘defenders of the faith’ have—themselves—gotten sucked into falsehood by not heeding the warning that Jude gives us in this passage.
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We should not ever worry that the truth of God’s glorious gospel—the faith once for all time entrusted to us—will ever be lost. Heaven and earth will pass away; but His words never will.
But if we are not careful, we ourselves may suffer loss in such times. May God help us, then, to follow carefully the counsel that the Holy Spirit has given us through His servant Jude; and all so that we may stand faithful—and also help one another to do so.
EA
