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The Believers' Stand

Jude 17-25

After this description of the features of false professing Christians, the beloved are reminded of the words of the apostles. The beloved are all who are experiencing the love of God in their lives, even to this day. It is to them that the Holy Spirit inspired Jude to write this letter.

Jude would also be expected to love them because of the common faith, although he couldn't possibly know most of them personally. Jude refers to the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: this is an evidence that the writer wasn't himself one of the apostles, as some like to think. Although half-brother of Jesus Christ, he takes a very humble attitude and refers to the apostles to corroborate what he is writing.

All the way through the Word of God, we are told to remember what it says and to keep it. We should know the Word of God so that our memories can call it up when we need to have its great truths brought to our attention.

Warned

Not only Enoch, but the apostles also spoke words of warning against the ungodly and, furthermore, they wrote them down, inspired by the Holy Spirit, for example Paul (Acts 20:29-31; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-8), Peter (2 Peter 2:1-3) and John (2 John 1:7). We should therefore not be surprised or disturbed by finding such people among us. It is something God has permitted, and He has permitted it for a purpose.

It is of the utmost importance to know what the Word of God has to say about this subject, like all others concerning our faith. It isn't possible to stand firm in the faith unless we do. Negligent believers invariably trip time and again in their Christian walk because they haven't learnt and paid attention to the warnings given by God through His servants.

The last time (or times) is a common phrase referring to the time between Jesus Christ's first and second comings. We live in the last times, and we are warned that during our times there will be mockers, or scoffers, who order their course of conduct in accordance with their own personal passionate cravings, totally apart from God and from the will of God. They cast ridicule upon those who follow a godly way of life, in obedience to His Word.

They have three prominent characteristics:

1. they are sensual: the Greek word is psuchikos from which we get our English word psychology. It means a selfish way of living which is centred about the individual himself, and he becomes all important. It is the life of the natural, not renewed man, the man who is not born again and therefore has no spiritual perception.

2. they cause divisions, drawing disciples after themselves, giving rise to "churches" and "congregations" which are their own and not of Christ.

3. they do not have the Spirit because they were never saved and born again of the Spirit, so they are incapable of understanding the things of God.

Preventive Measures

Seven things are mentioned which believers can do in days like these in which we are living:

1. build ourselves up on our most holy faith: our most holy faith is not our own personal faith, but all the revelation of God contained in His Word. The faith here is called 'most holy' because it comes to us from God, and reveals God to us, and because it is by its means that man is made righteous, and enabled to overcome the world. When the church first came into existence, this was called the apostles' doctrine. We build ourselves up on our most holy faith by reading, studying, and practising all of its sixty six books, not just our favourite passages. We must have the Word of God in our minds: "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). It is no good building a system of doctrine based on a few isolated verses drawn out of the Scriptures.

2. pray in the Holy Spirit: this is an unusual phrase, occurring only in one other place in the Scriptures, where we are exhorted to "pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit ..." after we are told to "take the … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:17,18). The order is the same: first, to listen to the Word of God, before we expect Him to listen to us. It means to pray as guided by the Spirit, in accordance with the will of God which we find in His Word.

3. keep ourselves in the love of God: recognising that God loves us - we are His beloved - we must let His love flood our heart and life. Like opening an umbrella keeps us from the sunshine, when sin comes between us and the Lord we prevent ourselves from enjoying His love in practice. We keep ourselves in His love by lives of holiness and godliness, and confessing and forsaking any sin which may come between us and the Lord.

4. look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life: this refers to His imminent return to take us to be with Him in heaven. In the midst of unbelief and apostasy, the light of this blessed hope is to brighten our way ahead, to comfort and purify us (1 Thessalonians 4:18; 1 John 3:3). The Lord Jesus wants us to live in an attitude of expectation for His return. But we will be going out because of His mercy, not because of who we are.

5. on some have mercy, who are in doubt: a distinction is required between those who are weak and in doubt because of the false teaching they hear, and the ungodly who promote it. As far as the ungodly are concerned, we are told "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds" (2 John 1:11). Those who are being confused by the false teachers, however, are to be treated with compassion. We should try to clear away their doubts and answer their questions in order to bring them to a firm conviction of the truth.

6. others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire: false teachers not only confuse believers, but also gather some around them in the flames of apostasy. These must be saved by strong, resolute warning and instruction in the fear of God, so as to pull them away from the dangerous ground they are treading.

7. hating even the garment defiled by the flesh: in the Old Testament the clothing of the leper was contaminated and had to be burned (Leviticus 13:47-52). The flesh here means human nature diseased with sin. "Abstain from every form of evil." (1 Thessalonians 5:22). God cannot use anything that the flesh produces and we should learn to hate it.

Doxology

God is able to keep us from stumbling: we are not left to our own weak resources. He has provided us with light and guidance if only we follow Him. He is able to present us faultless before His glory with exceeding joy, having provided the means for our justification by faith alone. He is our Saviour from eternal death, having paid the penalty of our sin on the cross. Only He has perfect and absolute wisdom, of which he gives to all who ask Him liberally and without reproach (James 1:5). To Him be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. AMEN

 

R David Jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

25 To God our Saviour, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.