At Risk in the Community

May 30, 2010

Background Scripture: Jude
Lesson Passage: Jude 3 – 8, 19 – 25

Jude, like James, was one of the younger brothers of Jesus that was identified in the gospel accounts of Matthew and Mark. Although the letter he wrote was short, it is nevertheless very intense and to the point in warning the local churches about the false teachers that had already infiltrated some of those churches unnoticed. Their errant teaching was causing a serious falling away from the faith and perhaps also leading others to become members of the local churches without having had a spiritual rebirth. This was a threat to the very core principles of Christianity. Some were being taught that they could be Christians and still indulge in unrestrained pleasures because of the availability of God’s grace. To make matters worse, some even denied that Jesus is God. This was not in keeping with the apostles’ doctrine as delivered to them by the Lord Jesus himself. Jude was calling on Christians to fight for the faith. Even as many of the first century saints fled for their lives from persecution, they must now take a stand for the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. To allow such errant teaching to persist within the church was an even greater threat to Christianity than the physical persecution many believers had fled. Jude warned the churches that God had made an example out of many in Israel that were delivered out of Egypt. Many of them (almost all of the adults) were destroyed by God because of their unbelief or lack of faith. Also, the angels that followed Satan in rebellion are being reserved to judgment day when they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities were destroyed because they decided to live sinful lives in rebellion to God. These are all examples, both mankind and angels, of God’s impending judgment. How much more severe will be the punishment for those that would trample the name of God’s only begotten son, Jesus? Most of us can identify with reasons we fall short. But why would some even dare to teach others to do so en masse? Jude provides the answer to that question as well. These are people that have a problem with authority. They are using others to fight their personal battles by luring them to join with them in rebellion against God’s authority. These individuals reject all manner of authority. They don’t like civil authority unless they’re the ones in charge. They have evil things to say about those who God has placed in positions for his own purpose. These false teachers are not Christians gone awry. They are natural or unsaved people that act totally according to their feelings and emotions. They do not have the Spirit of Christ in them because that would require them to submit to authority. Finally, the Christians are told to depend on God to keep them strong. They were admonished to do what they could to help others. They were to have pity on some and yet others were to be helped even out of situations that the Christians would find disgusting. Again, God is the only one able to cause us to walk the Christian walk in this world and bring us to the appointed place that he has prepared for those who put their trust in him. Not only is Christian doctrine put at risk by false teachers, but there are unsaved individuals within the local churches that are at risk in the community of faith. We that are strong must bear the infirmities of the weak and honestly contend for the faith.

Robert C. Hudson
May 17, 2010