Jude is a great book. It is written by the half-brother of Jesus and, like the letters of John, addresses some false influences in the church.
In Jude 3, the writer tells us to "contend earnestly" for the faith...that it, to contend/strive/struggle for the orthodox beliefs that Christ Himself handed down and were delivered by the Apostles. The reason is...there were new folks with new ideas popping up in the church and offering their take on things. Their views were dangerous and needed to be addressed. If not addressed...many people would drift into judgment. It is not enough to say "well we all love Jesus. Can't we just differ on everything else?" There are some beliefs where it is not essential to agree...but there are far more where it is absolutely essential that we agree.
Why? vv.5-7 tells us that the same God who shows mercy in Salvation, demonstrates righteousness in judgment.
In vv.8-13, Jude gives a picture of those who are dissenting. They have prophesied falsely (v.11, Balaam) and rebelled against God (v.11, Korah). They are empty of substance (v.12). As a philosopher from Mississippi said, "They are full of themselves and nothing else."
In vv.14-16, Jude reminds us that they are not to be unexpected; rather, they were predicted. "Mockers" exist. We cannot change their existence...only their influence on us and others.
vv.17-25 tells us that we must persevere in the tenets of the faith (that is: the faith as outlined in the Scriptures.( (v.21). We also must be on a mission of reconciling and rescuing those who are stuck in false beliefs (v.22-23). And, we are to do it in the character and power of Christ.
Applying this may be as simple as recognizing our own personality. If I am a person who tends to believe most of what I read, I might consider only reading reputable stuff...since I know I am susceptible to being swayed by unreputable stuff. (I personally have had to read a lot of weirdos in my education career...and some of them are compelling in style. I find that I have to be very cautious and discerning when considering other influences). The same is true about those we allow to speak truth into our lives. Who are we listening to? Are we allowing those who are not coming from the same God view to influence us. There is a LONG post in the archives on reading with discernment. If you are susceptible to weird influences...you may give it a read.
Proverbs 27:6 in the takeaway. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy." We may not always love the corrections and input of our friends...but we know their character and the words are trustworthy. On the other hand...we may like what the enemy would have to say...but his character tells us that they are destructive to our souls.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I love the doxology, how amazing it is vv.24-25, Glory to God who is able to keep me from stumbling, is able to present me without fault in the presnce of glory v 25 God ALONE is wise, be Glory and Majesty (powerful words) Dominion and power both now and Forever. Oh my goodness this was a breath of fresh air at the end of a direct letter. I just love the way Jude praises God in these verses (enough said)
The thoughts I had before this were sad and real. We live in this very real world where these kinds of people live. I have been one of these people. vv. 12-13 hit me pretty hard, clouds without rain just carried by the wind... in my mind Worthless!!! But there is hope in this letter. vv.20-23 they speak of how we can stay the path. He is speaking to me, don't gve up friend... stay the course!!!
The tares are mixed in with the wheat. We have a way to discern them and historically that way is doctrine. One of the signs of the end times church (besides several of them here) is the "itchy ears" problem, which cannot occur in the absence of sound doctrine.
Without that guide, then things will sound good and seem good, but in the end they will lead to the denial of Christ. Jude tells us: ... and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. I've heard and read where people dismiss doctrine as "something from man, not of Scripture (or God)." This is not the case, sound doctrine about the fundamentals of orthodox Christianity are a distillation of Scripture done by men who knew each other to be under the guidance of the Spirit and reviewed by other men who were also Spirit-led. We have been given some of that doctrine and ways to use it for discernment of what is good and what is not in these readings.
There are essential and nonessential things in Christian faith. One role of discernment does not deal with truth and error directly, but with trivial and essential. That we should pray is essential, the method of doing so is almost always not. One thing I mildly regret about Baptist churches is that they do not have a catechism to be memorized. It is mildly, because I don't like what I see in those denominations that have a strong catechism tradition, but used properly it trains the new believer or child in the essentials and correct doctrine in a compact manner.
Proverbs. Yes, and I will leave it at that.
Amanda,
Good post. I think you picked up on the spirit of the text for certain. Thanks for joining in.
Kamatu,
I am not certain that the wheat and the tares is in view here. Assuming that you ahve Jesus' parable in mind...the parable addresses genuine believers and non-believers in the world...but false teachers in the church. NOt sure what you meant by itchy ears.
Let's not mix our analogies so much that we lose the thrust. Thsi passage is notabout end times, catechisms, or essential/non-essential beliefs. What Jude is addressing is the danger of teachers leading astray believers with false doctrine. Jude says to stay the course and to rescue others who are off course. We are not talking about essentials and non-essential. In fact, the very fact that something was non-essential likely precludes it from this text. If it is important enough to make the text...then it is essential.
To apply this to your (very good) illustration on prayer...to pray is essential. How to pray (ALTHOUGH) is also essential. Jesus was very clear on how to pray. What WE might desire as a position, time, or place of prayer (of which the Scriptures are silent) is non-essential.
Just as a final observation on your catechism proposition: the reason baptists are not "creedal" or into cetechisms...is because there is no biblical evidence of creeds or catechisms. These are products of a religious system several centuries past the days of Christ. We, as Baptist, have fond that the Bible is sufficient to change lives...since it (Alone) is inspired and profitable for reproof, correction, and instruction...not catechisms or creeds.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate your post.
Correct, from Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. Looking at 25, 38-39 directly and then Jude 4, 12. Yes, teachers are in sight more in Jude, but the implication is other than just teachers I think so these two passages complement each other.
Not "itchy", "itching". 2 Tim 4:3.
I tied the three things together immediately when I broke my own rule about commenting on these posts. I was trying to keep different discussions separate, so I could focus on them individually, which is why I'm responding all at once to several days at a time even though I'm reading the passages each day, but this subject of discernment of true and false teachers/teaching has been converging for me lately. My apologies for that, I blended the general rules here with some of the more specific signs of the end times when what we are discussing here grows worse and worse.
Correct, when I was speaking of "how to pray", I meant the physical methods (hands raised, hands folded, on your knees, on your face, in solitude, in a group, silently, verbally, etc.) only.
Correct on the catechisms/creeds and Baptists, which is why I only have it as a mild regret. More mainstream (and increasingly liberal in a nonBiblical sense) denominations have been elevating the creeds/catechisms above the Word. One reason I joined a Baptist church when I returned to church was the response I got from several pastors, Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist. The Methodist told me the answer to the question I had, the Presbyterian did the same, citing Scripture as he did so and the Baptist answered by asking, "What does the Word say?" and opened my Bible to the passages involved.
Now, in this case, there was no difference between the answers, all were solid Biblically, but one gave it to me by authority, one gave it to me by authority with references and the third used his authority to lead me in the Word to find it myself. It took a little more time that way, but not only did I have an answer, I had an example of how to find other answers.
Having a relative in the Catholic Church, I can see how far it can go, when the summary of the creed and catechism becomes the primary source, instead of Scripture. Not good without a system of taking it back to the Word and from what I've seen, the first thing to go is the connection to the Word.
Now I have again strayed a bit far again and I have to apologize again. I'm going to keep to my rules from now on and if I want to dissect and merge stuff like this, I'll go make my own blog. ;)
Kamatu,
I appreciate your response. Yea...blending without waving a flag can become confusing. Remember, most folks reading here are choosing to read along with me for some devotional time. Rather than seeking an Ante-Nicene position of an early father said or thought (Grinning)...maybe you just read the passage prayerfully and see how God speaks to you in that passage.
God often times points to a common thread for me in my reading and that becomes dominant with me too. But, you're right. That is when it is a good time to start ones own blog so that people with interest in that pursuit can follow. I appreciate your reflections and will look forward to reading your blog if/when you start one. :)
Grace, and Peace.
Post a Comment