His Word Today

²² Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22 (ESV)

Continuing our study in Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians, a new paragraph begins in Colossians 3:18-4:1. The truth of what believers “are” in Christ is to be balanced by how believers live for Christ. The theological truth of Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Savior and Lord, and as sole source of the believers’ life, is now applied to specific groups and situations.

“Americans in the twenty-first century take it for granted that “all men are created equal,” but this idea has certainly not been affirmed throughout most of world history. In the first-century Roman Empire, people were anything but equal,” states Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Male, property-owning citizens ranked highest in the social order, having rights not extended to their wives, children, or slaves. The male head of household determined whether or not infants born to the family would live or be left to die of exposure. Slaves were regarded as machines subject wholly to the will of the master of the house. Wives did not fare much better, and while it was not uncommon to find a first-century Roman husband who loved his wife, such love was not expected or demanded.”

What people groups does the Apostle Paul, and the Holy Spirit, have in mind? To begin with, Paul addressed wives and husbands (Col. 3:18-19). He then wrote about parents and their children (Col. 3:20-22). Thirdly, Paul considered the Christian responsibility of work (Col. 3:23-4:1). What initially applied to servants and masters in the first century, is applicable to employees and employers today.

The Apostle Paul began his instruction with the word “bondservants.” A bondservant (δοῦλοι; douloi) is another word for slave. These were men and women who were completely controlled by someone or something outside of themselves.

“Nowhere in Scripture is it stated that slavery as such is a divine ordinance, such as marriage (Gen. 1:18, 24), the family (Gen. 1:27, 28), the sabbath (Gen. 2:3), and human government (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:1). In and by itself it is not pleasing to God that one man should own another man. The fact, moreover, that Paul addresses slaves and their masters on a basis of equality is significant, and implies their spiritual equality before God,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.

“The Roman world was full of slaves. It has been estimated that in Rome itself at one time about a third of the inhabitants belonged to this social class. They had become slaves as prisoners of war, or as convicts, or through debt, kidnaping, purchase, or birth from slave-parents.”

Paul instructed Christian bondservants to “obey in everything those who are your earthly master.” Ill will, laziness, dishonesty should no longer be associated with the believer in Christ who is a slave. Rather, initiative, industriousness, integrity and hard work should be the character and behavior of the Christian bondservant. The same should be said of Christian workers today, no matter what the job or vocation in which we labor.

Along with what Christian bondservants should do, the Apostle Paul countered balanced this with what believers should not do in the workplace. Christians are not to be guilty of eye-service (ὀφθαλμοδουλίαις; ophthalmodoulias) or calling attention to themselves. In other words, to work hard only to impress others in order to get a promotion.

Paul also used the word people pleasers (ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι; anthropareskoi) in referring to individuals seeking to please others rather than God. This should be not how the believer in Christ labors.

Rather, the Christian is to work with sincerity (ἁπλότητι; haplotti) or purity of heart (καρδίας;l kardias) or soul. The laborer’s intellect, emotions and will is to have a singleness of purpose; fearing the Lord. This means to have a present, personal and collective desire to reverence God in one’s work.

“In the master-slave relationship, Paul says that Christian slaves must not work “by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord” (Col. 3:22). Considering that many thought all slaves were lazy back then, working wholeheartedly demonstrated the power of the gospel to bring true transformation and not just to create hypocrites who only pretended to do what was right. Moreover, the injunction for the slave to fear the Lord put a limit on the slave master’s authority. The slave had but one ultimate master — Christ Himself — and when the master commanded the slave to do something that Jesus forbade, the slave had to disobey the master,” concludes Dr. Sproul.

The principles Paul wrote in today’s biblical text are applicable to employees today and the way we do our work. Believers in Christ should make the best employees, and they should embody efficiency, loyalty, hard work, and every other trait that good employers value.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

¹² These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; ¹³ wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude 12–13 (ESV)

“In these two verses Jude resorts to using many figures from nature to portray his godless adversaries. His metaphors are eloquent, colorful, and pointed, and aid the reader in recognizing these men who are perverting God’s truth. Here is poetic description at its best,” explains Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker.

First, apostates are “hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear;” Jude used a direct comparison to illustrate the danger of apostates.

Jude called them hidden reefs (σπιλάδες; spilades). These are rocks washed by the sea. To sailors, they represent an unseen and hidden danger to a ship and its crew. The Apostle Paul was well acquainted with nautical reefs. He possessed personal experience.

²⁵ ‘Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; ²⁶ on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;” (2 Corinthians 11:25–26 (ESV)

^39 “Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. ⁴⁰ So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. ⁴¹ But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.” (Acts 27:39–41 (ESV)

 Much like hidden reefs near the shore that can endanger a ship, the apostates were a hidden danger threatening to sink a church of its devotion to the Lord. Their danger was unseen but no less dangerous.

The love feasts (ἀγάπαις; agapais) were the church’s fellowship meals, which may have included observing The Lord’ s Supper. “The Last Supper was a full Passover meal, and the early church had continued the tradition of celebrating a meal (“the Lord’s Supper”) of which bread and wine were only a part. Communion as a full meal was also called a “love feast,” states commentator Craig Keener.

However, the apostates feast ( συνευωχούμενοι; syneuochoumenoi) without fear (ἀφόβως; aphobos). Apostates presently, personally, and collectively gather, rise up and set upon something, or someone, together. They do so fearlessly and irreverently of the LORD.

Secondly, Jude compared apostates to shepherds feeding themselves. Shepherds feeding (ποιμαίνοντες; poimainontes) refers to false teachers presently, actively and collectively protecting and nourishing themselves and not the church.  They behave this way because they do not love or care for the people. False teachers do not feed, lead, or protect believers in Christ. Rather, they are enemies of Christ and His church.

“In contrast to Western shepherds who drive their flocks from behind, Near Eastern shepherds lead their sheep, using their voice to prompt the sheep to follow. This draws a remarkable picture of the master/disciple relationship. NT spiritual leadership is always by example, i.e., a call to imitate conduct (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12; 1 Pet. 5:1–3),” comments Dr. John MacArthur.  

False shepherds, or false teachers, are not new. They have always posed a problem for the people of God.

⁶ “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. ⁷ All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the Lord, their habitation of righteousness, the Lord, the hope of their fathers.” (Jeremiah 50:6–7 (ESV)

“The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. ⁴ The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. ⁵ So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; ⁶ they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. ⁷ “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1–10 (ESV)

Thirdly, Jude called them waterless clouds, swept along by winds; Waterless clouds (νεφέλαι ἄνυδροι; nephelai anydroi) are masses of vapor in the sky, promising, but not providing, much needed rain. Instead, they are swept along by winds. To be swept along (παραφερόμεναι; parapheromenai) means to be presently and passively carried away by the wind.  Apostates have no substance or stability. They promise truth but deliver nothing but lies.

“Apostates promise spiritual life but are empty clouds that bring the hope of rain, but actually deliver nothing but dryness and death (cf. Prov. 25:14). They preach a false gospel that leads only to hell,” concludes Dr. MacArthur.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

³ “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3 (ESV)

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15–20 (ESV)

The following article is by Dr. James M. Boice who served as pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, Pa. and was president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. His article is entitled Running with the Wolves. It was originally published in 2000.

For years I have spoken about what I consider to be worldliness of liberal churches, accusing them of four things: pursuing the world’s wisdom, embracing the world’s theology, following the world’s agenda, and employing the world’s methods. What has hit me like a thunderbolt in recent years is that what I have been saying about liberal churches now needs to be said about the evangelical churches as well, since many of them have become as liberal as the larger mainline denominations before them.

A few years ago, Professor Martin Marty, always a shrewd observer of the American church, said in a magazine interview that in his judgment evangelicals would be ‘the most worldly people in America’ by the end of the 20^th century. Marty’s observations are not always right, in my opinion, but in this case, he was on target. Evangelicals have embraced worldliness in the same ways that it was embraced by the liberal churches. Like those liberals of past years, evangelicals today:

1. Pursue the World’s Wisdom. Evangelicals are not heretics of course, at least not consciously. If they are asked whether the Bible is the authoritative and inerrant Word of God, most will answer affirmatively. But many have abandoned the Bible all the same because they do not think it is adequate for the challenges we face as we enter a new millennium. They do not think it is sufficient for wining people to Christ, so they turn to felt-need sermons, to entertainment, or to signs and wonders. They do not think the Scriptures are sufficient for achieving genuine Christian growth, so they turn to therapy groups or defer to Christian counseling. They do not think the Bible is sufficient for discovering the will of God for their lives, so they look for mystical signs or subjective feelings. They do not think it is sufficient for impacting the secular society that surrounds us, so they fund lobby groups in Washington or throw their efforts into electing increasingly larger numbers of ‘born again’ government officials.

2. Embrace the World’s Theology. Like the liberals before us, evangelicals use the Bible’s words but give them new meaning. Sin becomes ‘dysfunctional behavior.’ Salvation becomes ‘self-esteem’ or ‘wholeness.’ Faith becomes ‘possibility thinking.’  Jesus becomes more of an example for right living than our Savior from sin. People are told how to succeed in business, have happy marriages, and raise nice children, but not how to get right with an offended God.

3. Follow the World’s Agenda. The world’s major agenda is not hunger, racism, the redistribution of wealth, or ecology. The world’s major agenda is being happy, and happiness is achieving the maximum amount of personal peace and sufficient prosperity to enjoy it. But is that the bottom line of much evangelical preaching today? Being happy? Being content? Being satisfied? Francis Schaeffer saw it and called the evangelical church to repentance, but we are too self-satisfied to do that. Far be it from us to preach a Gospel that would expose our liberal-like sins and drive us to the Savior.

4. Employ the World’s Methods. Evangelicals have become like liberals in this area too. How else are we to explain the stress so many place on numerical growth and money? How else are we to explain that so many pastors’ tone down the hard edges of Bible truth in order to attract greater numbers to their services? How else are we explain that we support a National Association of Evangelicals lobby in Washington? How else are we to explain that we have created social-action groups to advance specific legislation?

Or consider evangelical rhetoric. Evangelicals speak of ‘taking back America,’ ‘fighting for the country’s soul,’ and ‘reclaiming the United States for Christ.’ How? By electing Christian presidents, congressmen and senators, lobbying for conservative judges, taking over power structures, and imposing our Christian standard of morality on the rest of the nation by law. Was America ever really a Christian nation? Was any nation? What about Augustine’s doctrine of the two cities that meant so much to the Reformers? Will any country ever be anything other than man’s city? And what about America’s soul? Is there really an American soul to be redeemed? Or fought over? When we fall into these patterns of religious behavior, do we merely duplicate what the liberals did before us?  

A recent column in the New Yorker magazine bemoaned what it called the ‘brave new audience-driven preaching’ of our day. The writer commented, “The preacher, instead of looking out upon the world, looks out upon public opinion, trying to find out what the public would like to hear. Then he tries his best to duplicate that and brings his finished product into a marketplace in which others are trying to do the same. The public, turning from our culture to find out about the world, discovers nothing but its own reflection. The unexamined world, meanwhile, drifts blindly into the future.”

How is liberalism in the church to be defeated? Only by the true Christian Gospel. And that can be recovered only through the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. If the Bible is neglected, liberalism will come in, because liberalism is merely men and women thinking as men and women think, always apart from revelation. Apart from receiving the voice of God in Scripture, we always minimize our sin, exalt our natural abilities, and invent endless plans for our own moral and political salvation. The Bible exposes our sin for what it is, reveals our utter incapacity for self-help, and throws us on the mercy of God who has revealed the sole way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Error will never be defeated by mere rhetoric or even by burning heretics at the stake. It is only by the sword of the Spirit that we are able to ‘demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and…taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Cor. 10:5, NIV).

What Dr. Boice wrote about religious liberals and liberalism can be applied to apostates and apostasy. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.” (Jude 11 (ESV)

“Since we are called to be alert to the threat of false teaching in our midst, for what should we be looking? Should we expect someone to stand up in the middle of a worship service and declare: “The church has had it all wrong for years and years. Let me tell you what the Bible really teaches.” Do we expect bold declarations that strike at the heart of the Bible’s teachings such as “God is not real” or “Jesus is not God”? If we expect that a sudden and dramatic falsehood will enter the church, we will not be looking in the right place. It is true that great falsehoods have been found in the church, but not typically in a sudden fashion. The enemy of our souls prefers a subtler approach, sowing doubts and twisting the truth to make falsehood acceptable. After all, the first attack on man was not, “How can you possibly believe that?” but, “Did God really say that?” –Pastor Fred Greco

“Another thing we need to remember is that false teaching does not always come into the church as a result of deliberate attempts to deceive Christians and trick them into denying the faith. Such tactics certainly are possible, for the New Testament does record instances of “the false brethren who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 2:4) and those who “crept in unnoticed . . . ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). We should not be naive and ignore signs of such attacks. But more often, the danger of false teaching comes from other avenues. Three avenues to which we must be especially alert are the desire to find some new and interesting teaching or doctrine, an overreaction to other teaching errors in the church, and a desire to avoid criticism, particularly criticism from the world around us.”  

Regardless of the prevailing reasons for false teaching, the consequences are clear; judgment from God. Woe (οὐαὶ; ouai) refers to dishonor, horror and distress. God purposefully and righteously brings His wrath to bear upon all apostates.

Romans 1:18–21 (ESV) says, “¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

“The lamentation Woe to them! (with variations) is a typical phrase that the Old Testament prophets uttered repeatedly to condemn persons or nations. Jesus uses the word woe to place a curse on Korazin and Bethsaida (Matt. 11:21), and he rebukes the Pharisees with a series of seven woes (Matt. 23). And Paul calls a woe upon himself should he fail to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 9:16). Likewise, Jude pronounces woes upon his godless contemporaries and tells them that they are heading for destruction. At the same time his words are a warning to his readers not to permit these godless men to lead them astray,” explains Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker.

Invoking his signature triad writing style, God’s judgment comes upon apostates because they resemble three false teachers from the Scriptures: Cain, Balaam and Korah. How did these three defect from the true faith? Dr. Edward C. Pentecost provides valuable commentary and insight.

“They have taken the way of Cain. This may mean either that they, like Cain, (a) disobediently devised their own ways of worship, (b) were envious of others, or (c) hated others with a murderous spirit (cf. 1 John 3:12).’

“They have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error. Balaam, under the guise of serving God, encouraged others to sin, while at the same time seeking to gain monetarily from their error (2 Peter 2:15–16; Num. 22:21–31). Similarly, the false leaders of Jude’s day, greedy for money, led others into sin without recognizing the danger of their actions.”

“They have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. Korah led a revolt against Moses and Aaron, not acknowledging that God had delegated authority to them (Num. 16). So, their rebellion was actually against God Himself. Likewise, the men of whom Jude spoke (perhaps local church leaders) rebelled against God’s authority and as a result would be destroyed suddenly. That destruction was so certain that Jude stated in the past tense that “they have been destroyed.”

I encourage you to evaluate the Bible teachers you support and listen to in order ascertain if they are false teachers. May the Lord’s grace and mercy be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

^“But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.” (Jude 10 (ESV)

In this study of the Epistle of Jude, the comparisons between this epistle and 2 Peter are striking. Both writers addressed the issue of apostates and apostasy. The Holy Spirit used both writers to produce inerrant Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).

“So close is the thought and situation of the two epistles that most scholars believe there is some kind of literary relationship between these two inspired books. Whether Jude used 2 Peter as a source for his letter or Peter used Jude as a source for his second epistle cannot be determined with absolute certainty. In any case, we should not be surprised if one of these men used the writings of the other. It is a common phenomenon for biblical authors to do this. The author of Chronicles, for example, used the books of Samuel and Kings as sources for his writings,” writes Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Today’s passage is a further example of the similarities between these two letters, as Jude 8–10 parallels 2 Peter 2:10b–12 in many ways. Note the way the false teachers described in each case blasphemed “the glorious ones.” The false teachers opposed by Peter appear to have done this by disregarding the power and influence of demonic spirits. Given the story related in Jude 9, it seems the false teachers he faced blasphemed by trying to rebuke demons on their own authority. Unlike Michael, who called upon the Lord to rebuke Satan, these false teachers “blasphemed” by regarding things closely identified with God (angels who, though fallen, were once holy) too lightly, presuming an ability to resist them under their own power.

In contrast to Michael the archangel, apostates “blaspheme all that they do not understand.” Jude referred to them as “these people.” This pronoun is in the plural form. There were several apostates plaguing the church to whom Jude wrote. A great number of defectors of the faith in Christ exist today.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.” (1 John 4:1–3 (ESV)

 Whoever these men were, they exhibited a common characteristic. The mocked and scorned any and all they did not understand. To understand (οἴδασιν; oidasin) means to comprehend and to honor. In this case, these individuals did not grasp the person and work of God in the past. This lack of understanding continued in their present and future.

The tragedy of this lack of understanding is revealed in the rest of today’s text. Jude wrote, “…and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.”

To be destroyed (φθείρονται; phtheirotai) is a present, passive, plural verb. Something happens to apostates. They are corrupted and ruined by their own beliefs and behavior. What they understand instinctively (φυσικῶς; physikos) refers to their natural instincts or their fallen, sinful nature.

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

Jude compared apostates to unreasoning animals (ἄλογα ζῷα; aloga zoa). Like animals, apostates lack the ability and capacity to reason or think properly. The Apostle Paul examined this condition of the lost in Romans 1:18-32.

“What things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them.” What is Jude trying to say? He means that persons without spiritual discernment are abysmally ignorant of reality and depend on instinct. That is, they have lowered themselves to the level of animals and in their sexual pursuits (see v. 8) are guided by instinct. Yet, unlike the animals which abide by the laws of nature, these godless men are destroyed by the very things they fail to understand. When men live by instinct, they abandon even natural law and consequently perish. They place themselves on a par with the animals, but because of their refusal to obey even the laws God has placed in nature, they are destroyed (compare Rom. 1:24),” explains Dr. Simon J. Kistemaker.  

“Whereas Michael did not dare accuse the devil, these apostates, by contrast spoke abusively against what they did not understand. This abusive speech may refer to their slandering of angels (v. 8). Their understanding was debased, for it followed only natural animal instinct. The apostates’ only “reasoning” was like that of unreasoning animals. Rather than comprehending what was above them (the angels), they really understood only what was below them (the animals). Jude thus demolished their Gnostic claim to superior knowledge. And their understanding—polluting “their own bodies” (v. 8)—was, like the sin of Sodom, self-destructive,” concludes Dr. Edward C. Pentecost.

Let us pray we are on our guard against false teachers. May the Lord’s grace and truth be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” (Jude 9 (ESV)

“False teachers creep into the church not because they look like false teachers but because they look like angels. They disguise themselves just as their master Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. When false teachers attempt to creep into the church, they typically don’t look like wolves because they wear sheep costumes and use some of the same language that the sheep use. They regularly quote Scripture, and they are often able to quote more Scripture than the average Christian.” – Pastor Burk Parsons.

One of the interesting observations when studying the Epistle of Jude is how frequently Jude mentioned angels (vs.6, 8). This pattern continues with today’s text. However, Jude does not refer to angels in general in vs.9, but rather to Michael the archangel in particular. He compared the humility of Michael, a God exalted angelic being, with the pride of the self-exalted apostates.

Jude stated apostates blaspheme the glorious ones (vs.8). They speak evil against and mock the LORD’s angelic messengers. Yet, Michael did not do such a thing when contending with the devil for the body of Moses.

Michael is God’s archangel (ἀρχάγγελος; archangelos) or chief angel (I Thess. 4:16). He watches over Israel (Dan. 10:13; 12:1). He leads the holy angels (Rev. 12:1-7).

“Very little is known about the organization or rank of angels (cf. Col. 1:17). While only Michael is named as an archangel (Jude 9), there seems to be more than one in the archangelic ranks (Dan. 10:13). Perhaps it is Michael, the archangel, whose voice is heard (I Thess. 4:16) as he is identified with Israel’s resurrection in Dan. 12:1–3,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.  

Jude’s reference to Michael contending (διακρινόμενος; diakrinomenos) is a present middle verbal participle. It means to presently and personally dispute, disagree and quarrel. This is what occurred between Michael and the devil concerning Moses’ dead body. This is the only place in Scripture where this event is mentioned.

“Moses died on Mount Nebo in Moab without having entered the Promised Land and was secretly buried in a place not known to man (Deut. 34:5–6). It would likely be that this confrontation took place as Michael buried Moses to prevent Satan from using Moses’ body for some diabolical purpose not stated. Perhaps Satan wanted to use it as an idol, an object of worship for Israel. God sent Michael, however, to be certain it was buried,” continues Dr. MacArthur.

Michael, even in his exalted position, did not presume (ἐτόλμησεν; etolmenen) or to be bold and presumptuous to pronounce a blasphemous judgment on the devil. Rather, he said, “The Lord rebuke you.”

“Rather than personally cursing such a powerful angel as Satan, Michael deferred to the ultimate, sovereign power of God following the example of the angel of the Lord in Zech. 3:1–2. This is the supreme illustration of how Christians are to deal with Satan and demons. Believers are not to address them, but rather to seek the Lord’s intervening power against them,” concludes Dr. MacArthur.

False teachers and their false teachings are a present and active concern for church leaders and congregations. This is why every true believer in Christ must earnestly contend for the faith (vs.3).

“False teaching is a real threat to the church. False teaching is not a threat only in certain circumstances, or only in churches with certain governmental structures, or only in certain places and cultures in the world. We must recognize it as a threat because the Bible continually warns us that it is a threat. Jesus warns us that false teachers will come from outside the community of believers, trying to hide their true intentions (Matt. 7:15–20). Peter tells us that false teachers can also arise from within the community of believers, bringing doctrine that is destructive and poisonous (2 Peter 2:1). The Apostle Paul continually warned the churches that he served that if false teachers in their midst were left unchecked, the results would be disastrous (Gal. 1:6–9; 2 Cor. 11:1–21; 1 Tim. 6:3–5). Simply put, false teaching is not just a problem for other people and churches out there; it is a problem about which all believers must be vigilant and against which they must be on guard.” – Pastor Fred Greco

One way to guard against false teaching is for pastors to take seriously the Apostle Paul’s directive to his protégé Timothy, and all pastors, found in 2 Timothy 4:1-5.

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: ² preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. ⁵ As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:1–5 (ESV)

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.” (Jude 8 (ESV)

“Jude is writing about apostate false teachers. Apostasy, meaning to defect, to depart, to abandon. Apostasy is defecting from the faith, hearing of the faith, knowing of the faith, knowing the true gospel, hearing the true gospel, maybe professing even to believe the true gospel, and then abandoning it. It is the most terrible of evils for which the hottest hell is reserved. To be exposed to the gospel truth and to reject it is to put yourself in the most severe place of eternal torment.” – Dr. John MacArthur

Jude provided a signature triad of historical examples regarding apostasy; Israel and their apostasy of unbelief towards God and His Word, fallen angels and their apostasy of rebellion, and Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities surrounding them and their apostasy of immorality (Jude 5-7). Jude then brought the argument to the present.

Jude transitioned from an examination of the past to the present situation of false teachers plaguing the church. In vs. 8-16, Jude addressed apostates and apostasy. Apostates today conduct themselves as apostates of history. There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:1-9).

He wrote “Yet in like manner these people also.” Whoever “these people” specifically were (Jude 4), Jude said they displayed the apostate characteristics of unbelief, rebellion and sexual immorality. Nevertheless, or likewise, (homoiōs) means equally or in the same way. Within the context it means to be like those who Jude previously identified from the Old Testament as apostates.

Having first examined the sexual immorality of apostates, Jude then addressed the issue of their rebellion against God. They “reject authority.”

To reject authority (κυριότητα ἀθετοῦσιν; kyrioteta athetousin) means to presently, actively and collectively declare invalid, deny and depart from lordship and dominion. It means to revolt and to do away with authority. The authority they deny, depart and revolt against is God’s lordship.

Like the sinning angels Jude mentioned in vs.6, these false believers reject all authority: civil, relational and spiritual. They reject all authority except their evil self-will. They pander and promote their individual authority.

When I served as a youth pastor, there was one student I will always remember. He professed to be a believer in Christ. He came from a Christian home and knew, or thought he knew, much of the Bible. He served at a Christian camp during the summer. However, he consistently displayed a rebelliousness to any and all authority but his own. As an adult, he now professes to be an atheist and is openly hostile to anyone who is a follower of Christ; even members of his extended family.

Man rejects the authority of God. They object to what God says regarding…

• Pure and commendable speech – Ephesians 4:25-5:21
• Lying – Ephesians 4:25
• Stealing – Ephesians 4:28.
• Putting to death the deeds of the flesh – Colossians 3.
• Purity in keeping one’s marriage vows – Matthew 5; 19; I Corinthians 7. Ephesians 5:22-33
• Being obedient to the civil authorities – Romans 13.
• Not polluting one’s body with unhealthy behavior – I Corinthians 6:19-20
• Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking – Ephesians 4:31.
• Being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving – Ephesians 4:31b.
• Obeying parents – Ephesians 6:1-4
• Honoring employers by doing a good job – Ephesians 6:5-9

We must understand many individuals can profess to be a believer in Christ. However, Scripture is clear that only those who evidence godliness are truly converted. See Matthew 7:15-23; Romans 6-8; James 2:14-26. Therefore, it is imperative for the believer to make certain of their calling and election by grace alone, through faith alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone (2 Peter 1:1-11).

Apostates have a contempt for the commands of God. They fight against the church, but they especially hate God. They endeavor to overthrow government, undermine the home, and deny the Word of God. They disregard the commands of God because they hate the God who has laid down His commands.

American Atheist C. Richard Bozarth states, “Evolution destroys utterly and finally the very reason Jesus’ earthly life was supposedly made necessary. Destroy Adam and Eve and original sin, and in the rubble, you will find the sorry remains of the Son of God…and if Jesus was not the redeemer who dies for our sins, and this is what evolution means, then Christianity is nothing.”

Much like the angels who did not keep their proper estate, but rejected God’s authority, so do apostates. Each day we must examine our lives to see whether or not we are evidencing an apostate spirit. Are we allowing false teachers to squeeze us into their mold of behavior? An example of their rejection of authorities, and in light of their rejection of authority, it isn’t enough for them to simply reject what they hate, but also to speak evil of those they hate.

Therefore, Jude additionally stated apostates “blaspheme the glorious ones.” In other words, like ancient Israel they display an evil heart of unbelief in what they speak (Hebrews 3:12).  

To blaspheme (βλασφημοῦσιν; blasphemousin) is a present, active indicative plural verb meaning to continuously speak profanely against sacred things or individuals; especially the LORD. It also means to take God lightly or dismissively. Apostates slander God and His people. This is what God’s enemies always do. It stems out of their hatred of God. Jesus warned His disciples of this reality.

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” (John 15:18–21 (ESV)

The glorious ones (δόξας; doxas) refers to angels held is high esteem. Jude will later use the archangel Michael as an example (Jude 9). This parallels 2 Peter 2:4-10 and James 2:4-7. 

“Throughout history, our enemy has raised up many false prophets and false teachers, but perhaps never before in history has the church itself raised up so many of its own false teachers, parading them and welcoming them into their homes and churches. False teachers abound on many of the so-called Christian television networks, and books by false teachers fill the shelves of many so-called Christian bookstores. And while many Christians are rightly concerned about the growth of religions such as Islam, the greatest threat to orthodox Christianity is not other religions but false teachers who creep into the church unnoticed.” – Pastor Burk Parsons, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, Sanford, Fla.

May each of us continue to guard our hearts from apostates and apostasy (Proverbs 4:20-27). May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

Continuing our study in Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians, a new paragraph begins in Colossians 3:18-4:1. The truth of what believers “are” in Christ is to be balanced by how believers are to live for Christ. The practical truth of Jesus Christ as the only and all-sufficient Savior, and as sole source of the believers’ life, is now applied to specific groups and situations. What people groups does the Apostle Paul, and the Holy Spirit, have in mind?

Primarily, they were thinking of household groups. What we have in this extended biblical section is a kind of “catalogue of household responsibilities.” Even non-Christian moralists advocate mores of domestic, blissful behavior. Sometimes, Christians opt for secular advice rather than the word of God regarding family life. However, Paul was not adding to unbiblical opinions or philosophies. The apostle was not sugar-coating domestic relationships with a thin veneer of merely adding “in Christ”—which completely misses the point.

The following article is by Dr. Brian Cosby, senior minister at Wayside Presbyterian Church in Signal Mountain, Tenn. He entitled his essay Godly Parenting as a Witness to the World.

The Bible offers numerous instructions on how parents should raise their children, guiding them not only to live moral and upright lives but also to understand and embrace their identity within the home, church, and state. But godly parenting is also a witness to the watching world and is a distinguishing characteristic between those who belong to God and those who do not.

The Covenantal Context

One of the key distinctives of godly parenting is that its foundation is the bound relationship God has with His people, known in Scripture as covenant. The covenantal context emphasizes that raising children is not just about instilling good behavior, but about nurturing them in the fear and knowledge of the Lord so they can grow into their role as participants in God’s ongoing story of redemption. In the Bible, a covenant is more than just a contract; it’s a bound relationship between God and His people with both promises and obligations.

When parents realize that they are raising covenant children—children who are part of God’s covenant community—they understand that their parenting has a purpose beyond mere survival or success in this world. They are raising children who are meant to live in relationship with God, embracing the promises He has made to His people, and fulfilling their calling as children of the covenant.

Godly Parenting

“Godly” parenting assumes that the parents are believing, thinking, and living in such a way that reflects God’s will for them as revealed in His Word. They are marked by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–23) and are fulfilling their role as parents according to the precepts and commands of Scripture. Deuteronomy 6:4–7 states:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

The command to infuse God’s Word into the lives of children requires continual effort. It is an active, daily responsibility. Parents are stewards of the children God has entrusted to them, which means more than just caring for their physical needs; it means nurturing their spiritual lives, guiding them to understand and embrace the truth of Scripture, and helping them to live out the implications of being part of God’s covenant people, the church.

The goal of godly parenting is not just to raise well-behaved children, but to raise children who know, love, and serve the Lord.

Discipline and Instruction

Godly parenting also involves discipline and instruction. The Apostle Paul writes, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Both the negative (discipline) and the positive (instruction) are in view here. Disciplining and teaching children involve more than just passing on biblical knowledge or enforcing rules. It means shaping their character and helping them to delight in the Word of God.

Proverbs 22:6 says,

Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Godly parents are to train their children in the paths of righteousness, helping them to understand the consequences of sin and pointing them to the grace and forgiveness found in Christ.

Parenting as Witness

When parents raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, with godly discipline and instruction, it demonstrates their values, priorities, and purpose—living to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 1)—which stands in contrast to the values, priorities, and purpose of the unbelieving world. Moreover, when godly parents are fulfilling their calling as parents according to Scripture, it bears witness to the world about the truth, grace, love, and wisdom of God. These divine attributes find tangible application in a covenant family living for Him, and thus, bear witness to Him. Godly parenting also bears witness to the Lordship of Christ. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He is also Lord of the home.

The goal of godly parenting is not just to raise well-behaved children, but to raise children who know, love, and serve the Lord. When Jesus told His disciples that they were to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8), this didn’t only mean formal preaching or teaching; it also meant in lives lived in conformity to Scripture. Parenting, though a basic reality for most people, becomes a witness when carried out for God’s glory and according to God’s truth.

Godly parenting requires reliance upon God’s grace, wisdom, and strength. It is about walking with God and with your children, trusting that He who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion at the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6). As parents embrace their role in God’s covenant community, they can be confident in the glorious promises of God for their children, for they are to…

Tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done . . .
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children. (Ps. 78:4, 6).

May the LORD’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed LORD’s Day.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.” (Jude 8 (ESV)

“Jude is writing about apostate false teachers. Apostasy, meaning to defect, to depart, to abandon. Apostasy is defecting from the faith, hearing of the faith, knowing of the faith, knowing the true gospel, hearing the true gospel, maybe professing even to believe the true gospel, and then abandoning it. It is the most terrible of evils for which the hottest hell is reserved. To be exposed to the gospel truth and to reject it is to put yourself in the most severe place of eternal torment.” – Dr. John MacArthur

Jude provided a signature triad of historical examples regarding apostasy; Israel and their apostasy of unbelief towards God and His Word fallen angels and their apostasy of rebellion; and Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities surrounding them and their apostasy of immorality (Jude 5-7). Jude then brought the argument to the present.

Jude transitioned from an examination of the past to the present situation of false teachers plaguing the church. In vs. 8-16, Jude addresses present apostates and apostasy. Apostates today conduct themselves as apostates of history. There is nothing new under the sun.

He wrote “Yet in like manner these people also.” Whoever “these people” specifically were (Jude 4), Jude said they displayed the apostate characteristics of unbelief, rebellion and sexual immorality. Nevertheless, or likewise, (homoiōs) means equally or in the same way. Within the context it means to be like those who Jude previously identified from the Old Testament as apostates.

Jude also wrote these heretics were, “relying on their dreams,” This phrase (ἐνυπνιαζόμενοι; enypniazomenoi) is one word in the Greek. Grammatically, it is a present, middle plural participle verb. In other words, the behavior Jude described of the apostates was an ongoing, personal, collective group behavior.

Apostates rely on their dreams. as a source of authority and revelation. They were dreamers. They do not submit to the word of God, neither do they want the church to do so. They want true believers in Christ to submit to them and their false teaching.

“Jude calls these godless men “dreamers.” This term means either that they were mystics who claimed to have access to supernatural revelation or that as a result of their sexual immorality these men spent their time dreaming erotic fantasies,” explains Simon Kistemaker.  

We often witness this behavior among so called evangelical preachers today. Claiming to have a unique and direct access to God they make seemingly outrageous statements which, in their opinion, cannot be questioned because they claim God has directly spoken to them.

As Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes, “The cause of their rebellion is found in the word dreamers (Jude 8). These people live in a dreamworld of unreality and delusion. They believe Satan’s lie, “Ye shall be as gods” (Gen. 3:5). Having turned away from God’s truth, they feed their minds on false doctrine that inflates their egos and encourages their rebellion. Jude 10 informs us that the apostates are ignorant people who do not know what they are talking about! Jude echoed Peter’s description of these men as “brute beasts” (2 Peter 2:12, 22). Animals live by natural instinct, and so do the apostates. When men rebel against God, they sink to the level of beasts.”

In Jude 5-7, Jude showed his readers, including us, apostasy is nothing new. It’s as old as the children of Israel, angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Present day apostates, much like their historical counterparts, engage in the same pattern of ungodly behavior. Notice that in reverse order to what we have already read they…

1. Defile the flesh (σάρκα μιαίνουσιν; sarka miainousin) is a present, active indicative verb. This behavior is actively ongoing. Its root meaning is to stain, as in the staining of glass. It can also mean to pollute or spoil and contaminate. In the case of morality, it speaks of moral and physical defilement. The vices of the ungodly which contaminate a person in their involvement with the world. It refers to moral corruption. In the flesh refers to the physical body. The outward things which apostates practice are visible evidences of their inner, corrupted soul.

Titus 1:15 – “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.”

Hebrews 12:15 – “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”

Apostates portray themselves as people of God, but their behavior evidences a moral and physical defilement.  Like their counterparts in Sodom, false teachers are usually involved in sexual immorality (2 Peter 2:10-20). There may be exceptions, but that is rare.

False teachers may appear to be godly, but inwardly they defile the flesh. This remains a telltale sign of their spiritual condition. Believers must be wary and aware of the inner motivations of apostates.

Next time, we will examine two more traits’ apostates have paralleling rebellious angels and unbelieving Israel.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!  

⁵”Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— ⁷ just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” (Jude 5–7 (ESV)

We previously examined the apostasy of Israel and angels. We now turn our attention to Sodom and Gomorrah and the apostasy of immorality. Genesis 18:16-19:29 chronicles God’s judgment upon these two cities and the land of the valley (Gen. 19:27-29).

Jude wrote, …”just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

There is much discussion and dispute regarding the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. The principle of Scripture interpreting Scripture applies to all biblical subjects in general, and to this biblical text in particular. In other words, the chief way we determine whether our interpretation of a specific passage is right is to compare it to the rest of the Bible’s instruction.

“We must be careful to read the Bible holistically. We ought not to draw interpretations from the text that are against interpretations that the Bible elsewhere draws itself. The Bible interprets the Bible; the Holy Spirit is His own interpreter. If our interpretation of one text contradicts our interpretation of another text, one or both interpretations must be wrong. They cannot both be correct because God is not “a God of confusion” (1 Cor. 14:33), and He would not teach one thing in one passage and the opposite in another,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

Jude, led by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), wrote the words indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire in referencing Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin. This must mean the sin of these two cities, and the land of the valley, involved sexual immorality and unnatural desire. What do these two phrases mean?

The phrase indulged in sexual immorality (ἐκπορνεύσασαι; ekporneusasai) is one word in the Greek. It is a present, active plural verbal participle. It means to engage in illicit sex of any kind. The King James Version uses the word fornication. We derive the English words pornographic, pornography, etc. from this Greek verb. The Scriptures define sexual immorality as any deviation from God’s standard of a heterosexual marriage between a binary man and woman (Gen.1:26-27; 2:19-24).

Jude 7 also describes what kind of sexual immorality the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah etc. participated. The phrase pursued unnatural desire is three words in the Greek. Pursued (ἀπελθοῦσαι; apelthousai), unnatural (ἑτέρας; heteras), and desire (σαρκὸς; sarkos) all mean homosexual intercourse. The Holy Spirit, through Jude, is being emphatic as to what exactly was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah.

“There are many important considerations to weigh when trying to make sense of Sodom and Gomorrah. Most critical, however (at least for those with an evangelical view of Scripture), is how the New Testament understands the sin of Sodom. Which is why Jude 6-7 is so important,” states Pastor Kevin DeYoung of the Gospel Coalition.

“There is a case to be that Jude’s comment about sarkos heteras (“other flesh”)  is a reference to sex with angels not sex with other men. Verse 6 is likely an allusion to the sin of the angels in Genesis 6:1-4, which according to Jewish tradition, involved angels having sex with the daughters of men. So it is not far fetched to think that the “other flesh” in verse 7 is a reference to the men of Sodom trying to have sex with Lot’s angelic visitors. If this interpretation is correct, it makes it less likely (though not at all impossible) to see the sin of Sodom as being, at least in part, the sin of homosexual practice. Which, of course, would do nothing to invalidate the other verses that speak on the subject, but it would set aside the most infamous account of homosexuality in the Bible.’

“Having said all that, I still see good reasons to accept the traditional interpretation and conclude that Jude 7 is a reference to the sin of homosexual behavior,” continues DeYoung.

1. This interpretation is in keeping with prevailing Jewish norms in the first century. Both Josephus and Philo not only condemn relations that are “contrary to nature,” they explicitly understand Genesis 19 as referring to homosexual acts.

2. As a striking example of sexual immorality, it would certainly be more relevant in a first century Greco-Roman context to warn against homosexual behavior as opposed to the non-existent temptation to have sex with angels (cf. 2 Peter 2:6).

3. It would be strange to refer to attempted sex with angels as pursuing other “flesh.” Of all the ways to reference angels, the very physical, human, and earthly sarx seems an odd choice.

4. The men of Sodom did not know they were trying to have sex with angelic beings. Even if sarkos heteras could be taken to mean a “different species” (and I don’t think it does), the men of Sodom had no idea that that is what they were pursuing. Isn’t it more likely to think they were guilty of pursuing sex with other men (as they saw them), then that they were guilty of pursuing sex with angels (which they did not understand)?

5. If pursuing “unnatural desire” is a reference to seeking out sex with angels, how do we make sense of the beginning of verse 7 which indicts Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities of this sin? Were Admah and Zeboim guilty of trying to have sex with angels? It makes more sense to think that Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities all had a reputation for sexual immorality and that one flagrant example of such sin was homosexual practice. This is why the parallel passage in 2 Peter 2:7-8 can depict Lot as greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of these cities. They had a reputation for lawlessness which did not rely on angels to be manifested.”

“In short, the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole region was not just a one-time attempted gang rape of angelic beings, but, according to Jude a lifestyle of sensuality and sexual immorality, at least one aspect of which was exemplified in men pursuing the flesh of other men instead of the flesh of women,” concludes DeYoung.

Apostasy is wickedness dressed up to look like normal behavior. It permeates our culture and many churches today. It evidences itself, as we have examined, with disbelief in God’s commands and His Word, rebellion to the same, and the subsequent immorality which is the corresponding result of such attitudes as disbelief and rebelliousness.

The foundational of apostasy’s unbelief, rebelliousness, and immorality is a hatred of God. The danger of this hatred of God is not that it is outside of the church, where we encounter it and expect it, but rather within the church. This makes apostasy of unbelief, rebellion, and immorality all the more dangerous.

Have you personally received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord (John 1:12-13)? On the basis God’s sovereign grace and faith in the person and word of Jesus Christ and the gift of His imputed righteousness, do you desire to live a holy life, honoring and pleasing to Him (I Peter 1:13-16, 22-23)?

If so, you may be struggling with sin, and the influence of apostasy and apostates. You may be asking “How can I keep myself away from being influenced by apostate groups who seek to entice me with their heretical teachings?” Consider the following practical suggestions.

1. Withdraw from them as soon as possible. Have nothing to do with them, but endeavor to share the gospel. 2 John 9-11 Refuse to in any way validate the group for which you are being approached.
2. Watch and pray. The enemy is already here and we dare not go to sleep. Spiritual leaders must be alert when candidates for church membership are interviewed, those seeking to be baptized, those appointed to be Sunday school teachers, youth sponsors, and other church leaders.
3. Base every decision you make upon the Scriptures, and do not believe that the majority is always right. Believers must know the Word of God. Speak with your pastor in order to fully understand what the Bible says about the issue or teachings from the group.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!