JUN 15

Jude 4
Memorise Jude 4
“…grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock...”

Jude goes on to explain why the believers need to contend for the faith. Jude 4 says, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” The danger is very real and near. These men had “crept in” to the church. They are enemies of God within God’s own barracks! They could be our friends, relatives, contact group members, ministry co-workers, elders or even pastors. Seeing that they could be anyone in the church, believers would do well to first examine themselves to ensure that they do not have the characteristics of these “ungodly men”.

The characteristics of these men were that they turned “the grace of our God into lasciviousness”. Instead of leading holy lives according to God’s will, they abused God’s grace and used the excuse that “grace may abound” (Rom 6:1), to sin even more. “Lasciviousness” means filthiness, wantonness and lustfulness. They promote sins such as homosexuality and fornication, ignoring what the Bible says about how God hates such sin. They are also guilty of “denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ”. They probably bear the pretense that they believe in God but deny that He is the only true God. Likewise, they deny that Jesus is the only way to salvation and believe that other religions also can save. They promote ecumenism and believe in uniting with other religions. In this, they have denied Jesus’ work on the cross and cannot be called Christians.

Thus they are corrupt in both their morals and their doctrines. They are a great threat to the purity and sanctity of any church!

Imagine what these “ungodly men” can do in a church. Slowly, they would promote their beliefs and cast doubt on what the Bible says. If they are leaders or in teaching positions, the damage they can do is even greater, especially if they are teaching the younger children or teenagers. Therefore, we need to always be on the alert. Let us be like the Bereans who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11). Let us also examine our hearts to make sure we do not have the hearts of such “ungodly men”.

Thought: How should you equip yourself to guard against false teachers?
Prayer: Lord, grant me discernment to identify false teachers.