Becoming (3)

The Danger of Nominal Christianity

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

The first step to salvation is Believing That God is real and that He exist.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Once we believe God exist, we can now believe that God sent His son to be the savior of the world. His sons name is Jesus. In order to be saved we must believe in the person and the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9-13 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

Here’s where the conflict begins. Everyone who calls on Him, uses His name, and claims to be His, are not.

Matthew 7:21-23 ““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Luke 6:46 ““Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

Romans 2:13 “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Let me pause in this lesson to let you know, this is all suggesting that Jesus didn’t just come to save you from sin. But also, He came because He wants to be Lord in and over your life. By not living a life of obedience to God, even under Grace. We may not be saved.

It is paramount that we understand that Jesus finished the work for us before He started the work in us.

Philippians 1:6 says that He will continue it and it will be complete at the day of Jesus Christ. But, how many of us have actually let Him start the work? How many of us, are the same or worse than we’ve ever been simply because we thought our words, that we said when we accepted Jesus was enough without truly believing and accepting Him in our hearts and making Him both savior and Lord over our lives at the point of salvation.

When we make Jesus Christ both Savior and Lord over our lives, it opens us up to the power of the Holy Spirit, so that, He can CHANGE us and turn us into a whole new creature in Christ Jesus.

Let me serve the devil notice: WE ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE THE SAME. The more time we spend with God, in relationship and fellowship, we will be CHANGED! When we resist the change that comes with salvation then we are guilty of having a form or appearance of godliness. A form or an appearance is considered as hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy is the characteristic of acting in a way that is inconsistent with one’s character, belief system, or speech. It can also mean, crafty.

Another word for hypocrite is actor. As a noun it is a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives.

Hypocrisy as in acting, as a noun, is insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have.

2 Timothy 3:1-17 (ESV)

English Standard Version (Chapter 3)

3 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.

2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,

4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,

7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.

9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. All Scripture Is Breathed Out by God.

10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,

11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

[Nominal Christians are] … spiritual tadpoles. The Christian Warfare, 157Gems from Martyn Lloyd-Jones David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

We believe in the perseverance of the saints, but many are not saints, and therefore do not persevere. Nominal saints exhibit no final perseverance. Truth Stranger Than Fiction, Volume 35, Sermon #2081 - Joel 2:25Through the Eyes of C.H. Spurgeon: Quotes From A Reformed Baptist Preacher Charles Spurgeon

If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest Himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face.

The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine A. W. Tozer

Nominal Christianity has always been the enemy of the church. Jesus warned against the nominal kind of spiritual lifestyle when He quoted Isaiah in saying, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mark 7:6; Is. 29:13).

In 1981, I was privileged to participate in a consultation on world evangelization held in Thailand. Hundreds of Christian leaders gathered from around the world to prayerfully plan strategy to reach some twenty major categories of people’s groups throughout the world who had not yet been reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some of those unreached groups of people are more obvious than others. For example, there are millions of Chinese and millions of Muslims who have never been reached with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I was assigned to the category of “nominal Christians.” And as many of us have discovered, nominal Christians are among the most difficult people to reach with the gospel.

Jude understood that principle and was deeply concerned with encouraging believers to avoid the satanic trap of becoming merely nominal Christians. Like Peter, Jude believed that the best defense against nominalism and against false teaching was a strong, offensive, dynamic faith in Jesus Christ. We need to contend earnestly for our faith (v. 3).

Contend - Struggle to surmount. Engage in a competition or campaign in order to win or achieve something.

All this simply means is: We should be apologist. An apologist is a defender of the faith. We should be willing to fight to keep God’s TRUTH alive in the earth and in the church. We should NOT participate in false teachers or teaching of scripture. We need to KNOW God’s truth so we can always be willing and ready to give an answer to defend God’s Truth.

The Purpose of This Letter

1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.

—Jude 1–3

Jude identified himself first as a servant of Jesus Christ and then as a brother of James (see commentary, p. 252). This greeting reflects his humble spirit and the authentic priority of his life. His highest calling and privilege was to be a servant of Jesus Christ. He was not embarrassed to be called a bondservant of Christ nor to be called the brother of James.

If Jude’s brother was the same James who authored the epistle bearing his name and who was a leader in the early church, then Jude was not only the brother of James but the half brother of Jesus. Yet he did not glory in that fact. He was content to be called a servant of Jesus and a brother of James. His attitude was like that of Andrew who is consistently referred to in Scripture as the brother of Peter (John 1:40).

Jude greets “those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ” (v. 1). The word that Paul uses in writing to the church in Rome when he states that they are the called of Jesus Christ and called to be saints is klētós, “to be called” (Rom. 1:6, 7).

They are sanctified (hagiázō) by God—”set apart” (see commentary on 1 Pet. 3:15, p. 163)—and they are preserved in Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated as “preserved” is tēréō, which is often rendered as “kept” or “reserved.” What a marvelous promise! Our Lord has called us, sanctified us, and has promised to keep us in His love and power.

After those wonderful words of affirmation, Jude extends the greeting, “Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.” This is a uniquely Christian greeting which was used in similar forms by many Christian writers including Paul as he wrote to the church at Corinth, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:3).

Jude then moves on to the purpose of his letter. He admits that he had hoped to write them simply to encourage them “concerning our common salvation “(v. 3). However, he has heard about a need which they are facing, and so he “found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3).

Jude has two major concerns—that they do not drift and that they will not be led astray by false teachers. He prays that they will instead take the initiative and contend for the faith.

Don’t Be a Destroyer

4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.

9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;

13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.

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.

—Jude 4–19

In this long and rather difficult discourse, Jude warns against nominal Christianity and against those false teachers who would divide the body of Christ and who would seek to destroy the faith of believers rather than to build it. These destructive men have crept into the church unnoticed and have “turned the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God” (v.

In studying this passage, it is helpful to divide all of this material into two categories. The first exposes the characteristics of these ungodly men and the distinctives of their false teaching. The second exposes the judgments which God is going to bring upon them and all who follow their evil ways.

1. The characteristics of these ungodly men and the distinctives of their false teaching (vv. 4, 8, 10, 12–13, 16–19). The Scripture teaches that we are known by what we say, what we do, and what we are. In other words, our conduct and speech reveal our character. Jude describes the character of these ungodly men at the same time he exposes their false teaching. He blends their character and false teaching all together as he exposes them for what they are. Let us follow his exposé by clarifying the twenty characteristics he reveals.

“Ungodly men” (v. 4). God is the source of truth (John 14:6), and those who would espouse non-truth cannot be of God. They are ungodly.

They “turn the grace of our God into lewdness” (v. 4). The “grace” (cháris) of God is very expensive. It has been bought with the very blood of Jesus Christ. His grace has been bestowed upon us so that we will live the godly life of righteousness. But those who walk in sin would encourage us to misuse this grace as a means of license to live the life of immorality.

They “deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 4). The litmus test of authentic Christianity is the lordship of Jesus Christ. No one can belong truly to Him without acknowledging Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9, 10). In fact, no one can authentically acknowledge Him as Lord without the empowering of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 12:3).

“These dreamers defile the flesh” (v. 8). How tragic. Sin always destroys and leads to ultimate death. Those who walk in the flesh rather than the Spirit are actually involved in defiling or polluting their own bodies. What a contrast to the biblical teaching that our bodies are precious in the sight of God and are actually temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).

They “reject authority” (v. 8). One of the great sins of the latter part of the twentieth century has been the sin of rejecting God’s authority. It is the breaking of the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). Unfortunately, this philosophy has also slipped into the church. There are many who do not wish to live under the lordship of Christ, nor under the godly discipline of the church.

They “speak evil of dignitaries” (v. 8). Love and respect for godly leaders is given a high priority in the church. Paul teaches that we should esteem those who labor among us very highly in love (1 Thess. 5:13), and that the elders who rule well should be counted worthy of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17).

The writer of Hebrews instructs Christians to “obey those who have the rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls” (Heb. 13:17). What a contrast is this teaching to that of the false teachers who would lead us astray. They slander even dignitaries and celestial beings. We should not be afraid of such false teachers as was Michael the archangel when he dared not bring a reviling accusation against the devil (v. 9). As James wrote, we should resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7). (See commentary from 2 Pet. 2:10, pp. 221.)

“These speak evil of whatever they do not know” (v. 10). There is an old adage which states, “Listen very carefully when the speaker pounds the podium the most loudly; it is usually his weakest point!” In other words, it is a trait of the natural, sinful person to often speak most loudly and emphatically about that which he or she knows the least well or is the least sure. That, says Jude, is true of false teachers. And they not only speak with loudness, but also they speak with evil.

“Like brute beasts,… they corrupt themselves “ (v. 10). These false teachers are like irrational or dumb animals. Without realizing it, they “corrupt” (phtheírÉ) or destroy themselves. This teaching is especially poignant when we recognize that one of the heresies which these false teachers were espousing was that of gnosticism, the earliest of heresies which contended, among other things, that its followers were particularly brilliant and elite in their spiritual understanding.

This is another one of those passages which parallels with the teaching of 2 Peter (see commentary from 2 Pet. 2:13, p. 222). The root word used here (v. 12) for “spot” is spilás, which literally means “a ledge or reef of rock in the sea.” The warning is explicit. Just as a ship needs to avoid such a danger at sea, so should we seek to avoid the treachery of false teachers.

“Serving only themselves” (v. 12). The word translated as “serving” is poimaı́nō which means feeding or tending. It is the word used by Jesus in His dialogue with Peter when He said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:16). These false teachers care only for themselves. They come to the love feasts not to share communion or fellowship but only to feed themselves.

“They are clouds without water” (v. 12). Again, Jude uses the same analogy as Peter (see p. 230). The inference is clear. Clouds without rain are like wells without water—they are of little use. They are driven by the wind—out of control.

They are “late autumn trees without fruit” (v. 12). They are like trees in late autumn; they bear no fruit. They are quite unlike those who are abiding in Christ who bear much fruit (John 15:4, 5). And not only are they fruitless, but they are doubly dead since they have no spiritual roots through which they can draw up nourishment from Jesus Christ (Col. 2:6, 7).

They are “raging waves of the sea” (v. 13). These false teachers are compared to the raging or “wild” (ágrios) waves of the sea. These violent waves produce foam which is their own “shame” (aiskúnē) or “disgrace.”

They are “wandering stars” (v. 13). These are like the stars that have gone astray or have moved out of their intended orbit. This statement reveals one of the great tragedies of the life of sin. It always takes us off course from enjoying the very best which God has prepared for us.

“These are grumblers, [and] complainers” (v. 16). Such false teachers are “grumblers” (gongustÄs), and “complainers” (mempsímoiros). Those out of fellowship with the living God, who have strayed from their intended orbit, are “complainers” rather than praisers. The children of Israel praised God when they enjoyed fellowship with Him, and they constantly grumbled and complained when they strayed from Him and followed after their own lusts (Ex. 16:2).

They are “walking according to their own lusts” (vv. 16, 18). Twice Jude describes the false teachers as those who walk after their own lusts (epithumı́a). Peter begs his readers to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1 Pet. 2:11). Unfortunately, these teachers do not warn against such conduct; they practice it in their own lives.

“They mouth great swelling words”(v. 16). Peter also refers to this characteristic of false teachers who speak with “great swelling words” (hupéronkos) in his second letter (2 Pet. 2:18). They are boasters, and they attempt to impress people not only with their bragging, but with the big words which they use.

They are “flattering people to gain advantage” (v. 16). The Proverbs reveal the truth concerning flattery. “He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with the tongue” (Prov. 28:23). “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet” (Prov. 29:5). At best, flattery is a form of lying since it is exaggerated or distorted truth. Evil people use it to deceive others for their own advantage.

“These are [the sensual ones] who cause divisions” (v. 19). The Spirit of God brings unity to members of the body of Christ. But those who walk according to their own ungodly lusts are the ones who cause divisions or separations within the body. Wherever and whenever there is division in the body, you can be certain that the lust of the flesh is being expressed rather than the unity of the Spirit.

They are “sensual” (v. 19). To be “sensual” (psukikós) is “to live in the natural as opposed to the supernatural.” It is to walk after the flesh (vv. 16, 18) rather than after the Spirit. Paul teaches, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

They are “not having the spirit” (v. 19). Now we come to the very summation statement of all that Jude has been teaching about the false teachers. Their basic problem is spiritual. They do not have the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him” (John 14:17). He also said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit is the basic source of truth as well as the revealer of truth. Those who are acknowledging Jesus as Lord are controlled by the Holy Spirit. But those who walk after the flesh do not have the Spirit. Therefore, they cannot teach truth.

Most of us have seen vivid illustrations of this biblical truth in the lives of other believers or even in our own lives. Several years ago, I counseled with a young pastor who was extremely discouraged. He was a brilliant young man who had an impeccable theological education. In addition, he was deeply committed to the ministry and had obvious aptitude for ministry.

As we visited and prayed together, I discovered that he had a basic problem. He was so deeply involved in ministering to people that he was neglecting his own walk with God. Without realizing it, he was ministering in his own strength rather than by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. What an incredible change took place when he recognized his need, recommitted his life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, received anew the guidance of the Holy Spirit and again experienced His empowering. Instead of leaving the ministry, he began to thrive and his church grew in power as God poured His blessing upon the life and ministry of the young pastor.

Effective spiritual ministry always takes place through a human vehicle who is living under the lordship of Jesus Christ and who is ministering by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Those who do not have the Spirit are false teachers and should be called to accountability.

2. The judgments which will surely come to these false teachers (vv. 5–11, 13–15). After exposing the characteristics of these false teachers, Jude speaks very specifically about the judgments which will come upon those who walk according to their own ungodly lusts and who would seek to lead others astray.

The Lord “destroyed those who did not believe” (v. 5). Jude reminds his readers of how the Lord has dealt with unbelievers in the past. He uses the specific example of the children of Israel after they had been delivered from Egypt during the Exodus led by Moses. The Lord destroyed those who did not believe (Numbers 14). In the same way, infers Jude, God will ultimately destroy those of the contemporary day who do not believe.

“He has reserved [disobedient angels] in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (v. 6). Jude again parallels with the teaching of Peter concerning the judgment of disobedient angels (2 Pet. 2:4; see commentary, p. 232). The judgment of the great day seems to refer to that judgment described by the apostle John, “And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

They shall suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire” (v. 7). Jude now uses the historical example of Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding cities which had given themselves to sexual immorality. Their destruction by fire is an example and warning to those who would seek after sexual immorality in the present day (Genesis 19).

“Woe to them!” (v. 11). Jude is declaring woe upon those who speak evil about things they don’t understand, who think only in the natural realm, and who literally corrupt themselves (v. 10). He uses three Old Testament examples to reveal three specific sins of the false teachers. First, there is Cain who failed to please God because he murdered his brother (Gen. 4:1–15). Next, there is Balaam who not only sinned by his deceit and covetousness, but who also attempted to lead the children of Israel astray (Numbers 22–24). Finally, there was Korah who rebelled against the authority and leadership of Moses—an authority entrusted to Moses by God (Num. 16:1–36). God’s judgment came upon Cain, Balaam, and Korah when they disobeyed, and His judgment will surely come upon all who disobey in the present day.

“For whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (v. 13). As Jude refers to these false teachers as stars who have gone astray and have moved out of their intended orbit (see p. 263), he states that the blackness of darkness has been reserved for them forever. Throughout Scripture, we find sin and disobedience being portrayed as darkness, and righteousness and obedience as light. For example, John refers to Jesus as the true light who came to give light to every person. But the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1–13). Jesus called himself “the light of the world” (John 9:5), and He declared that people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19–21).

“The Lord comes… to execute judgment on all… who are ungodly” (vv. 14, 15). In declaring this judgment Jude quotes from the apocryphal book Enoch. The full prophecy of Enoch is “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Enoch 1:9).

Within the Jewish society of Jude’s day, the book of Enoch was popular. Jude is not referring to it as Scripture, but rather as a common source with which his Jewish readers would be very familiar.

The message of Jude concerning the impending judgment of God upon the false teachers is loud and clear. The judgment of God will certainly fall upon them.

Be a Builder

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 Savior,

Who alone is wise,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.

Amen.

—Jude 20–25

When I was a college student, my home town of Pollock, South Dakota, was moved from a beautiful valley to a lovely hillside some one and a half miles away. The little town of 350 people had to be moved for the building of the large Oahe Dam on the Missouri River. The reservoir, which was to become Oahe Lake, would flow into the valley where the old town was situated and would form a smaller lake to be named Lake Poccasse.

I had the privilege of being involved in the construction of the new town. And, subsequently, I also was a participant in the destruction of the old town. The demolition of many of the old buildings I had come to cherish, including the gymnasium where I had played basketball, was a very emotional experience for me.

Through that experience, I learned a lesson that will be helpful to me as long as I live. It is simply this: one can destroy in just a few hours that which has taken years to construct. However, to be a builder is much more fulfilling than being a destroyer!

That is the message of Scripture. Our Lord has called us to be builders—not destroyers. Sin brings destruction, but spiritual life brings growth and building! After condemning the false teachers who would destroy and tear down, Jude instructs us to build ourselves up spiritually (v. 20). We are to be builders! And Jude shares six specific ways we may accomplish this:

1. By “building [ourselves] up on [our] most holy faith” (v. 20). Faith is a vital essential to the life of spiritual growth. Hebrews declares that “without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). And both Paul and the writer of Hebrews quote from Habakkuk 2:4 in declaring that “the just shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).

This is a “holy” (hágios) faith which denotes that it is “separate,” “distinct” or “utterly different.” This is a faith that comes from God and is toward God. Paul writes, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). This faith is lived out through active obedience (see p. 62).

2. By “praying in the Holy Spirit” (v. 20). Jude encourages us as builders to be those who would be praying in the Holy Spirit. To be sure, the battle against false teaching is not to be won by mere argument or intellect. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

God has given us spiritual weapons to be used not only in refuting error, but in growing and in building. One of God’s greatest gifts to His children is the gift of prayer. Prayer is essential to spiritual vitality. Prayer is not something we do in the flesh; we are to pray guided by the Holy Spirit. Prayer is spiritual, and the Holy Spirit desires to empower us to pray; He wants to make intercession for us according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26, 27).

3. By keeping ourselves “in the love of God” (v. 21). If we are to be builders, we must also be lovers. And that love must flow from God Himself. Paul teaches us clearly about the relationship of love and building in his letter to the Ephesians, “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—-from whom… causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:15, 16). Paul also declared, “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies [builds up]” (1 Cor. 8:1).

Jesus said, “Abide in my love” (John 15:9), and then proceeded to say, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love” (John 15:10). That is the truth which Jude is teaching. Stay within the bounds of God’s love. Don’t stray away like a star out of orbit. Enjoy the love of God and share it freely with others.

4. By “looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 21). The mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be enjoyed day by day. As Jeremiah wrote, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed. They [His mercies] are new every morning” (Lam. 3:22, 23).

But Jude reminds us of the ultimate of God’s mercy—eternal life. We are to wait or to look forward to that gift of His mercy. When our eyes are set on that goal, and as we enjoy the daily mercies of God, we are not as apt to be led astray by the false teachers (see p. 257).

5. By having compassion (v. 22). The mercy of God should not only be enjoyed by us, but we should joyfully share it with others. The word “compassion” is eleéō which is often translated as “mercy.” It is closely related to the word éleos which is translated as “mercy” in the previous verse.

The word eleéō is used by Peter in his wonderful declaration, “[You] who once were not a people but are now the people of God” (1 Pet. 2:10, see commentary, p. 146). Those who walk with God through faith in Jesus Christ do receive His mercy. And we should share that mercy with those who have gone astray.

Jude states that we should do so “making a distinction.” In other words, we should attempt to reach out with mercy and compassion to those who have gone astray. We should attempt to rescue them from the error of the false teachers. Our deepest concern should not be to condemn them but to restore them to the fellowship of Christ and His church.

6. By [saving] others with fear” (v. 23). The act of mercy should reach so far as to attempt to actually snatch them from the fire of judgment. The ministry of rescuing those who have strayed from the faith is a vital one. In the closing words of his letter, James speaks about this important ministry (see p. 103).

This act of mercy of reaching out to snatch others from the fire should be done with “fear” (phóbos). Paul teaches the same truth in his letter to the Galatians, “You who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).

And, as we have seen, it should be done with love and compassion for the sinner but with great hatred for the sin—“hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (v. 23). We are to be like Jesus. He had a reputation for being a friend of sinners, but He hated sin. He came to be our Savior and to rescue us from sin.

The closing two verses of Jude’s short letter are the best known and most quoted of the entire epistle. It is the final word on Christian living and on escaping the error of false teaching. The focus is squarely upon God! He is the One “who is able to keep you from stumbling,” and He is the One who will “present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (v. 24).

Our trust should be in Him. We should receive Him as Savior and follow Him as Lord day by day. Indeed, we should deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow him (Luke 9:23). He is to be trusted with our very lives. We should follow Him by faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit, by keeping ourselves in the love of God, by receiving His mercy, and by having compassion on those who have gone astray, attempting to snatch them from the fire.

Jude closes with the highest tribute to God as a reminder to us of who God is and who we are. “To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.”

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 248–261.

9Marks Journal, Volume 6, Issues 1–6, 2009 (Overview > Crazy Love)

Crazy Love has a simple format. In the first section, Chan addresses the problem. He reviews God’s character from the Bible and challenges our small understanding of who God is. In the second section of the book Chan challenges professing Christians to examine themselves. He gives a profile of the lukewarm and concludes, “A lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron; there’s no such thing. To put it plainly, churchgoers who are lukewarm are not Christians. We will not see them in heaven” (81).Chan knows that what he has said will produce fear and guilt, so he counteracts that with pointing to God’s love. He says love is the only answer for the lukewarm: “The answer lies in letting him change you” (103).Chan then moves on to challenging Christians to live counter-culturally. The title of chapter seven is “Your best life … later.” He wants to see Christians living differently from the world. And he gets the fact—rightly I think—that Christians are provoked to be crazy and distinct not by talking about the value of this world, but by teaching them to store up their hope in the next. It’s these Christians who become “obsessed”—who become lovers, servers, the humble, the risk takers, the sojourners, the engrossed, the dedicated, the sacrificers.A WAKE-UP CALL FOR NOMINAL CHRISTIANSCrazy Love is essentially a response to nominal Christianity. Chan rightly goes to the root of the problem, a wrong understanding of God. He also says what many Christians are afraid to say: that nominal, lukewarm, half-hearted “Christians” are not Christians. Chan also briefly balances his confrontational language. He says, “I do not want true believers to doubt their salvation as they read this book. In the midst of our failed attempts at loving Jesus, His grace covers us” (87).Chan also understands that by calling believers to examine themselves they may be tempted to look to their own works for salvation:Perhaps it sounds as though I believe you have to work your way to Jesus. I don’t. I fully believe that we are saved by grace, through faith, by the gift of God, and that true faith manifests itself through our actions …”ButThe lives of many people who call themselves “Christians” in America lack manifestations of a vital and active faith. And this, to be perfectly honest, frightens me. (95)WHAT ABOUT THOSE WITH NORMAL LIVES?Overall, the book is a good call for all to look anew at God and examine themselves to see if they are living a changed life. However, I do wish that Chan would have been a little more careful not to dishearten those Christians who are simply living faithful Christian lives. Granted, Chan does cover his bases (see pages 166, 168, and 172), but I would have liked to see him guard more against discouraging those who do not move to Ethiopia or sell all their possessions, but who faithfully evangelize at work, serve their families, and love the church.Chan quotes a lot of Scripture that speaks of our radical faith in God, yet he does not interact much with verses that speak of us simply being faithful to God in our everyday business. For example, Matthew 24:45–46 speaks of the Son of Man coming back and finding the faithful and wise servant who “give[s] them their food at the proper time. Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” Jesus here encourages believers to be faithful every day in their jobs, families, and relationships. In the same vein, Paul encourages the Christians to live “quiet and peaceable lives” (1 Tim 2:2). The Bible calls us to be radically faithful to God, but this devotion will look different in different circumstances.A USEFUL PRODThat said, this book is a useful prod—a prod for anyone who treats Christianity as if it only means intellectually assenting to a set of facts, but not something that changes your life. Jesus calls us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).