False Teachers Judged, Part 5 Jude 14-16

False Teachers Judged, Part 5

Introduction

Jude has spent a lot of time warning the Church about false teachers. He does not want true believers to be deceived by them. In the last study we saw that they were not only dangerous, but they were also worthless, fruitless, harmful, and lost. But Jude isn’t finished yet. He has more to say about what these people are like. A major word that is repeated in the next few verses is “ungodly”. Before looking more closely at these ungodly teachers, let’s make sure there is a clear understanding of what ungodliness looks like. Then we will ask the question Why does God judge ungodly people?

What is ungodliness?

In a nutshell, it is a lack of reverence towards God and His will. The word does not actually have the idea of “God” in it. In fact, the word was used in secular writings for pagan religions. Those who worshiped idols were regarded as godly if they did all the right things in their religious worship.

So when Christians do the right things in their spiritual lives, they may be regarded as godly when they practice obedience to God’s Word. Some of those practices would include studying the Bible, praying, worshiping, serving (God and others), and many other standard Christian duties that are recognized as normal for faithful followers of Christ. By being called “ungodly” in these verses, Jude is saying that these teachers are NOT being faithful in their religious duties. They demonstrate a LACK of faith, not a life of faith. To be blunt: ungodly people are NOT saved!

Notice that in verse 14, there is a quote from Enoch, which is not found in the Old Testament. But it is apparently regarded as a reliable source of what Enoch may have said, and there is a book of Enoch (not written by him). What Jude is about to say about false teachers and their judgment by God is going to happen. Now he tells us why: ungodly works and ungodly words.

Ungodly Works

“all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way” That sounds harsh! Ungodly deeds done in an ungodly way. Their lives do not show a pattern of obedience and reverence towards God or Jesus Christ. Do their lives show a tendency towards godliness or worldliness? That’s a good question for evaluation.

Ungodly Words

“and of all the the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” The basic idea of these words is that the false teachers are saying wrong things about God. More than just wrong, though. They are saying hard things about Him, and they are actually contrary to what is true about Him. Without using the actual word “blasphemy”, Jude is saying that this is what they are doing. They are talking against God.

Thus far, verses 14-15 seem to be the prediction of Enoch. Now Jude is going to apply it to “these” people who have crept into the Church to spread their false teaching. He provides examples of the types of things these teachers were saying and doing. They were grumblers, just like the children of Israel while they were in the wilderness. They complained about what was happening (no food, no water, etc.), as well as what could happen (they were going to die). They did not like what God was doing to them and how Moses was leading them. Now, the false teachers are complaining about God and church leaders who were questioning their teaching and integrity.

Also, they were following after their own desires, rather than being concerned about the people they were teaching. They were arrogant in their speech, which means they were proud. They were flattering people to gain an advantage, evidently to get more money to support their so-called ministry.

Conclusion

While false teachers may have an appearance of attractiveness, the words that Jude has used makes anything but attractive. We do well to investigate not only the teaching of others, but also their lives.

Application:

What specific signs do you see in some of the popular false teachers in Christian circles today?