Jude Introduction: Three Characteristics of False Teaching (Jude 1-4)
Oft overlooked along with the other super-short books at the end of each Testament, Jude is still an important part of God’s special revelation. It is just a relevant today as when it was written. A short letter to unspecified believers, the book was written by a Jude. This Jude was likely one of the half-brothers of Jesus who came to faith after Jesus’ resurrection.
When Jude set out to write a letter to his fellow Christians, it appears as though he wanted to write an encouragement about the salvation followers of Jesus have experienced. Instead, he felt the need to write a more earnest warning of a letter; not of the joys and benefits of our salvation, but rather about the dangers of false teachers and errant doctrines that had infiltrated the churches of his day.
If false teaching and deceiving leaders could have emerged among the churches back in the first generation of Christianity, it stands to reason they are still emerging today; and after two millennia they can be counted upon to be more widespread and just as insidious! We should take the warnings of Jude very seriously.
Jude characterizes the false teachers attacking the faith as being truly enemies of Christ. These are not just people mistaken in their theology and teaching, although there are also false teachers of that ilk. We need to recognize that there have always been—and until Christ’s return there will always be—people attacking the church from within. And since that is the case, it is a primary job of every church and every church leader to know, teach, and guard true doctrine.
Three characteristics of false teaching to look for are sensuality, licentiousness, and a denial of the Lordship of Christ.
Sensuality is the quality of following feeling rather than truth. God’s truth is often hard to understand. It isn’t always what we want to hear. And when it holds a mirror up to our sin and rebellion, it can hurt. So a lot of false teaching is focused on making us feel good, telling us what we want to hear, and never asking us to make hard choices. It appeals to what feels good. It appeals to our limited human logic. It puts us in charge.
Licentiousness is not far off from sensuality. (Both ideas are contained in a single word in the original Greek.) It takes the idea of grace and freely-offered-but-never-earned salvation to an erroneous extreme that says we are free to live as we desire. The Bible tells us we are saved due to no merit of our own, but thanks to Christ’s accomplished work. It does not stop there, however. The Bible is clear that, while we cannot accomplish our salvation, we are still going to change once we are saved. That change is not the cause of our salvation, but rather it’s result. So teachings that tell you to live however you desire are always suspect.
Jude tells us that false teachings are ones that deny the fact that Jesus is the Lord and Master of all who are saved. They tell us that we are self-determinate. Rather than surrendering and joining the Kingdom of God, they tell us that we invite Jesus into OUR lives. He does not become our boss but is more of a magical helper. We don’t live our lives carrying out God’s plan, but rather we get His assistance in accomplishing OUR plans.
As bad as all that may sound, Jude is not done. He goes on to expose more and more negative aspects of false teachers and their evil doctrines in the verses to come…
When Jude set out to write a letter to his fellow Christians, it appears as though he wanted to write an encouragement about the salvation followers of Jesus have experienced. Instead, he felt the need to write a more earnest warning of a letter; not of the joys and benefits of our salvation, but rather about the dangers of false teachers and errant doctrines that had infiltrated the churches of his day.
If false teaching and deceiving leaders could have emerged among the churches back in the first generation of Christianity, it stands to reason they are still emerging today; and after two millennia they can be counted upon to be more widespread and just as insidious! We should take the warnings of Jude very seriously.
Jude characterizes the false teachers attacking the faith as being truly enemies of Christ. These are not just people mistaken in their theology and teaching, although there are also false teachers of that ilk. We need to recognize that there have always been—and until Christ’s return there will always be—people attacking the church from within. And since that is the case, it is a primary job of every church and every church leader to know, teach, and guard true doctrine.
Three characteristics of false teaching to look for are sensuality, licentiousness, and a denial of the Lordship of Christ.
Sensuality is the quality of following feeling rather than truth. God’s truth is often hard to understand. It isn’t always what we want to hear. And when it holds a mirror up to our sin and rebellion, it can hurt. So a lot of false teaching is focused on making us feel good, telling us what we want to hear, and never asking us to make hard choices. It appeals to what feels good. It appeals to our limited human logic. It puts us in charge.
Licentiousness is not far off from sensuality. (Both ideas are contained in a single word in the original Greek.) It takes the idea of grace and freely-offered-but-never-earned salvation to an erroneous extreme that says we are free to live as we desire. The Bible tells us we are saved due to no merit of our own, but thanks to Christ’s accomplished work. It does not stop there, however. The Bible is clear that, while we cannot accomplish our salvation, we are still going to change once we are saved. That change is not the cause of our salvation, but rather it’s result. So teachings that tell you to live however you desire are always suspect.
Jude tells us that false teachings are ones that deny the fact that Jesus is the Lord and Master of all who are saved. They tell us that we are self-determinate. Rather than surrendering and joining the Kingdom of God, they tell us that we invite Jesus into OUR lives. He does not become our boss but is more of a magical helper. We don’t live our lives carrying out God’s plan, but rather we get His assistance in accomplishing OUR plans.
As bad as all that may sound, Jude is not done. He goes on to expose more and more negative aspects of false teachers and their evil doctrines in the verses to come…
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