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. Jude 4
Jude is amazingly up-to-date, isn’t he? His descriptions of these apostate teachers is right in line with what we see all around us in professing Christendom. Many of the organizations that once labeled themselves Christian now deny the deity and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus, reject the inerrancy of the Scriptures, and eagerly accept the lies of the cults, the new age movement, and the atheists. Jude must have had these people in mind when he wrote his epistle.
Actually, apostasy has been a huge problem throughout human history, especially in the years since the New Testament was penned. It is frightening to see the cruel spins that these spiritually deranged characters have placed on the Word of God. For example, the Mormons even use the Name of our Saviour in their religion, but they have twisted their own doctrine that would make a writer of fairy tales blush. So too the Mohammedans, who would admit that Jesus was a prophet (but deny His deity) and yet they themselves worship a false prophet who was surely one of the most evil and satanic of men.
However, I believe Jude has more than these filthy dreamers in mind when he writes this letter. He – at the behest of the Holy Spirit – is exhorting the Christians to be aware of these evil forces. He is also urging the Saints to be aware that they do not get caught up in some of these distortions and evil doctrines. He tells us that these men have crept in unawares. In many places, the bars have been let down, and these characters have come in.
May God grant that our Assemblies be kept free of these influences. This is why we need to avoid becoming involved with organizations that do not honour our Saviour. Did you notice that twice Jude uses the term ‘Lord’ when referring to God and to Jesus Christ? This is not coincidence or repetition. What will preserve us in this dark day is a recognition of the Lordship of Christ.
If you will today, and every day, accord Jesus Christ his Lordship, you can be preserved from these evil things. -Jim MacIntosh