Ungodly Men in the Church – Jude

The authorship of the small book Jude has been debated among scholars with various suggestions as to who this person is that wrote these words. However, the logical conclusion by all evidence presented is that the writer is one of the brothers of Jesus Christ. Take note, that if this is the case, he did not accept Christ as the Messiah and Savior of the world until after his resurrection. Thereafter, he became a staunch defender of the faith. He wrote this short letter not to individuals or individual churches but to churches in general. He also wrote about insidious distractions embedded in the membership of churches. This is why the book is so important for us today since many of those distractions remain until our lifetimes. Were Jude alive today, he would probably write the same words to modern churches. It is generally believed out of humility instead of Jude calling himself the brother Jesus Christ, he called himself the brother of James who was the brother of Jesus Christ. (Galatians 1:19)

Most noteworthy of Jude’s writing is his attack on those who have  wormed their way into the confidence of the church. His attack on these heretics can almost be called vicious. It was necessary at the time, and probably also today, that these people will be called for what they are. He mentions grace which is God’s attitude toward mankind. His condemnation was that they took the liberty of grace and turned it into opportunities of lasciviousness ultimately denying the identity of Jesus as the only Lord God. It is the duty of the minister and the church to be diligent against such important issues in favor of truth and the welfare of the flock. Our warning from this epistle is for consecrated believers to resist evil doctrines that permeate throughout the congregation. This letter is written to the membership and not just the leadership.

He reminded the church that even fallen angels have faced the wrath of God being reserved in chains until Judgment Day. (Verse 6) It is no light matter to distort the truth of the gospel! He declared the power of Satan that must be overcome by the Lord himself using the example of Michael disputing over the body of Moses. (Verse 9)  Those who would challenge the word of God by what they have known within themselves is not by Scripture, He declared that they corrupted themselves as well as others.

Jude used as an example from ancient times those who were persuaded to follow the way of the false prophet Balaam who took rewards  in an effort to deviate the victory of Israel. Distractions from doctrine can only lead to false holiness. You might be thinking at this point that this is not true of today’s church. Think of those who preach prosperity instead of a proper position before God. It is likely that in today’s church that doctrine can suddenly be distorted and put doubts in the minds of listeners. They may question certain Scriptures under the guise of expanding knowledge. A man named  Korah challenge the leadership of Aaron and Moses and suffered the consequences. There are many occasions in which certain members present themselves as spiritually mature but bring confusion into the congregation refusing to follow God’s anointed. This is not just for alerted believers but also for those who consider surrendering their lives to Christ. They ignore the holy order established within the church. They felt it was their duty to bring discontent within the family of God as a means to sway others off course. Beware of those who speak great swelling words who boast of themselves and their way of thinking. It is wrong to show respect to these no matter how earnest and sincere they present themselves. They are wicked and distracting to the gospel. (Verse 16) 

The solution then and today is for us to build up our faith and pray, not with human thought, but in the influence of the Holy Spirit. Dwell in the love of God being ever conscious of his mercy that leads to our own eternal life. Should the God of our salvation present to us the opportunity, our privilege, to  pull them out of their fiery danger it would be a marvelous effort. This is a reminder of the passage when   Jesus said, “the gates of hell shall not prevail <against the church>.”