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† Bible Studies: The Book of Jude (Part 3) †
13 years ago
General
Take no one at their word, but test everything against what you know to be true: the Bible. Be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11).
Concluding our study on the book of Jude:
14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
Noice that the word “ungodly” occurs four times in verse 15. Think the author is trying to drive something home? In the last days, ungodliness will become commonplace, and I don't think he's just referring to open opposition to God. I believe anyone teaching or believing anything other than Christ's finished work on the cross will be lumped into this category. It should not be seen as just a lack of morality, since it's plenty possible to be an athiest and yet live by the moral codes of the Bible. Sin can not be judged from the vantage point of man; it must be seen against the perfection of Christ.
For 490 years, God's people did not respect his Sabbath law for crop-yielding land. Thus, He subjected them to Babylonian captivity for 70 years. God isn't turning a blind eye toward the nations He has blessed; He's giving us every opportunity to come back to Him. Billy Graham has been quoted saying “if God doesn't judge America, He'll have to apoligize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” That doesn't mean we should abandon hope; rather, we should more diligently seek the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14.
16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
A reiteration of 2 Timothy 4:3: “for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” Grumblers and malcontents are those who would sooner oppose sound teaching, than be convicted and changed by it. They are too comfortable in their sin.
We need to be extra leery of teachers who are liable to buckle under the pressure of political correctness. Even more so, I believe we need to stand by those who stand up for the truth, despite the possible consequences. For my part, I support Dan Cathy and the Chick-Fil-A organization, who through their hardline Christian convictions, have brought mainstream media attention to the increasing political incorrectness of having Biblically-grounded beliefs.
17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”
What Jude is telling us should come as no surprise; even before him, the apostles predicted that there would come a day when the Word of God would seem like foolishness to people. Since the advent of Darwinism and secular humanism, I think we can easily make the claim that that day has come.
19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
There's an adage that goes “a man ought to be judged by where he stores his treasure.” In a worldly sense, it speaks of a fool who stores his valuables in a place that can be easily found, versus the shrewd man who stores it where it will not be so easily taken from him. This can be applied to the Christian worldview as well. “Worldly people” are those who store up their treasures on earth, and for what? All the money in the world won't change the fact that you'll eventually die and be forgotten. Christians need to focus their efforts on storing up treasures in Heaven, where they will never perish. This is the difference between the worldly-minded and the Spiritually-minded. Matthew 6:24 tells us that we can not serve two masters. Teachers who follow the world will only cause divisions within the church.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
A call to perserverence. God is faithful; He has not forgotten about his followers in the time of the apostates.
22 And have mercy on those who doubt;
23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Penn Jilette, a self-proclaimed atheist, made an eye-opening statement:
“I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, ‘Well, it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward’… How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?”
If we truly understand the love the Lord has for us, we should be all the more eager to show it to others, regardless of how they may react. If you can't share your faith because it might be awkward, I'd have to question just how strongly you believe in what you know.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
Recognition that it is through the power of Christ alone that we are able to discern the truth of God from the lies of the world. Time and again, the Word tells us that God will grant us understanding. Take Him up on His promise; pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal His truth to you. We ought never assume we have the answers, for true wisdom comes from God. (Proverbs 2:6)
25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Amen!
And thus we wrap up our look at the book of Jude, while still leaving so much to be explored within the text. I hope it's proven beneficial, either as a summary of an oft-overlooked book, or as a review for those who have studied it on their own. I'd love to hear your feedback on what you liked and how I can improve studies in the future.
May God guide us all, giving us wisdom, a bold spirit, and a humble heart, to spread the Truth of His Love to those who would receive it. And may the people, who are called by His name, humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from iniquity, for the good of this world.
ybiC,
Kal
14 It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
Noice that the word “ungodly” occurs four times in verse 15. Think the author is trying to drive something home? In the last days, ungodliness will become commonplace, and I don't think he's just referring to open opposition to God. I believe anyone teaching or believing anything other than Christ's finished work on the cross will be lumped into this category. It should not be seen as just a lack of morality, since it's plenty possible to be an athiest and yet live by the moral codes of the Bible. Sin can not be judged from the vantage point of man; it must be seen against the perfection of Christ.
For 490 years, God's people did not respect his Sabbath law for crop-yielding land. Thus, He subjected them to Babylonian captivity for 70 years. God isn't turning a blind eye toward the nations He has blessed; He's giving us every opportunity to come back to Him. Billy Graham has been quoted saying “if God doesn't judge America, He'll have to apoligize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” That doesn't mean we should abandon hope; rather, we should more diligently seek the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14.
16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
A reiteration of 2 Timothy 4:3: “for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” Grumblers and malcontents are those who would sooner oppose sound teaching, than be convicted and changed by it. They are too comfortable in their sin.
We need to be extra leery of teachers who are liable to buckle under the pressure of political correctness. Even more so, I believe we need to stand by those who stand up for the truth, despite the possible consequences. For my part, I support Dan Cathy and the Chick-Fil-A organization, who through their hardline Christian convictions, have brought mainstream media attention to the increasing political incorrectness of having Biblically-grounded beliefs.
17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”
What Jude is telling us should come as no surprise; even before him, the apostles predicted that there would come a day when the Word of God would seem like foolishness to people. Since the advent of Darwinism and secular humanism, I think we can easily make the claim that that day has come.
19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.
There's an adage that goes “a man ought to be judged by where he stores his treasure.” In a worldly sense, it speaks of a fool who stores his valuables in a place that can be easily found, versus the shrewd man who stores it where it will not be so easily taken from him. This can be applied to the Christian worldview as well. “Worldly people” are those who store up their treasures on earth, and for what? All the money in the world won't change the fact that you'll eventually die and be forgotten. Christians need to focus their efforts on storing up treasures in Heaven, where they will never perish. This is the difference between the worldly-minded and the Spiritually-minded. Matthew 6:24 tells us that we can not serve two masters. Teachers who follow the world will only cause divisions within the church.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
A call to perserverence. God is faithful; He has not forgotten about his followers in the time of the apostates.
22 And have mercy on those who doubt;
23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Penn Jilette, a self-proclaimed atheist, made an eye-opening statement:
“I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, ‘Well, it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward’… How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?”
If we truly understand the love the Lord has for us, we should be all the more eager to show it to others, regardless of how they may react. If you can't share your faith because it might be awkward, I'd have to question just how strongly you believe in what you know.
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
Recognition that it is through the power of Christ alone that we are able to discern the truth of God from the lies of the world. Time and again, the Word tells us that God will grant us understanding. Take Him up on His promise; pray that the Holy Spirit would reveal His truth to you. We ought never assume we have the answers, for true wisdom comes from God. (Proverbs 2:6)
25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Amen!
And thus we wrap up our look at the book of Jude, while still leaving so much to be explored within the text. I hope it's proven beneficial, either as a summary of an oft-overlooked book, or as a review for those who have studied it on their own. I'd love to hear your feedback on what you liked and how I can improve studies in the future.
May God guide us all, giving us wisdom, a bold spirit, and a humble heart, to spread the Truth of His Love to those who would receive it. And may the people, who are called by His name, humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from iniquity, for the good of this world.
ybiC,
Kal
Excellent lesson we can learn from here. These are the days. A reminder that we all need.
I thought about this, and I have to admit, my convictions lead me against this. Why? God does not take delight in the demise of any sinner. and to me, Homosexuality isn't a choice to make, as no one would be willing to be hated, and in some countries, outrightly killed for it. I do believe it's like a birth defect, and people so afflicted should not be discriminated against.
Besides. the basic meals at Chick-fil-A start at $5.00 for their most basic sandwiches, and I can get more food at nearly any other restaurant. They are too high priced.
" illbehonest " and look at former-homosexual testimonies. "I can do all things thru Christ which strengtheneth me." I know I chose it and left it
howbeit the temptations are still there...No worries, Christ is with me.
Secondly - and I say this with the utmost respect and humility - Dan Cathy's position IS the one supported by Scripture. The passages in question become ambiguous only with the English translation. Hermeneutic studies of these passages (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, etc.)leave no room for interpretation. There's no way to perfectly translate ancient Hebrew into English, but Israeli rabbis and studied theologians are familiar with the original context and the messages are quite clear: the God of the Bible does not approve of homosexuality.
To that end, while I agree that I don't think anyone would willingly choose that lifestyle, I also don't believe God would create someone homosexual and then declare homosexuality as wrong; it's contrary to what we know of His nature. But, like alcoholism, I believe some people are more predisposed to it than others, and by choosing to entertain their curiosity, blind themselves into believing that they had no choice. By comparison, can we not also say "who would choose to be a pedophile?" yet we condemn them (and rightfully so, lest anyone think I'm defending them).
I'm fully aware of how insulting this probably is, and I want to reiterate that it is not my intent to belittle anyone in the homosexual community. As someone who knows that struggle first-hand, I'm nothing if not sympathetic. I simply don't see any way to rectify a homosexual lifestyle with a belief in the God of the Bible.
Actually, scientists just discovered a "homosexuality" gene, which would mean that it is something people are created with. It also occurs in nature; there have been documented cases of purely homosexual animals.
I believe as you do, so it is hard to reconcile that homosexuality is an abomination toward God when in fact it appears to be a naturally hardwired (incontrollable) aspect of someone's being. I believe there are some people who become confused, and think they are homosexual...perhaps through a failure to connect with the opposite sex, or some past trauma...And there are people who can go either way. But given all the people who identify as gay, and who have been damaged by trying to change their nature, many to the point of self termination...It seems hard to swallow that their sexual natures isn't hardwired into their persons.
I also wouldn't really be putting in a comparison toward animals... The Bible even mentions that those whom are like beasts, creatures of instinct, they just like beasts shall be caught and destroyed. We are to be Children of God, to be like Jesus, not animals of instinct.
With all that in mind, I would say in conclusion that it's not natural, it can be dangerous to the human body, God speaks against it multiple times, and it may well be something hard to change from - because obviously Satan doesn't want them to change and will grip on as hard as possible and go at any length to stop them. So, that's my view on the subject!
I've also heard talk of "fat genes" - as in, a genetic predisposition towards being overweight. O_o While I understand that there are disorders and other conditions that cause excessive weight gain despite diet and exercise, are we really going to start blaming genetics on this for everyone else? I'm overweight too, but I take ownership of my poor health choices and try to do better.
If anything, I could see there being certain enzymes that the body produces that MAY (but not always) influence a person's sexuality - abnormally high / low estrogen, testosterone, etc. I could definitely see that being the case, because those chemicals can have an impact on how we conduct ourselves; someone with low testosterone may not be as energetic, someone with high estrogen may be more promiscuous, things like that. (and my apologies if I have those previously-mentioned effects wrong; my health class memory is a bit fuzzy)
Doesn't this perfectly describe the situation of Christians in the Middle East? (cite: Pastor Yusef Nadarkhani)
Christians in Islamic nations really take the risk and deal with a lot of hatred, got to admire them!