Fight For Truth - October 23

Read Jude 1:20-23 (ESV)

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Reflect

How does Jude urge his readers to fight back against false teaching?

If you are paying attention at all to current events in our culture, in our churches, in our schools, and in our courts, then you are already well aware of this—there is a war on. Some people call it a “culture war.” But as Christians, we should know that more is going on than people battling over social ideas in the public square. This is a spiritual battle. And it isn’t simply a battle over opinions. This is a battle of truth vs. lies.

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote a letter to address this issue. His letter is small but mighty and his words pack a powerful punch. He doesn’t address his letter to a specific congregation but simply to “those who are called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:1). In his introduction, he stated that he had been planning to write to them about their “common salvation.” But apparently, he had received reports of false teachers infiltrating the church and decided that this was a more pressing issue that he needed to address.

Jude has strong words to describe these false teachers. In Jude 1:4, Jude writes: “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” According to Jude 1:8-10, these people rejected God’s Word and rejected God’s authority. Instead, they followed their own subjective dreams and, like animals, followed their own instincts and passions. As it always does, their ungodly beliefs led to ungodly behavior.

Jude uses examples from the Old Testament to demonstrate that God will execute judgment on the ungodly. In Jude 1:5, he uses the example of the Israelites that God brought out of Egypt. They soon began to doubt and grumble against God. As a result, they were punished by not being allowed into the Promised Land. In Jude 1:11, Jude uses three different examples in one sentence! He wrote: “Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain [Genesis 4:5-8] and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error [Numbers 22:5-7] and perished in Korah’s rebellion [Numbers 16:1-3, 31-35].” The gist of these three stories is that all three of those men were not content with what God had given them. They were motivated by greed and selfishness. They didn’t care what it cost them in the process. And they completely disregarded God’s law.

In Jude 1:16, Jude tells us how to spot a false teacher: “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.” In Jude 1:, he reminds believers that these “scoffers” follow their own “ungodly passions” and as a result cause division. Why do they do all of this? Because they are “devoid of the Spirit” (Jude 1:19). They are not true believers.

But in today’s verse, we read how true believers should respond in the midst of heresies from within. Just as soldiers don’t go into battle without completing basic and then ongoing training, we should also be diligent in our training for spiritual battle! Jude urged his readers to build themselves up in their most holy faith (Jude 1:20). If we want to stand up against false doctrine, we need to be well-versed in true doctrine! So read your Bible, go to church, sit under faithful pastors and Bible teachers. And pray! Pray according to God’s will and by the Spirit’s leading rather than your own.

But this is key—Jude emphasized that it is the mercy of Christ that leads to eternal life. So, even as we engage in spiritual battle through prayer and standing for truth, we are to show mercy to others. It is Christ’s mercy that saves us, and it is His mercy and love that we should extend to others as well, even as we hate their sin. We should “fear” sin in the sense that we do not want to be influenced by it! But we should love people engaged in sin and in danger of eternal punishment. We should do everything we can to snatch them out of the fire (Jude 1:23).

Friends, we are at war. But this is a spiritual battle. As Paul said, our enemies are not flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12) so we don’t wage physical war or fight with physical weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are in a battle over spiritual truth and people’s souls are at stake. So we fight on our knees in prayer, and we prepare our minds and hearts for battle (Romans 12:2). But Jude’s closing words should give us hope and peace in the midst of the fight: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory, 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” (Jude 1:24-25) It is He who keeps us from stumbling. He is the only One who can save us. The battle belongs to Him and He wins.

Respond

Lord, false teaching is everywhere. I see bad beliefs leading to bad behavior not just in the outside world but even within the church! Help me prepare my heart and my mind for battle. Help me contend for Your truth. Use me to snatch others out of the fire. Please keep me from stumbling. Amen.

Reveal

Think of someone you know who may be confused, doubting, or influenced by teaching that contradicts God’s Word. Pray for that person by name today, asking God to lead them into truth. Then look for an opportunity to speak truth with mercy and love, pointing them toward Scripture rather than simply trying to win an argument.