Woe to false teachers

Published May 16, 2005 - Woe to false teachers

"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. ...Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority and slander celestial beings. ...These men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals - these are the very things that destroy them. Woe to them! (The false teachers) ...They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. ...These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. ...These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” The words above are an excerpt from the Book of Jude in the New Testament. They were written to the early Church which was being infiltrated by false teachers. These false teachers led many would-be Christians away from the truth about salvation. The Book of Jude also stands as a warning to us today. Does this passage remind you of anyone you know? Do these words strike a cord in the depths of your inner being? Can we not see the warning which was written for us long ago? We have false teachers living among us today. They twist the Word of God to satisfy their own beliefs. They would have us believe that God made us the way we are, therefore there is no reason to repent or to change. They renounce the call of Christ to turn from our sins and to be holy. They teach our children to follow their instincts and to embrace their sinful nature. These false teachers are in fact twisting God's grace into a license for immorality. They have questioned the truth and challenged the authority of the Church. They speak abusively against what they don't agree with or understand. Their words make sense to many, but they have brought great division into our formerly united community. Who are these false teachers and what will become of them? They clearly identify themselves with their words and their actions. They are the ones who have perverted the Scriptures by justifying sin and excusing sexual immorality. They are condemning themselves to eternal fire and the blackest darkness. God reserves His punishment for them. Jude goes on to tell us what we should do about them. "Build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." I for one will pray for these false teachers and for those who have fallen victim to their lies. I will continue to rely on all of Scripture as the source of my faith and my beliefs. I will share the truth with those who would listen and pray that they embrace the truth about salvation. I will try to set a positive example so that my words may not be polluted by my actions. The Book of Jude is not the only place in Scripture to find these warnings about false teachers. The Bible warns us about them again and again. The question is: will we take notice? Will we heed the warnings? Will we recognize these deceivers when we hear them or read their words? There is an old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”. This could not be more relevant than when it comes to understanding God’s Word. The truth may be hard to understand and it may even be hard to accept, but truth is still truth. We can’t change God’s truth! The hardest thing about being a Christian is being convicted of your sins. But wait! The greatest thing about being a Christian is being convicted of your sins. Because, without conviction there can be no repentance and without repentance there can be no salvation.