Hey Jude . . . the end

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh."  Jude, verses 20-23

I love the way Jude concludes his letter.  He's been kind of a downer so far, hasn't he?  He's a thinker, kind of deep, and he has a passion for the church.  He's maybe even a worry wart - warning, pleading with the church to be on guard, to be careful. 

Jude isn't the only New Testament author with this warning.  His letter is identical to 2 Peter chapter 2 - in some cases nearly word for word!  (No, no, it's not plagiarism.  Scholars assume that one of them used the other's text as reference.  It's not clear to me which book was written first.) 

Jesus also spoke caution, warning of the devil's influence and infiltration in John 10:  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (verse 10).  So we know how important it is that we - the church - be careful and alert.

How do we recognize false teachers?  The best way to know falseness is to know truth.  And our truth comes from the word of God.  The first step, therefore,  is to accept that the Bible is truth.  You really can't go any further until you accept this as fact.  The next step, logically, is to study the Bible.   Seek out truth for yourself.  Don't settle for someone else's interpretation of truth - you must know it yourself to live it.  (That's not to say that we don't need the explaining and teaching of those who are called by God to preach His message.  We do!  I'm just saying don't stop there.  Listen, and then follow up and read for yourself.)  And then you will be able to distinguish if that interpretation as false. 

I remember having a class on religious studies in college.  I knew that it was an examination of all religions of the world, and so I went in expecting it to be theologically diverse.  But I was excited on the first day to learn that the teacher was also a Methodist pastor.  I couldn't wait to hear what he said.  Imagine my immense surprise when this minister said that although he believed most of the Bible was true, he just couldn't believe the fact of the virgin birth.  (!!!!  I could go on and on and on . . . !!!!) 

I wondered, how did he get to decide that some parts of the Bible were true and some weren't?  Would he feel the same way if a murderer decried punishment because he or she had decided that the "Don't murder" commandment was wrong?  Geesh. 

I'm digressing.  The third step is to thoughtfully and prayerfully probe a teacher's heart.  Jesus said in Matthew 12:33, "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit."  There is no way we have the ability to inspect the fruit of teachers, preachers and religions if we do not know how to inspect their fruit.  And that again take us back to knowing the word, and studying its truth.  Again in Matthew, this time in chapter 7, Jesus warns us in verses 15-16:  "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?"   

A teacher whose heart pours out gossip, slander, lies, attitudes -- those are thorns.  You don't pick yummy, juicy, sweet tasting grapes from a thorn bush.  You get thorns from a thorn bush.  So any teacher who, upon inspection, does not posses Christ-like attributes should be a concern!  We all have weaknesses, but a Christian is consistently allowing God to perfect those weaknesses.

The final step is to continually put God first, never a teacher, preacher, or pastor.  As Jude says in the verses below, only God is our savior.  He alone deserves glory, majesty, and power.  He alone is the authority.  Anyone who tries to lead you to putting their teaching before God's is a danger.  Pray for them, try to confront them and lead them back to their first love, but if they do not accept your gentle reproaches - stay away from them.  

Look, again, there's nothing to be afraid of if God is on your side.  Look at these last two verses:    "To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen".

When we focus on God, not man, we are not led astray by false teachers - HE keeps us from falling.  Can I get an amen??  I know you can do it!