Random Thoughts on Jude

Our Midweek Bible Study began with a bang last night at HCC.  What a great day & night!  We started off with the book of Jude.  So, I thought I’d share some random thoughts left over from my lessons.

1.  The word “keep” appears three times in the book (v 3, 21, 24).  We are kept for Jesus Christ, we are to keep ourselves in the love of God, and God is able to keep us from stumbling.  This word frames a tension in the the book.  On the one hand, since there is a danger of being swept away by false teaching, we are to keep ourselves close to God.  However, if we stay close to God, he is able to keep us from stumbling.  We do something and God does the rest.

2.  Jude urges his readers to “contend” for the faith in verse 3.  The image is one of an armed combatant fighting in a war.  We’re not to passively object for the faith.  We’re not to cower in fear as people trample on our faith.  We are to be like a soldier, fighting for truth.  Great imagery!  Too bad we rarely follow his advice.

3.  It is impossible to understand the book of Jude if you don’t know you’re Old Testament.  He uses numerous illustrations of judgment to prove his point that God does not or will not tolerate those who try to destroy the faith.

4.  Jude has been giving NT scholars ulcers for centuries because he quotes from the Pseudepigrapha.  (If you don’t know what the Pseudepigrapha, click here.)  Basically, Jude quotes from a very questionable source.  Personally, I think Jude was using a very familiar story that everyone knew to proved his points about judgment.  I compare it to a preacher using illustrations from fictional literature or even a movie. 

5.  As usual, the NIV does a great disservice in translating verses 20 & 21.  There really is only one command: KEEP yourselves in the love of God.  Three participles modify the command: building, praying, & waiting.  Jude confronts the real possibility of falling away by stressing the responsibility of each Christian to stay close to God.

So here are some application points from Jude…

1.  It is possible to get swept away by false doctrine. 

2.  Keep a critical eye on where your teaching comes from.  There is a very real connection between what someone teaches and how he/she lives.  This should serve as a warning against getting too much of our teaching from the television, radio, videos, or even internet.

3.  Staying close to God requires effort on our part.  However, if we stay close to God, he’ll keep us for Jesus.  That’s fantastic news!

God’s Patience or God’s Approval

This summer I preached through the book of Judges for our college ministry.  It was an incredible experience that taught me a lot about human nature and divine nature.  There is one particular story toward the end of the book that made me think about something.  The story is found in Judges 17 & 18.  It is the story of how the tribe of Dan to moved to a new territory and got caught up in all kinds of idolatry.  I won’t summarize the entire story, so why don’t you read it real quick.  Go ahead, I’ll get something to drink while you’re reading.

Okay.  Actually, I had enough time to get a drink and move the computer downstairs.

So back to the story of our Levite.  One thing that really got me about this story is this…It doesn’t take Einstein to figure out that idolatry is frowned upon by God.  There are plenty of literary clues throughout the story that demonstrates the author’s disapproval of this whole idol business.  However, there are several places in the story where the characters think that God is actually blessing them and their association with these idols.  While God had put a curse on the whole mess (See Deuteronomy 27:15), everyone in the story thinks that God is thrilled with it all.

• Mom thinks Micah is blessed for finally telling the truth (17:2)
• Micah thinks God will bless him now that he has his own priest (17:13)
• The five spies think God will bless them on their mission because the young Levite said so (19:6)
• The men of Dan tell their brothers that God will bless their capture of Laish (19:10)

My question is this…do we often confuse God’s patience with God’s approval?  Do we think that because God doesn’t strike us dead the instant we do something that He is really okay with our actions?  Is it possible that we mistake “success” in work, relationships, or ministry as God’s blessing, when in reality, He is just waiting patiently for us to repent and turn to Him?

Many times, we fall into the trap of thinking that external and temporary success equals God’s approval and blessing.  I think it is definitely possible to set your life on a course in faith or ministry that exudes success in every way, and still it under God’s curse because it is flawed at the foundation.  Our culture values sincerity over truth every single time.  The problem is that a person may be completely sincere and completely wrong. 

I remember one time going on a bike ride with three friends at a place that none of us had never been.  Eventually we became extremely lost.  All along the way, though, we were convinced that we were going in the right direction.  It took us a long time to correct all of the mistaken ideas that had led to our being lost.

Which brings me back to my first question.  Do we often mistake God’s patience with His approval and blessing.

Quantum Observation #3: Incorrect Individual Measures of Discipleship

Jesus calls us be disciples of His.  The Gospels tell the story of how Jesus called people to follow Him.  The book of Acts tells how those followers led the church in taking the gospel to the world.  The Epistles deal with the questions of what a disciples should know, feel, and do.  The final words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew are called The Great Commission.  “Go therefore into all the world and make disciples.”  The primary task that Jesus charge his follows with was making more disciples.

One issue that has been debated ever since is the question of measuring discipleship.  How can we tell if we are indeed fulfilling the Great Commission?  How can we tell if we are personally growing as a disciple and how can we measure our effectiveness in making more disciples?  These are great questions that have very slippery answers.  I believe that everyone (both individually and corporately) either consciously or unconsciously measures discipleship.  Unfortunately, these measurements may give a false impression concerning our own spiritual development. 

The measures that we use for discipleship may be very good things, and may be demonstrated in the Bible as essential characteristics or actions of a disciple.  However, I see five incorrect individual measures of discipleship.  The items in this list aren’t necessarily bad, they just are never used in the New Testament as measures of a disciple.

1.  Bible Knowledge
The Bible is very clear that knowledge of Scripture is absolutely essential to our initial conversion and also to our subsequent growth as a Christian.  However, the Bible never uses Bible knowledge as a measure of a disciple.  I’m reminded of the Pharisees in the Gospels.  They knew the Old Testament inside and out.  Their knowledge, though, did not lead them to being a disciple of Jesus.  While a growing knowledge of the Bible is certainly a characteristic of a disciple of Jesus, it is not the measure of it.  I have dozens of books in my office that are written by brilliant people who know a tremendous amount of Bible.  However, they are not disciples of Jesus.  They treat the Bible strictly as an academic enterprise.  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, “Knowledge puff us.”  Simply knowing the Bible is not a valid measure of discipleship.

2.  Perceived Spirituality of Others
One of the most dangerous things that a Christian can do is compare themselves with others.  We see someone else and think, “I don’t do THAT, so I’m a better Christian than they are.”  We may see another person and think, “They don’t do THIS, so they must be a better Christian than I am.”  The danger with comparing ourselves with others is that we only see external actions and not the attitudes of the heart.  Any comparison to someone else is incomplete and invalid.  Also, we are never called to rank ourselves with others.  Using the perceived spirituality of others, though, is not a valid measure of discipleship.

3.  Personal Morality
“I’m basically a good person, so I must be a good Christian.”  Should a Christian be moral?  Of course.  However, the Bible never uses our personal morality as a measure of discipleship.  Being moral isn’t the same thing as being a Christian, though.  Morality isn’t necessarily tied to a particular religion.  You can probably find someone from every religion who is a very moral person.  Using morality as a measure of discipleship easily slips into salvation by works.  We begin to think, “As long as I avoid prohibited activities, I’m in good standing with God and I’m a devoted follower.”  While morality is certainly expected of a disciple of Jesus, it is not a valid measure of discipleship.

4.  Christian “busyness”
The temptation to fill our days with what I call “Christian busyness” is ever present today.  We have classes, groups, events, services, activities, etc. that all revolve around the church or church people.  Are these things bad?  Are you kidding?  They’re all great.  The problem is that we begin to think that staying busy doing with Christian people at Christian activities and classes (even Bible studies!) is a measure of discipleship.  Some of the most unchristian behavior I have ever witnessed came from people who are constantly busy at church every time the doors are open.  While classes, services, activities, etc. are good things for a Christian to be engaged in, they are not the measure of discipleship.

5.  Church Membership
Many people may regard church membership like paying lifetime dues at the country club.  Once we’re in, we’re covered for life.  Unfortunately, that isn’t a biblical concept of church membership.  Is church membership bad?  Absolutely not!  The New Testament clearly teaches that you cannot be a disciple apart from the church.  The Christian life meant to be lived in community.  In fact, you cannot fulfill the teaching of the New Testament apart from other Christians.  However, simply being a member of a church is not a measure of discipleship.

Christians face the temptation to replace a biblical concept of discipleship with ideas like these.  If these are incorrect measures of discipleship, what are correct measures?  You’ll have to wait for another Quantum Observation to find out (or just read the New Testament and find out for yourself!)  As always, let me know what you think.

Protection

Our culture is obsessed with protection.  Think about the lengths we go to in order to protect ourselves from germs, disease, dirt, sunburn, identity theft, water, bugs, etc.  Basically, as a culture we view virtually everything as a potential threat to our health, happiness or security.  We really want to protect ourselves against tangible enemies (roaches, terrorists, UV rays, germs, etc.), but we give little thought about intangible enemies: ideas.

It is absolutely amazing how many verses in the New Testament warn against false doctrine and teaching.  Time after time, we are warned about protecting the integrity of Jesus’ teachings.  Our culture, though, preaches tolerance in every arena.  It is definitely not politically correct to label anything as wrong or heretical. 

We have to be careful about what we label as false teaching, though.  Everyone who does not agree with you 100% of the time is not necessarily a heretic.  There are many points of Scripture where there are legitimate differences of opinion.  There are also points of doctrine where brilliant scholars through history have disagreed.  These are not necessarily false doctrines.  Traditionally, false doctrine has been ideas that compromise the essential core of Christianity: the trustworthiness of Scripture, the nature of God, and the person of Jesus.

So how can you protect against false doctrine if you don’t have a Ph.D. in theology?  First, you need to know what correct teaching is.  It is impossible to identify a counterfeit if you don’t know what the original or authentic looks like.  Those who get caught swept away by false teaching typically don’t have a strong grasp of what the Bible actually says.  Second, you can spend time trying to understand other teachings.  It is difficult to enter a dialogue with someone who has a different viewpoint than yours if you don’t understand their position.

Romans 16:17; Colossians 2:8; Hebrews 13:9