On My Mind...
I just feel so “out of step.” It is easy to think, “It must just be me” because everyone else seems to be fine with things. When I look around, I see things that cause my blood to boil and makes me feel as if my head is going to explode while others seem content with the status quo. I was just talking about this last week at my club, “The Old Curmudgeon Society.” I really don’t want to be that way. I don’t want to be the cranky old man who complains about everything and yet I can’t just turn a deaf ear or a blind eye to error and distortion of the truth and do nothing. Biblical faithfulness demands that we guard the truth, that we, in the words of Jude, “Contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints.” In the process of contending we must also be aware of our own tendency to drift into error. We must remain ever vigilant concerning our own weakness and failings. Put simply, biblical faithfulness has a dual focus. It is both inwardly and outwardly focused.
In our struggle to be biblically faithful we must focus on both the need to warn the ungodly of their sure and certain judgment and the need to guard against our own subtle drift into ungodliness. I certainly hope that you are not so arrogant as to believe you are above such a drift. That such a thing could never happen to you. We are, after all, the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. Yet, sons and daughters touched by the grace of God. What Jude makes clear in verses 14 and 15 is that it is the Lord who judges that everyone will be judged and that He will convict all the ungodly. What may surprise you is his description of the “ungodly.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage (16). Most of us wouldn’t consider these “big” sins. They are more like what we commonly find in church. Exactly! We tend to dismiss these, “Oh, she’s just a complainer.” “He’s just a grump.” Jude says these folks are ungodly. In essence say, “Don’t join the grumblers. Run away from the fault finders. That’s not the crowd you should be running with.
Which brings us to the second concern, guarding our hearts against the subtle drift into ungodliness. As Paul warned the Galatians, “Scoping yourselves so that you do not fall into the same error (6:1).” As the people of God, we have a responsibility to pass on the faith once and for all entrusted to us. That demands that we warn the ungodly while remaining vigilant against our own tendency to fall into sin. By God’s grace may we be found faithful.
Have a blessed week, and I will see you Sunday!
Rod
In our struggle to be biblically faithful we must focus on both the need to warn the ungodly of their sure and certain judgment and the need to guard against our own subtle drift into ungodliness. I certainly hope that you are not so arrogant as to believe you are above such a drift. That such a thing could never happen to you. We are, after all, the fallen sons and daughters of Adam. Yet, sons and daughters touched by the grace of God. What Jude makes clear in verses 14 and 15 is that it is the Lord who judges that everyone will be judged and that He will convict all the ungodly. What may surprise you is his description of the “ungodly.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage (16). Most of us wouldn’t consider these “big” sins. They are more like what we commonly find in church. Exactly! We tend to dismiss these, “Oh, she’s just a complainer.” “He’s just a grump.” Jude says these folks are ungodly. In essence say, “Don’t join the grumblers. Run away from the fault finders. That’s not the crowd you should be running with.
Which brings us to the second concern, guarding our hearts against the subtle drift into ungodliness. As Paul warned the Galatians, “Scoping yourselves so that you do not fall into the same error (6:1).” As the people of God, we have a responsibility to pass on the faith once and for all entrusted to us. That demands that we warn the ungodly while remaining vigilant against our own tendency to fall into sin. By God’s grace may we be found faithful.
Have a blessed week, and I will see you Sunday!
Rod