- Joined
- May 13, 2025
- Messages
- 52
There’s no polite way to say it, false teachers are destroying souls, and God’s people must not sit by in silence. The book of Jude isn’t a soft whisper, it’s a battle cry. It was written to stir up true believers, to remind us that contending for the faith is not optional, especially when the gospel is under attack from within the walls of the church.
Jude wasn’t addressing minor doctrinal disagreements or secondary issues. He was confronting heretics, men who had completely abandoned the faith and were now trying to drag others with them. These weren’t outsiders. They had crept in unnoticed, pretending to be part of the body of Christ while spreading lies and perversions of grace. Jude calls them what they are: ungodly, condemned, sensual, and Christ-denying. And he commands us to take action.
“Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3)
The word “contend” means to struggle, to fight earnestly. This is not a call for passivity or compromise. We are not called to tolerate wolves in sheep’s clothing. We are called to expose them. False teachers are not just mistaken, they are dangerous. Jude goes on to describe them as “hidden reefs,” “waterless clouds,” and “wandering stars for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” These are strong words, but necessary ones.
This isn’t about being rude or arrogant. It’s about being faithful. The truth is not served by silence, and it’s certainly not preserved by sugarcoating it to make it more palatable to those already deep in deception.
“These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires, they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.” (Jude 1:16)
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)
These apostates are not interested in repentance. They’ve trampled the Son of God underfoot and made a mockery of His grace. The warning in Hebrews is sobering:
“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries... How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God...” (Hebrews 10:26-29)
Jude’s urgency should wake us up. He reminds us that even angels who rebelled weren’t spared, and neither were the people of Israel who fell into unbelief after being delivered. Even Sodom and Gomorrah stand as eternal warnings of God’s judgment on rebellion and sexual immorality.
We are not called to debate endlessly or appease heretics with niceties. We are called to speak the truth, clearly, boldly, and without compromise. The gospel is the only thing that can rescue people from error, and it must be proclaimed plainly, especially when deception is loud and shameless.
Jesus warned:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” (Matthew 5:13)
This is not a time for losing our saltiness. If we are silent while truth is trampled, we become useless. Jude calls us to a higher standard, one of mercy and boldness. Some we must rescue like snatching a soul from fire. Others we must confront with holy fear, hating even the stain of sin.
“But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.’ It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19)
We are in those days now. The scoffers are here. The wolves are among the flock. And the command still stands: Contend earnestly for the faith.
Let us not grow weary in this fight. Let us speak plainly, rebuke sharply when needed, and rescue those who can still be reached. And above all, let us never shrink back from standing for the truth of God’s Word, no matter the cost.
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy...” (Jude 1:24)
