Wayne's World...(21June08)

Some thoughts to bear in mind when reading Jude.

Some people use this book to counter the current preaching of grace. I'm not sure that this as the purpose of Jude.
The current preaching of Grace is by godly men who love Jesus, and is believed by spirit filled chiristians who bear positive fruit, and live holy, godly, upright, self controled lives...as in Titus 2.

What is Jude about?
Gnostics had slipped into the church and were releasing a heracy in the church. Evil men. Jude exposed them,warned against them, and encouraged the church to continue being lead by the holy spirit, rather than to fall into this heracy.
4For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly 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.

What were/are Gnostics.

A heretical belief system.
Main beliefs were that:
- there is no such thing as sin, instead the body was evil, and therefore harsh treatment of the body was encouraged
- they denied that Jesus appeared in the flesh
- spirit is entirely good, and matter entirely evil
- salvation is achieved by escaping the body, not faith in christ, but rather special knowledge
- christs humanity was denied
- they were unsaved (and therefore clearly not speaking about you if you have the spirit in you.)
Also this message was preached by those who dont have the spirit in them, again the ungodly and unsaved. They deny christ as the only soverign and lord.

Jude 19 (do not have the spirit NIV study bible note : pg 1962
"not the spirit" Jude denies that they even possess the spirit. A person who does not have the spirit is cleary not saved (rom 8:9)"

Verse 20 of Jude says, "but you friends...". The people Jude was written to were saved. Unsaved heritics were slipping in. Jude warned against them, and encoured them to "be in the Holy Spirit"

Again NIV study bible page 1961

"in the Holy Spirit...According to the Spirits promptings and with the spirits power.( Rom 8:26-27 Gal 4:6 Eph 6:17-18 and notes)"

We are not to be lead away from the Holy Spirit by ungodly men, to another Gospel preached by unsaved people. Instead we are to be lead by the Holy Spirit, in truth. Jude 24 then reassures us that Jesus will help us in this life and present us faultless and with great joy before the Father.

11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

So it's easy simply examine the fruit, if its good, the tree is good.

Please feel free to dissagree/critisise/debate/discuss/correct this...

Wayne

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism
Gnosticism (Greek: γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge) refers to a diverse, syncretistic religious movement consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect god, the demiurge, who is frequently identified with the Abrahamic God. The demiurge may be depicted as an embodiment of evil, or in other instances as merely imperfect and as benevolent as its inadequacy permits. This demiurge exists alongside another remote and unknowable supreme being that embodies good. In order to free oneself from the inferior material world, one needs gnosis, or esoteric spiritual knowledge available to all through direct experience or knowledge (gnosis) of God.[1][2] Jesus of Nazareth is identified by some Gnostic sects as an embodiment of the supreme being who became incarnate to bring gnosis to the earth. In others he was thought to be a gnosis teacher, and yet others, nothing more than a man