The age of (extreme) grace
Insulting
the spirit of grace
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Falling from your secure position
The
author of Jude’s epistle is generally thought to be a brother
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and was not considered an apostle. But
let’s
first consider what he wrote before looking at the apostle's warning.
Jude 4 For 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.
At the
time of Jude there were godless men who through their teaching changed
the grace of God into a license for immorality. According to
Jude, this was equivalent to denying Jesus Christ our only sovereign
and Lord. The Greek word for "deny" is arneomai and
also carries the meaning "to contradict." These godless men
contradicted what Jesus Christ taught. By corrupting the grace of God
through their teaching, they presented a different gospel and a different Jesus. Even though they still "believed" in Jesus, they effectively
denied Him---our only Sovereign and Lord.
Now
for the apostle's exhortation
Let's
keep in mind Jude's words above as we now consider
the exhortation from Peter, an apostle of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge
of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything
we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called
us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his
very great and precious promises, so that through them you
may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused
by evil desires.
Through
our knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, we have been given everything
we need for life and godliness. We
can become partakers
in God’s nature and holiness and escape from the world’s
corruption.
2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make
every effort to add to your
faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control;
and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;
7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,
love.
We are to add to our faith the qualities of goodness, knowledge, self-control,
perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. Why is it necessary
to make every effort to develop these qualities?
Qualities
as the outward evidence of our salvation
2 Peter 1:8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,
they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By possessing these qualities in increasing measure, we can become
effective and produce good fruit for the Lord Jesus Christ. Without
this fruit, we will be cut down and thrown into the fire (Luke 3:9;
John 15:5-6). In order to be saved, it is necessary that we produce
good fruit.
2 Peter 1:9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and
blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
Any Christian who does not have the listed qualities is blind, and
has effectively forgotten that his sins have been forgiven. This does
not bode well for that Christian.
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to
make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you
will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The apostle
urges us to make our calling and election sure by possessing the
listed qualities in increasing measure, ensuring
that we will never
fall. Conversely, if we do not possess them, our calling and election
might not be sure and there is the possibility that we could fall.
Whatever “falling” might mean here, it is definitely not
good---regardless of our position on the issue of “eternal security.”
False
teachers among uss
2 Peter
2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as
there will be false teachers among you. They
will secretly introduce
destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought
them—bringing
swift destruction on themselves.
What destructive
heresies will these false teachers introduce? The apostle says that they
will deny the sovereign Lord who bought them. According to Jude's
teaching above, godless men had slipped in among the believers and changed
the grace of our God into a license for immorality and denied Jesus
Christ
our only Sovereign and Lord.
Peter
is therefore referring here to the destructive heresy of changing
the grace of God into a license for sin and immorality. He prophesies
that
such
false teachers will also be among us to introduce the same destructive
heresy. They will deny and contradict what Jesus
Christ taught. In Matthew 5:29, Jesus said, "If your right eye
causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for
you to
lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown
into hell." And in Matthew 5:48 he said, "Be perfect, therefore,
as your heavenly Father is perfect." Peter himself quoted the
Lord's words in 1 Peter 1:16---"for it is written: 'Be holy,
because I am holy.'”
Today
there are many who essentially teach that because of God’s “unconditional” love
and grace through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, believers
can sin at will and be forgiven by God as long as they confess their
sins. They do not need to live holy lives. There will be no eternal
consequence at all for their practice of sin. Because of God’s
grace, they can effectively sin with impunity. In this way these
false teachers effectively change
the grace of God into a license for sin and immorality.
2 Peter 2:2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the
way of truth into disrepute.
Many Christians
today believe these false teachers, and live lives little different
from unbelievers in the world. They have
brought the Way
into disrepute. As just one example, the divorce rate in the Church
is similar to the divorce rate in the world. We might also add unmarried
"Christian" couples who live together in sin. “Christianity” is
seen to be just one of many different religions, having a form of
godliness but lacking any real power to transform sinners.
Greed
and "spiritual warfare"
2 Peter 2:3 In
their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories
they have made up.
One identifying
mark of some of these false teachers is greed. They exploit us by
teaching that by grace God will bless us in every way and
make us millionaires. And this will happen especially when we learn
to sow generously---especially into
their ministries and enable them to enjoy lavish personal lifestyles.
2
Peter 2:10a This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt
desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
Even though some of these false teachers may appear outwardly successful
and even appear on Christian TV, there is sin and darkness in their
personal lives.
Read
a personal testimony
2
Peter 2:10b Bold
and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11
yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful,
do not bring slanderous
accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12
But these men blaspheme in matters they
do not understand.
Some of
these false teachers today may be bold and arrogant and not afraid
to slander celestial beings in the heavenlies. The Greek word tolmetes translated
"bold" here in the NIV means
literally "presumptuous." The Greek word authades translated
"arrogant" here means "self-willed." The
word “slander” in
the Greek is blasphemeo, and means to speak impiously of
or to revile. Could it be that some of these false teachers also
promote the presumptuous and unscriptural practice of “spiritual
warfare” in
which we are to rebuke and drive out powers, principalities, and territorial
spirits from geographical regions? Could such a practice actually approach
blasphemy?
Jude echoes
Peter in his eponymous epistle: "In the
very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority
and slander celestial
beings.
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the
devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous
accusation against him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!' Yet these
men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and
what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these
are the very things that destroy them. Woe to them! They have taken
the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s
error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion." (Jude
8-11)
Jude
likens these presumptuous and self-willed teachers to Korah and
his followers in Numbers
16 who
presumed to take the priesthood upon themselves in their rebellion
against Moses and Aaron in the desert, and were destroyed. We also
must take care not to go beyond what is written in God's word.
"Spiritual Warfare" is
not necessary for effective evangelism
Friendship with the World
2 Peter 2:14a With eyes full
of adultery, they never stop sinning;
they seduce the unstable;
The word
adultery here is essentially the same word used in James
4:4 to refer to people who are friends of the world: “You adulterous people,
don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred
toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes
an enemy of God.” These hypocritical teachers love the world.
They seduce unstable and gullible Christians into giving offerings
and financing their ministries and celebrity lifestyles.
2 Peter
2:14b …they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow
the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he
was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who
spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
Balaam, the hired gun (prophet)
Balaam
of course was the Old Testament prophet for hire. Similarly, false
teachers will be delighted to minister for a hefty fee. If you
invite them to minister in your church, you will generally find their
financial requirements exorbitant, including first-class airfare plus
luxury hotel accommodations. (But if they can bring the crowds along
with their offerings into your church, why not? You will still come
out ahead.) They
are experts in greed.
2 Peter
2:17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm.
Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
18 For they mouth
empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful
human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who
live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves
are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has
mastered him.
The false
teachers entice new or unstable Christians with promises of blessings
and financial freedom. “Give, and it will be given
to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over,
will be poured into your lap.” Unfortunately, here in Luke 6:38
Jesus is not referring to finances, but rather to forgiving others.
All of it will be burned up
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens
will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire,
and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything
will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward
to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction
of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
In view of the upcoming great and dreadful day of the Lord, we are
not to love the world and the things in it (1 John 2:15). Rather, we
are to live holy and godly lives in this present life. We are to put
our hope in our reward in the age to come where we will dwell in the
new heaven and the new earth.
2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward
to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
Actual righteousness, not just imputed righteousness
2 Peter 3:14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward
to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace
with him.
Since
we are looking forward to our home in the new heaven and new earth,
we are to make every effort to be found spotless
and blameless. This does not refer only to the “imputed righteousness” which
comes by faith in Christ at the outset of one’s walk with the
Lord, but also to the actual and practical righteousness which comes
by growing in faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance,
godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
Another apostle
2 Peter
3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience
means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with
the wisdom that God
gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in
them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard
to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they
do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Paul was
given much revelation about the grace of God. This is most evident
in his epistle to the Galatians. However, ignorant
and unstable
people distort his writings to their own destruction. The word unstable
here also means “vacillating”, as in vacillating between
obeying the Lord and loving the world. The teachers who distort Paul’s
teaching on grace will change the true grace of our God into a license
for immorality and loving the things of the world. This will bring
destruction to them and to those who accept their teaching.
Instead,
we are to bear in mind that our Lord’s patience in
delaying His Coming (so to speak) means salvation. We have
time to repent of loving the world and to obey God’s holy commandment.
We still have opportunity to get our lives in order before the great
and dreadful Day of the Lord.
Falling from your secure position?
2 Peter 3:17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this,
be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of
lawless men and fall from your secure position.
The
apostle urges us to be on our guard against the error of false teachers
who
take advantage of God’s grace and do not obey His
commandment to live in holiness. If we are not on our guard, we can “fall
from our secure position.” Here is an apparent oxymoron. If our
position is secure, how is it that we can fall? The answer is that
we are secure
only if we continue to grow in the qualities
of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness,
brotherly kindness, and love. The true grace of God enables us to possess
these qualities in increasing measure and to walk in holiness. This
is true regardless of our particular understanding of the meaning of "falling
from our secure position."
Whatever our
position on the question of “eternal security”,
it is clear that the outward evidence of our salvation consists of
these qualities and of the visible fruit which they produce in our
lives.
2 Peter 3:18 But
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
When we
grow in the true
grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we will have everything we need for life and godliness. We will be
able to participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption
in the world caused by evil desires. We will increase in those qualities
emphasized by Peter, and become like the Lord.
Wrapping up, back again to Jude
Jude 24
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before
his glorious presence without fault and
with great joy— 25
to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen.
Yes, God
is able to keep us from falling. There is of course a condition---we
must do our part. We must grow in the true grace and knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who follow false teachers will be left
with “cheap” grace which cannot save and which will leave
them in the mire of sin and immorality. Since they have essentially
denied and contradicted Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and
Lord, they will be left with another, pale imitation "Jesus" who
cannot save them.
The
age of (extreme) grace
Insulting
the spirit of grace
Other articles | Featured
essays