Lesson 8
Jude
Maintaining
the Faith Entrusted to Us
1:10. How these apostate F/T's often operate
But these men revile the things which they do not
understand
How do these
F/T's operate? and the things which they know by instinct,
like unreasoning animals
by these things they are
destroyed.
Observations:
1. Peter also makes
the same comparison as does Jude here between F/T's and animals. 2 Pet. 2:12
2. Both are saying
that these F/T's are the product of their own
rejection of truth and OSN lust pattern.
3. When someone
rejects God, Unbel'r the gospel; the Bel'r
BD; they open their soul to darkness
which further alienates them from God.
Eph. 4:17-19
a. neg. vol. leads to an emptiness, a vacuum; vs:17
mataio,thj( nonsense,
nothingness, emptiness (2P 2.18); as a
characteristic state of something speaks
of futility, frustration, purposelessness (RO 8.20).
b. Darkness in the
mind leads to hardness of heart; scar tissue being developed in the
conscience. 4:18-19a
c. The result is the
intensification of the pursuit of sin nature activity. 4:19b
4. Out of their
rejection of truth they manufacture empty, vain philosophies to justify their
pattern of life.
5. They continually
scoff at spiritual things, info, the things that they cannot understand. To
them BD, the Gospel is foolishness, 1 Cor.
- begins with a strong warning! Woe to them!
First Woe!
For they have gone the way of Cain,
2nd Woe
and for pay they have rushed
headlong into the error of Balaam,
3rd Woe!
and perished in the rebellion of
Korah.
Summary
1. Jude announces woes
on these false teachers and in doing so gives us 3 important characteristics of
apostate false teachers to be on guard for.
2. First
characteristic is that they have gone the way of Cain [Gen. 4:1-15]
- The characteristic,
that man's way, his own works and ability is sufficient to approach God, and to
have relationship with it.
3. Second
characteristic: the error of Balaam.
[Num. 22:21-31; 2 Pet. 2:15-16]
- for
the sake of monetary gain they distort and compromise truth; ends justify the
means, everything is done motivated by the buck
4. 3rd characteristic: perished in
the rebellion of Korah. Num. 16;
Psa. 106:16-18 summary [anatomy
of a conspiracy]
- B.L. is to reject or
seek to undermine legitimate authority.