Day 354, Chronological Bible Study Timeline. Map. Go to today's Bible reading (use your browser arrow to return): Jude, 2 Peter
Preventing a Virus
To prevent a virus, we need to get enough sleep, eat right, take our vitamins, and drink a lot of water to stay healthy. However, even after following good advice, sometimes a virus still infects us.
In the early church days, Jude, a half-brother of Jesus Christ, and the Apostle Peter give warnings of apostates (false teachers). They are like viruses that can infect the church. There is a danger that they will sicken Christians and make them ineffective. One harmful virus can destroy their testimony. Beware—the same is true today.
Recognize the Dangers
Jude was eager to write about the salvation which he and his brothers in Christ shared, but he now feels it more important to warn them of apostasy,
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, (Jude 4, NIV).
In Jude and Peter’s day, these godless men were Gnostics (those who claim they had particular knowledge and revelation about angels). They will be later judged, but they said the danger to Christians is happening now.
Do we face the dangers of apostasy? Yes. We find them in cults and false religions, but false teaching can even slip into our Christian congregations. False spiritual leaders claim special revelations or insights apart from the Bible, speak with convincing authority, and seem genuine. Yet, they often question or deny Jesus Christ is who he said he was.
Truth is the enemy to apostasy
Jesus said he is the Son of God who came from heaven. He took on human flesh and died a sacrificial death for humanity to offer all of us salvation from sin and spiritual death (more...). Before he died and rose again, he declared to his disciples that “ I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ” (John 14:6, NIV)
False teachers deny this, saying there are many ways to God, and they also deny the Bible is the written Word of God. However, the Apostle Peter says he was an eyewitness to Christ and heard God from heaven approve his Son . Then the Holy Spirit moved and guided the Apostles in their writings of the Scriptures, not their own wills (2 Peter 1:16-21, NIV).
Danger Signs
The first dangerous sign of apostasy is people within the church leading others away from Jesus Christ and the truth of God found in the Bible . The Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God. Yet false teachers exchange it for philosophies, lies, and myths.
In Paul’s day, the Gnostics taught the mystical importance of angels. That teaching prevails , today. However, Paul says preachers and Christian teachers should be believers totally committed to God’s Word, the Bible, not seeking mystical experiences. More will be said about this in the book of Hebrews, coming up soon.
The second dangerous sign of apostasy is the attitude toward the teachings of God. Peter and Jude said false teachers mock and question them. This is the same attitude as that of the serpent in the garden of Eden. The serpent said to Eve, “Did God really say …?” (Genesis 3:1, NIV). False teachers will spiritualize the Bible or minimize it. They will claim it is an old book and doesn ’ t apply to our lives today, or they will pervert its teachings.
A third danger sign of false teachers is greed and sexual misconduct. Cults and false religions usually extract significant sums of money from their followers with little or no accountability. Their aim is to fleece their flock (followers) of money so they might live in luxury and immoral living. Most people wouldn’t know this without a thorough investigation.
Can this happen in our church? Yes, if we aren’t careful and alert. As a reasonable precaution, we should require transparency and accountability of our leaders and finances. People want to know they can trust an organization before they support it.
How do we prevent the virus of apostasy?
Jude encourages his readers “to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3, NIV).
How do we contend for the faith? Jude says,
But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear— hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh, (Jude 1:20-23, NIV).
We build ourselves up in our most holy faith by giving careful attention to knowing God and preserving the truth of the gospel of our salvation. We must train ourselves through the disciplined study of God’s Word to refute errors and not be drawn away by false teaching. Although it is profitable to know our enemy’s strategies, it is not enough. We must be strong in knowing God’s truth and practice it (2 Peter 1:2-8, 10b-11). We also need to be active in prayer because the Holy Spirit directs us in the ways of truth.
When apostates try to draw Christians away from their faith, some Christians will begin to doubt the truth. We must be patient with them and not harsh. We must snatch others away from false teachers and their harmful ways. God can keep us from falling, but we must be prepared and act in love toward our brothers who are in danger. God wants to use those who are strong in the truth to help protect the weak.
False teachers will mock us when we speak of Jesus Christ ’ s return to rule and reign. Jesus is coming back, however, no matter what they may say. How do we wish to be received?
Peter says to his readers, “if you do these things [build on your faith] you will never fall and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:10b-11, NIV). He has called us to himself. Will we be faithful?
Discussion
What are three danger signs of apostasy?
How can we prevent the virus of false teaching in our congregations?
Focus Verses
“Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:17b-18a, NIV).
*Note: James was Jude’s brother. James was a half brother of Jesus, which makes Jude also a half brother of Jesus. Notice Jude was humble. He did not say, “I am the brother of Jesus”— he said he was a “servant” of Jesus Christ (Jude 1).
Write a private prayer response to today’s Bible study:
My prayer response: Dear Father in heaven, you are holy and righteous. You don’t want us to be led astray by false teachers and preachers. Thank you for the warning signs. We know it is your wish that all will come to the knowledge of the truth, and you want that truth to be preserved.
Please provide the physical and emotional needs we pray about now. Also, give us wisdom and courage to deal with apostasy before it ruins us.
Forgive us for our sins if we have listened to them or led others to follow them. Help us forgive others who have been caught in cults, and help us restore them.
Lead us not away from the truth, for you are the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Please send your comments to me
Looking Ahead: Persecution and Apostasy are complex challenges to deal with. In the Apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he encourages him to Endure through it all and keep fighting. Find out how we should do this in our Next Lesson.
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