STUDIES IN THE EPISTLE OF
LESSON 1
INTRODUCTION
It is thought by some that the epistle of
It should not be hard to understand any such relationship:
1. Both epistles are inspired writings of New Testament Scripture.
2.
3. There is no actual physical relationship between the two epistles, but they are addressed to the same people who have the same situation facing them.
4. Either one of the two men could have read each other’s epistles before writing their own but this is merely conjecture, and does not add or take away anything from either epistle.
5. The epistle
states explicitly that the author at first intended to write “concerning our
common salvation.” However, it appears that his purpose was suddenly changed by
some new stimulus that prompted an apologetic rather than a theological or
devotional work. (
6.
The author of the Epistle of James is no doubt the
brother of
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of
Like
There is
no clear indication within the epistle itself as to when or from where it was
written. It is thought that if
The reason for
It sounds like this error was a type of antinomianism, which made license out of liberty and which repudiated the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This heresy had gone so far from legalism that it observed no restraints and posed no fixed moral standards. It was idle intellectual speculation, accompanied by fancy oratory, with no duties attached.
In the heart of
Apostates enter upon a wrong way, rush headlong down that way, and perish at its end. The wrong way starts with wandering, ends with open rebellion (Vs 11.) The way of Cain contrasts with the way of Christ, the error of Balaam with Christ the truth, the perishing of Core (Korah) with Christ the life (John 14:6.)
The fourfold rule for
There is a threefold classification of unsaved persons (Vs 22-23) –
1. Some need compassionate tenderness because they have sincere doubts.
2. Some demand urgent boldness because they are close to the fire.
3. Some require cautious ministration lest their form of sin contaminate the believer and the church.
1. Introduction – Salutation Vs 1-2
2. Exhortation to Contend for the Faith. Vs 3-4
3.
The Necessity of Contending
for the Faith-Illustrated – Vs 5-16
4.
Charge to True Christians –
How to Contend for the Faith – Vs 17-23
5.
A
LESSON 2
1.
THE SERVANT OF
A. Servant:
“
1.
Whether or not
2.
3. The word servant is thus translated from several Greek words. Two of these are “doulos” which is an adjective signifying “in bondage.” Another word is “diakonos”, which is also translated as servant as well as “deacon” and minister.
Here it is interesting to note
that
4. I
believe he mentions his relationship to
B. Sanctified Ones:
“To them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in
1.
2 Thessalonians 2:13
“But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”
1
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of
2. Sanctification begins with conversion where
one is set apart in
Acts 26:18
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Romans 15:16
“That I should be the minister of
1 Corinthians 6:11
“And such were some of you: but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Hebrews 10:10
“By the which
will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Hebrews 10:14
“For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
3. Not only are God’s elect set apart in
The word “preserved” is the Greek word
“tereo”, which is used in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 –
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Here
4. Here are some Scriptures that show our
preservation or security in
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
“And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
“Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Psalms 37:28
“For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.”
5. The elect are sanctified in
The Greek word here translated called is
“kletos”, and means invited as in the “call of the gospel”
Romans 1:1
“Called to be an apostle”
Romans 1:6
“Among whom are ye also the called of
Romans 1:7
“…Called to be saints.”
Romans 8:28
“…The called according to his purpose.”
1 Corinthians 1:2
“…Called to be saints.”
1 Corinthians 1:24
“…Unto them, which are called”
Revelation 17:14
“They that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”
The Meaning of the Word-CALL:
Concerning the use of the word “call” –
“The Scripture clearly speaks of two
different calls. The first one in order of occurrence is known generally as the
outward call or external call. The following Scriptures refer to this call Isaiah
45:22; 55:6;
The other usage of the
word call is known as the inward call. Some theologians have different names
for these two calls, such as the general call and the efficient call. The
efficient call is the inward call where the sinner is regenerated, made alive
and enabled to trust
The following scriptures refer to the inward call-
Acts 2:39; Romans 1:6; 8:28,30; 9:11,24; 1 Corinthians 1:1,26; 7:15; Galatians 1:15; 5:8; Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:9; 3:9; 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3,10; Jude 1. Some of these scriptures, as has been indicated already, seem to allude to both the inward and outward call.
(
2.
THE SALUTATION OF THE
SERVANT: Vs 2
“Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.”
A. Mercy of God:
1.
The
2. The word “mercy” is translated from the Greek word “eleos”, which means the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of the recipient. And resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.
It is used of God who is rich in mercy-
Ephesians 2:4
“But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us.”
The extent of the resource of God’s love
is seen in the depth to which He went to provide salvation for his elect. (See
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
The verb “to be merciful” is seen in such scriptures as-
“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.”
God’s mercy is rooted in his attribute of love, and extended to us by His grace.
1
“Unto
3. “And peace” – This is soul-peace, the inward peace that all men lack who are not regenerated. This peace is given to us as we walk with the Lord in trust and commitment to the leadership of His Spirit.
The Greek word here is “eirene” which
occurs in each of the books of the New Testament except 1st
The meaning of the word-
a) It describes harmonious relationships between men-
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”
“Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.”
b) Harmonious relationships between nations-
“Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.”
“And
“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”
c) Friendliness-
“And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.”
“Let no man therefore despise him: but conduct him forth in peace, that he may come unto me: for I look for him with the brethren.”
“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
d) Freedom from molestation-
“When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:”
“Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.”
Acts 9:31 (RV- peace KJV-rest)
“Then had the churches rest (peace) throughout all Judaea and
Galilee and
“And the keeper of the prison told this saying to
e) Order in the State –
Acts 24:2 (RV peace – KJV quietness.)
“And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, (peace) and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence,
Order in the churches- 1 Corinthians 14:33
“For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
f) The harmonized relationships between God and man, accomplished through the gospel- Acts 10:36
“The word which God sent unto the children of
“And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.”
g) The sense of rest and contentment consequent thereon-
“And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.”
“And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”
“To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:”
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
“To all that be in
“And the way of peace have they not known:”
“For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
In certain passages this idea is not distinguishable from the last.
(From
4. “And love be multiplied”-
It should be noted that the word multiplied used here is not restricted to love but to the whole phrase, “mercy, peace and love.”
The word for love from the Greek as used here is, “agape” used in
the New Testament for the love of God. It shows God’s attitude towards His Son
and that of such as believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As well it is used to
convey His will to His children concerning their attitude one toward another
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12
“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:”
I Corinthians 16:14
“Let all your things be done with charity (love.)
2 Peter 1:7
“And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (love.)
Agape is used to express the essential nature of God-
1
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
God’s love is first displayed in the elect when the Holy Spirit- regenerates them
1
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
My friend do you know this love personally for yourself? Is
1
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
STUDIES IN THE EPISTLE OF
LESSON 3
EXHORTATION TO CONTEND FOR THE FAITH
Packed within this small letter is a keg of
spiritual dynamite. Here is a powerful exhortation for contending for the faith
once delivered unto the saints. The Christian faith needs no defense but it certainly
needs contending for. The basic difference being that to defend it is to take a
negative stand for it. To contend for the faith, we take its precepts to the
front lines and charge the enemies of God and
1. PURPOSE IN WRITING: Vs 3
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
A. Emergency: Vs 3
1. This letter is written to Christians, said to
be “beloved.” The people of
This love, if it is the agape love of God is binding. The New Testament gives a strong emphasis on the need to love one another. -
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
“These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Romans
13:8
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
1
Thessalonians 4:9
“But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.”
1
“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”
1
“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.”
1
“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.”
1
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”
1
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”
1
“No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
2
“And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.”
2. “When I gave all diligence to write unto you”-
My whole concern to write unto you is what
God’s word has much to say about our diligence. –
“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the diligent maketh rich.”
“The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.”
“Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”
“Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found in him in peace without spot, and blameless.”
See also Romans 12:8; Hebrews 6:11; 2
3.
In writing,
4. “Of the common salvation”-
The word “common” is the Greek word “koinos”, which means basically,
“belonging to several.” It has a reference to the ordinary or basic faith,
which they all had in
“To
5. The
common salvation then is what we have in
B. Exhortation:
“It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you” –
1. While
first intending to write only of the common experience of salvation,
By the word “needful” we see a necessity, but one that was urgently
needed. This was an emergency! There was a strong need for what
2. The word “exhortation” used here is the Greek word “paraklesis” which means, an appeal or entreaty, it is in fact a type of preaching -
“Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”
It is used of encouragement- Romans 12:8-
“Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”
“And
“And
3. There are two forms of exhortation; one is negative, that is, concerning things we do that are wrong and sinful. The other is more positive, in that we may mention the sin, but we put the emphasis upon the answer to the problem. Our exhortation ought to be beneficial, not to the ego of the exhorter but the life and soul of the one being exhorted.
4. There is a need today that will exhort believers to look to the Lamb of God, and that our God is able to deliver us. As well, sinners usually do not need to be told they are sinful or how sinful they are. They need to be told of the one who is the Savior of all who believe. The Great Shepherd of the sheep left the ninety-nine safely in the fold, and went out in search of that one lost sheep. After he had found him wounded in the thicket he picked him up in his tender loving arms and brought him back to the fold.
5. “That ye should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the
saints” – That is “in all earnest stand up for the faith”
The faith does not need to be defended, but it certainly needs
contending for. The faith is the embodiment of truth that makes up the
doctrines of God and
6. “Once delivered unto the saints” –
Once delivered (an no more added to by others) the faith is
complete. The faith was once for all handed down to the saints. Such writings
as the Book of Mormon, and the Keys to Scripture and all such writings depart
from this gospel faith and therefore are not to be considered as a part of it.
7.
2. PERSUADERS OF FALSE DOCTRINE: Vs 4
A. Disclosure:
“For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1.
“certain men” – Greek- “tis” –
particular men. The use of this indefinite pronoun “tis” signifies anyone,
someone, a certain one.
2. “Have crept”- They are already there in the midst with all of their malicious teaching. The Greek word is “pareisduno”, to enter in by the side (para, beside, eis, in) to insinuate oneself into, by stealth, to creep stealthily as used in Jed 4. (W.E. Vine.)
3. “unawares” unawares, without ones realizing they were there. Gaining entrance secretly by a side door.
4. The application here for us today is this: We need to be careful whom we allow into the membership of our churches. Usually these do not come in the front door by baptism. They come either by letter (erringly) from a church that is not of like faith and order, or in similar fashion by Statement of Faith. These are the three ways that Baptists permit or receive new members into their churches.
5. A third route could be through participation in ecumenism and pulpit affiliation. These avenues are dangerous to the faith and open a door to false doctrine and practice. That is how many churches got away from Baptist distinctives. It was in a strong adherence to interdenominational missions and mission boards. This is a solid reason for a strong emphasis on both Baptist distinctives and LOCAL CHURCH MISSIONS. It helps to keep out the doctrines that will lead us from being true churches and from a pure gospel to one that is false. This is not the only route to error but it is one that is prominent today.
6. “Who were before of old ordained to this condemnation”-
Their doom was predicted long ago.
The Greek word for “ordained” here is “prographo” and means, “were set forth or written of before.” This is not a reference to foreordination, although I believe they showed by their malicious ways that they were. They certainly could not be sheep gone astray. Secondly, all things are foreordained as God’s overall plan or purpose.
The same Greek word “prographo” is used in Galatians 3:1 as “set forth”-
“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes
“who were before of old ordained
to this condemnation; or judgment; meaning either judicial blindness of heart, they
were given up to, in embracing and spreading errors and heresies; so that these
are not casual things, but fall under the ordination and decree of God, which
does not make God the author of them, nor excuse the men that hold them; and
they are ordained and ordered for many valuable ends; on the part of God, to
show his power and wisdom; and on the part of truth, that it might be tried and
appear the brighter, and to manifest his people and their graces: or else
punishment is designed, even everlasting condemnation, to which some are
preordained of God; for this act of preordination respects persons, and not
mere actions and events; and is not a naked prescience, but a real decree, and
which is sure, certain, and irrevocable; is God's act, and springs from his
sovereignty, is agreeably to his justice and holiness; nor is it contrary to
his goodness, and is for his glory: the date of this act is "of old";
or as the Syriac version renders it, ayrwv Nm, "from the beginning";
that is, from eternity; see #2Th 2:13 Pr 8:22; for reprobation is of the
same date with election; if the one is from eternity, the other must be so too,
since there cannot be one without the other: if some were chosen before the
foundation of the world, others must be left or passed by as early; and if some
were appointed unto salvation from the beginning, others must be foreordained
to condemnation from the beginning also; for these words cannot be understood
of any prophecy of old, in which it was fore written, or prophesied of these
men, that they should be condemned for their ungodliness; not in #Mt 24:1-51,
in which no such persons are described as here, nor any mention made of their
punishment or condemnation; nor in #2Pe 2:1-3; for then the apostle
would never have said that they were "of old", a long while ago,
before written, or prophesied of, since according to the common calculation,
that epistle of Peter's, and this of Jude's, were written in the same year; nor
in the prophecy of Enoch, #Jude 1:14; for Enoch's prophecy was not
written, as we know of; and therefore these men could not be said to be before
written in it; besides, that prophecy is spoken of as something distinct from
these persons being before written, to condemnation; and after all, was a
prophecy referred to, the sense would be the same, since such a prophecy
concerning them must be founded upon an antecedent ordination and appointment of
God; the word here used does not intend their being fore written in any book of
the Scriptures, but in the book of God's eternal purposes and decrees; and the
justice of such a preordination appears by the following characters of them,” –
(John Gill Expositor.)
7.
“Ungodly men” – Men void of
God. Obviously the context warrants that we regard them as unsaved men, yet
outwardly religious and claiming to be
2
“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
“Ungodly”- Greek “asebes” – meaning, without reverence for God, not merely irreligious, but acting in contravention of God’s demands. (Vine)
An example of the use of the word ungodly is seen in-
“But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness.”
8.
These ungodly men are seen in their perversion of the Word of God
especially as pertaining to His grace.
B. Denial of Fundamental Truth:
“Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1. To say the least these men that crept into the churches were extremely liberal in their theology.
2. Turning the grace of God, making it something that it is not nor was intended to be. The grace of God is basically “unmerited favor.” These men were indeed evil and did not merely add to the grace of God, nor did they subtract from it. They completely obliterated it; they made it into something that was evil and sinful in its practice.
3. They turned the grace of God into “lasciviousness” – The Greek word is “aselgeia” which is to say, “excess, the absence of restraint, indecency, or wantonness. It also refers to lawlessness and immorality.
This is one of the evils of which the Church in
“And lest when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.”
In Galatians 5:19 this word is classified among the works of the flesh-
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness…”
See 2
4. “And denying the only Lord God” – This is much more than a verbal action, but rather is based upon their ways of lascivious living. In their living, they denied the only Lord God.
5. This verse says five things-
a) By their living they were in a state of denial.
b) There is only one Lord God, no other beside Him.
c) They denied the Lordship of Christ by their actions.
d) In denying the Lordship of Christ they denied God.
e) This denial was also of our Lord Jesus Christ.
6.
One cannot deny the deity of
7.
This then is the faith that
8. Make sure your life is contending for this faith, for there is no other.
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
STUDIES IN THE EPISTLE OF
LESSON 4
THE NECESSITY OF CONTENDING
FOR THE FAITH – ILLUSTRATED
INTRODUCTION:
In the preceding verses we have
learned that we ought to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
In the verses we will look at in this lesson, we will examine illustrations of
contending for the faith.
It is not enough to talk about
contending for the faith, we need to do it. Bible doctrines are not given just
so we might have a theological degree. The doctrinal side of theology is
useless without its practical application.
Let us now look at the
illustrations
1.
EXAMPLES OF GOD’S
“I
will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the
Lord, having saved the people out of the
And
the angels, which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day.
Even
as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving
themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth
for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
A. The Arraignment of
Apostate Teachers”- Vs 5-6
1.
2.
3.
“The Lord delivered a people out of the
God the Father, in His sovereign plan and purpose arranged for
(See Genesis 17-18) This covenant was one
of “grace” and of “race.”
4.
5.
CF 1
Corinthians 10:2
“And were all baptized unto
This example shows us that not all who claim to be
following God are true followers. They may even follow in baptism and church
membership.
6.
I believe that
Exodus
32:26
“Who is on the Lord’s side? Let him come unto me.”
Those who did not were destroyed. This is following the
idolatrous worship of the golden calf, while
Deuteronomy 11:6ff
“And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab,
the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and
their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their
possession, in the midst of all Israel:” (read the whole chapter.)
7.
The example shown here is first to the apostate leadership
that led those that followed to their doom. My friend, it certainly pays to put
God and His Word first and follow Him. Even the apostle
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of
B. The
“The angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great day.”
1.
The angels, “special messengers of God” who left their
first estate, did not care for, guard and hold to their own first place of
power (authority), God has reserved in custody.
2.
These are called throughout scripture, the devil’s angels
and as suggested in this verse are among those that fell. These angels and
their leader were defeated at the cross-
Colossians
2:15
“And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a
shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
They will finally be brought to judgment
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels:”
3.
This second illustration of the need to contend for the
faith is shown by the angels who abandoned their proper dwelling place. The
Bible shows that God puts strong emphasis upon the need to remain in the place
God has placed you. We have those who would change and abuse their sexual
orientation. God’s judgment on
Isaiah
24:5
“The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof;
because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the
everlasting covenant.”
Romans 1:23
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and
creeping things.”
Romans 1:25
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped
and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of
his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
2
Peter 2:4
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast
them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved
unto judgment;”
Read Revelation
chapter 9
Revelation
17:8
“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on
the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from
the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not,
and yet is.”
Revelation
20:10
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
C. The Application of
Shameful and Wicked Lives: Vs
7
“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in
like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange
flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
1. The
sins of
2. Our
own time is no different from then, in fact worse. The sins of
4.
Not only was this the case with the two cities of
5.
“Giving themselves over” – Gave up to the empowerment of,
or controlled by.
6.
“Fornication”- Sexual and spiritual impurity, uncleanness.
7.
“Strange flesh”- the indulging in unnatural vice and
sensual perversity.
8.
“Are set for an example”- laid out in plain sight as an
exhibit of perpetual punishment.
9.
“Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”- To warn of
everlasting fire that the wicked are sentenced to suffer.
(See Genesis
Chapter 19).
2. EXAMPLES
AND DESCRIPTIONS OF FALSE TEACHERS: Vs 8-16
A. Dreamers: Vs 8
“Likewise
also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil
of dignities.”
1.
These filthy dreamers are such which corrupt the body; they
scorn and reject authority and government. This is antinomianism at its height.
2.
“They speak evil of dignities” – They revile, libel and
scoff at heavenly glories, the glorious ones.
3.
This therefore is a word picture of the false teachers. It
not only draws a picture of them but also shows the end to which their teaching
goes. This picture is seen today in many ways, but its roots lie in religious
liberalism. Once one denies the Word of God and the deity of
B. Disputation: Vs 9-11
“Yet
But these speak evil of those things, which they know not: but what
they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Woe
unto them! for they have gone in the way of
1.
2.
We see three things here concerning angels:
a) We see
here that angels are named which shows us the idea of
individuality and personality.
b)
We see that there are different classes or orders of
angels,
The word archangel is used only twice in the New Testament, here and in
1
Thessalonians 4:16
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
“And in the sixth month the angel
The meaning of the word angel is simply, “messenger.”
c)
The angels are subordinate to the Lord.
All different classes of angels are subordinate to the Lord and are
always seen in a place of carrying out the purposes of God.
3. By the phrase
“the Lord rebuke thee” – see
“And the LORD said unto
The Greek word for Lord is “kurios” and used as an
adjective signifies having power or authority. As a noun it is used in several
ways and translated in the KJV as “Lord, master Master, owner Sir.’
4. Vs 10
– “But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know
naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.”
“But
these men revile, scoff and sneer at anything they do not happen to be
acquainted with and do not understand; and whatsoever they do understand
physically, that which they know by mere instinct like irrational beasts, by
these they corrupt themselves and are destroyed, perish” (A.B.)
Those
who close their minds to the truth of God’s word open them to all sorts of
falsehoods. They sneer at things they do not understand or can figure out
through the 5 senses. It is true that often times the more learned a man are,
the more dependent he is upon his own small brain and less if anything at all
dependent upon God.
It
is hard for a faithless man to be a man of faith. These are such that like a
beast operate by instinct rather than logic and most certainly not by faith.
4.
Vs 11 – “Woe unto them! for
they have gone in the way of
Woe unto them, a pronouncement of their end and ruin, and
for good reason.
a) They
have gone in the way of
b)
“And ran greedily after the error Balaam for reward”-
They sought reward for their faith and effort because they
were greedy.
The error of
(See Numbers
22-23, 31:8 and 2
“The
"error" of Balaam was that, reasoning from natural morality and
seeing the evil in
c) “And
perished in the gainsaying of Core” – (kore’ or Korah.)
The references is to the rebellion of Korah –
Genesis 4:3-8; Numbers 22-24; 16
“See Numbers 16- The sin of Korah was denial of
the authority of
God's chosen spokesman, and intrusion into
the priest's office.”
D. Dead in Sin: Vs 12-16
Having
used these examples,
“These
are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding
themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds;
trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the
roots;”
1.
These are spots, elements of danger or hidden reefs. These
are as stones of stumbling ready to sink your ship or cause you much hindrance.
2.
They are there in your feasts of charity, love feasts.
There they feast sumptuously upon your openness, gratitude and non-judgmental
attitude. They are without scruple, providing for themselves alone. They are
takers, not givers. Many are like that in our time as well. When I read this
verse I am reminded of a woman we had in our church that always came to our
suppers with a bag and containers ready to take home the leftovers. She brought
very little but was certain to take home much.
3.
“Feeding themselves”- out for themselves, with no love or
concern for anyone else. Ego centered hypocrites who care only for their own
self.
4.
“Clouds without water”- They appear to be givers but are
empty, void of water.
5.
“Carried about with winds”- They go wherever the wind blows
them. Here in our large city, there are some who belong to no church but go
wherever they might find a well-known speaker, musician or something
interesting. They are entertained but give little or nothing to the Lord’s
work.
6.
“Trees with poor fruit or none at all.” The suggestion is
that they are in this way at harvest time.
7.
“Twice dead, plucked up by the roots”- Doubly dead,
lifeless and plucked up by the roots. A tree dislodged from the soil will die
but the suggestion is that it was dead already, therefore doubly dead.
8.
Vs 13 – “Raging waves of the
sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness for ever.”
These are like wild waves of the sea, flinging up the foam
of their own shame and disgrace.
Wandering stars, detached from light and flowing aimlessly
in the darkness. These like the fallen angels are wandering stars for whom the
blackness of darkness is reserved eternally.
These are not backslidden Christians or mere lost sheep.
These are they who pretend to be sheep but are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They
are eternally lost apostates.
9.
Vs 14 – “And Enoch also, the
seventh from
“It was of these people moreover that Enoch in the seventh
generation from
These people in your midst are like the ones that Enoch
prophesied of as being here when the Lord returns with ten thousands of His
saints. This is referred to as a sign of the second coming of
10 Vs
15 – “To
execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of
all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their
hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
Here we have the reason for the Lord’s return with His saints-
a) To
execute judgment upon all. To convict all of the unsaved.
b)
To convince all who are
1.ungodly among them – Romans 5:12
2.of their ungodly deeds- Romans 6:23
3. which they have ungodly committed. Romans
3:10; 23
Ungodly men have ungodly deeds which they commit in an
ungodly way.
c)
Ungodly speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against
him. (The Lord.) This is an abusive soul-jarring thing, which ungodly sinners
have spoken against God.
11 Vs
16 – “These
are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth
speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of
advantage.”
A further description of these lost teachers in their midst-
a) Murmurers, complainers– Inveterate grumblers.
Those who constantly complain of their lot in life. My daddy used to call them
“bellyacher’s.”
b)
“Walking after their own lusts”- Who walk after the
dictates of their flesh.
c)
“Their mouth speaks great swelling words- Their talk is
boastful and arrogant. They claim to admire men’s persons and pay people
flattering compliments to gain advantage. To your face they agree with
everything you say and do. This they do in order to win you to their side and get
you in their grip. This is a false portrayal of the Person of Jesus Christ.
12. Thus we have an illustration of the sort of
false teacher we can expect in our churches. These were then found in the
churches of those to whom
This gives us reason to make sure of our own salvation and
then to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
STUDIES IN THE EPISTLE OF
LESSON 5
CHARGE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS
(How
to Contend for the Faith)
INTRODUCTION:
In our studies thus far we have learned
that we are to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. God’s
people are to be not defenders, but contenders of the faith that is in our Lord
Jesus Christ. Today we have very much a watered down gospel an Arminian gospel
of salvation by man’s own good deeds, rather than the blood of
Today’s lesson is a charge to true Christians and shows us how to contend for the faith, which was once delivered unto the saints.
1. SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION: Vs 17-18
A. Remember the Word: Vs 17
“But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the
apostles of our
1. This is spoken to the beloved, to those who are saved, thus true Christians.
2. This is a reminder, not of certain feelings or mere conditions that surrounded them. To remember is to keep in mind or memory. Their thoughts are not their own but are to go back to another time and place.
3. They are to “remember the words” – the Greek word here is “rhema”, which means “that which is spoken, what is uttered in speech or writing.
W. E. Vine says, “The significance of rhema as distinct from logos is exemplified in the injunction “to take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God,” Ephesians 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.” – (Ibid-Page 230)
4. At this point and time they probably did not possess too much of what we have today as the New Testament canon. However they were to remember what was taught by the apostles who of course were taught by Jesus Himself.
The meaning here is to allow the Holy Spirit to bring the basics of their Christian faith to their mind.
5.
The Christian faith is
grounded, not in the words of modern liberal theologians but in the faith of
Ephesians 2:20
“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
2 Peter 3:2
“That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior:”
“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
This is no doubt a reference to what
“He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”
6. Those converted on the Day of Pentecost are said to have followed in the apostles doctrine-
Acts 2:42
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
B. The Reality of the End Times: Vs 18
“How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”
1. The
teaching of the apostles concerning the last days is clear, especially from the
letters of
See 1
2.
Here
3. These scoffers are known by their fruit, “who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.”
The
word ungodly is used here for the fifth time in verses 15 and 18. Ungodliness
is a sign of the end times. This is not that men would not be religious, but
that they would be ungodly in their walk. Today, the ones who are the most
religious are also the most licentious. Have you ever noted that in
“Therefore if any man be in
4. Scoffers who seek to gratify their own unholy desires, following after their own unholy passions. They live lives that are ego centered and exalt man rather than the sovereignty of God.
2. SPIRITUAL SEPARATION: Vs 19-23
A. Sensual Separation: Vs 19-21
“These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
1. This is literally “agitators” setting up distinctions and causing divisions. Such were the Judaizers and the Gnostics. The former were covenant mixers, while the latter were mystical in their application of Christianity. Both were deviations from apostolic Christianity.
2.
There are many divisions in
Christendom today, many that are Biblical in their reason for separation. The
Word of God is clear on the need to be pure in doctrine but there are many in
history and they abound today, who would separate themselves for minor reasons.
Churches split over carnal reasons such as the divisions within the
1 Corinthians 1:10
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
1 Corinthians
1:13
“Is
1 Corinthians
11:18
“For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.”
3.
Separation that is not Spirit
led is sensual. Those who separate from the truth and yet want to maintain the
name of
4. The following scriptures suggest sensual separation-
Isaiah 65:5
“Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.”
Ezekiel 14:7
“For every one of the house of
Hosea 9:10
“I found
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
5. Separation not from sin and corruption but from the pure worship, ordinances, and discipline of God's house, by a perversion of them, and as being above them, or unwilling to be under any notice and government.
6. Vs 20– “but ye beloved”- You who are true Christians, saved by grace, not those who separate themselves sensually.
“Building up yourselves” – nurturing yourselves in building upon the true faith, which you possess. Our faith is the product of God’s sovereignty but it does not void our responsibility as Christians to feed on spiritual food.
Dr. John Gill has this note:
“Building
up yourselves on your most holy faith; some copies, and the Complutensian
edition, read, "our most holy faith"; meaning the doctrine of faith
in all its branches, which is holy, a most holy doctrine; which displays the
holiness of God, and is a means of beginning and increasing internal holiness
in the saints, and of encouraging and exciting them to external holiness of life
and conversation: this phrase, avydq
atwnmyhm, "holy faith", is in use with the
Jews {k}: and it becomes the saints to
build up one another upon this; the doctrine of faith, is a foundation to build
upon, particularly what regards the person, offices, and grace of Christ, and
is itself of an edifying nature; and they should not content themselves with
their present knowledge of it, but seek for an improvement in it; and though
they were passive when first built on Christ and his doctrines, and though ministers
are greatly instruments in building of them up more and more; yet they are
capable of building up themselves, and one another, by attending on the
ministry of the word, and by private conversation, with each other, and
particularly by
praying in the Holy Ghost; which is a special means of
increase and establishment in the doctrine of faith; the Holy Ghost is the
author and enditer of prayer, and an assister in it; without him saints cannot
call God their Father, nor pray with faith and fervency, or with freedom and
liberty.”
7.
Vs 21 – “Keep yourselves in the love of God”- Literally Guard
and keep yourselves in the love of God”.
The Bible teaches absolute
sovereignty, but this is NOT fatalism. God did not make us as machines that
turn on and off by a button. This is best illustrated for us by the apostle
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye
have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Dr. John Gill again has this note:
“Ver. 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God, &c.] By
which may be meant either the grace and favor of God, that love with which God
loves his people; and then the exhortation to the saints to keep themselves in
it is, to set it always before them, to keep it constantly in view, to exercise
faith on it, firmly believing their interest in it; as also to meditate on it,
give themselves up wholly to the contemplation of it, and employ their thoughts
constantly about it, which is the foundation of all grace here, and glory
hereafter; or to preserve themselves by it, for so the words may be rendered,
"preserve yourselves by the love of God"; against Satan's temptations,
the snares of the world, and the lusts of the flesh; whenever Satan solicits to
sin, and any snare is laid to draw into it, and the flesh attempts to be
predominant, saints should betake themselves to the love of God, as to a strong
hold and preservative against sin, and reason as Joseph did, #Ge 39:9,
for the love of God, and continuance in it, do not depend on anything that can
be done by men; nor is there any danger of real believers falling from it, or
losing it, since it is unchangeable, and is from everlasting to everlasting; or
else by the love of God we are to understand that love with which his people
love him and of which he is the object, #Lu 11:42; and then the meaning
of the exhortation is, that though this grace of love cannot be lost, yet,
inasmuch as the fervor of it may be abated, and the people of God grow cold and
indifferent in their expressions of it, it becomes them to make use of all
proper means to maintain and increase it in themselves and others; such as are
mentioned in the context, as conversing together in an edifying way about the
doctrines of the Gospel, and praying either separately or together, under the
influences of the Holy Spirit, and looking forward for the grace and mercy of
Christ unto everlasting life; all which, with many other, things, by the
blessing of God, may serve to maintain and revive the grace of love, and blow
it up into a flame: though perhaps this phrase may chiefly design that love,
peace, and concord, which ought to subsist among saints as brethren, and which
they should be careful to preserve; and may be called the love of God, just as
the same thing is styled the peace of God, #Col 3:15, because it is what
God requires, what he calls unto, which is of him, and is taught by him in
regeneration, and what his, love engages to, and without which there is no true
love to him; and he takes, love shown to his people as if shown to himself; and
this sense is favored by the context, both by the words in the preceding verse,
and in the following ones:”
Looking for the mercy of our
The mercy of Christ may be considered either as past, which was
shown in eternity, in his covenant transactions with his Father, in engaging in
the cause of his people, in espousing them to himself, and in the care of their
persons, grace, and glory; and in time, in assuming their nature, in his tender
concern for the bodies and souls of men, in bearing the sins and sorrows of his
people, in the redemption of them, and in their regeneration and calling; and
there is the present mercy of Christ, in interceding for his people, in
sympathizing with them under all their afflictions, in succoring them under all their
temptations, in suiting himself, as the great Shepherd, to all the
circumstances of his flock; and there is the future mercy of Christ, which will
be shown at death, in the grave, and at the resurrection, at the day of
judgment, and in the merciful sentence he will pronounce on his people; and
this seems to be designed here; the consequent of which, or what is annexed to
it, and in which it issues, is eternal life; which is not owing to the works of
men, but to the grace of God, and mercy of Christ; eternal life is in him, and
is given through him, and to his mercy should men look for it. Christ himself
is to be looked for, who will certainly come a second time; and eternal life is
to be looked for by him; and this is only to be expected through his grace and
mercy; and this is to be looked for by faith, in the love of it, with delight
and pleasure, and cheerfulness, with eagerness, and yet with patience.” (
8. We are to look for the mercy, which seems to
imply that which will come with the return of
B. Spiritual
Sympathy: Vs 22
“And of some have compassion, making a difference:”
1. With some people we need to show compassion making a difference between them and those who are reprobate.
2. The exhortation is to refute so as to convict some who dispute with you. With some have mercy who waver and doubt.
3. There is a lack of sympathy and empathy among many churches today. We separate ourselves from everything and everybody who will not agree with us on minute details. Then we blame world conditions and apostasy for lack of membership growth in our churches.
4. The Bible speaks much to us about the need for compassion-
“We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”
“Bear
ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of
Pharaoh’s daughter could hardly be regarded as a Christian, but God
used her to raise up
The story of the Good Samaritan is most notable in the New Testament. The Philippians jailor once converted is an excellent example of how we should show compassion.
5. As Christians we ought to learn to meet people where they are, not where we think they should be. Then and only then can we begin to take them to where we think they ought to go.
Only the Spirit of Christ with us can bring others to possess that same Spirit.
C. Spiritual Separation: Vs 23
“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
1. There is a time and place for spiritual separation. Usually this is a direct action of the church in discipline of a delinquent member. -
“For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
In
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my
spirit, with the power of our
To
deliver such an one unto
Amos 4:11
“I
have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew
1
Corinthians 5:11
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
1
Corinthians 15:33
“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”
2
Thessalonians 3:14
“And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.”
1
“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.”
Ephesians
5:11
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
2 Corinthians 6:14
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
2 Corinthians 6:17-18
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
2.
“Others save”- Oh but you ask,
how can any sinful human save anybody? Id not
First, the interpretation of this verse is concerning them that claim to be Christians yet are not to say the least sound in the faith.
But is not the church responsible in the saving of souls? To this I would answer yes in the following manner.
a)
b)
1.
Christ Himself is the light of
the world-
“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
2.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”
This is the occupation of the New Testament churches. The light of
the world is a witness to all men with the message of the cross. This does not
in the least indicate universal salvation. The church is a two-fold witness to
all men. The apostle
“For we are unto God a sweet savor of
To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
In other words, the elect or believers come to repentance and faith
through the preaching of the cross, the gospel of
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”
I believe very strongly in the absolute sovereignty of God, but I do not find God responsible for anyone going to hell. In this sense I do not use the phrase “predestined to hell.”
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
While God certainly predetermined all things, he did so in a way
that makes every man responsible for right and wrong.
c)
“And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
“But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in
Hardshell Baptists will not evangelize the world. They prefer rather to evangelize the missionary Baptist Churches. Missionary Baptists get their converts through preaching the gospel to every creature. Hardshells get their converts by proselyting Missionary Baptist Churches. They are parasites! They feed off the backs of others.
3.
“Meaning false teachers, who lead others into errors, and such as give themselves over unto sin, whether teachers or hearers, and who are obstinate and irreclaimable; even such as these, means should be used to save, if possible, by sharp admonitions and severe language; by denouncing the awful judgments of God, which threaten them; by inflicting on them church censures in a terrible manner; by declaring the terrors of the Lord, and of hell, and of everlasting damnation:”
4. “Pulling them out of the fire”- The fire of false doctrine and a direction that is leading them to perish in the fire of hell.
“Pulling [them] out of the fire; of their soul destroying doctrines, and of their filthy and unnatural lusts, and as it were out of the fire of hell, of which they are in great danger:” (Gill).
5. “Hating even the garments spotted by the flesh”-
“By which may be meant the conversation of those men, even their filthy conversation, which is to be hated, though their persons are not; but all ways and means should be used to save them; and this is one way, by showing a dislike unto, and a resentment at their wicked way of living, excluding them from church communion for it, and shunning all conversation with them. The allusion is not to garments defiled by profluvious persons, or menstruous women, as some think, but to garments spotted with nocturnal pollutions, or through unnatural lusts, which these persons were addicted to {l}. It was reckoned very dishonorable for religious persons, in the time of divine service, or on a sabbath day, to have on a garment spotted with any thing; if a priest's garments were spotted, and he performed service in them, that service was not right {m}; and if a disciple of a wise man had any grease on his garments (on a sabbath day), he was guilty of death {n}.” (Gill-ibid).
6.
We are to hate the sinful ways
of men but we are to love the sinner himself having compassion upon them,
endeavoring to lead them out of the depths of sin and into the have of rest in
And you my friend if you are not saved and you know yourself to be
lost. If the Holy Spirit is dealing with you today then the order is to repent
of your sins and believe the gospel. Trust in
STUDIES IN THE EPISTLE OF
LESSON 6
A
Introduction:
We come now to the last two verses of this
amazing little epistle.
What is a doxology? We sometimes ask our church to sing the doxology in our service of worship. It goes as follows-
Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise him above ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Amen.
In the Old Testament there is another
doxology given to the nation of
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee,
and be gracious unto thee:
the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee,
and give thee peace.
The meaning of the word “doxology” is
“Greek doxa meaning praise and logos meaning word” which then is literally, “a
word of praise.” It is used in various traditions in the form of a hymn or
sometimes chant. The angels used a doxology in announcing the birth of
Our Baptist Churches use the doxology to open a service of worship and sometimes as the benediction at the close of worship.
Other Scriptural doxologies or benedictions are found in-
“Now the God of peace, that brought again
from the dead our
21
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that
which is well pleasing in his sight, through
“Now our Lord
Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.”
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”
Some would differentiate between a doxology and a benediction, stating that the doxology leads into worship and is a hymn of praise, while the benediction is at the close of a service of worship and implores God’s blessing upon the participants.
However, the bottom line here is that praise and blessing belong to God. They come from God and are to be returned to Him by His creatures.
And now we look at our text, whether doxology or benediction, we bless Him who loves us and proved it in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ.
We will look at these last two verses under two headings -
1. The sovereignty of God
2. The Salvation of God.
1. THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD: Vs 24
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,”
Some might question finding the sovereignty of God in this verse.
However, we can find God’s sovereignty in almost every verse of the Bible. One
would have to be sovereign in order to achieve what
So we look at this verse under two sub-headings -
A. Ability of God to Keep one from Falling:
1. “Now
unto Him”- Honor is due unto God.
“But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior;”
1
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;”
2.
Man does not possess the
ability within himself to save himself. Otherwise we do not need a Savior.
As seen in the life of the three Hebrew men-
“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
As seen
in Hebrews 7:25
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
3.
“To keep you from falling” –
That is to keep you safe, to keep you upright without stumbling or slipping. To
keep you from digressing to your former state.
There are two words used in theology to describe the position of the
elect in
First there is our standing, that was
actually fixed in
Ephesians 1:4ff
“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
The apostle
“The blood of
W.E. Vine says, “to make clean, to cleanse from physical stains and dirt, as in the case of utensils, Matthew 23:25 (figuratively in verse 26); from disease, as of leprosy, Matthew 8:2; in a moral sense, from the defilement of sin, Acts 15:9; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 9:14; James 4:8; cleanse from the guilt of sin, Ephesians 5:26; 1 John 1:7; to pronounce clean in a Levitical sense, Mark 7:19 (RV); Acts 10:15; 11:9; to consecrate by cleansing, Hebrews 9:22-23; 10:2. (See purge, purify.)”
Only the blood of
The sinner, upon repentance and faith is justified which affects
their legal standing before God. One is then not only justified, but also made
clean through the blood of
The elect are called the children of God by faith in
Galatians 3:26
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in
That then is our standing, but then we have the second word used in theology-
Secondly there is our state, this has to
do with our fellowship with
This brings us back to 1
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
In verse 7
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
The word “cleanseth” (Greek katharizo) is here continuous action. In verse 7 we dealt with sins of the past, while in verse 9 we deal with sins of the present and future. This is then seen in the last phrase of Jude 24, which we will now look at.
B. Ability of God to bring us to where He is:
“And to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” –
1. God’s ability is not only to strengthen us, make us stable but keep us from falling; it is likewise able to bring us into His presence.
2. The word “present” is not as clear in English (KJV) as it is in Greek. The Greek word used here is “histeme” and not “paristemi” as used elsewhere.
Histeme means “to cause to stand, to set, and is translated “to present” in the KJV. The RV translates it more properly, “to set.”
The meaning here is that God’s ability will cause to set the
believer in
3.
“Faultless” – This is a hard
word for any of us to grasp the truth of. What does
The word faultless is used twice in the KJV. Here and in Hebrews
8:7 –
“For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.”
There is however two different Greek words translated “faultless” in the KJV. In the verse in Hebrews, the Greek word is “amemptos”, which means “without blame”.
Here in
At a quick glance there does not seem to be a vast difference in the use of these two words. However, when we take a look at them from the Greek and even within the KJV if we read it in context, we see some important differences.
a)
“Blameless” – (amemptos) -
means literally without blame. One can be blameless without being faultless.
b)
Without blemish” – (amomos) The
perfect affect of divine healing, every spot, and every blemish is healed. If
the standing in His presence has to do with the second coming of
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
For if we believe that
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
Philippians 3:21
“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
4. We will then be faultless or without blemish, and blameless (without blame) and this is because of the work of the Holy Spirit within us in time.
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
This is the work of God within His elect.
5.
This achievement will bring joy
to the heart of God as the believer is brought to stand in the glory of the
presence of His Son,
Revelation 20:12
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
1
“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.”
2. THE SALVATION OF GOD:
“To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
A. The Saviorhood of God:
1. “To the only wise God” – The one only God who is wise. There be many gods but there is but one true and wise God. Men make gods of wood and metal but not only do they not possess wisdom, they see not, hear not and talk not. In fact they do nothing. I can never understand the gods of the heathen, if they are good, they are good for nothing. Salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).
2. Before there was a sun or moon to worship, our God existed. Before there were stars to shine in the night, trees and rivers and mountains to transcend, our God was in existence. Before there were animals, birds, fished and men of various races, our God was there.
4. Let the Bible speak and set the record straight –
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
5.
1
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
It was in the wisdom of God that he established preaching as a means of reaching those whom he had chosen from eternity.
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
“But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”
“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,”
6. “God our Savior” –
1
“
1
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;”
“But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Savior;”
“Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.”
“But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,”
7.
God is said to be our Savior,
8. “Savior”- The angels declared Him to the shepherds-
“For unto you is born this day in the city of
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name
The prophets declared him-
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Isaiah 9:6
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
“To
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners,
9.
But
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Mark 1:15
“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the
There are some who teach that the gospel is not necessary for
salvation since the elect are saved from the foundation of the world. My friend
election is from the foundation of the world but in God’s plan of absolute
predestination the gospel is indeed necessary (in some form) for the salvation
of the soul. Otherwise, why did
1 Corinthians 1:21
“For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
Brethren let us not lose sight of the message of the gospel. Election is from eternity; salvation is in the realm of time.
Acts 13:26
“Men and brethren, children of the stock of
This does not mean we can save ourselves. The gospel is God’s word
and action on our behalf. True Biblical preaching is of the word of God and
that which the Holy Spirit uses to draw men to a saving knowledge of
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Man can never
take credit for his own salvation. Neither can we shun the gospel of
1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
For I delivered
unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
After that, he
was seen of
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
10
My friend let me ask you, Can
you believe the gospel? It is God’s message for all who will believe. It tells
us we are sinners and that
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
B. The Splendor of God:
“Be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.”
1. God not only ought to receive all of the glory but the Bible teaches that through His Son Jesus Christ He will receive all honor and glory.
1
“To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Revelation
1:6
“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
Revelation 4:11
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
2.
1 Corinthians 2:8
“Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
3.
The word “power” refers to
authority.
“For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”
Mark 1:27
“And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.”
“But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
4.
“Both now and ever” - Literally in time and eternity.
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of
And that every tongue should confess that
“Ever” is forever. In eternity there is no ending.
5.
This is a reminder to the
Christians to whom
6. Where do you stand my friend? Are you on the Lord’s side?
CONCLUSION: “Amen!”
This little word means, “So be it.” We are to count what
The following works were resorted to in the preparation of these studies:
1. Holy Bible, King James Version. (KJV)
2. Amplified Bible (AB)
3.
4. Word Pictures in the New
Testament-
5. An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W.E. Vine.
6. Layman’s English-Greek
Concordance,
7. The Greek-English New
Testament-
8. A Systematic Study of
Bible doctrine,
9.
10. Young’s Analytical
Concordance to the Bible,
11. The Epistle of
12.
13. New Testament Commentary,
14. New Testament Commentary,
16.
17. The New
18. American Baptist Hymnal, Bogard Press.
19. Peloubet’s Bible
Dictionary,
20. New Testament Survey,
If you are interested in other works written by D. Paul Tuck Sr. or books published by
Baptist Pulpit Ministries, please e-mail us at bpulpit@rogers.com