One of the shortest books of the Bible is one of the most important books, especially in today's modern world. The book of Jude was written as a warning to Christians of pretenders, imposters, people who infiltrated the gatherings of Christians but who were themselves not truly Christian. In Jude 11, Jude describes the three types of apostates. Apostates are people who fall away, withdraw or abandon true faith in God. He describes them as nothing really new but someone to watch out for and beware of.
"Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah."
Jude compares these apostates to three Old Testament characters: to Cain whose story can be found in Genesis 4, to Balaam whose story can be found in Numbers chapters 22-24, and to Korah whose story can be read in Numbers chapter 16. We are to "contend" against these types of apostates. Contend means to engage in a struggle for our faith.
Cain Envies Abel
Most of us know the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel because his offering was accepted by God but Cain's was not. Abel's animal sacrifice, his offering of blood, was accepted by God while Cain's offering, the fruit of his own labor was not. This foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice offered up to God for the sin's of the world was acceptable to God. Cain's envy of Abel's sacrifice led to Abel's murder and Cain being driven out to become a wanderer of the land.
False Teachers Go Their Own Way
Today there are those who would say that our salvation comes only from what we do. Our works alone save us. Their motto seems to be, "Just be nice." These are false teachers who place Jesus's sacrifice for us secondary to what we "do". Many of these teachers, like Cain, leave the assembly of the believers and go their own way. They have no root in Christ. They are jealous and envious of the blessings of those who are in the church. They see God's blessings on them and instead of being happy for them they secretly long to see them be destroyed.
Balaam Wanted Money
The story of Balaam is an interesting one. Balaam was going to be paid by another nation to curse Israel. God warned Balaam not to curse Israel so he didn't, but later on Balaam advised the people of Moab on how to damage the Israelites by enticing them with false gods and with sexual immorality. Balaam's motive was financial gain. He didn't care how he got the money, he just wanted it. 2 Peter 2:15 compares false teachers to Balaam because he "loved the wages of wickedness". In Revelation 2:14, Jesus declares to the church at Pergamum that they follow Balaam because they have enticed people to sin. Balaam died at the hands of the Israelites in the days of Joshua (Joshua 13:22).
Calling Good Evil And Evil Good
Today a false teacher might not curse Christians directly, but they will entice them to sin. They will call "evil good and good evil". (Isaiah 5:20). They will encourage you to put your own wants and needs above that of your fellow Christian. They will convince you that it is not a sin to love whoever you want to love and twist the word of God to say that it is wrong to condemn sin. They will teach that God is there only to give us what we want. Run from these teachers. They destroy the church from the inside. These apostate teachers seek money. They say what you want to hear so they become more popular and get more financial gain.
Korah's Rebellion
Korah's story is one echoed many times in our modern world. Korah's sin was jealousy and envy. He knew that God had appointed Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel but he rebelled. Korah wanted power and disregarded the will of God. Although technically qualified to be a leader, Korah was arrogant and unbending. He would declare himself to be leader regardless of what God had said. Korah would pay for his rebellion when God caused him and his followers to be swallowed up by the earth.
True Leaders Of The Church
True leaders of God's church are called by Him and are those who are humble, who study God's word and are submissive to God and to each other. Apostate leaders are not called by God. They are quite literally, "wolves in sheep's clothing" (Matthew 7:15) . Such people are self-promoters, not interested in humility, submission or a true understanding of the word of God. They enjoy proclaiming the failings of God's appointed leaders while being guilty of the very things they accuse others of.
Certain Men Have Crept In Unnoticed
"For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ." - Jude 4
These men became influential by stealth. They are godless and pervert God's grace into a license for immorality as the NIV translation describes them. Remember this, these apostate people are described by Jude as people who complain and follow their own lusts. Jude says these leaders have "great swelling words" which means they speak quite eloquently, sounding grandiose and very appealing. They preach sermons that are cunningly deceptive. They know how to flatter people so that they can manipulate them to get ahead (Jude 16).
Be watchful who you listen to. Use discernment! What are the motives of the teacher? Do their motives seem to be money, power or envy? Do they trust in God or in themselves? Do they seem to say whatever seems popular so they can profit? Do they seem humble or arrogant? Are they submissive to God or do they seem to be in it just for power? We should be prayerful and cautious so that we are not swayed by those who are really teaching apostasy; all while they only pretend to know Jesus. We need to watch for those who as Jude says, "have crept in unnoticed."
Those who are in the "way of Cain", the "error of Balaam" and the "rebellion of Korah" have no place speaking for a Jesus they do not know. They damage the faith of those who are not knowledgeable about the scriptures. They show the world a false Christ.
Jude prays for the people in Jude 23-25 and tells them that God "is able to keep you from stumbling." Our Lord will help us to see through the clever lies of apostate leaders. Don't let their "swelling words" and "flattery" deceive you.
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