Study of Jude Part 11 Related Comments/Review

Last week, we looked briefly at the history of the Christian Church and how from the early church on through the Catholic Church and Protestantism, the Church was consistently against homosexual behavior as acceptable - until about the middle of the 20th century. Then things changed because of changing views about the Bible and psychology and culture and philosophy and other issues. We looked at polls and statistics and saw that the latest information shows that 7.1 % of people in the US claim to be LGBTQ, although more than half of this group, 57 %, put themselves in the bisexual category, meaning they can choose to act in a homosexual way at times and then switch to act as a heterosexual. It is all about choices and feelings, without a scientific or Biblical basis. The same is true for transgenders. It is how they feel and want to change genders, and some are beginning to want to change back, with great difficulty about their choices. We also looked at statistics from the CDC about medical issues and the dangers related particularly to certain homosexual activities and behaviors.

We also looked at the fact that a number of church denominations have also changed their views, and for the first time in Christian history, as far as I know, a sizable group within them is accepting and approving of LGBTQ behaviors. This is creating conflict and even division within these churches, and some, mostly conservative, are leaving and starting new denominations. What are churches to do in these circumstances?

To talk about this again, we want to go back to a quick review of the Letter of Jude and what he said should be done, in a general way, without much detail, as God inspired him to write. He was writing to Christian churches, and he wanted to write about the Gospel, the good news of our “common salvation” through Christ Jesus. He “found it necessary,” though, as God led him, to appeal to the faithful church members “to contend for the faith that once for all was delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:1-3).

Jude then spent the next 13 verses, v.4-16, speaking the law of God and warning about “ungodly people” who came into, “crept into” the churches, who were “ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 1:4). “Sensuality” can refer to various kinds of immorality, but often refers to sexual immorality. In the verses that follow, Jude made it clear that he was including in this immorality particular references to homosexual behavior. There is the Old Testament reference to Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities which “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued “unnatural desire.” The phrase in Greek for “unnatural desire” is literally “other flesh,” and in this context seems to refer to homosexual practices, as described also by Paul in Romans 1:26-27 and other places. Peter made a similar reference in 2 Peter 2:6ff. in words very similar to Jude.

Jude then reminded the churches of predictions from the apostles that in the future “scoffers” would come, “following their own ungodly passions” and “cause divisions” as “worldly people, devoid of the Spirit” (Jude, v.17-19).

Only then did Jude speak about what the faithful Christians should be doing, with regard to these “ungodly” people around them, within their churches. He first spoke briefly about the need for Christians to keep being built up in their “most holy faith,” praying and staying “in the love of God” and “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, that leads to eternal life” (Jude , v.20-21). (Remember also that in the early Christian church, letters like this one of Jude would be read to all the members of the churches to whom it had been sent. That means that even the people who were creating problems by ungodly behaviors would have heard the strong Law that the Lord had brought through Jude. Some of them, at least, may have realized their own sins and been brought to repentance. That is the main purpose of the Law - to show people their own sins and their need for Jesus and the forgiveness and new life He wished to bring them and restore to them.)

Then, having spoken of the mercy of Christ given to believers, Jude reminded the faithful Christians to be ready to show that same mercy to people in the three stages described in Jude, v. 22-23: those who were doubting and wavering in their faith and actions; those who had drifted farther away and needed to be “snatched” from the fire of God’s judgment; and even those whom the believers should fear, because they were a real danger to believers and could pollute them and harm them and could try to pull them away from the faith and what was right and true. God still loved and cared about these people, even though He hated their sins. Christ died for them, too, and they, too, needed to hear about Jesus and that they could be forgiven and restored through Him.

Again, this message of God’s mercy is needed by all of us, because we are all sinners, whether we are heterosexual or homosexual. We must speak humbly when reaching out to others about Christ’s mercy, because we know we need it, too. God hates all sin, as the perfectly holy God. Yet we also read that “God so loved the world” (this sinful, evil world) that He sent His own Son to be the Savior (John 3:16). “He wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

That’s why we don’t hate homosexuals, or heterosexuals who sin, but we try to hate sinful behavior, whatever it is, because God does, and we can’t put a stamp of approval on sin. “The wages of sin is death.” That is what we would all earn,  except for the gift of forgiveness Christ brings us (Romans 6:23). It is rejecting Christ and living in unbelief that ultimately condemns (Mark 16:16). That is the danger for those, whoever they are, who keep sinning and resisting what God says in Scripture. They could eventually lose their faith.
See what Romans 6:1-11 says about remembering who we are as baptized believers and seeking to battle sin, whatever it is, in our own lives.

Remember, at the same time, that we are not saved because of what we do and by overcoming every sin and becoming perfect in our life. None of us can ever do that. We still struggle, as Paul describes in Romans 7:15-25, with our old sinful nature. Yet Paul does say, in this passage several times, as a believer in Christ, “I have the desire to do what is right... I want to do right... I delight in the law of God, in my inner being..." and yet he still does not always do what he should.

We want to use God’s Law to help people, homosexuals or heterosexuals, to know what is really right and to desire to do it, even if it is a great struggle and goes against what our culture tells us, and we want to use God’s Gospel, above all, to help people realize that there can be forgiveness and hope and new life through Jesus and trust in Him. Remember that Paul wrote very clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, about many sinful practices, including “men who practice homosexuality,” and other sinful practices, in verses following, such a visiting a prostitute; and he said, “Flee sexual immorality” (6:v.18.) At the same time, in v. 11, Paul wrote, “And such were some of you, But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God.” Forgiveness is possible for any of us, through faith in Christ. And then Paul says, when you are in Christ, “you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Let me say something else. Suppose we could convince someone to stop doing homosexual behaviors. That would be very good and helpful for a person’s health and moral understanding. Would that alone, though, make a person a Christian? It would not. Most important is also hearing about Jesus as our Savior and being brought to faith and trust in Him. That is at the center of our Christian witness - God’s love and forgiveness in Christ.

That is what Jude returned to, as he ended his letter. God is able to keep us from stumbling, from being drawn away so that we would lose our faith, and God will present us blameless, counted blameless before Him, through Jesus our Savior and His forgiveness of all our sins, as we hang onto His saving work for us. And to Him, then, be all the glory (Jude v.24-25).

A few last thoughts, and then I want to be done with the Letter of Jude and this subject. We try to bring Law and Gospel to all people, including those within the church. We want to emphasize the mercy of God, but obviously, not all will respond in a positive way, no matter what we wish and pray for. If people keep rejecting God’s Word and keep doing things that are clearly wrong in ways that are clearly hurting and harming others in the church, then others measures may need to be taken.

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul spoke of such a case of sexual immorality, ongoing and without repentance, and said, “Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (5, v.2). “Purge the evil person from among you” (5, v.13). This person was too dangerous to the church, and the church as a whole could and did expel him. At the same time, in 2 Corinthians 2, we read that “this punishment by the majority is enough,” - maybe referring to the same person expelled in 1 Corinthians. If the person wakes up spiritually, by God’s power, and is repentant and resolves to try to do the right things, Paul then says, “You should rather turn to forgive and comfort him… and reaffirm your love for him” (2 Corinthians 2:5-8).

And what about churches where many have gone the wrong way? You still try to take people where they are and help them and point people in the right way, with God’s Law and Gospel and Christ’s mercy. But when that simply will not work, other words of Paul and other Biblical writers may need to be used.

See Romans 16:17-18: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such person do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”  John warns, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God… If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting” (2 John v.9-10).

In other words, some of people and even churches, may have to pull out of their old churches and form new groups with faithful believers, over an issue like acceptance and approval and promoting of what is clearly wrong about homosexual behavior and other LGBTQ activity. Thank the Lord that our conservative Lutheran churches are not is such a situation. But let us not become proud and forget to be working on our own faults and failings within our churches, so that we can follow our Lord more faithfully and encourage one another in Christ and His mercy, above all.