Jude against the Libertines, Part Two

In our last study we spoke about the danger of libertinism, a danger found not only in the early church, but also in the church today . The brief epistle of Jude was written by the brother of the Lord to warn of this perversion of the gospel. In Jude 4 we read, “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Certain duplicitous men had entered the church and were spreading the false gospel of libertinism.

In our previous study we spoke of several characteristics of these antinomians. We now want to examine a few more.

15. They are Korahites:

    “Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion” (v. 11). In Numbers 16 we read that Korah and his followers rebelled against God’s order and authority and, therefore, against God’s delegated authorities, such as Moses. For example, if you are a son or a daughter who hates your parents’ authority, you are a Korahite. A Korahite detests any restraint and always promotes egalitarianism, not for the good of others, but for his own benefit. He appeals to democracy, as Korah did, to promote himself to a position that has not been given to him. Korahites are envious of others who have been given superior positions. They say to themselves, “Who do they think they are? I am really better than those people. If only people knew who I really am, I would easily be promoted. I am unhappy with this church because they are not really recognizing all the gifts and graces that I have.” The Targum calls Korah a schismatic; a Korahite is one who produces divisions in the church. He may even go from house to house, speaking a little evil here and a little evil there, like mouse leaving its carefully crafted droppings. The idea is to somehow cause division in the body of Christ. Korahites cannot stand a church that is functioning in unity and love, so they come in secretly to divide. But God will deal with them. In Numbers 16 we read that the earth opened up and destroyed Korah. Notice, though, his sons were not destroyed (Numbers 26:8-11). If you are a child or a wife of a Korahite, do not have anything to do with the philosophy of that person-it is deadly for you. Do not be partakers of Korah’s sin. Run for safety! Korah’s sons ran, and, as a result, we have Psalm 42-49, Psalm 84, Psalm 85, Psalm 87, which are all attributed to the sons of Korah.

16. They are blemishes.

    “These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm” (v. 12). The early church had community meals which concluded with the Holy Communion. Known as agape meals, they stood for the love and unity of the church. Like Judas, libertines will come for community love meals. They will also partake of the Holy Communion without any compunction, even though, when people take Holy Communion, they are declaring to God and everyone else that they love God and one another and have no relational problems. In fact, we are asked to refrain from partaking if there is a problem, and then have the responsibility to take care of the matter immediately, so that we can again participate. But antinomians pretend to be loving and loyal, yet they are poisonous blemishes. Their intent is only to destroy the souls of others in the church.

17. They are shepherds who feed only themselves.

    (v. 12) Ezekiel speaks of such shepherds: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?'” (34:2). These are pastors, leaders, elders who feed only themselves and have no regard for the sheep. They do not feed the people with the word of God for their spiritual growth, as a true minister of the gospel. Ezekiel tells us they kill and eat the sheep. They are not imitators of the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep.

18. They are clouds without water,

    “clouds without rain, blown along by the wind” (v. 12). In other words, these people promise but do not fulfill . A farmer, especially in the Middle East, gets very excited when he sees a cloud. He thinks, “We are going to have rain,” which is necessary to produce seed for the sower and bread for the eater. But these people are a disappointment to those who trust them. They are clouds without water. They are barren. They are hollow. Additionally, they are “blown along by the wind.” That means they are unstable. They are deceivers. They are here today and gone tomorrow. Jude may have been reflecting on Proverbs 25:14: “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.”

19. They are “autumn trees without fruit.”

    In the Middle East, autumn is the time when trees are to produce fruit. But when you look for fruit on these trees, there is none. They are barren and useless to the farmer and to God. Here we see the same idea as before-the libertine false prophets promise, but they never deliver. They are twice-dead-dead spiritually and dead eternally. They will be uprooted when God’s severe judgment comes upon them.

20. “They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame”

    (v. 13). In Isaiah 57:20-21 we read: “But the wicked are like the tossing sea which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. ‘There is no peace,’ says my God, ‘for the wicked.'” These people are like sea waves that bring scum and dirt to anyone who associates with them. They are like stray dogs who dirty your beautiful lawn and go away. Bad company corrupts good morals. (PGM) This is why we have to be careful with whom we associate. Libertines will only dirty you.

21. They are shooting stars.

    Verse 13 tells us, “They are . . . wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” These libertines are unstable and unreliable. They pretend to be lights to guide you but they are undependable. They are like the fallen morning star, the son of the dawn, the devil. They can only deceive you and lead you into pitch darkness. Like shooting stars, they come and go, only to destroy others elsewhere. They are not fixed, as the constellations that guide navigators. They cannot guide anyone.

22. “These men are grumblers”.

    (v. 16) Libertines grumble against God, against his ministers, and against their God-ordained lot in life. They grumble against any spiritual restrictions of any kind. Someone said whenever a man gets out of touch with God, he is likely to begin complaining about something, and that is absolutely true. Grumbling is a distinguishing mark of a godless man.

23. They are faultfinders.

    (v. 16) If we find fault with ourselves, that is a good quality. But that is not what the libertines do. They are faultfinders who do not want what they have and long for what they do not have. They find no fault in themselves, but plenty in God and God’s people. They are experts in shifting blame: Parents are the problem, teachers are the problem, pastors are the problem.

24. They are led by lusts.

    Verse 16 tells us, “They follow their own evil desires.” Such people are not led by the holy Scriptures or the Holy Spirit. They reject the counsel of their parents and of God’s holy ministers. Led by their lusts, they are instinctual, like brute beasts. We read about such people in Philippians 3:19: ” Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.” These people are not led by moral law; they are driven by lust. Romans 16:17-18 tells us, “I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.” Have nothing to do with such people. Put them out of the church, for if you associate with them, they will corrupt you. They are incapable of shepherding you in any way. They will kill you and eat you, as we said. “For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” Second Peter 2:22 tells us, “Of them the proverbs are true: ‘A dog returns to its vomit,’ and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” Peter says libertines are like dogs that return to their own vomit. For a certain period of time they may be in the church and appear very spiritual, but soon their true colors will emerge, and they will go back to their vomit.

25. “They boast about themselves”

    (v. 16). Libertines are proud of themselves. They are the new Gnostics, thinking they are superior to everyone, even God. They look down on others. But their sin of pride is the sin that made the devil the devil.

26. “They . . . flatter others for their own advantage”

    (v. 16). Whenever someone flatters you, he is interested in getting something from you. Such people flatter others simply for their own advantage and profit. Of course, they never speak of sin, because if you want to flatter people, you cannot speak about sin, repentance, obedience, moral law, or living a holy life. That is why, when you go to many churches today, there is no serious preaching of sin, repentance, or obedience. Instead, the preaching is “need-based.” Need-based preaching is not a bad idea, if the need is understood to be the need for repentance, forgiveness, and salvation. But these people only praise and approve you. Whatever you do is fine. But through such flattery, they are leading you to damnation. Read Romans 16:17-18 again. It speaks about this idea of flattery.

27. They are dividers

    (v. 19). “These are men who divide you.” Libertines hate unity in the church of God. They hate to see a loving community. They hate to see order. They hate to see government. Inspired by demons, they seek to bring division in God’s church. Division is a work of the flesh, referred to in Galatians 5 as factions. It is not one of the fruits of the Spirit; it is the work of our evil nature. First Corinthians 11:18-19 tells us, “In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.” Romans 16:17-18 also speaks about division.

28. They are unbelievers.

    Verse 5: “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.” Libertines are false brothers who do not believe the gospel. Even when they teach the Bible from the pulpit, they will not believe in the truth that they are proclaiming. It is like a hat that one puts on and then takes off; it does not change them.

29. They are carnal men.

    Verse 19 says, “These are men . . . who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” Jude correctly describes these people as psuchikoi, carnal men. The same word is used in 1 Corinthians 2:14 to refer to “the man without the Spirit.” It is speaking about a natural man, a pagan, an unbeliever whose spirit is dead, one who has no spiritual sensitivity. You can speak to that person about sin, about God, about heaven, but he has no interest in it. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. . . .” Such a person is unregenerate and unrepentant.

30. They do not have the Holy Spirit.

    Verse 19 tells us, “These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” What is the difference between a natural man and a Christian? The Holy Spirit, who regenerates us and gives us a new nature. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of repentance and the gift of faith, so that we may trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. The Holy Spirit comes in and dwells in us to guide us and give us understanding into God’s truth.

The libertines, the antinomians, the Gnostics, are people without the Holy Spirit. But they claim to be Spirit-filled. They claim to be charismatics. In fact, they would say, “This church has a problem: it is not really charismatic enough. There is too much emphasis on the word of God.” They claim to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, but Jude says they are without the Holy Spirit. Jude may be putting the knife deep into them at this point, because the Gnostics spoke about knowing everything and being Spirit-filled, yet Jude calls them ignorant and Spirit-less. But those who do not have the Holy Spirit do not belong to Christ. Therefore, may God help us to live a Christian life-a Spirit-filled, Scripture-directed life.