"Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives." (Jude 1:3-4)
"But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them!" (Jude 1:10)
"They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves.
They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain.
They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.
They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds.
They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness." (Jude 1:12-13)
"These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires.
They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want." (Jude 1:16)
It has been said that history is doomed to repeat itself. As I read over the Scriptures, I am reminded of the many people who I have interacted with through my counseling ministry. In our world today, there are varying opinions on interpretations of the Bible. One of the phrases I cringe at most often is “once saved, always saved”. This is a dangerous statement taken out of the context of what the grace of Christ means. The true question is “were you truly saved, and do your actions reflect your acceptance of Christ as Messiah?”
I have discovered that many Christians fall into this description in which Jude speaks. It is not my place to judge, nor determine whether they are saved or not, but part of being a counselor is that of being a fruit inspector. In other words, does the person’s action and reaction to life circumstances reflect the transformation that comes with the true acceptance of Christ, or are they still walking as they did before. It is disheartening to see the many that fall into Jude’s passages, especially when it is the clergy of a church. I have worked with many pastors who fall into this description, and like a plague that infects a city, their actions are reflected in the members of the church.
It is up to the individual to do a self-reflection of their actions, and especially their reactions to life circumstances. It is our reactions that often show our failings, and sinfulness. As you look over these passages, be honest with yourself. Does your life truly show a transformation of becoming more like Christ, or are you still doing the things before your acceptance of Christ. If you are still the “old” you, then you need to repent, ask forgiveness, and accept Christ and start your “new life” in Christ. If there was a transformation in the beginning, but you have now moved back into old habits or adapted worldly new habits, the same formula applies. Christ is reaching out to each of us, and willing to forgive our sins, but we must be willing to submit to His will in our lives, and allow Him to transform us into the creation He made us to be. It is my prayer, that as a country, we will wake up to the postmodern philosophies of today and return to the objective truth of God found in the bible. Only then will we find true peace in our life that many our desperately looking for as well as the joy in life that comes with being one with Christ. All we need to do is look to Him, repent, ask forgiveness, and His grace is sufficient, but we must self-reflect on ourselves in order to tell whether or not we are following His road map, or have strayed onto the map of the world.
"But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them!" (Jude 1:10)
"They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves.
They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain.
They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots.
They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds.
They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness." (Jude 1:12-13)
"These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires.
They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want." (Jude 1:16)
It has been said that history is doomed to repeat itself. As I read over the Scriptures, I am reminded of the many people who I have interacted with through my counseling ministry. In our world today, there are varying opinions on interpretations of the Bible. One of the phrases I cringe at most often is “once saved, always saved”. This is a dangerous statement taken out of the context of what the grace of Christ means. The true question is “were you truly saved, and do your actions reflect your acceptance of Christ as Messiah?”
I have discovered that many Christians fall into this description in which Jude speaks. It is not my place to judge, nor determine whether they are saved or not, but part of being a counselor is that of being a fruit inspector. In other words, does the person’s action and reaction to life circumstances reflect the transformation that comes with the true acceptance of Christ, or are they still walking as they did before. It is disheartening to see the many that fall into Jude’s passages, especially when it is the clergy of a church. I have worked with many pastors who fall into this description, and like a plague that infects a city, their actions are reflected in the members of the church.
It is up to the individual to do a self-reflection of their actions, and especially their reactions to life circumstances. It is our reactions that often show our failings, and sinfulness. As you look over these passages, be honest with yourself. Does your life truly show a transformation of becoming more like Christ, or are you still doing the things before your acceptance of Christ. If you are still the “old” you, then you need to repent, ask forgiveness, and accept Christ and start your “new life” in Christ. If there was a transformation in the beginning, but you have now moved back into old habits or adapted worldly new habits, the same formula applies. Christ is reaching out to each of us, and willing to forgive our sins, but we must be willing to submit to His will in our lives, and allow Him to transform us into the creation He made us to be. It is my prayer, that as a country, we will wake up to the postmodern philosophies of today and return to the objective truth of God found in the bible. Only then will we find true peace in our life that many our desperately looking for as well as the joy in life that comes with being one with Christ. All we need to do is look to Him, repent, ask forgiveness, and His grace is sufficient, but we must self-reflect on ourselves in order to tell whether or not we are following His road map, or have strayed onto the map of the world.
RSS Feed