Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Bible Truth #388 - Jude 3-4

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.
4  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.

Once more God’s Word tells us the Truth if we have eyes to see and hearts to understand. To whom was the faith delivered? Since we are saved by grace through faith, we must first acquire the faith God uses to save us. How do we obtain saving faith? God delivers it to us! And not because of anything we’ve done (2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5), it is not of works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9).

“Works” is translated from the Greek word ergon (Strong’s G4021), and the definition in which it is used is #2:
- any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind

We are saved not by any decision made in the mind of a lost man - which is also exactly what John 1:13 clearly states. And what do those who believe in decisional salvation have to say about that? “But verse 12 tells us those who receive him... we have to receive him.” As if a lost man can “decide” not to receive Jesus. Well, as I heard a well-known evangelist once say, Sorry friend, when God calls, you’re coming. (John 6:37)

Jude then goes on to tell us in the next verse that certain men... certain men? God had determined who would do it, He has a purpose for their lives as He has a specific purpose for everyone’s life. And God WILL fulfill that purpose (Psalm 57:2, Psalm 138:8, Revelation 17:17). These men were before of old ordained, marked out for, condemnation.

They were not ordained to this condemnation based on God’s foreknowledge, as if God looked down the corridors of time and saw what “decision” a man would make and then condemned him. As we are not saved by works, neither do works condemn us. The way man lives his life will determine only the level of punishment in Hell (Luke 12:47-48; Revelation 20:12) or his reward in Heaven at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). Man is condemned because of the sinful nature we inherit from Adam, the sinful nature everyone possessed from the instant of conception (Psalm 51:5).

There are many who say God never predestined anyone to Hell. God doesn’t have to predestine anyone to Hell. Because of Adam’s sin, we all inherited the sinful nature and we were all destined for Hell, NOT because of anything we did but because of what we ARE - a sinner. But God loved Jews AND Gentiles [the world] so much that He sent His only begotten Son, that all those believing on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 contains no “whosoever” in the Greek. The Greek literally says “ALL those believing on Him,” not whosoever.)

Now who will believe on Jesus? A lost man won’t because he hates Jesus and will not come to him (John 3:20). Since that is the normal condition of a lost man it is clear that God must FIRST do a work in a lost man to make him a believer (John 6:29), and he now believes because God gave him belief (Philippians 1:29). Believing on Jesus is something God must enable a man to do (John 6:65).

But the bottom line of this Bible Truth is that the true faith we have, the faith God gives (Romans 12:3; Ephesians 2:8), must be defended because even among the ranks of the believers there will be contention, there will be those of weaker faith who do not fully trust in God nor accept in application His sovereignty in Election. But there will be those outside the faith who creep into the church who look like Christians, who talk the talk, and seem to walk the walk but will turn the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God. These men have been ordained, marked out by God long ago for condemnation - long before they lived the lives God had already determined for them. (Psalm 138:8; Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:4, 16:9, 19:21, 21:1)

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