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Wolves in Sheeps's Clothing





Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. 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. 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. And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. (Jude 1:3-6)

            I'm going to take a brief break in the discussion of prophecy. Closer to Easter, I'll touch on it some more. A few items have come to my attention that make this passage a good one to consider. The first item is the ongoing excuse people use that they don't like to go to church because the church is full of hypocrites. First, I happen to think that is precisely where hypocrites should be, so that they can learn the error of their ways. They certainly won't learn integrity from the world. That being said, Jude warned us a long time ago that people would sneak into the church. They will misuse God's grace and they will deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. So, yes, there are hypocrites in the church, and departing from the church is precisely what the Devil wants to use them to cause you to do. It hurts you, it hurts the Church and it hurts God.
        The other item was a video in which a pastor of a church that is hemorrhaging members in which said pastor says "Who cares what the Bible says?" This is another of the sorts of wolves in sheep's clothing. I misplaced the meme before I could respond to it, but my question then and now is, "How do you determine which parts of the Bible are God's Word and inviolate, and which can be thrown out to suit your purposes?"
        Now, I know that no one applies Scripture perfectly. Some people would suggest that my eating pork is a violation of Scripture. To them, I would say that the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15 makes it clear that Gentile Christians are not bound by Mosaic ceremonial cleanliness laws. There are others who might make the charge that my not wearing a head covering to show submission or respect is a violation. I would agree with them if my wearing of a veil or hat were understood to show submission or respect. In today's society, it would not communicate those things. I still endeavor to show respect and submission by wearing clothing that covers those portions of the body that in our disrespectful culture tends to uncover. I make sure the top and bottoms of my tops and bottoms are high and low enough to cover those parts of my body that need to be covered for decency and respect. Those things are not quite the same as saying that what the Bible says doesn't matter or as saying that what both the Old and New Testament specifically state as sinful isn't.

 

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