The church has historically contended with false teaching. There are at least two motives and probably more behind false teaching.
(1) The attempt to simplify God’s complexity to fit into human understanding has produced several misguided doctrines.
— In the 300s a heretical doctrine emerged that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. It claimed that Jesus was a created being and not equal to God the Father.
— In the fifth century another teaching denied the doctrine of original sin. It claimed that humans have the ability to achieve salvation through their own efforts and works, without the need for divine grace.
— Another false doctrine of the fifth century claimed that there were two separate persons in Jesus: one divine and one human.
The above list is representative of a quite extensive category of false teaching that attempts to reduce the complexity of God’s nature to human thought.
(2) Idolatry is not a misunderstanding of God’s nature. It is an attempt to fashion God in human form. All idolatry tries in one way or another to manipulate God.
You may not recognize the term “New Thought,” but it fills today’s social media and self-help literature on a regular basis.
New Thought is characterized by a focus on the power of positive thinking, the use of affirmations and visualization techniques, and the belief in a universal divine intelligence that is called “God.”
As such, God is seen as an impersonal force that is present within all things. The “God” of New Thought is not personal, but rather a universal consciousness that permeates all of creation.
Even though its spiritual practices such as prayer, meditation, and visualization look like Christian practice, the belief has one fatal flaw. It denies the personal nature of God.
If the divine is within all persons, then humans are in control. There is not a holy and personal God who is in charge of his creation.
The one thing the New Thought movement has in common with all forms of idolatry is that humans attempt to manipulate God rather than be obedient to his direction.
Jude’s Message
Jude had a simple message. Remember the basic teaching that you have received and remain faithful to it.
Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once and for all handed on to the saints (Jude 3).
When someone attempts to divert you from the basic doctrines of Christianity, you can apply this helpful rule of thumb. Ask yourself, how has historical Christianity approached this question?
Something you may hear on social media or from a friend may sound plausible, but is it aligned with what the church has believed for centuries?
Baptists have the “Baptist Faith and Message,” which is well thought out understanding of basic doctrine. Other denominations have similar statements of faith.
A quick Internet search will give you access to basic beliefs of various denominations that will help you learn historic Christian teachings.
I mention documents that reliable denominations have produced, because some false teachers use the Bible to pervert its message for their use.
By all means we need to read the Bible, but God has given us excellent documents that are designed to present sound doctrine. They are a reliable way to counter false teachers who may use Bible verses in their deception.
Belief and Behavior
Both the Bible and history recognize that belief and behavior are connected. What is believed will be shown by a person’s actions.
A characteristic of false prophets and teacher is the belief that you can remain in your sin and still have relationship with God. This underlying theme was countered time and time again by the Old Testament prophets.
Jude also pointed to this characteristic.
For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into debauchery and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ (Jude 4).
Media personalities, popular books, and friends may sound persuasive, but it is wise to evaluate them by with two guides.
(1) Are these beliefs consistent with historic Christianity?
(2) Does this teaching cause people to live more or less like Jesus? If the answer is “less,” we need to cautious of their beliefs.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It can be found on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
Real Voices 