Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jude 3-4 So many times if you take a stand on something, if you draw the line where the Bible draws the line and if you do not compromise and you stand for the truth, live for the truth, proclaim the truth, dont waver, people call you unloving. Is that not true? I mean, that is so typical...so typical. This is the common designation for the preacher who is true to the faith. Hes not loving. Its the common designation for somebody whos exposing the apostasy and exposing the apostates. But do you understand that what Jude is doing here is not because he doesnt love, its because he does? Its because he cares so much. He started to write a letter about common salvation, but he loved his people too much to leave them exposed to what he saw as a great threat. Beloved, he says. And then in verse 17, But, beloved, and then in verse 20, But you, beloved. This is not some kind of sentimentalism. This is not kind of...some kind of a shallow emotion. This is not some kind of tolerance. This is the real purposeful, powerful, loving concern of a man of God for the people of God to be protected from what could destroy them and their effectiveness and their ministry. Its not love born of sentiment that Gods after, its love born of conviction regarding the truth and you have to keep making that distinction all the time. You love someone when you tell them the truth. And Jude was prepared to go all the way to the truth even if it was painful. J. MacArthur
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 14:58:54 +0000
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