The Gospel of Perversion

Today I would like to take a look at the very powerful point of the short epistle written by the apostle Jude, and show the simplicity and holiness of the true doctrine of Christ, as opposed to the modern thelology of Christianity. “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. 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” (Jd. 1:3,4). Now before reading further let’s think about what he has said to begin with. It’s very simple; he saw a need to write to the believers of his time, and admonish them to not be removed from the faith that they began in. Why the need? Well, like he said, there were already men who had “crept in,” who were perverting the “faith that was once delivered to the saints.” And how were they perverting the gospel? The only way they could; by presenting the grace of God as a license for sin, by which subtle means they were deceptively denying the truth and reality of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s what he said. So with that in mind, let’s see a little more detail from the apostle on just how he warned these early believers about this perverted gospel that had crept in among them. “I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jd. 1:5,6).

There’s more of the same after this passage, but I’m certain the point has been sufficiently made here by these things. So why would the apostle tell these believers about the Israelites that failed to reach the promised land after being delivered out of Egypt, and also about the angels who followed the deception of Satan and were eternally damned for doing so? It’s quite simple really. Neither God, nor the apostle of Christ, nor the scriptures, were or are trying to fool anybody. It’s all just exactly what it looks like. The holy man of God knew that if these believers were deceived by the perverted gospel that these spiritually backslidden men were presenting, that they would be led astray of the true way of holiness and be lost, exactly like the examples he mentioned. That is obvously why these examples WERE mentioned. These “false teachers,” or “false prophets,” or false apostles,” or “antichrists;” were the same men that the other apostles warned the early believers about repeatedly (II Pet. 2:1; I Jn. 4:1; II Cor. 11:13; I Jn. 2:18). They were indeed the fathers of everything that is perverse today about the sectarian religion of Christianity. It should be duly noted that Jude said that they were effectively ”TURNING the grace of our God into lasciviousness.” He did NOT say that they were doing away with the ideal of “the grace of God,” but rather they were making the grace of God appear to be something other than what it truly was and is. “Turning the grace of God into lasciviousness” means that they were by cunning words making God’s grace appear to be an allowance for sin while still maintaining the hope of salvation. And THAT, the grace of God is NOT. Not then, and not now. But regardless of the wisdom and warnings of the apostles and the righteous leaders among the early believers, these “deceitful workers” as Paul referred to them, were highly successful in their “pernicious ways,” even as Paul and Peter said they would be (II Pet. 2:2; I Tim. 4:1). And seeing that Paul wrote most of the new testament epistles, the beginning of that reality was most evident in his ministry and writings (II Cor. 13:2; Gal. 1:6,7; Philip. 3:2; Col. 2:8,16; II Tim. 1:15; Tit. 1:12,13).

Because many of those early believers WERE led astray by that perverted gospel, it’s effects are realized to this day; inasmuch as almost everything that is named by the name of Christ is permeated by that same “sinners saved by grace” doctrine. The claim is, just trust in what Jesus did and you’ll be forgiven of all past, present, and future sins, and have a home in heaven to top it all off real nice. How convenient. Holiness? Being without sin literally? Are you kidding? Why try to bother with all of that when we’ve got it made in the shade with that amazingly indulgent grace? To believe that someone can inherit eternal life after finishing their life with ANY kind of sin in it is the greatest of all lies. To believe that what Jesus accomplished for us was not enough to literally remove sin out of our inner man and impart the righteousness of God into us, is the greatest of all insults to God and his Son. And speaking of inheriting eternal life and immortality, the beloved apostle John pointedly stated the following: “And every man that hath THIS hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I Jn. 3:3). That would not be written unless we are able to do it. Yes friend, we can be pure like Jesus is, first if we have his Spirit, and secondly if we employee the power and holiness of his Spirit to “KEEP [ourselves] pure” (I Tim. 5:22). The conclusion can only be one thing: The man-made doctrines and traditions of today’s Christianity are effectively is the result of what those first fathers of blasphemy brought in, and we must “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints;” for surely it is long lost except in the hearts of those who truly believe in, and love the literal holiness of God’s HOLY Spirit. And if we do not do so, then we should remember with godly terror the end of the unfaithful Israelites who left Egypt, and the fate of the angels who once praised God in his presence before falling away to something that had been perverted. Amen.