Jude is the shortest read in the entire Bible. It is one chapter with only 25 verses. It appears in the New Testament right before the book of Revelation. Jude’s letter admonishes us to contend earnestly for the faith, while warning us of false teachers, and the corrupt authority of evil dignitaries. He describes them as, “brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”
We have all heard of fire and brimstone preaching. Maybe you grew up in a church with a fiery preacher that was constantly reminding you of hells flames. While hell is a real place, and we need to know that it exists, how it is preached is another matter. For someone to rain down fear without sharing the love of God and His mercy, is not how the gospel message is to be presented. However, the other side of this is that if someone consistently preaches grace, mercy, and love without the judgement side of unrepentant sin; that is not love at all.
In verse 20 he tells us that we are to build ourselves up in our “most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” When we pray and stay filled with His Spirit we will be seeking mercy before judgement, not the reverse. He then tells us, “And on some have compassion, making a difference; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”
There is clearly a distinction in how we approach people with the gospel. We will know how by praying and being filled with the Spirit. For some, compassion is the love language that they need to hear. For others it is fear….not condemnation fear. Fear here means terror, respect and reverence. There is an acceptable message of “terror” for some people. Not the kind that destroys a persons life; but rather one that brings about a God-fearing reverence that will save them out of the fire of sin.
To save is to rescue, deliver, heal, by extension it means to be in a right relationship with God, implying that the condition prior to salvation was one of grave danger. Remember the story of Lot and his family when the angel came to tell them they had to leave Sodom and Gomorrah before the judgement of God fell? Genesis 19:15-22 details how Lot literally tried striking a deal with the angel as he hesitated to leave this depraved city! “And while he lingered, the men (angels) took hold of his hand, his wife’s, hand, and the hands of his daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and set him outside of the city….they said, Escape for your life! Do not look back.” He was told to go to the mountains, and unbelievably he complained that it was too far to go!
This story of Lot is easy to see in todays culture. It is also easy to see people that we know and love that have been so enveloped and surrounded by the depravity for so long that they are having a difficult time removing themselves from it. They only want to remove themselves just a “short distance” A total escape is too hard. They won’t fit in with their “friends” any longer. They want to settle like Lot did. “See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there and my soul shall live.”
Who do you know that needs to be “pulled from the fire?” This means they are literally playing with fire; they have become accustomed to the heat and feel that they are at a “safe distance” and can remain on the edge. Jesus admonishes us to “pull them out” This means to pluck them out and carry them off just as the angels did with Lot and his family. If your house caught on fire and your loved ones were inside, would you run out and leave them to burn? Not a chance! We would do everything in our power to break down the doors and rescue every last one of them. How much more important is their eternal salvation? If it takes a message of hells flames for them to understand the love and mercy of heavens gates….then so be it!
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28