When God Condemns the Ungodly

Jude 11-16

Main Idea: Because Christ came to redeem a people for himself, false teachers who lead people away from God will be condemned.

1. God Condemns the Ungodly Because of Their Decisions (11).
   1. They are hateful.
   2. They are greedy.
   3. They are rebellious.
2. God Condemns the Ungodly Because of Their Deception (12-13).
   1. They are destructive (12).
   2. They disappoint (12).
   3. They are destitute (12).
   4. They defile (13).
   5. They disappear (13).
3. God Condemns the Ungodly Because It Is Their Destiny (14-15).
   1. Their condemnation is predicted (14).
   2. Their condemnation is proper (15).
4. God Condemns the Ungodly Because of Their Deeds (16).
   1. They complain without shame.
   2. They cater to the sensual.
   3. They charm the simple.

In 1962 Ralph Elliott was dismissed from his seminary faculty over his book The Message of Genesis. The book was infected with skeptical conclusions drawn from the historical-critical method. Elliott was not dismissed for heresy. He was fired for insubordination when he refused to not have the book republished. Thirty years later, in 1992, Elliott reflected on his dismissal in The Genesis Controversy. In this book Elliott makes a startling and breathtaking confession. He plainly acknowledged the dishonesty and deception of many professors. Their crime: the sin of “doublespeak.” Elliott wrote,

“Doublespeak” has become an insidious disease within Southern Baptist life. . . . Professors and students learn to couch their beliefs in acceptable terminology and in holy jargon so that although thinking one thing, the speaker calculated so as to cause the hearer to affirm something else.

Elliott would go on to rightly state the issue was “a basic question of integrity” (Elliott, Genesis Controversy, 33–34).

On this latter point he is right, and on this latter point false teachers receive a failing grade. Dishonest and duplicitous, they deceive the church of God and, in so doing, invite his swift and sure condemnation of their lives. Ungodly in character and ungodly in conduct, God exposes them for their hypocrisy and condemns them for their actions. Note the four reasons God condemns the ungodly according to Jude.

God Condemns the Ungodly Because of Their Decisions

JUDE 11

Those who forget the past, we are told, are certain to repeat its mistakes. Jude recalls from the Old Testament three examples of the bad decision making that characterizes false teachers of any generation.

They Are Hateful

“Woe to them!” recalls the words of Jesus in Matthew 23 and his condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt 23:13-31). In these three pronouncements Jude uses a verb form that affirms the certainty of the future judgment and destruction of these spiritual terrorists.

The “way of Cain” is the way of murder and hate, jealousy and anger, rebellion and disobedience (Gen 4). Self-centered in character and consumed by self-love, he chose his way over God’s and in the process killed his brother. Guilty of fostering a man-made religion, he turned from God and turned on others.

They Are Greedy

The prophet Balaam appears in Numbers 22–24. Through duplicitous means (Num 24:1; 31:16) he led Israel into sexual sin because of the financial enticement (Num 22:7,17,37; 24:11) offered by King Balak of Moab (Num 22:4). He was a prophet for pay, a hireling, a profiteering preacher. Gold was his god and money his master. Ministry was for making money, not caring for God’s people. People were a means to an end, and God killed him for it (Num 31:8).

They Are Rebellious

Numbers 16 is the record of a Levite who rejected the God-ordained spiritual authority of Moses and Aaron. As a result, God destroyed him, his household, and his followers. Like Korah, these men in Jude’s day were a law unto themselves, rebellious in heart and nonsubmissive in attitude. Like Korah, they would perish. Arrogance and pride are always on the radar screen for God’s certain condemnation.

God Condemns the Ungodly Because of Their Deception

JUDE 12-13

Jude next provides five illustrations from the realm of nature to expose the vacuous and empty promises of false teachers. Because of their deception, they disappoint. They do not deliver what they promise.

They Are Destructive (12)

“These people are dangerous reefs at your love feasts,” without fear, serving only themselves. They are hypocrites, dishonest. Pretending to be full of love and concern for others, they are egocentric and selfish. Stepping into positions of leadership, they are like destructive reefs hidden just below the surface. They are slow to reveal their true colors and commitments; and when they do, the body of Christ can be damaged or destroyed. A church, a college, a seminary, even a denomination is vulnerable if it is not vigilant in keeping its eyes open and its guard up.

They Disappoint (12)

“They are waterless clouds carried along by winds.” They promise much but deliver little. Proverbs 25:14 reminds us, “The one who boasts about a gift that does not exist is like clouds and wind without rain.” Appearing to bring the refreshing water of the Word, they blow past once they have taken what they want, preying on others as they move on. These false teachers promise liberty but enslave; they promise prosperity but impoverish; they promise refreshment and leave their followers parched; and they promise life but bring death.

They Are Destitute (12)

Late into harvest season, when fruit should be present, these false teachers are barren, destitute, “fruitless.” Indeed, they are dead on the surface and dead at the source—“twice dead.” Death runs throughout what they teach and the way they live. They project a false understanding of godliness and the spiritual life, and those who buy into their deception eventually discover they produce no good thing. Fruitless and rootless, dead top to bottom, they are uprooted and destroyed. They show no fruit of regeneration, no fruit of character, no fruit for King Jesus.

They Defile (13)

Immorality is a close companion of virtually all false teaching. Our creed and conduct are inseparable. Belief and behavior are twins that are virtually impossible to separate. These teachers are raging waves of the sea, foaming up the filth and shame of their false teachings and immoral living. Ligon Duncan says, “They crash like waves and all they do is stir up moral filth” (“Contradiction”). They make a lot of noise with great swelling words, but they do not have a life to back it up. They may tour and fill arenas, get on television and write books, blog and gain a following, but none of this proves their genuine faith. Jude says, “Watch their lives. Time will tell. They are filthy.”

They Disappear (13)

False teachers are shooting stars, here today and gone tomorrow. They burn bright for a night and then vanish into the midnight darkness, never to be seen or heard from again. Their history is short lived, leaving a legacy of no real significance.

Because they wander about, these teachers show no consistency or reliability. They promise spiritual light; but they are aimless, erratic, and destined for God’s condemnation, which is described here as “the blackness of darkness” reserved forever. They may fool men, but they do not fool God.

With such terrible character and such a horrible destiny, why would anyone attach themselves to teachers like this? Why would anyone follow such deceivers, such masters of deception? They may sound good, but they show little. Jude instructs us to remember that one’s life reveals one’s heart. False prophets have a heart only for themselves, not for our Savior. This shows in their life and ministry.

God Condemns the Ungodly Because It Is Their Destiny

JUDE 14-15

In verse 4 Jude says the condemnation of these men was marked out, written about long ago. Verse 14 shows that this marking out goes back to Enoch, the seventh from Adam counting inclusively, who “walked with God; then he was not there because God took him” (Gen 5:24). Hebrews 11:5 informs us, “He did not experience death. . . . For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God.”

Some Bible teachers have tried to tie Enoch’s prophecy in JUDE 14-15 to the birth of his son Methuselah and the timing of the flood. However, it seems clear that Jude quotes the nonbiblical book of 1 Enoch 1:9, affirming the truth of this statement without endorsing the whole of the book as divine or special revelation. Whether the quotation came from the historical Enoch is unclear, though the possibility of the oral transmission of such a prediction is certainly possible. What does Enoch say concerning these false and deceiving teachers?

Their Condemnation Is Predicted (14)

Prior even to the flood, God made known his verdict concerning false teachers as well as the certainty of his coming at the end of time. Enoch declared, “Look!” Behold! Take notice! “The Lord [Jesus Christ] comes.” It is as if condemnation has already commenced, so sure is its coming. Schreiner says the verb functions as a “prophetic perfect,” meaning it is a certain and settled reality (1, 2 Peter, 472).

The “tens of thousands of his holy ones” refers to the angels. Numerous times in both the Old Testament and the New Testament God is pictured as coming with his angels (cf. Zech 14:5; Matt 16:27; 25:31; 1 Thess 3:13; 2 Thess 1:7).

At this coming, things will be radically different from his first visit to earth. Here he comes to a crown, not a cross. He comes to a throne, not a cradle. He comes to reign, not to die. He comes to judge, not to be judged. The next time he comes will be the last time he comes, and angels will be both his escort and his agents of judgment (v. 15).

Their Condemnation Is Proper (15)

Jude is fond of the word “ungodly,” using it four times in this verse. It refers to those who live without reverence and respect for God. They walk in an ungodly manner, with evil deeds, they think in ungodly ways, and they talk with ungodly and harsh words. In works, wisdom (cf. Jas 3:14-16), and words they condemn themselves. No evil action, thought, or word will go unpunished, nor will it be erased from the divine memory (Prov 11:21; Nah 1:3). These men and those like them will have no defense, no retrial, no appeal. As Romans 3:19 says, every mouth will be silenced.

God Condemns the Ungodly Because of Their Deeds

JUDE 16

The lifestyle and dispositions of those Enoch prophesied God would condemn is further explored in verse 16. Emphasis falls on their mouths and the evil desires that direct what flows from their tongues. Again we are reminded the tongue is that organ of the body intimately connected to the heart and its desires.

They Complain without Shame

Speaking harshly against God, his will, and his ways, they grumble and complain (cf. v. 15). Like the Hebrew children in the wilderness, they find fault with God, griping and complaining, accusing him of withholding his best and what they believe they deserve. They are critical and negative, possessing a cloudy disposition with thunderstorms on the horizon. This disposition is like a cancer and is deadly to an effective ministry and a healthy church life. It leaves them always judgmental and without joy.

They Cater to the Sensual

The source of this negative disposition and attitude was their lust (“their own evil desires,” NIV). Living by the “personal pleasure principle,” they were consumed with what they wanted. Their desires trumped all others’, including God’s.

I read this description and think how different these men are from a simple woman named Emma Lou, who was my mother. As my brother-in-law said at her funeral, I never heard Emma say, “I want . . .” Like the Lord she loves and now sees, she was always putting others ahead of herself, her wants, and her desires—though it may be that her desire was to always put others first! You may know someone like Emma Lou. If you do, these men were the polar opposite!

They Charm the Simple

False teachers mouth great, swelling, “arrogant words.” “They boast about themselves” (NIV). They are big talkers who say more about themselves than about the Word of God. They portray themselves as the hero of every story, giving the appearance of a spiritual superiority. Such teachers find an easy target in the biblically illiterate and theologically immature. They are experts in flattery in order to take financial advantage of the gullible and unsuspecting. In other words, they are good at locating itching ears (2 Tim 4:3-4) and telling people what they want to hear and what makes them feel good. Masters of manipulation, they empty the pockets of others and fill their own. The suffering servant named Jesus is banished to the sidelines.

Some do so on TV. Some do it on the radio or in podcasts. Some do it in a local church. Some do it in a college or seminary. Anywhere and everywhere, any place they can gain a hearing and get an audience, you can be sure these “smooth operators” will show up.

Conclusion

Some liberal theologians and spiritual advisors talk of a “softer” view of God, a God whose vengeance and condemnation have slowly evaporated and disappeared, a God of love but no wrath. Such theologians obviously have not read Jude. Let us not follow in their footsteps. To do so is to walk the path of deception and destruction. It is to come face-to-face with the God who condemns the ungodly—every single one of them.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Is God justified in condeming the ungodly? Why or why not?
2. How have you seen hate, greed, and rebellion lead people into poor decisions?
3. In what ways were these false teachers being deceptive? How have you seen such deception in our day?
4. Why can’t false teachers deliver on their promises?
5. Jude seems to be reacting pretty strongly against false teaching. What’s so dangerous about what they are saying?
6. How does Jude use the idea of fruitlessness to accuse the false teachers? Where else does Scripture connect the fruit of one’s life to one’s true character?
7. Since Jude cites 1 Enoch, should we consider that book to be authoritative Scripture? Why or why not?
8. How does Enoch describe the coming judgment?
9. What can we learn about a teacher from his or her audience? Is there always a direct connection between the messenger, the message, and the hearers?
10. In what ways is Jesus the opposite of these false teachers? How can we see this in Scripture?