How can we identify "denying our only Master and Lord" in current teachings? Jude 1:4 – The Original Warning “For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” What “Denying our only Master and Lord” Looks Like Now • Rejecting Christ’s full deity or His exclusive authority (John 1:1; Colossians 1:15-18) • Treating His commands as optional suggestions (Luke 6:46) • Recasting grace as permission for ongoing sin (Romans 6:1-2) Five Red Flags in Current Teachings 1. Reducing Jesus to merely a moral teacher or social reformer ‑ 1 John 4:2-3 stresses confessing “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.” 2. Teaching salvation without repentance or Lordship ‑ Acts 2:38; Luke 13:3 link faith and turning from sin. 3. Replacing biblical authority with personal experience or modern consensus ‑ 2 Timothy 3:16-17 affirms all Scripture as God-breathed. 4. Promoting lifestyles Scripture calls sinful while claiming divine approval ‑ 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Peter 2:1-3 expose such distortion. 5. Dismissing future judgment or hell, thereby nullifying Christ’s saving work ‑ Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15 affirm literal judgment. Subtle Ways the Denial Slips In • Redefining grace as self-esteem therapy rather than deliverance from sin (Titus 2:11-14) • Prioritizing “my truth” over “Your word is truth” (John 17:17) • Emphasizing human potential more than Christ’s accomplished work (Galatians 6:14) • Using Christian vocabulary while emptying it of biblical meaning (2 Timothy 3:5) Protecting Ourselves and Our Churches • Hold every teaching up to the written Word (Acts 17:11). • Keep Christ central: Creator, Redeemer, returning Judge (John 14:6; Hebrews 13:8). • Practice church discipline and sound doctrine (Titus 1:9; 3:10-11). • Cultivate humble obedience, not mere information (James 1:22). • Pray for discernment and courage to confront error (Ephesians 6:18-20). Hope-Filled Reminder “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 1:24-25). Clinging to the literal, living Word keeps us anchored while voices around us drift. |
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