“Some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4, NLT).
It is right there in Jude’s epistle. This present season is not a surprise to God. But as we draw closer to the end of days, the dragon spirit encroaches further into the world. This verse captures the danger of moral and doctrinal corruption within the church itself, a message that holds great relevance for the chaotic and morally fractured world we live in today. Jude’s message is warning the world about false teachers who infiltrate the community of believers, distorting the message of grace to justify sin and immorality.
This deception is not new. It was already condemned long ago. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, is not concerned only with those who sin. He is aiming the sword of truth squarely at everyone who deliberately misuses—exploits, distorts, perverts—the message of grace purchased with the blood of Christ. It gives license to destructive behavior, becoming one of the main challenges the church faces in the tumultuous moral landscape of the 21st century.
We live in a time when moral confusion is rampant. Traditional boundaries that once guided personal and societal behavior have been blurred, even eradicated, in misguided notions of “progress” or “tolerance.” This is driven by the spreading dragon spirit sowing confusion and chaos. Objective truth is often abandoned in favor of subjective feelings and relative morality. What was once considered immoral is now increasingly accepted or even celebrated.
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This moral shift impacts not only the secular world, but it has also made its way into the church. In recent years, some voices within the church have embraced doctrines that align more with prevailing cultural attitudes than the truth of the gospel. Sometimes this phenomenon is somewhat innocent, deriving from an initial effort toward crafting a church atmosphere that is more seeker-friendly, honestly endeavoring to share the Good News.
But it echoes Jude’s warning on false teachers who “worm their way into” the church. The heart of the issue is the distortion of God’s grace—unmerited favor that provides unearnable forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. It is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, our path to redemption restoring our relationship with God. However, just as in Jude’s time, there are those who twist the message of grace into something it was never meant to be. Instead of grace being lived as a means to repentance and holy living, some turn it into justification for living an “anything goes” lifestyle contrary to God’s commands. But it remains the essence of Jude’s warning—grace does not give us a free pass to sin.
It exposes the dangerous idea that since God is loving and forgiving, anyone—believers and non-believers alike—can continue to live contrary to His Word, and eventually discard the entire notion of salvation through Christ altogether.
Jude’s message is more than a warning.
It is a call to action.
God has given us His wisdom: how to live, how to endure and thrive through the end of days. We can learn the ancient prophetic mysteries that foretell what the dragon spirit will do from the book of Revelation. Jude urges us to contend for the faith, to stand firm against false teachings and to resist the lure of moral compromise. It is not enough merely to identify challenges; the church must resist the forces that seek to undermine the truth of the gospel.
What does contending for the faith look like? Facing head-on the storm winds of criticisms and attacks when upholding the doctrines of Jesus even when they are mocked as unpopular, outmoded or not inclusive. It means understanding that God’s grace, while freely given, is not a blank check to ignore His commandments. Grace is transformative; it calls believers to holiness and obedience. It empowers them to live lives reflecting Christ’s character, not lives indistinguishable from the gutter.
Believers one day will give an account whether or not in their time the truth of the gospel was distorted or the Great Commission squandered. God’s grace is a gift that leads to abundant life, holiness and oneness with the living God. But as the dragon spirit spreads darkness over the world by the hour, Jude’s warning is more relevant than ever, calling believers to trust in our Lord, stand firm, contend for His truth and resist conforming to the fallen world, for we know that we know the glorious conclusion foretold through prophecy.
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Lawrence Tate is a contributor for Charisma Magazine Online. Get your copy today of Jonathan Cahn’s newest blockbuster, “The Dragon’s Prophecy,” available on amazon.com.
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