“But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.” Jude 1:17-19 NLT
It was predictable. It was inevitable. Scoffers will be mockers. It’s become a ubiquitous, socially praised art-form. Their numbers are low, but their voices are so loud and obnoxiously consistent. Scoffing, mocking and trash-talking truth is somewhat of a new source of side-gigging income. It’s the scourge of social media. Jude writes out their motivation and job description; their purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires! They are just following their natural instincts.
Then Jude quickly shifts to the answer, the antidote that must be constantly and consistently administered. Here’s the list of ingredients that must be combined to make the cure.
- Build each other up in your most holy faith. Turn to, lean on one another to counteract the cultural poisons. Reminding each other of our faith, our self-differentiated belief in what God has said.
- Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now is not the time to be weary or succumb to being a faulter, knowing that a noisy mob doesn’t mean their right or even aware of what they do.
- Await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. Have patience under pressure. God is faithful to be present even under the most dire circumstances.
- Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. This word, wavering, “diakrínō” is “judging back and forth,” or negatively “over-judging.” Don’t return to judging or predicting the outcome of someone else’s weakness, failure,or sin. Throw them mercy, toss them regular life-lines of grace.
- Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Love them enough to be honest and supportive. Don’t let them go dark or silent, ghosting you without a fight for their soul.
- Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. Love the sinner, hate the sin. Just as you know how much God loves you and hates your own sin. Don’t give mercy from a high moral position, rather humbly boost others from below. Let our mercy lift and not pity!
These six ingredients are the contents of the antidote to scoffing and mocking that is now a constant thread and threat of every conversation. We need to be united in our attitudes and behaviors against towards those who would cause “division” or apodiorizó, “marking off boundaries” to separate us from each other and from God.
Jude knew we needed one another. And, through the Holy Spirit, he knew that this would only intensify as we get nearer to the end. Don’t let anyone lay down fake or false issues or boundaries that would separate us. Let’s stick together in our holy, humble faith!
Prayer
Dad,
We need you so desperately as times darken and shadows seem to be everywhere. And, we need each other more than ever before. Help us help each other to follow Jude’s prescribed antidote against disunity and tearing each other apart because of scoffer and mockers. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!