Study of the Letter of Jude Part 8 - More Thoughts

Last week, we heard Jude talking about “having mercy” on people who are continually doubting and wavering about their faith; those heading toward hell who need to be snatched out of that coming fire; and those who are far gone, who need to be approached with fear and with hatred of their fleshly evil, and yet shown mercy, with the desire of their repentance and return to the faith.

Remember that Jude was talking about people who have crept into the church, who are within the church, and yet unnoticed, without people being really aware or caring enough, who have rejected God’s word and changed teaching, especially about moral issues and are promoting deeds of ungodliness, including sexual immorality and unnatural desires.

Jesus said to believing people, “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world… Let your light shine before others” (Matthew 5:11-16). Jesus Himself, of course, is the “True Light,” the “light that shines in the darkness” of this sinful world, through His Word and works, and “the darkness has not overcome” Him (John 1:1-11). But Jesus warned that the sinful world would fight back against the truth. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

Paul also warned that the attacks would come from within. “Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-32). That is exactly what Jude was writing about as he sent his letter to churches facing these problems in the early church. And that is a problem again today within too many churches.

I am going to focus on just one problem among many - the whole LGBTQ movement and same-sex marriages and related issues. It is a very hot topic today, about which one hears everywhere. My own church body, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, had a national youth gathering this summer of more than 18,000 young people of high school age. The youth were asked to share the issues they wished the church would talk about more. Do you know what they picked as the #1 issue? LGBTQ issues.

That is what we will focus on, and if you just work through the Scriptures God’s point of view becomes very clear. The very first chapter of the Bible says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). There are only two genders - male and female. There is no mention of any other genders in the Bible, even though some speak of numerous “genders” today, especially in the LGBTQ community, but among others and even in some churches, too. God knows only two genders, though - male and female.                     

Then in Genesis 2, God instituted marriage, bringing the first man and woman together. Ever after, “therefore, a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:24-25). That is where sexual activity was to take place, within a committed marriage between one man and one woman, who could be fruitful and multiply, and raise children in a stable place of love and care in the Lord.

Jesus affirmed this plan of God when he was asked about divorce. He said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” Jesus then quoted from Genesis 2:24 and added, “So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate.” Read carefully Matthew 19:3-6. Marriage was intended by God to be a lifelong commitment of one man and one woman together. See also Mark 10:6-9. This same passage from Genesis 2:24-25 is quoted in other contexts, too, in Ephesians 5:31, 1 Corinthians 6:16, and 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, and both Old and New Testaments uphold this view of marriage consistently.

Obviously, the rebellion against God and fall into sin happened and is described in Genesis 3. The perfect relationship between the first two people was broken, and distortions of God’s plan happened quickly. There was murder within the first family, and by Genesis 4:19, we hear of a man who “took two wives,” clearly against God’s will. By Genesis 6:5, we read that “the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” and “… all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Genesis 6:5, 11-12).

The judgment of the great flood obviously did not solve the problems of sin and evil in every human heart, including that of Noah and his family and the generations that followed. God followed His eternal plan of working through a particular nation, the nation of Israel, the Jewish nation, so that eventually from that nation would come the Savior of the world, Jesus, a true Jewish male and yet also the Son of God.

God provided through the prophets, especially Moses, specific rules and regulations for the nation of Israel, including sexual morality. (Many of the ceremonial rules and other requirements in the Old Testament were done away with by Jesus, as Lord of the Sabbath and Lord God of the New Covenant, focusing on Himself and His saving work in love for all nations and the whole world. The New Testament helps clarify those things, doing away with many Sabbath and dietary and ceremonial and other rules and festivals, but keeping the basic moral law and the Ten Commandments, though the day of worship is no longer the specific Old Testament one.)

Sadly, God’s own Old Testament chosen people broke law after law of God’s will for them, including God’s plan for marriage and sexuality. Even many of the leaders failed in this regard - and we read of polygamy and adultery and divorce and on and on, even among heterosexual people. In fact, for this study of sexual immorality to be complete, we would have to focus mostly upon such heterosexual failings and sins. Those are the most common within churches today, most likely, as people struggle to follow what they know is the right way God wants them to live.

This study, though, will focus upon the concerns with LGBTQ people and their problems, particularly. But we must speak humbly, and remember the old saying, “If you point one finger at someone else, you are pointing several fingers back at yourself.” Sin is still sin, whatever it is, and we all need forgiveness, and can live only by the mercy of God, especially when we remember that we sin by thought and word, as well as deed. Jesus Himself said, “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” He also said, about judging, “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 5:27-28 and Matthew 7:5). At the same time, we must speak honestly about sin and evil, especially when others are calling evil “good” (See Romans 1:32).

I don’t want this to get too long, so I will continue with this next week, even as some of these things are difficult even to talk about. I will not get too specific about some things, for as Paul wrote, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead, expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret” - and now, even in public, at times (Ephesians 5:11-12). The Lord’s blessings, as you continue to think about this difficult subject.