Jude, Distinctions

Jude 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction;

The NASB renders this verse, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting.” The NIV says, “Be merciful to those who doubt.” It is not a sin to doubt. All Christians suffer doubt in some area of our faith and our lives. The church is to be ready to offer support, edification and compassion to those who doubt. To doubt is not to apostatize. Doubt can come from a seemingly infinite number of sources; but here, in this context, the doubt within Christ’s church may arise from the Satanic, worldly doctrines the false teachers promote.

The saints are to have compassion on those who have been led astray by those who have brought in, “damnable heresies,” into the church, see 2 Peter 2:1. Peter warns of this coming trend: “And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed,” 2 Peter 2:2. Christ our Lord warned of the broad road that leads to destruction, and how many go in that way, Matthew 7:13. These false teachers endeavor to supplement, replace or confuse the clarity of the gospel as the Bible presents it. Why? Well, for one thing, if the gospel was presented in all of its excellent simplicity, the false teachers would not be needed. The gospel is clear, concise, direct, and universal. It is exclusive in the sense that only those who believe partake of its efficacy. It is inclusive in the sense that everyone–and I mean everyone–is invited to believe it.

This is not the doctrine of Calvinism, which I believe to be an aberrant heterodoxy that destroys the gospel message by hyper elevating God’s sovereignty at the expense of His love for mankind and His grace. No, the gospel is, “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely,” Revelation 22:17. Now, do not mistake the universality of the gospel’s power for Unitarian thinking; The Unitarian doctrine of universal salvation, which asserts that God will eventually save everyone regardless of their choices or belief, is a false doctrine. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that if we do not believe the gospel, we will not receive life, but remain under God’s judgment for sin. Neither is this the New Age ideology of Oneness, which teaches that God is in His creation, including all humanity, which means we are by nature divine and simply need to realize this. No; this too is absolutely unbiblical and false. God is not a part of material creation. He is ever present and always close, abiding in those who have believed, but God is not in every person, much less every rock, stick, or blade of grass. Sin, not ignorance, separates humanity from their offended Creator. The gospel is the bridge that offers reconciliation between both parties, with the sinner only able to cross if we accept that death is the punishment we deserve, but that Christ took that punishment for us, so we may receive pardon and righteousness from God. These are external things that humanity does not possess natively. The idea of man being divine already dates back to Eden and the lie the serpent told Eve when he promised her godhood, Genesis 3:5. It would seem that Satan is still peddling his snake oil, as it were, under the guise of the New Age enlightenment.

Verse 22 presents one camp; that of honest doubters. The saints may doubt. When we doubt, or find others doubting, we should encourage them and truly listen to what they are saying. Prayer and Bible study are excellent tools to aid them. But we must not treat the doubter as an adversary to be vanquished, but someone with very legitimate questions that need equally valid answers, so they can fill in the gaps in their faith with an intellectually and/or spiritually satisfying solution. Pat answers won’t suffice, and becoming angry, petty, petulant, combative, or adversarial, won’t suffice. We must walk in the Spirit, ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, even to those among our own when they are weak and their faith falters. Paul writes, “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ,” Galatians 6:1, 2. In a similar fashion we should help the weak in faith in that spirit of gentleness, bearing their burden with them. This is acting in love, as the Lord commanded. In this manner we fulfill His law, when He told us to love one another in the same manner He loved us: sacrificially. God willing, we will speak about the other camp in verse 23.