Reader's Version
- Jude: The World Against The Word
- Sermon by Gene Simco
- Reader’s Version
- Introduction: Don't Copy Stupid!
- At the beginning of the year, I shared with you my New Year's resolutions. They were twofold. First, I would stop watching the news. I noticed that the news was robbing me of my peace and my joy. It was distracting me from my work, and so far, I've been successful in that, and the results are fantastic.
- The other resolution was that I would be more consistent about going to the gym on leg day. It's known as the hardest day at the gym when you work your legs. Everybody likes to skip leg day, but I resolved to stop skipping it. So far, I've been pretty consistent. I've shared with you some of the progress, but I have a new story to tell.
- You see, one of the things that scared me a little bit about leg day was the leg press machine. The leg press is a great way to get a lot of weight into your workout routine without getting injured. However, because I have long legs, I always noticed that the machine—the sled that you press up against—would come down a little further for me than for shorter people. I was worried it wouldn't allow me to get out, and I might be crushed underneath the weight. I thought, at seven or eight hundred pounds, would there be people around strong enough to push the sled back up so I could escape the crushing weight of the leg press machine?
- This held me back a little because I would not push as much weight all the time as I possibly could. I would limit the range of motion. That is, until one day, I noticed that someone had placed a small 10-pound plate just above the mechanism that stops the sled from coming all the way down to the seat. This gave a little more distance, which would allow me to escape, stopping the sled from coming all the way down to that bottom plate. I thought, "What a brilliant hack!" And my wife thought the same thing, too. We both marveled at this simple little trick that would now allow us to get a full range of motion and put more weight on.
- Well, we went on like this as part of our routine for a few weeks until we found ourselves at a different machine. It wasn't the usual machine that we use, and we noticed there were orange tags on the space right near where that stopping plate was. They were kind of scratched off on our usual machines. Upon further inspection, we looked closely at the tags, and they said, "Move this lever to raise the stopping plate"—that is, to restrict the motion. In other words, doing exactly what that small 10-pound plate would do.
- And sure enough, there was a handle there that neither one of us had really observed, and you could move it up and down. Clearly, the manufacturers of the machine had thought of this a long time ago.
- To be honest with you, we felt kind of stupid. The answer had been right there in front of us the whole time. Even without the instructions, the fact that there was a lever there was probably pretty obvious, but the written instructions have been on this machine the whole time.
- You see, there's a lesson here. Don't copy stupid. Sometimes we think things are smart, but they're actually really stupid. The instructions are right there in front of us the whole time.
- So, the question today is: How often do we do this with the Bible?
- From Two Doors to Destructive Heresies
- Last week, we looked at the tale of two doors. We explored 2 and 3 John, and we established the biblical mandate to completely shut the door on false teachers, denying them a platform of support, while opening the door wide to support faithful teachers. We learned how to identify these teachers by judging their fruit against the standard of God's Word.
- So today, we'll be taking it a step further. We've dealt with the false teachers themselves. Now, we'll be looking directly at the destructive heresies they actually teach. What we'll learn is that there is nothing new under the sun, as we read in Ecclesiastes. As we look at the ancient heresies Jude confronts, we will see that they are identical to the false teachings infiltrating the modern church today.
- The overarching theme is that most false teachings ultimately come from the things of this world, not from the Father. We will tie this closely with the warnings found in 1 John and 2 Peter.
- Who is Jude?
- Who is Jude? Jude immediately takes the posture of a servant. Jude opens his letter by identifying himself first and foremost as a "slave of Jesus Christ," and then as the "brother of James." He does not lean on his earthly relation to Jesus as the half-brother of Christ, but rather grounds his identity entirely in his spiritual submission to Him. He is writing to all who have been called by God the Father, assuring them that they are loved and kept safe in the care of Jesus Christ.
- Greetings from Jude
- Let's hop right into the letter.
- Jude 1:1-2 (NLT) 1 This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. 2 May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.
- So again, note the posture. He doesn't tout that he's a brother of Jesus; he just says he's a slave of Jesus, but a brother of James. It's an amazing conversion story.
- The Danger of False Teachers
- Next, we look at the danger of false teachers.
- Jude 1:3-4 (NLT) 3 Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4 I say this because 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.
- Notice the pivot here. This feels very familiar to me on some Sundays. There are a lot of things I want to talk about, but I have to deal with the false teachers. We see this a lot in the New Testament, so we have reminders that we've seen from last week: They will come in among you.
- Jesus warned about this in the Sermon on the Mount: they'll come in like ravenous wolves, right? And we saw this in Ephesians 5: don't listen to those who excuse such sins! This sounds a lot like Romans 6 as well. Because of God's marvelous grace, should we multiply it by sinning even more? Absolutely not. May it never be so!
- Nothing New Under the Sun
- Next, Jude gives the historical backdrop to show that this has always been going on. He talks about those destroyed in the wilderness wanderings, the angels in Genesis 6, and Sodom and Gomorrah. It sounds just like 2 Peter! We learn here that there is absolutely nothing new under the sun.
- Jude 1:8-11 (NLT) 8 In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. 9 But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body.) 10 But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and so they bring about their own destruction. 11 What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.
- He's continuing with some of those history lessons, making very similar points to 2 Peter. The point here is pride. They are prideful.
- Now, if you know the Bible well, something might stand out to you. You might be thinking, "Wait a minute, I don't remember reading any Old Testament story about Michael arguing with the devil about Moses' body!"
- Well, this is Jude quoting an apocryphal text called the Assumption of Moses. We really don't have a complete copy of it today, but it is an interesting observation that we've seen before. Peter quotes a secular proverb about a washed pig returning to the mud. We see that Paul quotes Menander, Epimenides, and others in places like Titus and 1 Corinthians 15.
- So the question will come up: Is it Scripture just because an Apostle quoted it? Not necessarily. It means that it's a truth or a historical event they believed and utilized to make a point.
- DEEP DIVE: Apostles Quoting Extrabiblical Sources It was not uncommon for biblical authors to quote secular poets, philosophers, or extrabiblical texts to make a point. Quoting a true statement from an outside source does not make the entire outside source inspired Scripture. Here are the biblical examples mentioned:
- -Paul quoting Epimenides (a Cretan philosopher): Titus 1:12 - "One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: 'Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.'"
- -Paul quoting Menander (a Greek dramatist in his play 'Thais'): 1 Corinthians 15:33 - "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'"
- -Peter quoting a non-biblical proverb: 2 Peter 2:22 - "Of them the proverbs are true: 'A dog returns to its vomit,' and, 'A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.'" (The first half is from Proverbs 26:11; the second half was a common secular proverb of the day).
- Biblical Parallels to Jude's Imagery
- Next, we see some comparisons that are familiar. We get the "they are like..." statements, showing the biblical parallels to Jude's imagery. Here we can see how unified the early church was in identifying and exposing these exact same destructive traits:
- -"They are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you." This closely mirrors 1 Timothy 1:19, where Paul warns that those who have rejected the faith and a good conscience have suffered shipwreck with regard to their faith. It also heavily parallels 2 Peter 2:13, which describes these infiltrators feasting among believers: "They are blots and blemishes reveling in their pleasures, while they feast with you."
- -"They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves." This directly aligns with Peter's warning to church leaders in 1 Peter 5:2-3: "Watch over the flock, not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve, not lording it over those entrusted to you." It also echoes Paul's warning in Acts 20:29 that "savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock."
- -"They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain." This shares an almost exact, word-for-word parallel with 2 Peter 2:17, which describes these specific false teachers as "springs without water and mists driven by a storm." They promise spiritual nourishment but deliver absolutely nothing.
- -"They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots." This echoes the imagery used in James 3:12 regarding the impossibility of bad sources producing good results: "My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives and a grapevine bear figs?" It also ties back to Jesus's agricultural judgment in John 15:6, where dead, unfruitful branches are picked up and thrown into the fire to be burned. Last week we saw that He makes this comparison, judging a tree by its fruit, and in Galatians, that is how Paul identified the good and bad fruits.
- -"They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds." This closely matches the imagery found in James 1:6 describing the double-minded, unstable man who lacks faith: he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, being tossed and blown by the wind.
- -"They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness." This shares the identical, word-for-word concluding judgment found in 2 Peter 2:17: "Blackest darkness is reserved for them." Both apostles use the exact same severe imagery to confirm the final destination of these false teachers.
- The Peculiarity of Enoch
- Next, we see something peculiar.
- Jude 1:14-16 (NLT)
- 14 Enoch, who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of his holy ones 15 to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
- 16 These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want.
- Again, we run into a situation here where if you are familiar with the Bible, you are reading something that doesn't sound familiar. We read about Enoch in Genesis 5, but there is no quote of him saying anything like that.
- This is because Jude is quoting the Book of Enoch. There is a lot of mystery surrounding the Book of Enoch, and while the vast majority of Christianity has not accepted it, it does appear in some specific traditions. It was not talked about or affirmed at any of the major early church councils that recognized the canon of Scripture, like Carthage or Rome; it is not found on those lists, so it is universally considered non-canonical by Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches.
- Now, there is some debate here: Does Jude quoting it make it Scripture? Well, yes and no. This specific line in Jude has become Scripture. That is an undeniable fact. But does it mean everything in the Book of Enoch is Scripture? No, not really. As we have seen before, Paul quotes other people, and Peter quotes other people. It doesn't mean Menander or Epimenides were writing Scripture at that time, but the specific words Paul used became Scripture at that point. So, Jude quoting a true historical fact from the Book of Enoch does not qualify the entire outside book as Scripture.
- HISTORICAL NOTE: The Book of Enoch & The Canon
- The Book of Enoch (specifically 1 Enoch) is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text traditionally ascribed to Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah. It expands heavily on the narrative of Genesis 6, detailing the fall of the "Watchers" (angels who rebelled) and the origins of the Nephilim. While several early church fathers (like Justin Martyr and Tertullian) respected the text, it was ultimately excluded from both the Jewish biblical canon and the broader Christian canon during the early church councils. Today, it is only considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church. For the rest of the Christian world, it is viewed as an interesting historical and apocryphal document that provides insight into Second Temple Jewish thought, but it does not carry the inspired authority of the Bible.
- Article on The Book of Enoch:
- https://www.biblebelievingchristian.org/post/the-book-of-enoch-ancient-vision-or-inspired-scripture
- A Call to Remain Faithful
- Jude 1:17-19 (NLT)
- 17 But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ predicted. 18 They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19 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.
- All through this series, we were warned. In Matthew last week, we saw they will come in like vicious wolves, and they will create divisions. They do not have the Holy Spirit, which points back to judging the fruit that we talked about last week. They follow their natural desires. Remember the false baptisms we have talked about in the past: they never had the salvation in the first place, so they never had the Holy Spirit in them.
- Next, Jude encourages them with practical steps:
- -Pray in the Holy Spirit: We see a clear contrast between you and them.
- -Await the mercy of Jesus: Keep your eyes fixed on eternity.
- -Show mercy to those whose faith is wavering, but be careful: This heavily echoes Galatians 6. Be careful not to fall into those same sins as you help people; basically, hate the sin but not the sinner.
- A Prayer of Praise
- Then, he ends with a magnificent prayer of praise:
- Jude 1:24-25 (NLT)
- 24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
- Conclusion: Kept From Falling
- In Jude, we are given the ultimate assurance after laying out some of the most severe warnings in the entire New Testament regarding false teachers and destructive heresies. Jude closes with a beautiful and powerful promise: God is able to keep you from falling away without a single fault.
- Despite the very real danger of infiltrators, sham shepherds, and wandering stars trying to shipwreck our faith, God will bring us into His glorious presence with great joy, without a single fault. Our ultimate security against these deceptions rests entirely in the majesty, power, and authority of Jesus Christ, who existed before all time, in the present, and beyond all time. He is the Alpha and the Omega!
- ALPHA & OMEGA: The Deception of Balaam
- We see one of those exact connections and fulfillments here in the deception of Balaam:
- Ἄλφα: Numbers 31:16 (NLT) "These are the very ones who followed Balaam’s advice and caused the Israelites to rebel against the LORD at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD’s people."
- Ωμέγα: Jude 1:11 (NLT) "What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion."
- Jude does not just invent a new warning; he points directly back to the specific history of the Old Testament to prove a point. He highlights Balaam, a prophet who gave destructive advice and enticed God's people to sin because he was motivated by a financial payoff. Just as Balaam's false teaching brought about destruction to the Israelites in the Old Testament, Jude warns that false teachers infiltrating the New Testament church are doing the exact same thing: deceiving people for money and leading them into a rebellion.
- This ancient heresy leads directly into our practical application today. The way of Balaam is still alive and well. When we look at modern destructive heresies, especially the Prosperity Gospel, we see leaders who are driven by the things of this world—money, earthly influence, and greed—rather than the Kingdom of God. They are simply repackaging Balaam's ancient deception.
- Introduction to Modern Destructive Heresies
- This perfectly sets the stage for us to examine the specific modern false teachings we must fiercely guard against today. Let's look back to 2 Peter for a clear introduction to heresies:
- 2 Peter 2:1-3 (NLT) 1 But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.
- Second Peter warns us clearly that just as there were false prophets among the people, there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, and in their greed, these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.
- This brings us to an important definition: What is a heresy? A heresy is a destructive belief or teaching that strongly contradicts the core, foundational truths of the Bible. It is anything that contradicts what God's Word says.
- The Overarching Theme: Rooted in the World
- When you look closely at these false teachings, almost all of them are deeply rooted in the things of the world. Remember from 1 John, the things of the world are not from the Father, but from the devil. The whole world is under the control of the evil one.
- Look at Jesus's temptations in the wilderness. Satan, the ruler of this world, offered Jesus things entirely from the world: earthly kingdoms, earthly bread, and earthly spectacle. In response, Jesus definitively declared, "My Kingdom is NOT of this world!"
- The Shortsightedness of False Gospels
- Peter reminds us that the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire; the world will be destroyed! Therefore, any "gospel" focused on earthly wealth, political power, or fleshly desires is entirely futile and dangerously shortsighted.
- Again, there is nothing new under the sun. What we have to realize is that Jude is pointing out things that were happening 2,000 years or more before him. He is saying that those same core heresies were currently happening in his day, and if we fast forward 2,000 years after Jude, the exact same things are going on right now.
- Let's look at the root of some of these false teachings.
- The Way of Cain (Self-Righteousness & Works)
- The way of Cain is the original religion of human effort. He approached God on his own terms, offering the sweat of his own brow and substituting true faith for his own physical actions. When his self-righteousness was rejected, his lack of faith turned deadly as he took matters into his own hands and murdered his brother. It is the ultimate picture of relying on your own works and trying to force God's hand rather than submitting to Him with a faithful heart.
- So, how do we do this today?
- Legalism
- We have legalism. A lot of denominations will insist on legalism—the teaching that salvation requires strict adherence to earthly rules, specific diets, or mandated days. We have seen throughout this series, though, that the comment "It's not about religion, it's about relationship" is biblically false. We learned in the book of James that religion is a good thing; pure and genuine religion is a product of our salvation. We are supposed to bear good fruit, but insisting on certain legalistic concepts is not good. That is what I would call bad religion, which is probably what a lot of well-intentioned people are talking about.
- Let's look at some Scriptures that verify this:
- Colossians 2:16-17 (NLT) 16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.
- Romans 14:5 (NLT) 5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.
- Romans 14:17 (NLT) 17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- It sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit that we talked about last week. But when you have a Christian denomination forcing you to do these things, or saying that your salvation will be affected by not doing them, it's time to walk away from that organization. That is a false heresy.
- The Hebrew Roots Movement
- Next is the Hebrew Roots movement. This is attempting to drag believers back under the Old Covenant laws and Jewish traditions, completely missing the freedom of the New Covenant.
- We've established this through this series, but the Bible makes it incredibly clear it was a problem initially because the initial believers in Jesus were all Jewish. Jesus was a Torah-observant Jew, and His disciples were Torah-observant Jews. But we see in the book of Acts that the Gospel begins to spread to the Gentiles—we see it with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. Then we get to Acts 10, and we see that Peter is given the vision and realizes it's not just about food; it's also about the Gentiles being reached.
- There was some confusion there, of course, because when Jesus sends the disciples out in Matthew 10, He says go only to the lost sheep of Israel. But at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, we see that He says to go out to all nations (ethnicities). So by the time we get to Acts 15, we see the first documented council of the early church. Some Pharisees or legalists bring this question into play: "Do the Gentile believers need to follow the whole Law of Moses?"
- The conclusion is no, they do not need to follow the Law of Moses. This is verified by them, and then affirmed by Paul in places like 1 Corinthians 8 through 10. Even regarding the rules set forward for them—like meat sacrificed to idols—Paul dismisses that because it's not a Gospel issue. Again, remember what we read about the holy days in Colossians. We are flat-out told that we don't have to observe them.
- Here are some Scriptures that affirm that, from Romans all the way to Hebrews:
- Romans 10:4 (NLT) 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
- Galatians 5:1, 4 (NLT) 1 So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. ... 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.
- Hebrews 8:13 (NLT) 13 When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
- These Scriptures are just a handful of the abundance of Scriptures that make it clear that New Testament Christians are not under the Law of Moses.
- Addressing the Objection: Throwing Out Paul
- Now, Hebrew Roots people, because the New Testament is so redundant (especially in Paul's work), will try to throw out Paul's works entirely. As crazy as this may seem to a Christian today, there are groups who do this. In order to say they're still under the law, they have to throw out Romans and Galatians.
- But here's the thing: remember Peter and James in Acts 15. It wasn't Paul who made that decision; it was James (Jesus's brother), and Peter made the argument that the Law was a yoke that neither they nor their fathers could bear.
- Furthermore, Peter affirms Paul. A lot of people forget that:
- 2 Peter 3:15-16 (NLT) 15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
- Peter himself affirms Paul and warns against what these people are doing. He says that Paul's writings are Scripture. This is important to remember when people try to dismiss the writings of Paul—that is heresy.
- The Way of Balaam (Profit, Flesh & Worldly Passions)
- Next, we get to the Way of Balaam. The Way of Balaam is the ultimate sellout of spiritual truth for earthly gain. Balaam was a prophet who willingly traded his spiritual influence for a paycheck, using his platform to exploit people for profit. When he realized he couldn't curse the Israelites directly, he devised a scheme to entice them into blatant immorality and idolatry, destroying them from the inside out.
- This ancient deception perfectly mirrors the modern movements that turn Jesus into an ATM for earthly wealth, or twist God's grace into a free license for sin, happily sacrificing the eternal Kingdom to satisfy the fleeting passions of the flesh.
- The Prosperity Gospel
- The obvious culprit here is the Prosperity Gospel, which is turning Jesus into a magical ATM. It is a heresy built entirely on greed, teaching that God's primary goal is your earthly wealth and health. It is a shortsighted gospel.
- Now, a little disclaimer here: it is okay to have nice things. We see wealthy people in the church. We see it in James 2 and 1 Timothy 6. We see wealthy patrons in the early church like Phoebe, Lydia, and Philemon, who ran a home church. In order to have home churches, they had to have some wealth, and Paul and others needed their benefactors.
- But what is the key here? The key—and there are some very frightening warnings about this—is not to worship the money. Paul frames it to Timothy that it is better if they just have food and clothing and are satisfied with that, because there is less spiritual risk in it. If you do have wealth, you do not need to be ashamed of it, and not everyone is the rich young ruler commanded to give everything away. The issue is not letting it control us. Do not become shortsighted. The Prosperity Gospel focuses entirely on earthly things instead of heavenly things.
- Let's look at some Scriptures:
- 1 John 2:15-16 (NLT) 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
- Colossians 3:2, 5 (NLT) 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. ... 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
- 1 Timothy 6:5, 9-10 (NLT) 5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy. ... 9 But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil [a root of all the evils]. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
- Greek Deep Dive: "A Root of All Evils" (1 Timothy 6:10) In 1 Timothy 6:10, many modern translations attempt to soften the text by rendering it "a root of all kinds of evil." However, the original Greek phrase is rhiza pantōn tōn kakōn (ῥίζα πάντων τῶν κακῶν). Literally translated, it reads: "a root of all the evils."
- Paul's wording is intentionally harsh for a good reason. The love of money is not just one of many equal stumbling blocks; it is a foundational, corrupting root from which every other kind of sinful compromise and destruction grows. Watering this down often appeases modern, wealthy audiences, but it diminishes the severe warning Paul was actually issuing.
- Regarding the "health" aspect of the health-and-wealth gospel: remember that Paul prayed in 2 Corinthians that whatever his ailment was, it would be taken from him. God said, "No, my grace is sufficient for you," to keep his pride in check. Timothy was sick with frequent stomach illnesses (1 Timothy 5), and Paul didn't tell him he had a "lack of faith"; he gave a practical, medical solution: drink a little wine for your stomach. We also see in Galatians that Paul arrived there initially because he was ill (Galatians 4:13), and he talks about leaving other companions behind because they were sick.
- It is clearly not a lack of faith. Paul told us that certain ailments kept him from sin. The health and wealth gospel is a false gospel. There is no promise—as we saw last week in 3 John—that we will always be healthy. We can pray for it, but the Bible shows that prayer for physical healing is not always answered with a "yes".
- Greasy Grace
- Next, we have "greasy grace"—the twisting of God's grace into a license for sin, as we saw in 1 John. This excuses immoral lives by claiming that what the physical body does doesn't matter.
- Ephesians 5:5-6 (NLT) 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him.
- 1 John 2:1 (NLT) 1 My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.
- 1 John 3:9-10 (NLT) 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
- If you live in unrepentant sin, it sounds a lot like Galatians 5: you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul addresses this head-on in Romans 6. "Should we keep on sinning so that grace can abound? Absolutely not! May it never be!" And he continues by stating that the wages of sin is death—spiritual death.
- Denying Christ (Mormonism & Others)
- Next, we have denying Christ. This involves creating a more palatable, worldly version of Jesus—like an exalted man or an angel—rather than submitting to the true, eternal God of the Bible.
- There are groups downplaying Jesus's character and who He is, and the prime example of this would be Mormonism. Mormonism is a dangerous heresy that has been trying to worm its way into mainstream Christianity for a long time, often doing it through popular TV shows. I have warned you to protect yourself against these things because the New Testament strictly affirms that Jesus is God.
- John 1:1, 14 (NLT) 1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us.
- Romans 9:5 (NLT) 5 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
- Titus 2:13 (NLT) 13 ...while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed.
- 2 Peter 1:1 (NLT) 1 ...This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
- 1 John 2:22-23 (NLT) 22 And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
- These are just some of the verses that explicitly affirm the deity of Christ and warn against denying it.
- Historical Note: Mormonism, The KJV, & The Granville Sharp Rule As a quick note, Mormon apologists will almost exclusively use the King James Bible (KJV). Why? Because the 1611 translation is actually not the best translation to use when defending the strict deity of Christ.
- The Granville Sharp Rule: In biblical Greek grammar, when two nouns of the same case are connected by "and" (kai), and the first noun has the definite article ("the") but the second does not, both nouns refer to the exact same person.
- Because this specific grammatical rule was not fully formalized by English scholars until the late 1700s (by a man named Granville Sharp), the KJV translators missed it in 1611. Therefore, in crucial "God-text" verses like Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1, the KJV translates them as referring to two separate beings (e.g., "of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ"). Mormonism weaponizes this mistranslation to argue that Jesus and the Father are two entirely separate gods.
- They will also twist and rewrite Scriptures entirely, such as Joseph Smith's translation of John 1:1, to ensure it doesn't say "the Word was God." Anyone who manipulates the Greek and completely rewrites Scripture is clearly a false teacher who cannot be trusted. Steer clear of Mormonism.
- The Rebellion of Korah (Power, Authority & Speculation)
- The Rebellion of Korah is the ultimate pursuit of earthly power and dominion today. Korah challenged God's established order, seeking earthly power, authority, and dominion. This perfectly mirrors things like Christian nationalism and the violent gospel, which attempt to fuse the church with the state to establish God's kingdom through worldly legislation and political dominance, much like Cain taking matters into his own hands through murder. This movement resorts to human retaliation and earthly violence to force an outcome. It completely ignores Jesus' clear declaration that his kingdom is not of this world, choosing to pick up physical swords rather than waiting faithfully for our true heavenly homeland. In Christian nationalism, the political and violent gospel fusing the church as a state seeks to establish God's thing through worldly political power, legislation, and even violence, completely ignoring that Jesus and his kingdom is not of this world.
- When we look to the New Testament, we see Jesus's clear commands; he is always talking about a heavenly kingdom. We see that people like James (of James and John) dies by the sword with no retaliation. Peter and John get beaten, but there is no retaliation. The only reason why Paul insists that the Philippian officials come after being let out of jail is because he wants to keep his name clear so that the gospel is not blasphemed. It isn't any kind of retaliation or disrespect at all, but they don't break Peter out of prison with swords; they break him out with prayer. The fruit of the spirit is peace all the time.
- Now you will get a couple of false teachings here; one is about the swords. "I do not come to bring peace, but a sword." This goes back to Matthew 10. The problem is it is just an idiom; he is talking about division among families. If you keep reading the surrounding text, it says, "Be wise as serpents, but gentle as doves," and he also says when you are retaliated against, flee to other towns. He doesn't give the command to fight. The other one is the sword. Jesus tells his disciples right before he is arrested, "Now you know, I told you, don't take a sword with you, you're just your money bag or a money bag. But now I tell you to bring a sword." Then they respond, "We have two swords," and Jesus says, "That is enough". Whether Jesus is saying "stop it," or "that is sufficient" (which is better to the Greek), in any event, Jesus is not that bad at math. He knows that two swords among 11 disciples is not enough, so clearly they are missing the point; it is to be prepared.
- So we go to the Gospels and put them together to see how Jesus actually responds when they get it wrong:
- Luke 22:49-51 (NLT) 49 When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” 50 And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
- Matthew 26:52-53 (NLT) 52 “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?”
- John 18:36 (NLT) 36 Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
- So here we see very clearly when Peter cuts off Malchus' ear, Jesus tells him, "Put away your sword. Those who live by the sword will die by the sword". He doesn't affirm Peter's violence. We see in the dialogue with Pilate that he says, "My kingdom is not of this world".
- If we go back to the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:9-11: "God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called children of God. God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things about you because you are my followers". In verses 38-45: "You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don't turn away those who want to borrow. You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven".
- Paul echoes this in Romans 12:17-21: "Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back,' says the LORD... Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good". We have to love everyone. Think about the soldiers there; a soldier would have the ability to conscript you, making you carry his gear. Imagine being taken out of work, erupted from your job, and you have to carry this very heavy pack, maybe 60 pounds a mile. Jesus says, "Don't complain about it, walk two miles, pray for your enemies".
- He also says to be subject to the government, which surprises a lot of people (Romans 13:1-7): "Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. The authorities are God's servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you... So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience. Pay your taxes, too... Give to everyone what you owe them". Note the rebellion there, just like Korah. People today who rebel against authorities are in the sin and rebellion of Korah.
- Peter echoes the same exact teaching (1 Peter 2:13-17): "For the Lord's sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed... It is God's will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God's slaves, so don't use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king". This sounds exactly like Paul; it is becoming very redundant. We silence them through honor, not protest, not violence, and this is all in light of the Emperor Nero, as we have talked about in the past, who is setting Christians on fire, the fiery trials that Peter is talking about here. So, what was the response if the king or emperor is setting you on fire as a Christian? Honor them. We witness through our martyrdom; that is the ultimate witness, being willing to die for what we believe, and this is affirmed if we continue (1 Peter 2:19-23): "For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment... but if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you... He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly".
- Again, this is the martyrdom we believe in, a place beyond this one. The world we know is in 2 Peter, the world will be destroyed in Revelation. We are going to see that we are looking forward to a new heavens and new earth. This is affirmed all throughout the New Testament (Philippians 3:20): "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior". Hebrews affirmed this (Hebrews 10:34): "You suffered along with those who were thrown in prison, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever". Hebrews 11:14-16: "Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own... But they were looking forward to a better, or for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them". We see here clearly we are supposed to be citizens of heaven, just sojourning through earth. In that same chapter, Hebrews 11, faith is about the things that we don't see; we are just sojourning to our real home. Remember, we are not the first country in history to manipulate Christians into thinking that the country's purpose aligns with God's.
- End Times Prophecies & Dispensationalism
- Finally, we have end times prophecies and dispensationalism. Even within the concept of the world being destroyed, false teachers will make up false teachings about the destruction itself to gain a following. They thrive on fear, charts, and date-setting. We see this in speculations and false prophecies; these are leaders claiming new revelations or hidden knowledge about specific timelines of Christ's return. We have to remember that all of these teachings are rooted in a lack of faith; they are arrogant and disobedient.
- The answer to the apostles' question, "When will these things happen?" in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25) is that you cannot know these things; not even the Son knows. All the parables that follow are about being faithfully ready (Matthew 24:36): "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows". When approached with a similar question in Acts 1:7, he replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know". Both in 1 Timothy and Titus, Paul gives this warning (1 Timothy 1:4): "Don't let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don't help people live a life of faith in God". Titus 3:9: "Do not get involved in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or in quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. These things are useless and a waste of time".
- Here we come full circle; these teachers breed speculation, division, arguments, and fear, and they are all rooted in pride and arrogance. They are grumblers, complainers, boastful, divisive, without the spirit. But Jude tells us exactly how to respond: "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life" (Jude 1:20-21).
- Practical Step – Being in The Word
- We need to be in the Word. We have the instructions right in front of us in the Word of God the whole time. As I have said again and again, His Word is our protection. We must use it to protect ourselves. We see that every false teaching, then and now, is refuted by the Word of God.
- The World vs. The Word
- Jude does not end his letter in uncertainty; he ends it in absolute, triumphant victory. He points us directly back to the Alpha and the Omega.
- The false teachers will fade like doubly dead autumn trees.
- The kingdoms of this world will crumble into dust.
- The empires of greed, power, and legalism will be swept away.
- But the Kingdom of our God will stand forever!
- So, do not be intimidated by the scoffers. Do not be swayed by the shiny, hollow promises of a world that is already passing away. You are filled with the Holy Spirit—the Living God! You have been called by God the Father, you are fiercely loved, and you are kept eternally safe in the care of Jesus Christ.
- Keep yourselves in God's love. Keep yourself in God's Word. Show mercy to those who are wavering. Walk boldly in the truth. And let the undeniable light of Christ shine so fiercely through your life that the darkness cannot help but flee!
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- ©️Copyright 2026 Gene Simco Most Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scriptures in brackets reflect the original Biblical languages.