Perverting the Grace of God

Jude 1:4 makes the claim that certain people have secretly slipped into the church and that they are perverting the grace of God into a licence for immorality and denying the authority of Jesus Christ. Exactly how these people crept in we do not know, but it is likely that they had some kind of leadership role and influence. Maybe some of them were office bearers (implied by Jude 1:12) or big financial contributors.

Whatever the exact situation, it is clear that these false teachers really liked the idea of grace. Grace was one of their favourite words and if you spent any time with them, you would have had many conversations reflecting on God’s love and his willingness to forgive all wrongdoing. If they were walking around town today, they would be the people wearing one of those T-shirts that says Love Wins and if their favourite Bible verse was not Ephesians 2:8, it certainly was 1 John 4:8: God is love.

Now it is certainly true that the Bible wants to encourage us that through Christ we can know God as our Father and be assured of his love toward us. We are right to marvel at and reflect on God’s grace and the depths of his love toward sinners (for example, 1 John 3:1–24)—after all, the love of God was the reason for the Son coming into this world in order to die on the cross (John 3:15). It is because God loved us that he called us through the gospel (Jude 1:1) and by his Spirit adopted us into his family (Romans 8:15–17).

But the problem comes when love or grace or another biblical concept is emphasised to such an extent that it absolves any need for obedience or prompts us to ignore Scripture. In fact, sometimes these words can even be used as a motive for ignoring God’s commandments. For example:

• Jesus said that he is the only way to God and no one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6). Well, said the people who crept in, that cannot be right. God’s love is much greater than any religion. He cares for all the people he has made. I am sure that as long as people are sincere in their faith, they will end up in heaven. Love wins.

• When it comes to relationships, these people might have said, Yes, the Bible teaches that sex is exclusively for marriage but there is no need to wait until then. God knows about our temptations and struggles. He will forgive us when we give in to our desires. As long as you remember to ask for mercy, you will be fine. It is God’s job to forgive. He cannot do otherwise.

• If you are stuck in a difficult marriage, there is no need to stick with your partner and work things out. God wants you to be happy. Remember he is gracious and loving. Maybe your future is not with your current partner but with someone else, someone whom God has chosen for you.

These false teachers would not have been saying that there is no such thing as right and wrong, but what they would say is that morality is much more fluid than what the Bible suggests. God’s will revealed in Scripture is helpful, but not final. Love, grace, mercy—these words are the essence of God. So if there are commands that are not in keeping with these ideas, we do not have to obey them. We must use our common sense. And what is more, we have actually had a dream in which God confirmed our way of thinking (Jude 1:8), so you have no right to come and accuse us of sin. We love Jesus, we have a relationship with him, and now we are simply trying to live in the light of God’s grace, enjoying the freedom of the gospel and the guidance of the Spirit. Do not be so religious and uptight. Love wins.

Sadly you will find that these ideas are taught in many Christian communities throughout the world. Love, grace, mercy, and happiness are all used as motivations that allow us to ignore those commandments we dislike. But to Jude’s mind such thinking is a perversion of grace and a rejection of God. To him this kind of attitude and thinking is actually one that testifies to the absence of God’s saving grace and the work of his Spirit. Biblically, God’s grace transforms people. The gift of salvation not only brings us into God’s kingdom, but God by his Spirit helps us to live in that kingdom and submit to the authority of Christ our King. Grace and love should never prompt us to ignore God’s revealed will, rather they are reasons for why we should be eager to obey even when we do not understand.

In contrast to the true faith once for all delivered, these people were advocating some kind of hell insurance. A relationship with God that is divorced from his commandments. A licence to indulge sinful desires and go along with the wisdom of the world. They may have used the word grace in their teaching and spoken a lot about God’s love, but their refusal to submit to his Word showed their true standing before him. A people destined for judgment and not for glory.