Jude 1:4 (ESV)

4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

There are many ways of denying Christ. There are outward denials of Christ—outward ways in which we walk away from Christ and say, I have nothing to do with Christ. I have nothing to do with the church. It is silly and stupid. And you silly, Bible-pounding people, I have nothing to do with you either. Then there are also more subtle ways to deny Christ. One subtle way to deny Christ is to say, I can accept Jesus my Saviour and I do not need to accept him as my Lord....The basic Christian confession is that Jesus is Lord. Look at the text again: and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. We are to follow Jesus Christ as Lord, and that means hearing his commandments—if you love me, you will keep my commandments; you will do what I say. You cannot live like the devil and make a confession of Christ. They do not go together, do they?...That is what Jude is saying. And Jesus says, in Matthew 10:32, that if you confess him before men, that is, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord—that you live a life...with that confession, and live your confession before others—Jesus says, I will confess you before my Father in heaven. And when you die and leave this earth, and you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, then Jesus Christ is there before the throne of God. Jesus will say to the Father with regard to you, This one belongs to me. This one confessed me and lived for me. I died for this one and he belongs to me. He is mine, Father. Jesus will confess you before the Father.1

Dennis Prutow