Harsh Jude

One reader recently commented positively about earlier posts on Jude. Thank you, but it stirs me to finish the task. My first two themes in Jude were admittedly loosely connected with the text but this next section really goes to the heart of Jude's passion. 

Last Sunday the BBC service highlighted Eric Liddell's life, linking in with the 100 years' anniversary of his Olympic win, celebrated in Chariots of Fire.  During the service they sang his favourite hymn by F.W. Faber.: 

There's a wideness in |God's mercy, 

 Like the wideness of the sea. 

There's a kindness in his mercy 

Which is more than liberty.

Further lines stress this theme: And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind ....We magnify his strictness with a zeal he will not own.  

Later on Songs of Praise this same hymn was sung to emphasize the theme of inclusion. These words do speak movingly of God's mercy and (often) our lack of it.

When you consider church styles of worship they can range between emphasizing good news with joy, smiles, celebrating with Hallelujahs and affirmation that God loves you. You are special. At the other extreme is a seriousness where the weight of God’s expectations involves confession and tears with challenges like 2 Cor 5. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body whether good or bad.  Of course, this is nothing to do with Jesus' redemption of us, but everything to do about the quality of our actions. That Christianity isn’t a free ride to feel good about yourself but an invitation to live the good life of discipleship in his kingdom. 

It seems as though Jude wanted to stay in the sunshine of celebrating good news. Being positive. Verse 3 almost says I would have liked to be positive about all the good things but I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith.  Contend is a fighting word – I’m begging that you fight with everything you have in your for this faith.(Message). Jude sees danger. Something is going wrong in their church and they have to put it right. V4 Certain men have secretly slipped in among you. Godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.  Notice that the teaching is about ethics and doctrine. Always these are bound together – how we behave depends on what we believe. Water down who you believe God to be in your life and you can become more casual in life-style. 

It's wonderfully true that there's a wideness in God's mercy but there is also the reality of accountability before the judgement seat of Christ.  Jude is going to be harsh.