My Thoughts On Jude 1:4's Warning on Antinomianism and Some of the Greek Words in It

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I've begun my study on Jude and I thought about other Greek words revealed from "Thru the Bible Commentary". Now, it's time to do another study on a verse that would warn about false teachings. Jude who calls himself the brother of James (I believe this is the earthly maternal half-brother of Jesus) had written his short epistle. James wrote a longer one than Jude. However, we can't dismiss Jude at all!
Jude 1:4 
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV) 
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. (ESV) 
For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (NIV) 

The way the NIV renders it as "license for immorality" makes it a bit clearer. The KJV translators in their use of italics could've put a license for in-between "into" and "lasciviousness". However, it's a figure of speech to denote that the Antinomians have used the license of God as a license to sin. Nobody can turn God's grace into lasciviousness since He is incorruptible. Rather, it's a figure of speech not meant to be taken literally or meant to portray that such people want to present God's grace as a license to sin. Paul already warned about that kind of thinking in Romans 6!

Now, it's time to consider some interesting Greek words that J. Vernon McGee had highlighted. These are the following Greek words:
  1. Propopapho is the Greek word for ordained. It means to write beforehand.
  2. Pareisduno means to creep unawares. It's made up of the following words. Duno means "to enter". Eis means "into". Para means "beside". It means to "enter alongside" or as Dr. Vincent (as McGee quotes him) "to get in by the side, to slip in a side door." 
  3. Metaschomatixontai means "the act of the individual who is changing his appearance outward by assuming an expression put forth from the outside. 

I was thinking about how these false teachers come in. There is the danger of pareisduno and metaschomatixontai in the church today. Jude already warned it in his day and the last days were already beginning since the acts of the Apostles. Paul was warning Timothy of a danger he would be facing. There are many wicked men ordained today. Sometimes, the deception is even more subtle than you think. While there are indeed obvious enemies such as the Roman Catholic institution and the anti-Catholic cults - there are already some Baptist and Protestant circles today that are infiltrated by other false teachings. Some wicked men who have had their propapapho in the Bible colleges have pareisduno into the churches. They have also given their metaschomatixontai making them look like men of God. 

These men pretend to know God. Before Jude wrote this letter - Paul already warned Timothy way ahead of what's about to come. 2 Timothy 3:5-6 warns of people with fake godliness where they deny God by their actions. Paul also wrote to Titus in Titus 1:15-16 that says that one's actions can deny God. These wicked men can post all about God all they want but they deny him with their wickedness. The Roman Catholic institution and the anti-Catholic cults have been long culprits of this one. Any saved person wouldn't kneel to the Pope or to any pseudo-Pope from the anti-Catholic cults. However, it's very easy to keep an eye on the Pope or the mission presidents of anti-Catholic cults that we fail to see that wicked men have infiltrated the Evangelical communities of today.

It had me thinking about how I often get excited to hear of a Baptist or Protestant church ready to work. Unfortunately, you can see how denominations are falling apart. Consider the decline of the Lutheran denomination. I heard Martin Luther was never the founder of it but some of his followers later built a church after him. Then you've got Baptist churches falling into serious apostasy. It's really something that a guy claims to be a Bible Baptist and he teaches that salvation won't result in a changed life. After a long argument, he decided to hit me with false accusations one after the other. He even called me a "Jesuit spy" and started to taunt me with pictures of Pope Francis "calling to me". The guy really showed his Antinomianism when he believes that salvation won't result to a changed life. Such conversion is a sham. He also said John Calvin supposedly never left Catholicism on the basis that Calvin used to go to Ignatius of Loyola in the same school. Does that make me a criminal if I used to go to the same school with a wanted criminal? That guy claiming to be a Baptist has very bad logic and manners if you ask me!

The problem of turning God's charis or grace into a license for sin is very real. I do believe in once saved, always saved. I consider it a biblical doctrine that salvation can't be lost. Before, I used to struggle with it because salvation depends upon trusting Jesus for your salvation as Lord and Savior. I thought people can renounce it for years and another time - I started embracing it by saying that true salvation can't be lost. However, I was really not buying the whole idea that I can be saved and still remain the same. That's why after I got saved - I started having doubts if I were saved or not because I still had bad habits to get rid of. The only cure for that doubt was with people who involuntary became my accountability partners in my Christian life. I received too much chastising but as Hebrews 12:5-7 says - God's children get a spanking and the Devil's children don't get it. God's children get their punishment almost as soon as possible. The Devil's children are usually left to reap their own consequences in due time.

The problem with Jack Hyles' pulpit was the creeping Antinomianism. It turns out that it's been well-documented that Hyles' pulpit was full of sexual scandals. Yet, that same "Baptist" that I got into a heavy argument into supports Hyles. David J. Stewart behind the nutjob website Jesus-is-Savior is also a product of Hyles' pulpit. Stewart was arrested in Guam for statutory rape which led to his ex-wife filing a divorce against him. Turns out that Stewart is not as godly as you may want him to believe but a false brother. The slow and subtle creeping or pareisduno was working itself. I don't deny Hyles as a lot of material against sin. However, the massive amount of false converts and the double life Hyles led is no different than the double life of a Roman Catholic priest. What's the use of criticizing the mountains of scandals of the Vatican if there are people covering up the scandals of Baptist and Protestant pulpits at the same time? True, the Vatican has had more scandals than the Baptist and Protestant circles but it doesn't mean that they can be ignored. Just remember the principle that a little leaven leavens the whole lump.

You also have the problem of homosexual churches. Homosexuality is obviously coined from homo meaning "the same" and sexual. To be homogenous is to have the same mixture. Homosexuality is obviously sexual activity with the same sex. No wonder Jude 1:7 also talks about Sodom and Gomorrah to describe the apostates. Why gay has become a word for homosexual is beyond me. Sodomy refers to any unnatural sexual intercourse such as bestiality, pedophilia, incest, and homosexuality. Today, we've got Protestant churches who believe it's okay to be a homosexual. It's okay to be gay (as in happy) but not to be gay (as in homosexual). I usually don't want to call male homosexuals as gay though it has become an acceptable term. Homosexual churches where same-sex marriages are performed didn't stick to Sola Scriptura. Far from it, they have deviated from the Bible on the rules of morals. Nowhere in the Bible or sticking to the Bible alone would condone to homosexuality. Rather, a weak understanding (such as how Matthew Vines interprets it) has led to the emergence of the homosexual apostate Baptist and Protestant churches.

Need I mention about pastors who would rather defy authority than pray for those in power. I understand there are times God allows unqualified people into power. Consider that Saul was certainly not qualified to be king but God allowed it to punish Israel's rebellion. God has allowed wicked kings to rule for a reason. I even found out that a certain pastor from the Philippines is cursing President Rodrigo R. Duterte rather than pray for the man's salvation. The man even slanders Duterte on his social media wall. Pastors shouldn't be involved in partisan politics. Rather, they should be asking the faithful to pray whoever God puts into power or allows them to be in power. I don't know how he could boast of himself as a man of God when he's already involved with what could be seditious activities. It's pretty much like how Korah led the rebellion in Numbers 16. Korah was pretty much arrogant to lead against God's anointed. We would also find out that David never wanted to strike Saul down. David was heavily rewarded for not striking Saul acknowledging the latter as the LORD's anointed. Any pastor caught leading in seditious activities should be kicked out of their pulpits.

The problem would also be with pastors who are greedy of gain. No wonder Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:10 about the love of money. It didn't say that money is the root of all evil but the love for it. We can think about how Balaam was coined by McGee as the "Prophet for Profit". Why I stopped watching the Trinity Broadcasting Network after I got saved was because of the profiteering. I once listened to Joel Osteen when I got newly saved. I also tuned in to Benny Hinn's program. I believe a lot of Christians today can testify that they used to watch that nonsense while hungry for sound doctrine. I dumped those televangelists because they are greedy for gain. Balaam was more concerned about his pocket than the will of God. He was a false prophet to the very end. Balaam was mentioned in 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, and Revelation 2:14. The way of Balaam, the error of Balaam, and the doctrine of Balaam are all one and the same. When a pastor starts preaching about giving so God will bless people financially then watch out - that pastor is just after your wallets! While I do believe in tithing a tenth of your income - I don't believe in legalistic tithing. Nobody in the church should be harassed by their pastor for not giving tithes. In this time of pandemic - I think it'd be practical not to tithe for people who are burdened. Those who want to tithe should tithe but remember Jesus also condemned the Pharisees' tithing that ignored laws of mercy. Giving to a local church to help in relief projects in this pandemic is something I'd recommend. After all, tithes were meant to supply the local churches with their expenses. Any godly church today needs that tithe. However, pastors who are just after profit don't deserve a tithe.

Churches need to be vigilant as always. Remember the Reformers didn't want to be called reformers - they just wanted to be biblical. Luther warned against Antinomianism. The French Reformer John Calvin in his debate with Catholic bishop Jacopo Sadoleto had the former affirm true faith results to works. Many historical preachers affirmed that true faith begets good works. Unfortunately, the warnings that great men like Charles H. Spurgeon and Aiden W. Tozer have long talked about had come true. How many times have I to really shun a Baptist church because it has now embraced Antinomianism. True converts understand their salvation is not their own but they start to live differently because they are saved from sin. Only false converts of an Antinomian gospel think that they've got that license to sin. Sadly, such people aren't saved and would be lumped together with those who trusted their good works (Matthew 7:21-23).

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