Guard Your Heart: Jude’s Warning Against False Teachers

Shared on March 2, 2025

Introduction

Many profess to have a “word” from God today but one must be prudent when it comes to hearing God’s word.  Jesus warned us to beware of false teachers who will come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matt. 7:15).  Jesus taught that the wolf seeks to catch and scatter the sheep.  There is a lot of scattering taking place in the world today – beware.

An Urgent Warning From Jude

The Epistle of Jude was authored by the brother of James (Jude 1) and both were the half-brothers of Jesus (Mark 6:3; Matt. 13:55).  This James is not to be confused with the brother of John who was killed by Herod (Acts 12:2).  This James was the writer of the Epistle of James.

James’ epistle focuses on faith in action with good works.  Jude’s epistle, much shorter in size, also focuses on faith with Jude desiring for one to fight for the faith.  What becomes very apparent as you read over Jude’s epistle is that Jude recognized a threat that’s still present in the world today.  Jude recognized the threat of apostasy.

Apostasy is a turning or falling away from faith.  An apostate is one who once walked with Christ but turned away from walking with Him.  Jude recognized the threat the apostate posed to those who were still of faith as they apostate would try to persuade other to follow their path. You have to be careful of following in the way of those who believe their way is better than God’s way.  

So, in an urgent warning, Jude wrote that believers must be ready to contend for the faith (Jude 3).  To contend means to fight for.  Jude would not have believers standing on the sidelines as apostates persuaded others to follow them.  Jude’s message was similar to Paul telling Timothy to bread in season and out of season to minister the gospel (2 Tim. 4:2).

So how do we heed this warning and contend for the faith?  The best way we can contend for the faith is by being true to the faith.  We must be both watchful and prudent, so as not to let the wolf in sheep’s clothing in.  We must be ready to fight in truth, love, and sincerity – unafraid to stand in the name of Jesus.

The Apostates Inescapable Judgment

The apostate poses a grave threat to those who are of faith or not.  You see, their work is a work that is directly against the Spirit as they try to persuade others away from salvation (Jude 4).  To work against the Spirit is to blaspheme the Spirit.  Jesus said that blasphemy of the Spirit is a sin that will not be pardoned (Matt. 12:31-32).  Such a sin should be taken with the utmost seriousness.

To show how grave of a threat the apostates are, Jude referenced the apostates of old.  In Jude 5, Jude referenced Old Testament apostates who rose up after Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt.  

There were many, like Korah, who rose against God because they despised God’s leadership.  The children of Israel had even made a calf of gold to worship immediately after making the covenant to be faithful only to Him.  When they turned away from entering the Promised Land, the generation that was freed from Egypt was made to wander the wilderness until it passed away (Num. 14).

Apostasy dates back even before the time of mankind.  In Jude 6, Jude wrote, “The angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their abode, [God] has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”  This is a reference to those angels who chose to follow Satan in his rebellion.  They, just like Satan, will be cast into the lake of fire for everlasting life.

To bring it back to mankind, in Jude 7, Jude referenced those of Sodom and Gomorrah.  I think it’s very interesting that Jude included those of Sodom and Gomorrah with apostates.  Sodom and Gomorrah were born in the days after the Great Flood when only Abraham listened in obedience.   Sodom and Gomorrah were those who chose disobedience and were judged accordingly (Gen. 19). 

Description of Today’s Apostates

Jude then spoke about the apostates of his present day.  The descriptions of the apostates of his day, followed the same trend of the Old Testament scripture.  Today’s apostate is just as those of Jude’s day and of the Old Testament – the apostate does not change.

Apostates, Jude wrote, are dreamers who defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries (Jude 8).  They are dreamers, in a sense, that their dreams are immoral.  For example, there are many today who dream of living in a world without God and worship of Him.  This dream is beautiful to the apostate but such a world would be completely devastated.

Defiling of the flesh speaks to immoral practices that were present dating back to Sodom and still to this day.  The rejection of authority and speaking evil of dignitaries speaks to what Moses faced when leading the children of Israel.  Present day apostates also believe they know better than spiritual leaders, which shouldn’t be a shock considering they also think they know better than God.

Jude wrote that apostates, “speak evil of whatever they do not know (Jude 10).”  Again, there is this self-righteousness that the apostate foolishly has to think they are wiser than everyone.  The problem with this is that nobody is wiser than God. As Jude said, what they know they know naturally, according to the world, and that is the doctrine they govern themselves by (Jude 11).

Punishment of Today’s Apostates

The apostates of today who give themselves over to sin should not think that they will escape the judgment of the fallen angels or the apostates of the Old Testament.   

Jude saw the birth of apostasy and was trying to get ahead of it for all believers.  Sadly, many have died becoming apostates and, for them, there will be no redemption story.  The false prophets and teachers of apostasy should not be listened to.  For they go down a path that may seem right to them but it’s a path leading to destruction (Prov. 1:32; 14:12).

 I feel it’s also necessary for us to understand that many speak against Christ and don’t even say a word.  In 1 John 4:20, John wrote, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.”  

Many will say they love God but they fail to love Him because they don’t love everybody.  Your actions, or your inactions, actually speak even louder than your words when it comes to faith or a lack of faith.