The first followers of Christ faced challenges both outside and within the church from the time they began spreading the Gospel throughout the world. Jude spoke of those within, saying, “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.”

These men had infiltrated the church, whose true motives, unknown to others, were to seize upon the opportunity of genuine faith to take advantage of the flock for personal gain.

Jude devotes virtually his entire letter to addressing those who mingle among believers, presenting themselves as followers of Christ, while feeding themselves. Their true motive is not to edify others but to make merchandise of the congregation by exploiting their faith.

Entering in sheep’s clothing, these men turned the grace of God into lasciviousness by preaching a seductive gospel for gain. In reality, they themselves were filthy dreamers who defiled the flesh and enticed others to engage with them in their sinful indulgences.

The same phenomenon continues to the present. Deceptive messengers, emphasizing unconditional grace, preach a gospel that promises irrevocable forgiveness for all sins under every circumstance: past, present, and future.

Jude warns against such teachings, admonishing faithful believers to earnestly contend for the faith, remembering that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. The angels also, who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, the Lord has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

The Apostle Paul reminds followers of Christ that the things that happened to Israel in the wilderness after they were saved from bondage were written for our benefit as examples. Paul warns that by returning to Egypt in our hearts, we too could fall from grace and be forbidden from entering the promised land.

Peter said, “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17).

Nonetheless, every day, many who read the scriptures that refute modern theologies of “once saved, always saved” still hold to crafted interpretations designed to scratch the itching ears of those who desire to hear smooth things. Insecure in their own faith to persevere, they cleave to false promises that salvation cannot be forfeited if they turn back to live in sin or that it is impossible to turn back. For this reason, many fall in the hour of temptation.

Thus, the prophecy of Joel against false teachers is fulfilled, saying, “That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.”

The failure to preach and teach the full Gospel of Christ has resulted in a great falling away from God, not only in secular society but also among professing Christians. Unbelievers on the outside look at the churches and see a void of the spirit and the transparent imitation of Christianity that imitates a form of godliness but denies the power of God and the fruits that follow.

The only remedy is the restoration of the truth. The current gospel, or rather, “gospels,” for there are many, preached in the mainstream of Christianity today, is a deceitful imitation that leads people away from the truth.

Many sincere believers have been taught falsehoods handed down through the church for generations. Others attend church, merely going through the motions for social acceptance.

The word of God states, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Nothing written is to be set aside to accommodate interpretations that quench the conviction of sin.

Trust every word of God. Beware of modern Bible versions that interject private interpretations. Beware of explanations of preachers and teachers when the truth is absolutely made clear by the scriptures alone.

Watch and pray; work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; your pastor is not going to stand in judgment for you on that day. You alone are responsible for your relationship with Jesus Christ.

The message of Christ is not only grace; it is grace and truth. Grace is not forgiveness without the gift of power—power is given to defeat and overcome sin, power to remove mountains, to make the path straight, and power to walk as Jesus walked—to become perfect and be like God.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:2, 3)

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” – (Matthew 5:48)