Beware the Pretenders

Twice Dead Men--Part 1

by
John MacArthur
All Rights Reserved

(A copy of this message on cassette tape may be obtained by calling 1-800-55-GRACE)

Jude 8-11        Tape GC 2125

A. Apostasy Considered

When I was in high school, I had a very good friend who played ball with me on the school team. We did practically everything together. He was from a family that claimed to be Christian. I remember going with him one time to Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles and preaching on a soapbox. We parted company as I went off to college. The next time I met him, he proudly told me that he was an atheist. That was hard for me to understand. His moral life had sunk to a low ebb. He totally disregarded God, having fallen into apostasy. He was someone who knew the truth, but walked away, willfully abandoning it for life-style he desired.

In the biography of Billy Graham by John Pollock (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 1966), I read about a certain man who once was a part of the Billy Graham organization. Now he is a well- known rejector of the faith. In similar fashion, a man who signed my ordination certificate was the pastor of a popular Bible church. Today he denies the deity of Jesus Christ. He's a professor at the University of Southern California and does everything he can do to turn young people away from Christianity.

Those men fall into the category of apostates. Such people are the subject of Jude's letter. Apostasy is as common as it is terrible. God makes clear how He feels about it in the pages of Scripture:

1. DEUTERONOMY 32:15, 19--"...he forsook God who made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation....And when the LORD saw it, He abhorred them...." Moses spoke of Israel's apostasy.

2. 1 CHRONICLES 28:9--"...if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever."

3. ISAIAH 1:28--"...they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed."

4. JEREMIAH 17:5--"Thus saith the LORD, Cursed be the man...whose heart departeth from the LORD."

5. EZEKIEL 18:24-26--The word "righteous" in this passage does not refer to the righteousness that God imputes to a man; it refers to self-righteousness--man's own efforts at religion. "But when the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die" (v. 24). A man who is attached to a form of righteousness--who tries to carry out his religious efforts--is really a man whose righteousness is "as filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6). He will die in his sin. Verses 25-26 continue, "Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel, Is not My way equal? Are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them, for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die."

6. EZEKIEL 33:12-13, 18--"Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness, neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it....When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die for it." Self- righteousness won't save a person. Even being superficially attached to the right religion and then turning way from it, will result in certain disaster.

7. JOHN 6:66--"...many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." There were some outwardly righteous people who superficially followed Jesus Christ, but when they heard something they didn't like, they walked away.

8. JOHN 15:6--The judgment of those who turn away from Christ will be severe: "If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Apostates who know the truth and walk away from it will certainly experience the judgment of hell.

9. HEBREWS 6:4-6--"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift...if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance...." People who reject the only truth that can save them are hopelessly lost.

B. Apostasy Compounded

The evil of apostasy is compounded when a person is not just an apostate, but is a false teacher as well. There are a lot of people who have walked away from the truth, but there are also people who have walked away from the truth and have gone on to propagate Satan's lies. Peter speaks about false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1-3: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they, with feigned words, make merchandise of you; whose judgment now for a long time lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not." God is going to judge false teachers.

The Word warns very firmly against apostasy, and even more so against being an apostate false teacher. Nowhere in Scripture is there a more graphic description of apostasy than in Jude, although 2 Peter 2 and Matthew 23, where Jesus condemns the Pharisees, are a close comparison. Verses 8-11 of Jude say: "In like manner also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities [or, glories]. Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not; but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah." Jude fires out those statements without giving much background, because he is recalling information that his readers already knew. He gives us a fourfold description of apostates regarding their conduct, company, character, and condemnation. Let's begin with...

I. THEIR CONDUCT (vv. 8-10)

A brief background would be beneficial to our understanding. Jude showed his readers in verses 5 to 7 that apostasy is nothing new; it's as old as the disobedience of the children of Israel in the wilderness (v. 5), the sin of the fallen angels (v. 6), and the immorality of Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 7). God has always judged apostasy and will continue to do so. Jude gave three case histories of God's judgment on apostasy. In verses 8-13 he now applies God's attitude of judgment to present apostates.

In the past, the first generation of Israel murmured against God and were destroyed. They were apostates in the wilderness; they did not believe God. There were angels who corrupted their nature and left their heavenly dwelling place to cohabit with women. That sinful act produced the strange beings that God had to destroy in the flood. As a result, those fallen angels were bound and will remain that way until they are judged for their gross apostasy. Also, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah departed from the truth that they had been exposed to from Abraham and Lot. Because they sought to have homosexual relations with the angels who were staying with Lot, God destroyed them.

A. Its Comparison (v. 8a)

"In like manner..."

Jude takes all three of those illustrations and sums them up in verse 8: "In like manner also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities." When an apostate reaches the inevitable end of his apostasy, he defiles the flesh as Sodom and Gomorrah did, he despises authority like the sinning angels did, and he blasphemes God ("speak evil") as the children of Israel did.

Jude says that the things that were true about apostates in the past are true even today. The phrase "in like manner" means that those false teachers ("dreamers") are doing the very same things. It's amazing to realize that apostates continue to do what they do even though they know what the Bible says about apostasy. Amos 4:11 says, "I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were like a firebrand plucked out of the burning; yet have ye not returned unto Me, saith the LORD." Apostasy continues to go on: people persist in denying the truth by walking away from God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible.

B. Its Cause (v. 8b)

"...these filthy dreamers..."

Jude calls the apostate false teachers, "dreamers." That term appears in the Greek manuscripts without the word "filthy", which was added by the translators in an attempt to clarify what was meant. The word means "to dream, or to see delusions." False teachers do not see the truth; they see delusions. They think what they see is the truth because Satan has blinded their evil minds.

There are different words for dream in New Testament Greek: Oneiros refers to a dream that was purposeful or significant. God would speak to prophets, for example, through such a dream. However, that is not the word used in Jude. That word refers to a confused state of the soul or an abnormal imagination, when the ego is controlled and held captive by ungodly sensuality. It conveys the idea of arbitrary fancies from a perverted mind that make it deaf to reality and truth. Jude speaks of beguiled false teachers who dream false dreams. You might understand that to some extent because we've all had dreams that were so vivid that we thought we were seeing reality. False teachers are like dreamers with fantasies about the truth--they propagate the lies of Satan, which they think are the truth.

C. Its Characteristics (v. 8c-10)

1. IMMORALITY (v. 8c)

"...these filthy dreamers defile the flesh..."

a. Described

Sooner or later, false teachers are usually exposed by their immorality. They may hide it for a while, but they won't be able to conceal it forever. False teachers defile the flesh because only the Holy Spirit can control the fleshly desires. If a man does not have the Spirit of God, he has no lasting control over his sinful human desires, even though He may try to carry on a moral front. Any man who is a captive of Satan and a teacher of false doctrine will eventually have some kind of moral impurity in his life. It may never become visible in some cases, but it usually does.

The Greek word for "defile" means "to spot or stain." Although it was originally applied to material things, it came to refer to something that was stained by blood-guiltiness. When the term is connected with "the flesh," it denotes sexual immorality. False teachers are usually involved in sexual immorality. Sometimes there may be an exception--an individual that Satan keeps morally clean in order to give him credibility--but that is rare. A person is going to have a difficult time dealing with his flesh if he doesn't have the Spirit of God within him.

b. Defended

1) 2 Peter 2:10, 12, 18, 20--Note Peter's description of false teachers as "they that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness...these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own corruption....For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh....they have escaped the pollutions of the world....they are again entangled in it, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. When a man has divorced himself from the only power that can effectively control the flesh, he will walk in his own lusts.

2) 2 Peter 3:3--"...there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." Men who deny the Lord and forsake the truth may be able to hide their immorality for a little while. However, their apostasy is not hid from God's eyes, who may even choose to expose it before men. I think the reason the Bible tells us that false teachers are immoral is that we can sometimes be fooled by those people. For example, some of the people in cults seem very nice on the surface, but remember what Jude says about them.

2. ARROGANCE (v. 8d)

...despise dominion..."

a. Explained

The word "dominion" refers to authority. The "filthy dreamers" commit the arrogant sin of having contempt for the commands of God and any other truth that they wish to deny. The Greek word for "despise" (atheteo) means "to do away with something that has been established, to reject." False teachers reject authority. The Greek word translated "dominion" is kuriotes. Having the same root as kurios, which means "lord," we learn that such teachers reject lordship. That broad term could apply to human authority, whether civil or church related. Although false teachers reject church and civil leaders, they primarily reject the lordship of Christ, pursuing their own desires. Apostate theological liberals often actively fight for revolutionary causes against the government and even against the church.

b. Exemplified

Commentator Maxwell Coder says, "Jude 8 supplies a key to the otherwise inexplicable fact that apostate religious leaders are often found associated with subversive organizations which seek to overthrow the authority of the United States. Not until the tide of apostasy began to rise during the twentieth century was there any serious effort to set aside the dominion of the government which our fathers established. Yet it was written nineteen hundred years ago that apostates would follow such a course" (Jude: the Acts of the Apostates [Chicago: Moody Press, 1958], p. 54).

It is characteristic of apostates to rebel because they are agents of Satan, who himself rebels against the government, the home, the church, and every divine authority that God has ever established. They rebel against the home by advocating the abuse of sex, and they rebel against the government by supporting organizations that seek to overthrow it. They fight against the church by denying the Word of God and the lordship of Jesus Christ.

3. BLASPHEMY (v. 8e-9)

a. Explained (v. 8e)

"...and speak evil of dignities [or, glories; Gk. doxai]."

The Greek word translated as "speak evil" is blasphemeo, from which we get our word blaspheme. Jude uses it in the present tense: false teachers continually blaspheme "dignities." Some people believe that the term "dignities" refers to angels, but doxai is never used in the Bible to speak of angels. That is one reason that I believe it is speaking about the glories of Christ. An apostate speaks evil of Christ--he blasphemes God.

b. Exemplified (v. 9)

"Yet Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."

Jude says that it is a terrible thing to speak evil of a dignified individual who holds a glorious position. Even Michael, the super-angel, didn't dare to speak a word against Satan. What kind of a fool, then, would speak a word against God? Michael never stepped out of his bounds. When there needed to be an accusation against Satan, he merely said, "The Lord rebuke thee." In other words, "Let the Lord take care of it." The devil is an exalted creature, and Michael recognized that. Therefore, he held his tongue and let the Lord deal with the situation.

1) Arguing over the Possession

Let me explain what was taking place in verse 9. Michael is the great archangel. He might have been second in command before Lucifer rebelled and was cast out of heaven as God's adversary. So, the chief angel was contending with the devil over the body of Moses. When Moses died, he was alone on a mountain overlooking the Promised Land. Since there apparently wasn't anybody to bury him, I believe that the Lord instructed Michael to do that. But when Michael got there, the devil said, "Hold it, Michael. You're not going to get that body!" The two of them had a argument over Satan's claim to the body of Moses. Possibly Satan pointed to the fact that Moses had been a murderer (Ex. 2:12), and was a disobedient man, hitting a rock when he was supposed to have spoken to it (Num. 20:11-12). But Moses couldn't have cared less about the argument over his body, because he wasn't even there.

You say, "What would the devil want with Moses' body?" Since Moses was one of the most venerated man who had ever lived, the devil might have figured that if he could display his body, then he could captivate people with some kind of idolatry. Throughout history, people have claimed to have found icons that they believe to be worthy of veneration. I wouldn't be surprised if there were enough supposed pieces of the cross to build a three-story building! So God said, "Satan, you're not going to lay a hand on Moses' body. I'm going to make sure it is buried." Michael didn't start a fight with the devil; he didn't make one accusation against Satan.

2) Applying the Principle

It's wrong to speak slander someone in authority. Michael wouldn't even do that to the devil. Even when someone is wrong, let God be the judge. That's a good practical principle. We sometimes want unjustly condemn others. Rather, we ought to say, "The Lord will take care of the situation." I don't have to name and accuse every apostate in town, for the Lord said, "...Vengeance is Mine; I will repay..." (Rom. 12:19). However, one of the marks of an apostate is criticism: they speak evil of God's leaders. In Titus 3:2 Paul said, "...speak evil of no man...." But in our society, speaking evil of people is a kind of game we play.

Apostates speak evil of Christ: they assault His deity, His virgin birth, His miracles, His atoning death, His resurrection, and His Second Coming. But Michael wouldn't even pronounce one judgment (Gk. krisis) against Satan. He left that to God, in spite of the fact that there was a lot he could have said. That wasn't the first time that Michael had run into Satan. Daniel 10:13 tells us that he had a confrontation with his demons (princes). In the future, there will be a war in heaven and Michael and his angels will overpower the devil and his angels (Rev. 12:7-8). Michael could have reminded Satan of that prophecy, but he didn't.

So, Michael sets a great example for us: Although apostates foolishly blaspheme God and Jesus Christ, Michael would not speak a judgment against Satan.

With those three patterns of conduct, the warning becomes clearer: Physically, false teachers are immoral; intellectually, they are arrogant; spiritually, they are blasphemous. They inhabit a deluded dream world, void of truth. Furthermore, Jude says that apostate false teachers are characterized by...

4. CRITICISM (v. 10a)

"But these speak evil of those things which they know not..."

False teachers criticize what they don't understand. They haven't got the faintest idea of what truth is, which makes trying to communicate with them very difficult. It would be like talking to a man who is dreaming in his sleep. They can't even comprehend the things they're condemning. We find support for that in such verses as...

a. 1 Corinthians 2:14--"But the natural man receiveth not [does not understand] the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him...." He can't know spiritual truth because he is spiritually dead.

b. 2 Peter 2:12--"...they speak evil of the things that they understand not...." False teachers are quick to condemn things that they are spiritually blind to.

5. CORRUPTION (v. 10b)

"...but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves."

Finally, Jude describes false teachers as being corrupted by what they do understand--those are the things that damn them. Commentator Michael Greene says, "If a man persistently is blind to spiritual values, deaf to the call of God, and rates self-determination as the highest good, then a time will come when he cannot hear the call he has spurned, but is left to the mercy of the turbulent instincts to which he once turned in search of freedom. And those instincts, given free reign, are merciless. Lust, when indulged, becomes a killer" (The Second Epistle General of Peter and the General Epistle of Jude, [Grand Rapids: Michigan, Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1968], p. 171).

Judes compares false teachers to "brute beasts" or animals. The Greek word for "brute" is alogos (lit. "without speech"). In other words, false teachers are nothing but ignorant animals whose only goal is to fulfill their physical desires. They are oblivious to the real world of God's truth; rather, they are plugged into a dream world of fantasy that results in their physical defilement. Their gospel is the gospel of the flesh. They are like Paul's description of Gentiles that are "without Christ...having no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). Certainly false teachers will die in their sins. Jude sums up the condemnation of false teachers in verse 11 by saying, "Woe unto them!..."

II. THEIR COMPANY (v. 11)

You can usually evaluate the quality of a person by the company he keeps. Proverbial wisdom says it this way: Birds of a feather flock together. Verse 11 identifies false teachers as following the same pattern as three Old Testament apostates: "...For they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Korah."

Cain depicts the arrogance and false religion of apostates, Balaam depicts their greed and seductiveness, and Korah depicts their open rebellion in blaspheming God. In that verse you can find a remarkable progression of apostasy. It begins with the false teachers going in the way of Cain. It continues with them running greedily after the error of Balaam for reward. Finally, it ends with them "perishing" in the gainsaying of Korah. Apostasy is an accelerated pace on a road to hell.

Furthermore, notice that by going in the way of Cain, apostate teachers have rejected the true way. By running greedily after the error of Balaam, they have rejected the truth. And by rebelling and receiving God's judgment like Korah, they have rejected life. Here you have the antithesis of John 14:6. Apostates reject "the way, the truth, and the life," for the way of false religion, the error of greed, and the loss of life. Therefore, Jude pronounces the verdict: "Woe unto them!..."

1. CAIN (v. 11a)

"...they have gone in the way of Cain..."

a. The Analogy

Cain was the first apostate. I believe that God had told him and the rest of his family what kind of sacrificial offering He required. When Cain brought his offering in Genesis 4, he showed that he didn't care about what God wanted. Maybe he said something like, "I'm just going to do what I want. I don't necessarily go along with the idea of redemption by blood; I think it's a matter of ethics--if you're a good man and do what's right, God will accept you." Although Cain knew the truth, he chose to reject it. God required a blood sacrifice, but Cain rejected that. For that reason, Hebrews 11:4 implies that Cain had no faith. He did not believe God and offered something other than what He required. Therefore, Cain became "angry, and his countenance fell" (Gen. 4:5). We learned from verse 8 that apostates defile the flesh. What is the first thing that defiled man did? He killed his brother. Evil behavior often accompanies false doctrine.

b. The Application

Like Cain who rejected God's requirement of a blood sacrifice, theological liberals today deny that the death of Christ was a substitutionary atonement for sin. They believe that Jesus was merely a martyr who gave His life for a cause as an example to follow. The musical Jesus Christ Superstar follows that reasoning.

2. BALAAM (v. 11b)

"...[they] ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward..."

a. The Analogy

Balaam is probably the only person in history who ever had his jackass rebuke him. When you've got to get your instructions from a jackass, you must really be in trouble! The account of Balaam appears in Numbers 22--25. It tells of how the children of Israel were going to take over the land of Canaan. Balak, the king of Moab, didn't like that, so he hired Balaam, a prophet, to curse Israel. Balaam wasn't too sure he wanted to do that, for he had some fear of God in his soul. Since he was unable to put a curse on Israel, and desired Balak's money, Balaam persuaded the women of Moab and Midian to seduce the Israelites to commit idolatry and immorality (Num. 31:16; Rev. 2:14). He might have believed that God would have had to punish them, and that therefore Balak's purpose would be realized.

Unfortunately, the plan worked. When the interaction of the Israelites with the women of Moab and Midian threatened to weaken the nation of Israel, God brought punishment upon His people. Balak got his way, but do you know how the story ended? Numbers 31:8, 16-17 tells us how God punished those who had seduced His people: "And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian; Balaam also, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword....Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him."

b. The Application

Apostates not only go in the way of Cain by rejecting redemption by blood, but they are prophets for hire--open to the highest bidder. Most often they're in the ministry for financial profit. In contrast, Peter said that a teacher of God's people should care for their flock, but"not for filthy lucre..." (1 Pet. 5:2). In chapter 2 of his second epistle, Peter said that false prophets "make merchandise" out of people (v. 3).

There are many spiritual leaders who constantly ask people to send money to their needy ministries. As a result, some of them are getting wealthy as a result of their requests. Such people are in the ministry for money, although they would never admit to that. Not knowing I was in seminary at the time, a lady once encouraged me to go into the ministry, because she thought I was smart and could make a lot of money at it. After telling her my plans were to go into the ministry, but not for the purpose of making a lot of money, she was sorry that she had brought up the subject.

So, apostates follow the way of Cain: They reject redemption by blood. They reject the things that God has said and choose to follow their own ethical pattern. They are also guilty of greedily running like Balaam after anything that gets them what they want.

3. KORAH (v. 11c)

"...[they] perished in the gainsaying of Korah."

a. The Analogy

"Gainsaying" (Gk. antilogia) literally means "against the word." Korah rebelled against the Word of God. Whereas Cain ignored the God's command, and Balaam sought to circumvent it, Korah blatantly rebelled against it. Korah, a cousin of Moses, resented his exclusion from being a priest and envied Moses as God's mediator. In effect, Korah said, "Forget it. We don't need priests, and we don't need Moses." Abiram, Dathan, and two hundred and fifty others agreed with Korah and joined in his rebellion. According to Numbers 16:3, they believed that the entire congregation was holy and could there enter into God's presence without having a mediating priesthood. As a result of that rebellion, God opened the ground so that the three leaders with all that belonged to them were swallowed up. He consumed their two hundred and fifty followers with fire.

b. The Application

You say, "That's pretty serious." Yes, it is. Korah was a classic example of somebody who doesn't think that sinful man needs a Savior to serve as a Mediator between himself and a holy God. Such a person propagates the "fatherhood of God": He claims that all men are the sons of God and have access to Him apart from Christ. That false view asserts that Jesus didn't have to open the way of access, because God accepts everybody. They think that He is too "loving" to send anyone to hell. If there is such a thing as sin, they are sure that God is only too glad to overlook it.

But God clearly showed that He is greatly displeased with those ideas. Paul said, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). Jesus said, "...no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (Jn. 14:6). Although God had established the priesthood and Moses as His mediator, Korah claimed that he didn't need a priest or any other mediator. He thought everybody in the congregation was holy enough to approach God. In effect, he was blaspheming the holy character of God by assuming that a mortal man could enter the presence of God without a mediator. But that is ridiculous. Apostates who claim that they need no Savior may not be judged as immediately as Korah was, but God's judgment will certainly catch up with them. Their verdict is stated by Jude in verse 11: "Woe unto them!..."

Conclusion

Do you identify with those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and who obey the Word of God? Or, do you identify with the apostates? Are you one who has heard the truth, but is going in the way of Cain, running greedily like Balaam for reward, and ready to perish in rebellion like Korah? I hope you are among those people of God who hear and obey the Word of God, and who love the Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, accepting His blood sacrifice on our behalf. But if you know the truth and have not responded to it by giving your life to Jesus Christ, then you are a potential apostate. That would be tragic!

Focusing on the Facts

1. When won't being a part of the right religion benefit a person?

2.According to John 15:6, what is reserved for those who "abide not" in Christ?

3.When is the evil of apostasy compounded?

4.Rather than seeing the truth, what do false teachers see? Why?

5.Why can't false teachers control their immoral behavior?

6.What might be one of the reasons the Bible tells us that false teachers are immoral? From whose eyes is immorality never hid?

7.What authority do false teachers primarily reject?

8.Why is it characteristic of apostates to be rebellious?

9.In what ways do false teachers rebel against the home, the government, and the church?

10.Why might Satan have thought that he had a right to Moses' body?

11.Rather than speak against someone in authority, what should we do? In fact, what should we never do to any man, according to Titus 3:2?

12.Why is truth foolishness to the unregenerate man? (1 Cor. 2:14)

13.In what sense are false teachers like "brute beasts"? (Jd. 10)

14. By not bringing the required sacrificial offering, what was Cain telling God?

15.What do theological liberals deny about Christ's death? What do they believe that Jesus was?

16.Although Balaam had some fear of God, what did he desire more than being pleasing to Him? (Jd. 11)

17.Why are apostates most often in the ministry?

18.Explain the nature of Korah's rebellion? How did God respond to it?

19.What would an apostate following Korah's example probably say about Christ and about entering into God's presence today?

Pondering the Principles

1.Read 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. When a man divorces himself from the only power that can effectively control his fleshly desires, he tends to indulge his lusts. What is God's will for every believer (v. 3)? Contrast the behavior of believers and unbelievers (vv. 4-5)? Who is the avenger of those who are mistreated (v. 6)? If someone refused to accept God's call to sanctification, who would he be rejecting (vv. 7-8)? God gives us His Spirit so that we might lead holy lives. Are you submitting yourself to God's will and yielding your life to the control of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis? When temptation comes, do you find yourself rationalizing sin and falling prey to it? Or, do you recognize the danger and flee from it in order to "pursue righteousness" (2 Tim.2:22; NASB)? If you are weak in the area of fleeing lustful temptation, immerse yourself in Scriptures like Galatians 5:16-25. Meet with a strong Christian friend of the same sex who can hold you accountable and uphold you with prayer and encouragement. Prayerfully meditate upon 2 Timothy 2:22 and commit yourself to joining "with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."

2.How discerning have you been of the spiritual leaders you listen to and support? Evaluate them by the analogies of Cain, Balaam, and Korah: Do they say the same thing that the Bible says about sin and Jesus Christ, or do they reject God's revelation and requirements, while offering humanistic solutions couched in religious words? Are they constantly asking for money? Do they disclose their financial statements? Do you see any tangible results and worthwhile needs being met by the funds that they collect? Does the gospel message of Christ's substitutionary atonement and resurrection hold a central place among the other things that they teach? If you ever have a chance to view a religious program on television, or to hear one on radio, evaluate it by what the Bible teaches. Does it emphasize God's glory and holiness? Does it teach that salvation is through faith in Christ's person and His work alone? If not, it is clearly not worthy of your consideration.

Added to the John MacArthur "Study Guide" Collection by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986