Have Mercy on Those Who Doubt – Jude 1:17-23

I have a friend who is a minister in what was formerly the Worldwide Church of God, a heretical cult that rejected the gospel.  But since 1995 this organization has experienced a transformation in its doctrine, now embracing orthodox Christian faith.  They have changed their name to Grace Community International to reflect these changes.  It is possible for false teaching and teachers to be restored to true faith.

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 1:17–23, ESV)

We should not be surprised that false teachers creep into our congregations, the kind who scoff at truth, create disunity in the Body of Christ, soulish not spiritual people.  The apostles warned us of this beforehand.  Instead, we should take care to keep ourselves in the realm of God’s love (remain within the pale of true faith and salvation) by strengthening our grasp constantly on the true gospel and by praying in accord with the Spirit, seeking His leadership and power, while we wait for the coming mercy/salvation of Jesus Christ.

His mercy for us must be our guide.  Haven’t we been influenced by falsehood and found mercy in Jesus?  There will be those who are swayed by the false teachers and begin to doubt the gospel, and these we must be merciful and gentle towards as we correct and restore them to faith.  Still others will need to be contended for if we are to rescue them from the fire of unbelief and no-salvation.  Others will have actually fallen into the immorality the false teachers promote and will also need mercy, but we will have to watch ourselves that we are not drawn into such immorality, also.  We must hate the immorality yet have mercy on the sinner.

It is easier to simply hate the false teaching and the false teachers who perpetrate it, and to be done with any who fall under their sway.  But Jesus, through Jude, is urging us toward a more difficult, but more merciful path of trying to reach out to those persuaded by falsehood.  Those who are truly elect will respond to our efforts.  Those who aren’t elect will experience the same destruction as the false teachers.  Is it possible that some false teachers can be saved?  It may be so.  When the Apostle John wrote of some in this camp in his first letter, he spoke of a sin that leads to death (1 John 5:15,16) and that he could not give assurance that prayer for them would be met with success.  We cannot see whether God has elected individuals and may only know it by how they react to truth.  We must only act in mercy toward all and seek to restore all.