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Turning God’s Grace into Lasciviousness (1)

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.  Jude 4.

One of our readers sent in a rather long but important paragraph with the question attached.  I quote the entire paragraph.  “Of course, this verse is one of the relatively few times the NT mentions reprobation.  My question is about the phrase, ‘turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.’  I have seen this phrase used to teach that God’s sovereign grace is resistible when shown to the wicked reprobate.  I know that that explanation is in error.  But what does the phrase mean?  And why is the phrase used in a verse about the reprobate?  Were the false teachers antinomians who were perverting the truth of salvation by grace to excuse immoral behavior?  Does the ‘grace of our God’ refer to the grace God has shown to the Christians in the church, which the false teachers were distorting, rather than grace that was actually shown to the false teachers (since they received none)?”

Not only is the text to which the reader refers an important one – also for the church today, but the issues referred to in the paragraph quoted above are important.  We will probably spend more than one article discussing these matters.

Before I actually get to the question itself, a question which concerns especially the meaning of the clause, “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,” a few remarks about some other aspects of the verse are important.

Jude is speaking here of a particular class of people in the church.  They were in the church to which Jude writes; they are always in the church.  They are described as those who creep in unawares.  What Jude means is that these men come into the church under false colors.  Their entrance into the church is not itself undetected; that would not even be possible.  But they claim to be in agreement with the doctrine and calling of the church, when, in fact, they do not agree at all.  They hide their true beliefs and do not make it evident that they do not love and serve Christ Who is the King of the church.  And they enter the church in order to corrupt it.

They are not necessarily men who come into the church from outside; they can also be born within the church.  But as they come to maturity they discover that they do not love the Lord Christ, nor do they believe the truths which the church teaches.  They nevertheless remain in the church, and they do so without revealing their true feelings about matters because they are intent on corrupting the church.  To those Jude refers.

The second point to which the reader refers is the question of reprobation in this article.  The reference is to the expression: “... who were before of old ordained to this condemnation....”  It is important that we are aware of the fact that not all commentaries agree by any means that the reference is to reprobation.  The problem lies in the meaning of an important Greek word which can be translated “written before” rather than “ordained before.”  The meaning then would be that these wicked men were written about before Jude wrote and it was predicted that there would be such men in the church.

We see no reason to reject either idea.  Certainly the Scriptures are, from Genesis on, full of references to men who do the same thing these wicked men do and who have “crept in unawares.”  Scripture repeatedly also warns the church against such men.

And it would be well that the church today remember this. Such men are always to be found in the church.  They are born into the church or they come into the church from outside.  Their hearts are empty of the love of God and His Christ, and their reasons for being in the church are evil.  Although as long as they keep their hatred of the church to themselves no one can do anything to them, nevertheless, sooner or later they reveal themselves for what they truly are.  And as often as not they do what these evil men did in Jude’s day, they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.  When the church nevertheless tolerates such people in her ranks, the church signs her own death warrant.

The church must be constantly on her guard.

We will save additional comments on this verse for our next issue.

Last modified on 27 March 2013
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Additional Info

  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 4
Hanko, Herman

Prof. Herman Hanko (Wife: Wilma)

Ordained: October 1955

Pastorates: Hope, Walker, MI - 1955; Doon, IA - 1963; Professor to the Protestant Reformed Seminary - 1965

Emeritus: 2001

Website: www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?speakeronly=true&currsection=sermonsspeaker&keyword=Prof._Herman_Hanko

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