Devotions

These false teachers had an air of intellectualism about them but, in reality, it was spiritual pride. The apostle Paul, a man of great learning, often battled with men who tried to rationalise away the Gospel. For them, it was too simple and didn’t appeal to the philosophy of mankind. Paul’s inspiring response was this, “But we preach Christ crucified… Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).
Those who are intellectually proud are spiritually blind. As Jude says, “these speak evil of those things which they know not”. That is the root of the problem: they have never had a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, despite what they profess to be.
In this respect, Jude says they are no better than “brute beasts”. Their prime concern is the gratification of their own lusts and pleasures… so they deny Christ, they despise any ordinance that God has established, and they teach all manner of wicked things. This lamentable condition is seen at its worst in apostasy. There are also shades of it in the life of any unconverted person.
Men talk derogatively about Christ because they do not know Him and, consequently, they speak the same way about the Christian because they do not understand what Christianity really is. The evidence of man’s spiritual blindness was demonstrated at the cross. So many saw no beauty in Christ; if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Those who have apostatised away from Christ, we must leave in God’s hands. Those whom we come into contact with that are still unconverted, we must pray for. As we reason with them about the Gospel, we pray for them before God’s throne and cry that God will open blinded eyes.