Yet in like manner
these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority,
and blaspheme the glorious ones.
THE STUDY:
Yet in like manner (homoiōs mentoi)
indicates that the three examples of punishment listed in vv 5–7 can be
directly applied to the intruders who have disrupted the Christian community.
Jude focuses first upon their sin. “Yet
in like manner” means these men commit, not the same sins, but the same
kinds of sins as the disobedient Israelites, the fallen angels, and the people
of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jude
repeatedly uses the demonstrative pronoun houtoi,
these people, to refer to his
opponents (vv 10, 12, 16, 19), the intruders who “crept in unnoticed” among the believers (v 4). Dreamers in the OT
identifies the deluded dreams of false prophets. Jude may be referencing the
visions by which these men may have sought to justify their teachings and
actions.
Dreaming relates to the action of
the three following verbs. Thus, it is on the basis of their delusional dreaming
that they defile the flesh, reject
authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. Jude compares the sinful
behavior of his three negative examples (vv 5–7) with the behavior of these
dreamers.
The next few days we will look at
each one individually. First, like the fallen angels and the people of Sodom
and Gomorrah, the intruders defile the
flesh with sexual impurity.[1]
This is a subject that can cause much debate. I will not engage this debate but
will conclude with the understanding that the creation of sex is to be within
the limitations of marriage between one man and one woman. Anything outside of
this can be considered “sexual impurity.”
WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY
WITH ….
- We walk away with the understanding that when it comes to sex, “anything goes,” is not the case. As a matter of fact, this theology can cause us to lose out on our eternal existence in heaven.
CONCLUSION:
I know this
subject can go off in many directions, what I believe God wants us to glean
from this devotional today is the awareness of the outcome of sexual sin. We
all have a sexual desire that is given to us by God. This desire is not sinful.
It is how we react to that desire that may be sinful. Knowing the truth of God’s
word can guide us through those times and help us see what is of God and what
is not!
I tell people
all the time, “Intimacy with your spouse is wonderful whereas, outside of the
realm of marriage, it is sin!” By embracing the totality of scripture we can come
to understand the human desires and be able to determine which is sin and which
is good.
Blessings my friends
Pastor Rod
[1]
Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2
Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible
Commentary (276). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.
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