September 30, 2022 – Friday
Jude 1:4 NIV
4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Jude 1:4 DRA (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)
4 For certain men are secretly entered in, (who were written of long ago unto this judgment,) ungodly men, turning the grace of our Lord God into riotousness, and denying the only sovereign Ruler, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude 1:4 WNT (Weymouth New Testament)
4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
Comment
As we near the end of the list of reference to God as Sovereign, we come to the fifth occurrence where Jesus is without question is referenced as Sovereign. If we go here and here we will find a total of six expressions with the use of the word sovereign for the Greek despotes while most others use Master. One does not capitalize Sovereign but has sovereign Ruler which is somewhat redundant.
I wonder how many of us think of Jesus as our Master or as our only Sovereign with the absolute power of a despot? Most of us know Him as our Lord and Savior, but I think few of us really consider Him as much our Sovereign Lord as the Father is. After all, He and the Father and the Holy Spirit are indeed One.
I really like Jude 1:4 as no matter which version of this verse is looked at, we are always reminded Jesus is not only our Savior, but He is also our Master or our Sovereign. Along with Jude 1:4, Colossians 1:15-17 also reminds us of His supremacy, 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Now let’s take a look at the verse for today, 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. These individuals did not openly enter the church, but secretly slipped in among the believers. Why the secrecy? Because they were ungodly people, and their goal was and is twofold. First to pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and we see this in many churches today which approve of various sins such as homosexuality and homosexual marriage and the misgendering of individuals. Even worse is their second goal which is to deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. You will hear it often said Jesus was a wise sage, but He was not God or Sovereign as He was only as man. Thus, their goal is to permit all sorts of sin and to deny Jesus His deity. In doing so they can only condemn themselves and those who choose to follow them rather than the actual teaching of God’s word.
Bottom Line: God will and has condemned such individuals. Our job is to be aware that such individuals exist and to discern their dreadful teachings, then refuting them with God’s word with Jesus as our Sovereign Lord and Savior.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Help us to always perceive whenever any teaching of lies comes before us. Let us depend upon Your word and not the words of men and to always acknowledge Jesus as both our Savior and our Lord. – In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
RileyD, nwJ
Riley D. Driver – Pastor
Calvary Chapel of Dayton
in Beavercreek