Hello friends, I feel that my post this week needs a preamble. I have been trying diligently to post something fresh and original, something timely and meaningful, every week. Due to a combination of major events happening in my life this week, though, I will not be able to put into the weekly post the effort that I would normally expect from myself. I offer my sincerest apologies, and instead of making something new, I am going to reach back into my vaults and share something I developed while at Divinity School.
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This was a short reflection paper from the end of a Greek exegesis course on the books of Jude and 2 Peter. Most laypersons are blissfully ignorant of the many troubling problems that arise when you study these books, especially when studying them side-by-side. Truth be told, these two books–more than anything else–almost ruined my belief in the inspiration of Scripture. Although I will not introduce these problems here, and my reflection paper only subtly brushes against the problems, I did want to lay out the context in which this was written.
As a further word of notice, I mentioned last week that in America spiritual authorities are generally disregarded if not despised. There are a lot of reasons for this, not least of all because people in religious leadership roles have earned it. However, as I said last week and as this reflection on Jude and 2 Peter repeat today, spiritual authority and the subsequent virtue of spiritual submission are valued in the New Testament, even if they are parts of our theological blind spots as American Christians. I don’t expect that many people will agree or appreciate with what I say in this paper. I am fairly confident in my position; I welcome disagreement, but please provide well-reasoned use of Scripture.
Why Jude/2 Peter?
A few weeks ago I attended a weekend conference at a church in Massachusetts. As a student, though, I did not have the liberty to spend an entire weekend without doing homework, so I took Bauckham’s commentary on Jude/2 Peter to read in between sessions. Apparently, seeing me read a commentary took a few pastors attending the conference back to their seminary days, which led to conversations about what I thought about the two books. None had much to say about either Jude or 2 Peter, and one even admitted that he never preached from 2 Peter. Many sincere believers have a hard time finding relevance in these two works, as both of them seem to condemn largely unknown opponents and are delivered to vague audiences, peddling in what seems to be hollow exhortations to be good (compare 2 Peter 3:11-12 with Paul’s exhortations to live led by the Spirit followed by examples of how to live in such manner in Galatians 5:16-26). And while at some level we might be tempted to say that since the two letters are part of our canon, we need to read them, as some bitter medicine, hoping that doing so will mystically do us some good, it would be preferable to find truly applicable lessons for contemporary issues. My claim is that Jude and 2 Peter do actually have such lessons, and that they are timely letters for today, as they both point to the importance of submitting to spiritual authorities—a virtue that is in complete contradiction with contemporary culture.
One does not need to go far to find examples of how any and all forms of authority are despised. Media such as the movie Office Space or the cartoon Dilbert portray work authorities as incompetent, heartless, oppressive, etc. Teenagers are expected to think that their parents are idiots (whether they actually do or not withstanding). Police officers are often treated with contempt, as evident in their many derogatory nicknames. Perhaps stemming from the counter-cultural revolutions in the 1960’s and 70’s, or perhaps even further back, as our country was born out of rebellion, a strong distrust of authorities in now a major part of our society.
In the same way, religious authorities have also suffered contempt. Any statistic would fail to measure the migration of people away from “organized” religion to alternative, more personal, more individualistic forms of “spirituality.” Masses have turned away from the Gospel preached from the pulpit in favor of good news they hope to find inside themselves. Many would think this migration as freedom, but I say that in so doing, one restricts oneself to discover truth on their own. And while such a journey can be fruitful, most undergo the path haphazardly, not examining their own beliefs with reason, but relies on a vague and nebulous sense of “it feels good to me.” This process inevitably leads to swarms of errors, holding self-refuting or mutually exclusive opinions, either oblivious to the blatant falsehoods maintained or, even worse, unconcerned about their existence. The real problem with this, apart from the rejection of God-given reason, is that our beliefs are major components of our actions. Good beliefs lead to good actions, bad or false beliefs lead to bad actions. Furthermore, according to most Christian perspectives, it seems that our beliefs have some role in our salvation. So this individualistic style of spirituality is extremely dangerous, both morally as well as eternally.
This is where Jude and 2 Peter come in; often read as a sign of “early Catholicism,” these two letters warn us of the dangers of straying from religious authorities. Although we do not know who the opponents are that the authors of Jude and 2 Peter speak against, it is obvious that at the heart of the problems are false teachings. Both count it as a mark and a sign of their opponents doom that they reject authority (Jude 8, 2 Peter 2:10). Being out from under the authority of others, they develop false doctrines, ones that lead to immoral actions. As 2 Peter 2:2-3 tells us, the false teachers deny even Christ with their destructive teachings, ones that encourage licentiousness and used to further their own greed. Jude agrees, when in verse 11 he compares the false teachers to Balaam, leading others to destruction in order to line their own pockets, or in verse 16 when he states that they indulge themselves in the flesh while persuading others for their own advantage. Apparently, they are wicked people, having left the care of the Gospel which was given to them, they devise means to satisfy sin and to ensnare others.
But God is not unaware of their misdeeds. No, for the false teachers, there is a punishment so great that it has been forespoken—their punishment was foreordained. Jude tells us in verse 4 that, in denying their Lord and master, they were long ago condemned. 2 Peter agrees, saying in chapter 3 that it was prophesied that there will be scoffers and indulgers of the flesh, people who justify their actions through false doctrines: not knowing their destruction is nigh.
And what is the nature of their destruction? 2 Peter continues in chapter 3 by portraying the scoffers as pieces of kindle for the Day of Judgment, to be caught up in flames with the rest of heaven and earth, melting alongside the very elements of the cosmos. Jude does not give us such a direct warning of the type of destruction these ungodly teachers will undergo, but the author does suggest that past examples of similar condemnations foreshadow their own destruction. For example, it points to those who fell while leaving Egypt and to the angels spoken of in 1 Enoch who left their proper place (a place which would entail being under God’s authority). He points to Sodom and Gomorrah, to Cain, Balaam, and the rebels of Korah. Respectively, these figures’ destructions were: the many various means of death in the wilderness wanderings, chained in utter darkness, eternal fire, wandering as an outcast, accursedness and death, and being swallowed by the earth and incineration by the fire of the LORD. Whatever we might draw from these allusions, none of them suggest that the false teachers’ own ruination will be pleasant or mild.
So what is the remedy for those who might be tempted to follow the doctrines of the false teachers? “Now, I wish to remind you, although you already know all of this…” (Jude 5), or “Therefore, I will always remind you concerning this, although you do know and are established in this present truth…” (2 Peter 1:12). Such heresies are combated through reminders; in other words, the people do not need any new teachings, they merely need to place themselves firmly under the truth which they have already received—they must submit to the authority of the (proper) teachings handed to them.
Now, I do not wish to suggest that in order to be spiritually sound, one must blindly accept any and all of the teachings presented by various religious leaders. There have been many harmful things perpetrated, both intentionally and unintentionally, throughout the history of the Church that has been strengthened by a felt need for blind allegiance to a particular message. There is an important role for reason alongside faith in the life of the believer. For everyone is fallible, even good-intending preachers, therefore, we need to test what is given to us. At the same time though, human fallibility also means that we ourselves are fallible, which means that we need to take an honest appraisal of ourselves as to how fit we are to challenge our leaders. I would never challenge an engineer’s blueprints for a suspension bridge because I know absolutely nothing about such things. Likewise, most religious leaders are people who have received rigorous training and spend their professional life wrestling with matters of faith and doctrine. So, if I am to challenge their teachings, I need to remember that their authority has been earned. Humility is then truthfully recognizing the earned authority of our religious leaders and thus giving a favorable ear to their message. We might have good reason to disagree with them on occasion, but that is healthy and to be expected.
The basis for why this humility is so desperately needed is because so often it is lacking among believers. We treat lightly things that are of utmost importance. We distrust those in authority and establish our own truths, not knowing the dangers we pose to ourselves in so doing. This is why the letters of Jude and 2 Peter are so timely, as well as timeless, for as the letters make clear, it is not only in our own time and culture where authorities are despised. Humble submission to authorities is a timeless virtue.
Related articles
- How can I recognize a false teacher / false prophet? (altruistico.wordpress.com)
- False Teachers (jehovahswatchtower.wordpress.com)
- https://net.bible.org/#!bible/Jude+1 (NET Bible link to Jude)
- https://net.bible.org/#!bible/2+Peter+1:1 (NET Bible link to 2 Peter)
Faith Seeking Revelation 