Content curated perfectly for our tastes litters our social media feeds, which means there’s always one more video to watch, one more post to like. American political commentator Chris Hayes calls this attention capitalism. Social media turns us into the products of our apps as companies purchase our information and battle for our attention in hopes of selling us things.1 As the attention age slowly replaces the information age, what matters most is no longer what’s true but what sells. In such an era, false teaching and misinformation become all the more prevalent and more attractive. How do we protect ourselves and our loved ones from the endless cycle of disturbing opinions and entertaining lies? Thankfully, God’s Word gives guidance in the confusion.
The Early Church Faced False Teaching, Too
The early church didn’t have to worry about smartphones or social media influencers, but it was deeply concerned about false teaching. The Roman Empire had united the Mediterranean world in a way never before seen. As ideas from across the empire mingled, the first century saw an explosion of new philosophies, faiths, and systems of belief. One of these new faiths had ancient roots among the people of Israel. A group called The Way began teaching that a Savior named Jesus had come and fulfilled all the promises of God, and now both Jew and Gentile could be united in one family, the Church.
The Church began small, but it grew quickly. As told in the book of Acts, people from all over the Roman Empire were coming to see Jesus as God and King. Acts highlights the external dangers the church faced, but other New Testament books address the internal danger of false teaching. As today, many new ideas were circulating, and some were infiltrating the church and distorting the gospel. One book written to address such danger is the letter of Jude.
In verse 1, Jude identifies himself as a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, a description that has long led readers to identify him as a brother of Jesus (Mark 6:3). That relationship gave him a certain authority to write to churches facing the dangers of false teachers. Like social media influencers today, traveling teachers in the first century moved from community to community, sharing their ideas and accruing followers and benefactors.2 From verses 3–4, it’s clear that teachers had slipped into the churches Jude addressed, bringing a teaching that distorted the gospel and led people into destructive lifestyles. Jude doesn’t give many details about who these teachers were or what they taught, but at the end of his letter, he offers insight into how to handle the aftermath of false teaching—insight that still applies today.
Doubters, Stumblers, and Rejecters: Jude’s Three Groups
Jude’s advice is simple and incredibly practical. He writes, “Have mercy on those who waver; save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh” (verses 22–23). Jude seems to highlight three groups: doubters, stumblers, and rejecters.3 Each group requires a different approach.
The doubters were likely those in the community in the earliest stages of being affected by false teaching. They heard troubling ideas that left them questioning their faith, and that questioning brought worry and anxiety. People at this stage require a gentle approach, for no sin has been committed and no truths thrown out.
Jude advises a tender hand for doubters but not for stumblers. Stumblers were likely those in the community who were starting to accept false teaching and live the destructive lifestyles that entangled them in sin. For them, Jude advises a more urgent and direct approach, pulling people back to the truth as though they are about to fall into the fire.
Finally, the rejecters were likely those who fully accepted false teaching and embraced the sinful habits that came with it. For them, Jude advises a form of mercy mixed with fear. For those who have fully embraced lies, Jude still has hope for God’s rescue, but he wants believers to be careful because attention-grabbing ideas are enticing. He doesn’t want the faithful to fall into the same falsehoods as those they are seeking to love and protect.4
How to Love the People in Your Life Who Are Struggling
Consider the people in your life. Is there anyone who fits one of these three categories? Who are the doubters among you? Perhaps you’re a doubter yourself. We must remember that Christians in every generation have struggled with doubt.
Yet the problem is not that we doubt; it’s what we do with our doubts. The man with the tormented son in Mark 9 is a wonderful example. He doesn’t wait until all his questions are answered before he comes to Jesus; he cries out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Jesus responds with mercy and heals the boy—a mercy that surely strengthens the father’s faith. For your own doubts, and for the doubters in your life, Jesus is ready with a gentle hand to bring healing. He may not answer all of our questions, but He will give us what we need most: Himself.
Are there any stumblers in your life? Have the courage to speak honestly with them. It’s a mercy to pull someone away from a destructive cycle of lies and misinformation. Are there any rejecters in your life? This is often the most heartbreaking group. To watch people you love believe lies that lead to destructive habits—perhaps even to reject the faith altogether—carries some of the deepest pain a person can experience. But don’t give up. Continue to show mercy, even if it simply means praying for what only God can do.5
You Don’t Need the Perfect Argument. You Need Jesus
Jesus said of Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). What’s amazing is that God didn’t give us a perfect argument with which to defend the faith; He gave us a perfect Person.6 Jesus Himself is the One who thwarts all lies. Remember that as you seek to love the doubters, stumblers, and rejecters in your own life. What people in any of these three categories need is not the most convincing argument but an encounter with Truth Himself. Sometimes the best thing you can do for people struggling with doubts and attractive lies is to listen to them. Show your love by hearing them out, which may open the door for them to hear you out, too.
Nicky Gumbel, who developed a ministry course known as Alpha into a global ministry for doubters, stumblers, and rejecters, places listening at its center. Millions of people around the world have taken the course. For Alpha, the goal is not to win the argument but the person. Winning someone over requires giving up your time, attention, and affections. It’s a sacrifice. This is what Jesus did for us. Jesus came to preach the truth, but He also came to give His very life to save us from the destructive lies we believed. Remember the mercy God has given you in Christ, and may that encourage you to extend mercy toward the doubters, stumblers, and rejecters in your own life.
As we love in action and word, by God’s grace, we begin to extend the very mercy we have been given; we begin to embody truth itself in a world of falsehoods. There’s nothing more attractive or attention grabbing than that.
If you liked this article, check out the related resources linked below!
Notes:
1. Dyer, From the Garden to the City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology, 145.
2. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter, 325.
3. Carson, NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 2272.
4. Carson, NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 2272.
5. Carson, NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, 2272.
6. Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City, 115.
Author Bio
Jacob Hess grew up in Oregon but currently resides in Pennsylvania, where he works as a local minister. He received his Master of Divinity from Western Seminary and enjoys reading, talking theology with his wife, and writing science fiction on the side.
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Related Resources:
| Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt: Finding Security & Certainty In Christ | A Study on the Letters of John - Men | Faith Questions - Truth | Biblical Discernment in the Digital Age | |||
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