The Apostles' Teachings

Jude 16-19 These false teachers are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. 17 But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
 
WHEN the apostles began teaching about Jesus, they used the Old Testament – the Hebrew Scriptures – as evidence of Jesus’ deity, his suffering, death and resurrection as the prophets foretold. Peter, for example, quoted the prophet Joel in his first sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2). Isaiah’s words help Philip open the Scriptures to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8. We also read Paul’s teaching method in Acts 17:2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures. This, of course, was the primary sources of the authority of God’s Word for the apostles. They were following Jesus’ teaching methods. Our Lord continually urged both his disciples and his enemies to diligently study the Scriptures for the evidence of his Lordship. This was even Jesus’ method on the road to Emmaus. Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
   But now Jude indicates there is another God-inspired source for the gospel’s truth. In verses 17-18, he refers to the apostles. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” Instead of quoting solely from the Old Testament, he is teaching from the apostles’ lessons warning of false teachers: 2 Peter 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. And Paul warned in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 
   And why did Peter and Paul teach this? They are the Lord Jesus’ direct messengers. Jesus prophesied his warnings that deceit would infect the church. One example is his powerful Good Shepherd parable: John 10:10-11 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
   The Spirit and Son of God have delivered the Word of God from heaven to earth through the patriarchs, prophets, law, Savior and epistles. This is God’s plan to reveal his truth. We can trust the words built on the Spirit’s revelation through the ages and made plain to us in Holy Scripture.
   This leads to a most holy faith – see next lesson.