Licentiousness Is Not For You – 425

Jude wrote a letter — to us! It’s found just before Revelation. After the opening greeting, Jude writes concerning our common salvation, asking us to contend earnestly for the faith that was handed down to us. And why? He explains certain persons, ungodly persons, have crept in unnoticed, and you know what they are doing? They are turning the grace of our God into licentiousness. Licentiousness is unprincipled, unrestrained promiscuity in sexual matters. YIKES! Oh and they were denying our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

 Jude didn’t mean for us to get into dogmatic fights with every Christian who doesn’t believe just like we do, but to stand against the false teachers and to resist their ungodly message. These smooth-talking deceivers were drawing people away from Jesus. They were sowing discord while trying to make a name for themselves.

Jude refers to them as the ungodly. An ungodly person is — opposed to the things of God. They deny the Lord and reject the grace that might otherwise save them. They may ‘know’ the truth but they choose to reject it. It is incomprehensible, but they CHOOSE to remain under the condemnation of sin; they insist on THEIR way. They despise Jesus’ blood at Calvary.

Eph 2:8-9 states we are saved by grace. Grace captures the goodwill, lovingkindness, and favor of God that is freely given to us. It enables us to partake in His divine life. Grace is God’s divine aid that supernaturally empowers us to live a whole and healthy life, free from sin.

But these evil preachers were trying to turn the grace of our God into licentiousness. Preaching grace as the license to sin. If you preach the gospel of grace some will ask,”If God’s grace is greater than my sin, why can’t I go on sinning?” That’s Ro 3:18. That was the issue here. The truth is that the grace of God teaches us to say NO to ungodliness. But licentiousness teaches us to say YES.

Now listen to this. Jesus died to set us free, but we can lose our freedom in two ways; through legalism or licentiousness. The former, legalism, PUTS price tags on the free grace of God. Stresses obedience to laws, regulations, and such in order to receive good from God.  Licentiousness REMOVES the price tags from sin. “Do whatever you want, for we are under grace not law,” is its call. Yes, we are under grace and not the law, but this partial truth deception leads only to captivity and death. 

Our sinning will never affect God’s love for us, but it will surely affect us. Sin is destructive. It will hurt us and those we love. It is not God’s will for us to destroy ourselves through sinful living, so He gives us His grace – so that we may be empowered to say NO to temptation and live whole and godly lives. Tit. 2:11-12.

Today, don’t listen to the voice of licentiousness but continue in the GRACE of God — and COME ALIVE!