Kathemerinosatos

Text:  Jude 1:22-23

Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Jude begins to advise his audience on how to deal with the apostates. To him they are on the brink of eternal damnation hence they need to be saved from eternal destruction. Therefore, spiritual discernment is necessary for dealing with these apostates.  His advice is not one size fits all but it depends on the circumstances surrounding these apostates. He employs three tactics. 1. Show mercy to those heretics. As Christians, we should not abandon our fellow Christians who have lapsed into sin but we should help them in seeking repentance and getting back to the fold. 2. We should use boldness with the confirmed heretics. That means rebuking them in love like what Jesus would do when He encountered a sinner. 3. We should use caution in showing mercy to heretics. This means helping them with accountability

Two takeaways for today are. 1. Our joy should be in helping a sinner in seeking repentance. 2. We should be mindful of the devil´s tricks as we attempt to help a sinner, otherwise we may end up falling into the same trap.